"Know Thyself"

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Kixs on April 29, 2012 at 9:46am

Melanie the best advise I can give you on this is simply pay attention.  Pay attention to everything, especially yourself. Keeping a journal helps you get started with this I have noticed. No pun intented...lol.

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Permalink Reply by Aurelia Pontia on April 29, 2012 at 12:39pm

You have to be self-aware Melanie. You have to analyze and understand why you do what you do. You can't go through life doing things and when asked later why you did something to shrug and say "I don't know". You need to know. You need to think on your actions - hopefully before you do them and not after. Only in this way can you get to know yourself.

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Permalink Reply by Mephisto Moon on April 29, 2012 at 4:26pm

Well! Besides being beautiful, you already know of "True Will." Excellent material to work with so far.

Some questions: Are you artistic (you look it)? What did you most enjoy doing that was constructive *and* fun as a child or teenager, etc? What do you like to do now, or would like to do if you weren't at an impasse? These are your basic clues. No one knows oneself better than oneself, although friends and family can provide helpful hints and signs.

You might want to read "Diary of a Drug Fiend" by Crowley, to start. Then move on to as many other of Aleister Crowley's non-fiction works as well, and you will discover more and more methods to eliminate what your True Will is *not.* You will become, as I have, your own Master (or Mistress, if you prefer). 

I can't tell you what your True Will *is*, but I can tell you that this Dark Night of the Soul you (and my cousin) are currently experiencing need not last forever. But you must be willing to "shake it off" at the first real opportunity. Depression becomes a habit too. For some it's drugs that help (legal and/or illegal); for others, that and/or Meditation. Friendship one moment, solitude another. Only you can know, in the Gnostic sense of the word, Who You Are and Who You Will Yourself To Become.

Good luck and feel free to write me if you need further assistance. Or just flirtatious quips.

   Love (is the Law, Love under Will),

~Meph

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Permalink Reply by Lady Eva Michenet on April 29, 2012 at 5:01pm

Meditation helps; also spending some time looking at the things you have accomplished and are proud of, as well as things you enjoy doing and are willing to put your energy into such as any volunteer work you've done, hobbies you've been doing, that sort of thing.  These activities and interests reflect back to you the kind of person you are and what you are truly willing to do and to accomplish.

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Permalink Reply by Einherjar on April 29, 2012 at 7:35pm

How does one go about knowing oneself? Does it just come with time, or are there certain exercises that help? Do you know yourself?

First, as has been said, you must assess yourself, and you must be honest about it.  You have to assess the good and bad.  It helps top imagine you outside of yourself, and assess yourself as if you are someone else looking in.

I have been feeling kind of identity-less for quite some time now. My life is once again stagnating, and I feel I am not growing as a person. I feel like I've been coasting along in life with no direction or purpose, a shell of a person. I have always tried to define myself to myself, and I can never come up with clear answers.

You can't know where you are going until you know where you are.  Your Wyrd, or fate (I speak of the Norse view of fate, not the Greek) is where you are headed if things remain as they are. Feeling listless is a symptom of dissatisfaction with your current course in life.  I have a feeling you are trying to repress something about yourself.  It may be something you have to embrace, or something you have to garrotte with a piano wire.  Try to think on the concept of what you want, or what you want to be, rather than a particular thing you want to be or do.  You'll see more possibilities that way.  Acting on this may require a change that will make you very uncomfortable in the near-term, but move you forward in the long term.

I must also say that although you say you try to define yourself to yourself, it seems you are trying to define yourself by an external standard.

I need advice on how I can better understand myself and my "true will"

Think on this: when you are dreaming, and are presented with a stressful situation that requires action, do you react the same as you do in real life?  If not, you're probably repressing something in your personality that is critical to your make-up and must come to terms with it.  This will likely bring you closer to your "true will".

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Permalink Reply by Woodsong Lorn on April 29, 2012 at 11:27pm

You're always growing as a person - even when you feel as though you are coasting. 

I think it's always beneficial to write. It doesn't have to be a journal - if you're a poet, write in verse. Write your own ballad. Rhyme about your experience dealing with a new person. If your a storyteller, tell your story to yourself (other will likely be interested as well). Help people, teach something, give advice, learn a new language, musical instrument, or martial art. Things like that force you to learn about yourself. When you make an ass of yourself, as I have done on many an occasion, write, sing, or rhyme about it. Your screw-ups tell you more about yourself than anything.

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Permalink Reply by Non Sequiteur on April 30, 2012 at 1:38am

Dear Melanie,

  In my "Humble" opinion, the best place to begin to "know oneself' is, as Kixs, said to journal. If you feel a little bit more motivated, then reading can be good. It is also good to know what is good reading, and what is the filler in an already saccharine snack. 

  I confess, I was lurking on the chat, and someone mentioned some sites for books and archives. I had already posted a few links in my blog. I am always on the look out for good sources. This lady has posted a tremendous amount of information on her site. Most of it is free! I think she deserves to be compensated - at the very least to maintain the site:

http://darkbooks.org/collection/category-yoga-and-meditation.html

  You find the book that you want to read, and if you go to Mirror one, it will download it to a server where you can store your books; or, you can go through mirror two and download it directly to your computer. I suggest a flash drive because these files can take up a lot of space.

  The other site was ancienttexts.org. It appears to have some very reliable links. 

  No matter what you decide, remember to take what you read , hear, and see with a small Siberian salt mine. Even your own thoughts can be examined. You might find yourself changing your mind about things you used to take for granted as being true. That would be a great big deal, believe it or not!

  I, personally, have always gone for the path of direct experience. This can be reckless if you go about it in a hyper-fanatical approach. That approach may cause you to sacrifice much. Often, the things that stay with you are the things that you can do regularly.

 A friend of mine gave me some advice many years ago when I began this quest myself, and he said,

" To seek;

to know;

to remain silent."

  I used to wonder about the "remain silent" part. The more and more that I do this, the more I realize what that means.

Good luck in your endeavors,

~KK

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Permalink Reply by Anonymous Enigma on April 30, 2012 at 8:24pm

Wow. Thank you, everyone.

I do like to consider myself a writer. I started writing stories as soon as I learned to write. I got out of writing stories many years ago (and don't really intend on taking it up again soon) and started journaling. Then it seemed pointless since I was putting so much time and energy into writing and nobody would ever read it. Then I had a friend who I would write to. Then I wrote some poetry. After losing my friend, I feel I have no outlet since I only rarely have inspiration for poetry, and I have nobody to write to.

I LOVE writing, but I have nobody to write TO. Also, I know many of you will probably say "you can write to me" but I like pen and paper, not typing. Maybe I can type it up after I've written it down.

Unsure.

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Permalink Reply by Anonymous Enigma on April 30, 2012 at 9:08pm

Thanks. I think I will start writing before bed each night. Even if I have to pretend like I'm writing to someone else.

Hmm...What do you all think of this:

Making up a second name for myself, then writing to myself, then replying to myself?

Is that crazy?

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Permalink Reply by Anonymous Enigma on April 30, 2012 at 9:19pm

Thanks for the support.

 

 

why is this in "announcements"? Can someone move it or something?

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Permalink Reply by Sue Timko on April 30, 2012 at 10:23pm

Not crazy!!!

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Permalink Reply by Barry J King on May 1, 2012 at 12:35am

Kind of the opposite of a pen name.

Nope, not crazy.

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