Releasing the False Self

We do not awaken to our true self without passing through loss, suffering, or surrender. These experiences break our identification with the false self—the ego we’ve built through roles, opinions, and control. When we are stripped of what once defined us, something deeper is revealed. It’s not dramatic or mystical; it’s just what’s real. We are no longer clinging. We begin to live from a quieter, more grounded awareness. This change does not happen by thinking about it. It happens by being undone. The ego is transformed in the very carrying off. We can resist it or cooperate with it, but either way, we will be changed. What remains after the loss is more whole, more honest, and more free. That’s what we mean when we talk about spiritual transformation.

May we allow what must fall away to do so,
trusting that in the letting go,
our true self is made known.

(inspired by Richard Rohr, Immortal Diamond)