April 1996
A Crisis of Identity
Over the last few months I keep hearing the same thing from friends, clients and other
practitioners/therapists: there is an identity crisis going on out there, both on an
individual and a Mass Consciousness level. Mental hospitals are filling up. People are
experiencing trauma and loss, causing them to drastically reevaluate the priorities in
their lives. Seemingly happy and successful folks are breaking down under stress; feeling
totally overwhelmed by the lives they have so carefully constructed. Our values are coming
under close scrutiny as we ask what our purpose is in this body, in this life. The past
seems like a dream and the present is crystal clear.... or vice-versa! As our
consciousness is expanding on an exponential curve, we become achingly aware of our
unfulfilled potential. We want to feel more alive. We want to feel like what we are doing
really counts. Our Hearts are bursting open: exposed, tender and raw - but powerfully
motivating because now we can really feel.
Those who have pursued information on a soul or akashic level are now taking all the
metaphysical labels (of starseed, priestess, extra-terrestrial, healer, teacher, walk-in,
etc.) - and realizing they must integrate those ideas within the context of this life if
they are to complete their soul's purpose. We must step out of the ego of what we think we
have been, so we can simply be all that we are right now. We must become the humble
wisdom of the Master...and when we speak it comes from the fire in our Hearts. The Master
within reminds us that the more we learn, the more we become aware of that we don't
know. In this one moment, we are all that we have been, and all we will be. We must be
present in the moment we occupy to reach our fullest potential. All the other parts of
self from all the other moments exist within us at this moment, whether we focus on it or
not. The present is so accelerated, we cannot afford to focus our identity anywhere but
here and now.
Who are we truly? We are the consciousness of this moment. This moment has the
potential of expressing all aspects, all knowledge, all experiences of this self. To focus
on just one part of the self is to exclude the other parts, which are just as real.
So, what parts of the self are you attached to?
I am an intelligent person/I am a complex person/I am a simple person
I am a beautiful person/I am a plain person
I am single./I am married / I am a husband/ I am a mother
I am a good employee/ I am unemployed/ I am self-employed/ I am on vacation
I am a talented person/ I am a damaged person/ I am a kind person/ I am an aggressive
person
I am an old soul/ I am a wise & knowing soul/ I am a trusting soul/ I am a naive soul
I am in pain/ I am strong/ I am fearful/ I am intuitive
I am possessive/ I am independent/ I am lonely/ I am social/ I am private
Do you find yourself judging some of the above traits as strongly negative or positive?
Why?...
How do you identify yourself? Make a list of "I am..." statements by sitting
down and writing for 10 minutes straight. Then go through and mark the traits and roles
that are most important to you. Imagine what would happen if you lost one or more of them.
Who would you be then?
When we experience trauma or loss, we become fragmented. We feel as if all the parts of
our identity are circling above our heads. It can feel devastating... or it can be viewed
as an opportunity for growth. If we resist this opportunity for growth, we may actually
regress. It can also be an opportunity to heal trauma and loss from the past, because it
brings up those feelings again. We can retreat into fear, or we can allow ourselves to go
into the feelings, to acknowledge and honor the losses as part of our LifeÕs Path. We can
ask to see the hidden blessings within the pain of loss. It is always there when we are
ready to see it. Losing something we identify with (losing a part of our identity) is an
opportunity for rebirth. The new self will learn how to remain intact despite loss. The
new identity will be able to experience joy, despite the memory of pain. The new
consciousness will have more compassion, more tolerance, more insight into the human
condition because it now contains the memory of the pain and the rebirth.
As we stretch out to accomodate the broader perspective of our new identity, we will
encounter others who mirror our rebirth process. They may be brought into our lives to
illustrate the more extreme version of our inner drama. They may remind us of the narrower
tolerances we have just grown out of. They may stir our hearts to reach out and give in
ways that would seem impossible only a few months ago. Anything is possible when we are
not defined, but simply present to respond to the Moment.
