In this introduction to the classic psychosynthesis exercise, Stuart Miller describes how it can be practiced and gives good examples of its effect and the pitfalls we must beware of.
This monograph originates from Synthesis Journal, Volume 2 (pp 122-139) 1975-1978
By Stuart Miller, Translation Annabritt Jakielski
The long night of reductionism is over. Its product, homo reductus—the reduced man—a prisoner of his instincts and a mechanical toy with a computer for a brain, is losing its hold on the modern imagination. Increasingly, informed and sober-minded people are re-introducing the higher human qualities into their view of themselves and others. The evidence of this shift is found in many places, notably in the growing interest in the more humanistic and spiritual aspects of psychology, the study of religious experience, and the growing understanding and cooperation between men and women within all the nations of the world.
While this growing trend brings much hope, it can also give the individual a new awareness of issues that were obscured by the pessimism that prevailed a few decades ago. We may feel irritated, troubled, or perhaps even torn apart by a sense of inner division – an inner “vertical” division.
“I know what is right to do, but I don’t do it.”
“I know I can be a better person, but I don’t know how to get there.”
“I have a sense of how things should be to be better, but I can’t translate this understanding into a practical direction in my own life.”
“I know that my instinctive urges and my social conditioning are often wrong, but I can’t quite see what I could do instead.”
It is as if we know that our current personalities and the sum of our lives as we have lived them are not as they should be. The task is to discover and develop a stronger connection to our own inner source of wisdom. However, it is often not easy to know where to begin.
A very simple method, accessible to most people, can be used to begin with. It is the technique of “Dialogue with the Higher Self.” This technique has arisen from a psychological study of various philosophical and spiritual traditions. It is a practical application of an ancient and almost universal dualistic belief that man has a higher aspect or soul, and that the personality can contact this higher self and ask for guidance. It has been said that the fundamental purpose of psychology—a purpose which is only now beginning to be understood—is the understanding of this relationship between these higher aspects of human nature and personality as we understand it. Those who advocate this point draw our attention to the fundamental meaning of the word “psychology.” In Greek, “psyche” means “soul,” so “psychology” means the knowledge of the soul .
The technique of Dialogue with the Higher Self is, in essence, simple and straightforward. Its basic thesis is that within each individual human being there is a core of wisdom, intuition and a sense of purpose that can become a source of guidance in our daily lives. The next step is simply to enter into dialogue with this core, trusting that it is there and that it will respond.
In Hindu tradition, this higher aspect is called Atman. As is well known, Mahatma Gandhi, who was a practical and very successful political leader, used to speak of the “inner light of universal truth” to which he turned in important matters. When his colleagues came to him on important matters where he had to make decisions, he would withdraw into meditation to consult this “inner light” and return when he was rationally certain that with the help of this inner guidance he had made the best decision he could. The great Indian saint of the 20th century, Ramakrishna, used to practice a similar technique in which he had conversations with the Divine Mother, Kali. When he was in a crisis, he would go into the temple to talk to her.
In Eastern traditions, there has been an ambivalence about such conversations for thousands of years. On the one hand, the various gods involved have been symbolized as being outside the person; on the other hand, they are seen as being within the person’s own psychological and spiritual nature. The Bhagavad Gita, one of India’s most treasured scriptures, is presented as a dialogue between a young man in crisis and the great Lord Krishna, one of India’s great gods. Interpretations of the Gita, dating back more than 2,500 years, have described it as an inner dialogue—a dramatic representation of the dialogue between the God-seeking personality and the divine light or Higher Self, symbolized by Krishna. Arjuna finds himself in a crisis in his real life, where he is to play a decisive role in a war, and where he has concerns and questions about his role and destiny. Finding himself in the midst of this crisis and despair, he turns to his inner light, personified by Krishna, to find a solution.
In the West, the tradition of dialogue with the divine is found as a central part of the Old Testament. The idea of dialogue with a part of oneself that is in tune with the divine is also found in the Jesuit practice of “Discerning the Spirits” – where the student seeking to decide on his religious position seeks to distinguish between the action of the “good spirit” within himself on the one hand, and the selfishness that is a reflection of the “devil” on the other. Similarly, we read of the “indwelling Holy Spirit” as a psychological state we should seek. The New Testament also speaks of the receptivity to “divine providence” as a technique where – having exhausted the usual and rational ways of dealing with a problem – we turn to a higher source for an answer.
As we have discussed, techniques such as these can be seen as attempts to contact “something else” that is full of power and wisdom. Or they can be seen as attempts to reach those layers of our own psyche that are not accessible in daily life. There are also more inclusive interpretations, according to which both the inner and outer models are actually complementary expressions of the same formless reality. We can say that – through their reflection or projection into our unconscious – we achieve contact with universal archetypes that reside in the higher collective unconscious. It is the organizing and integrating energy of these archetypes that provides the mind with the necessary solution.
Whatever the precise explanation, the answers that come can be seen as the result of letting go of our identification with the analytical mind, through which we release creative aspects that are normally blocked. This is not to reject the mind, only to disidentify from it. In fact, the common technique used by people who struggle with a problem, become frustrated by it, let go, and simply wait for a solution is basically the same. In this creative process, many report that when the answer comes, they experience it as coming “from outside” from – as one author describes it – “a universal authority.”
So the notion that there is a source of wisdom and guidance – a Self, an Essence, Soul, Spirit, Atman or Ruach – is certainly not to be simply brushed aside. As the experience of a large number of people has shown, it is not necessary to believe in a divine source within man for the technique of “Dialogue with the Higher Self” to work. It is sufficient to accept the perfectly reasonable assumption that there are aspects of all of us that are higher than many of those of which we are normally aware. In short, it is sufficient that we believe that we contain the potential for more wisdom, love, strength, compassion and development than we have yet discovered. If we believe that these qualities are available and that they can be explored, that is sufficient.
The psychosynthesis technique itself
Assume, as many ancient traditions do, that we hold within us a source of understanding and wisdom that knows who we are, what we have been, and what we are likely to become in the future. This source is in tune with our life purpose as it unfolds. It can help us direct our energies toward achieving greater integration and toward creating harmony and wholeness in our lives.
Once we have decided on this assumption, we close our eyes, take a few deep breaths, and imagine that we are looking into the face of an old Sage (some people will spontaneously picture an old Sage. While this image can also be helpful, many people find that the old Sage seems to them to be the most natural and readily available symbol of their own inner wisdom. The results of using the symbol with either the Sage or the Sage will likely be different and complementary. The reader may want to try both and see which is most useful for different purposes and circumstances in their lives), whose eyes express great love for us. (If we have difficulty imagining this, we can first try visualizing the flame of a candle burning calmly and quietly, and then let the face appear in the middle of the flame.)
We can engage in dialogue with the ancient Sage in the way we find best. Use the Sage’s presence and guidance to help with the questions, directions, or choices you have at that moment. Spend as much time as you need in this dialogue, and when you are finished, write down what happened, further elaborating and evaluating the insights you received.
The technique has the advantage of being very varied. Although this specific form is useful for many people, there are many others that can be used. The Sage is an archetypal symbol in the Jungian sense. As already mentioned, this symbol can enable us to contact layers of the psyche that would not normally be quite so accessible – belonging to our higher unconscious or superconscious. Symbols are the language of the unconscious, and there are a number of these symbols that can sometimes work just as well as the Sage. In addition to the Sage Woman, people have used a lotus flower, a rose, the sun, a diamond, a flame, a silver cloud, a spring, an angel, a dove, a Phoenix Bird, Christ or Buddha, to name just a few. These symbols can also be used dynamically and in combination. For example, many have found it very useful to imagine a lotus or rose bud gradually opening, with the Sage appearing within it. Often different images will spontaneously emerge in response to different needs, although one of the most common symbols of the inner source of wisdom is the wise and loving old man.
People who have used the technique for a number of years report that they have spontaneously developed various symbols of inner guidance. It is experienced as the Higher Self reaching us by taking on different forms at different times. One psychologist reported the following variations:
Usually it is a Sage who looks like Lama Govinda, of whom I have seen pictures. He is old, slender, has a beard and is dressed in the ritual robes. He is Tibetan and an ascetic, and his face has a very loving and blissful expression.
Another has a fuller face and looks more like a Hindu swami. He is less ascetic, and although he is also old, he is not as old as the Tibetan Sage.
Another Sage has a more Moses-like expression; he is more of a Charlton Heston type.
A fourth is a sun symbol; round like the sun, with a face in the sun. He has eyes, a nose, and a mouth, but that’s all.
One woman describes at least three variations of her Sage:
The first is my “best self” – he is quite comical and appears only with eyes, shoulders and hands. He utters a series of short sentences, often about things that are happening right now, such as “Forget it!” or “Go on!” or “Watch out!” He often accompanies his witty remarks with an empathetic gesture with his hand. He is an old man with a great sense of humor.
Then there is a young man. He is dressed like a monk and talks about bigger topics than the first one. He doesn’t use many words either; he gives an indication of experiences I am on my way to. For example, if I ask him, “What is the next thing I need to learn in my development?” he might answer with a few sentences: “You need to integrate your personality,” or “Think more deeply about the meaning of the word “love.”
There is also a third type. It is a group. They appear as a group of white-clad old men who talk to each other and guide me. They are very happy and helpful. They are not as “tall” as the other one and are more interested in me – less impersonal. They guide me about groups of people, or groups in general. I have a lot to do with groups in my life, and they are a kind of specialists in groups. They are more loving than the other symbol. He is wiser and in a way more abstract.
After some practice, we may prefer not to use visual symbols, and they are actually not necessary.
An interesting variation of the technique is to write a letter to our Higher Self and then expect our Higher Self to write back through us. To do this, we simply switch roles and “reply” to our letter as if we were the Sage. (This procedure has clearly nothing to do with the accounts we have heard of “automatic writing,” trance mediumship, or similar phenomena, which are of a very different nature. In such cases the person is unconsciously or consciously passive, whereas in the form of dialogue here suggested there is a normal and often heightened awareness and presence, and the mind may be receptive but is by no means passive.) This technique appeals particularly to those people who are accustomed to a high degree of precise verbal exchange. However, as can be seen from the preceding examples, the verbal exchange with the Higher Self can sometimes be very brief, and others report that communication with the Self is often primarily visual, e.g. hand gestures indicating “Stop”, “No” or “Yes” etc. Others report – especially after a certain practice – a direct certainty of what the Higher Self is saying, and that in that case the exchange goes beyond both the visual and the verbal.
Whether we use symbols or not, whether they are alive or not, whether the exchange is verbal or not, for the technique to work it must be tried. Those who have found it useful report that, although incredibly simple, it seemed strange to them at first, but that once they gave themselves to it, the technique worked well. Others already believed that they had such positive potentials within them, but were more pessimistic about their ability to contact them. Sometimes they expressed a feeling of being unworthy of such contact. In all cases, what was needed was, in Coleridge’s words, “a willing setting aside of one’s mistrust.”
To put it another way, when we attempt this or any other technique of self-realization, we need confidence that it can work. Confidence, as the Indian Jaina philosophers have pointed out, is a prerequisite for any kind of progress in any given philosophy, method or path. Of course, this is not blind confidence. What is needed is not confidence that the technique will work, but that it can work. Later we check the results of the technique to see whether or not the confidence has borne fruit. All spiritual and psychological schools – from the Indian sages to the Catholic mystics, from those who have been in psychoanalysis or tried the empty chair of Gestalt therapy – emphasize the limitations of effort without this kind of commitment.
Similarly, if the idea of dialogue with the Higher Self is new or seems strange to us, it may be helpful to begin by simply thinking about the reasonableness of the idea that there are latent parts of ourselves that are wiser than our everyday selves. This kind of thinking helps us to quiet our skepticism and the tendency we all have to some extent to suppress the sublime within us. For many people, adopting this attitude of “provisional trust” is simply a matter of deciding to do so, and if they do, they find that over time the Higher Self provides better and better answers, more certain guidance, and more loving impulses. There are some people, perhaps because of temporary crises or past learning, who find this kind of temporary faith in a Higher Self difficult. These people may be plagued by guilt and depression, a sense of worthlessness, etc. It is of course these people who need most to develop awareness of their inner, higher aspects. People who work to help others – psychologists, counselors, teachers, and others – have found it very helpful to use this technique with people in such crises, first doing the technique together and then recommending that the client continue with it at home. 1.
This technique very often gives useful results on the first try, although at other times it takes longer. A client received no answer during the first week of daily attempts to contact his Higher Self. He did not dare to hope that such an inner source would speak to him. Encouraged by his therapist, however, he continued his attempts. For the first few days his letters to the Higher Self were simply emotional, desperate pleas: “Help me, Higher Self; guide me. Show yourself to me, speak to me! I need you!” Gradually, in writing these “letters,” he was led from these highly emotional needs to a more sober approach; a detailed account of the young man’s life dilemmas and finally his logical examination in favor of the Higher Self of his difficulties and their causes. Towards the end of the week, the young man discovered that he was able to take the Higher Self’s point of view and answer his letters.
One of the first important results of this work was that he began to adopt an inner standpoint that was objective in relation to the storm of problems. (Generally, the use of the technique of Dialogue with the Higher Self is helpful in disidentifying from the problems and developing an attitude of observation.) One of his next discoveries was the difference between the Higher Self and his own “overself.” It turned out that part of his resistance to contacting his own inner source of wisdom was due to the fear that all he would find in this search would turn out to be not a Higher Self, but rather a Higher Overself—a “super-Overdog,” to use a Gestalt therapy expression. However, in the process of attempting dialogue with his Higher Self, he soon discovered that the Higher Self was of a completely different nature overall.
The Higher Self, as far as I know, is not like the superego. The Higher Self does not issue orders, is not imperative, and is not sharp. It gives suggestions, indicates solutions – is more mental in the pure sense of the word. The superego, on the other hand, has a lot of emotional tension, which is often of a negative nature. It presses and is imperative ….
The self appears calm, dressed in white …. is strong (although vaguely visible) and radiant – like Christ in Brother Angelico’s “Transfiguration”. He speaks to me …. and has the character of a teacher. He is interested and present, but objective. If he demands anything, it is to be embraced. He opens himself to it. “Take it or leave it”, is his message. He shows paths and possibilities, but leaves it up to me to follow them or not. He is there. It is up to me to choose him.
My superego, on the other hand, is darker, fuller, and almost petrified. He has a menacing expression on his face and holds a hammer in his hand. He hits and chops. He threatens and uses force. He exhausts me, and he forces me. (The example illustrates a common tendency among many people to fear that their higher nature will be critical, authoritarian, puritanical, and often turns out to be life-denying. This misunderstanding is often the cause of “repression of the sublime”). Read the article: Repression of the Sublime
We can see the over-ego as a reflection of or a static expression of the Higher Self. We develop the over-ego through material from outside, from society, our parents, etc. Such a “construction” plays a role in our early development and is temporarily necessary. Over time, however, it becomes rigid and limiting and must eventually be gradually released and replaced by a more genuine and dynamic inner source of wisdom, values, meaning and sound discernment. In developing dialogue with the Higher Self, we should therefore be careful to identify voices answering our questions that do not really come from our authentic higher self. It may sometimes be the voice of a sub-personality pretending to be the old Sage, or a voice from an angry or ambitious parent from our childhood, etc. We must therefore use the faculty of discernment – which the Hindus in their spiritual tradition called Viveka – to identify other figures who pretend to be the Higher Self.
Discernment
When we enter into dialogue with our Higher Self, we must test all messages we receive in the critical “fire” of the mind. We must ask, “Is this advice really wise? Does it make sense?” This is an important step, for it goes without saying that all such messages can come from a variety of sources; not only from the Higher Self or from the lower unconscious, but also from many sources in between, where the wisdom contains varying degrees of distortion, unmet needs and desires, detached thoughts and feelings.
(This discussion of discernment is a useful place to make a precise, theoretical distinction regarding the way in which we have used the term “Higher Self” in much of this document. The dialogue with the Higher Self is not directly with the Higher Self. Rather, it takes place with an element of our superconscious, which is itself activated by the Higher Self.
An analogy will help us to explain the differences and the reasons why we will ignore them in the rest of our discussion. When we have a dialogue with another human being, it is usually not with that person’s essence, his human being, so to speak. He does not present himself in his essence, and we do not perceive him as such. Rather, he presents himself to us through an intermediary – a sub-personality or, for example, an emotion. This sub-personality or emotion presents itself again through other intermediaries such as his voice, facial expression, etc. So in fact, a large part of our daily ordinary dialogues or conversations take place at least two intermediaries after the personal essence of the interlocutors.
Similarly, the image of the Old Sage is not the same as the energy that activates the image, and that energy is not the same as the source—the real Higher Self. Just as in ordinary conversation it would be awkward, if not paralyzing, to maintain the awareness of our double removal from the other person’s essence, so in dialogue with the Higher Self it is generally not beneficial to maintain the awareness that we are not in dialogue with the real being. On the other hand, it is important to know and to keep in mind that the Old Sage and the “Higher Self” with whom we are conducting the dialogue are not the real Higher Self. This realization helps us to maintain a proper sense of proportion. For example, people sometimes have an experience of “becoming” the Old Sage. This can happen spontaneously on occasion, or it can happen consciously after practicing the Dialogue technique. Such an experience can be very sublime, charged with a deep and beautiful feeling, and it can contribute significantly to the advancement of our growth. As a result, people can get the mistaken impression that they have actually become one with their Higher Self. It should be said, however, that the actual experience of direct contact and ultimately identification with the Higher Self is of far greater significance than these other experiences, no matter how authentic, valuable and important they may be. The experience of contact and identification with the Higher Self in its essence is altogether of a different nature and opens the door to new dimensions of consciousness, which are experientially and by their nature ineffable.
Of course, the very fact that we consciously and deliberately address the Higher Self has the effect of weeding out the lower “voices.” Through continued practice, we become increasingly able to “recognize” the real “voice” of our true source of wisdom and to establish a reliable channel of communication with it. However, we can never be sure that we are in contact with the source itself. This is especially true in our first attempts at the technique or in periods of intense conflict and crisis, when many of our inner voices are shouting loudly at the same time. We consider it, make sure we understand it, and try to determine whether it is beneficial or not. If the answer is truly from our Higher Self, our task will likely be easy, because its quality will often feel “strangely good.” This quality may be in its essence common sense, it may be “just the solution we would have chosen if only we had thought of it,” it may be beautiful in its simplicity, and it may be accompanied by a vision of the good that will come of it, which becomes a source of joy. In these cases, the course of action will probably be clear.
At other times it will be obvious that the sources are not the Higher Self. This will undoubtedly be the case if the message clashes with our best and highest values; if following it involves unnecessary harm to ourselves or others; if its main effect is to inflate (or deflate) our ego; if it is primarily self-serving; if it has an autocratic, dictatorial character. One student complained that what she then considered to be her old Sage had the quality of a “New Age Overdog,” relentlessly pushing her towards ever more transpersonal results before she had built a sufficiently strong base of personality in daily life. She recalled that she had not been discerning enough to reject such persistent and harsh messages; messages without a touch of loving acceptance combined with a desire to be helpful.
There are, however, situations where it is not sufficiently clear whether the message is from the Higher Self. Such situations should be carefully examined, especially when important matters are involved. Some messages are “mixed,” and we need to separate what is useful from what is either not useful or harmful. In such cases, the first and most abstract part of the message is often the one that counts. The elaborations and details that follow are likely to contain distortions or are voices belonging to the subpersonalities masquerading as the Higher Self. Sometimes, however, it is not possible to say whether an answer is or is not from the Higher Self when we think about it. This may be because the content is beyond the mind’s grasp. Or it may be because the results of the proposed action are unpredictable and will only be obvious when the action is performed. In such cases, we must decide whether we are willing to take the risk – taking into account any intuition or hunch, our previous experiences in similar situations, the possible consequences of a wrong action, and any other relevant facts including – especially – our common sense.
If we decide to proceed in such a situation, it is important that we do so with an open-minded, scientific attitude. We are, in effect, conducting an experiment: we are testing something to see if it works or not. Maintaining such an empirical attitude has greater value than the result or outcome of our actions. This attitude allows us to learn from our choices, to get to know the sources of our inner messages better, and to distinguish the voice of the Higher Self from other voices. Over time, through repeated attempts at this process, we will achieve an increasingly clear channel for the messages of the Higher Self. Such a channel can be of invaluable importance in our future choices of actions.
Interpretation
Once we have convinced ourselves that the message is indeed from the Higher Self – and sometimes in the very process of deciding whether or not it is – we often need to “interpret” the message. The Higher Self does not always give simple, concrete answers to simple, concrete questions. It often happens that an abstract, symbolic message must be examined to find out how it can be applied very concretely and specifically to the situation at the given moment. Or the opposite may be true: a seemingly simple and straightforward message may contain an important insight that has broad applicability to our lives as a whole.
An example may illustrate this. A woman lay on the porch behind her house, trying to have a dialogue with her Higher Self about her life purpose. She had long thought about changing careers and perhaps returning to school for one reason or another, but she was unsure how to begin, what path to take, or even whether she should make such a change at all. Her Higher Self answered her question about purpose with a single word, “harmony.” The woman realized that this message required interpretation and began to think about harmony. She saw various images of harmony, including herself as a motley bagpiper blowing musical harmonies into the world. Another image was the tuning fork, which she interpreted as attuning the personality to the soul so that it could be receptive to its energy. Eventually she had the abstract thought that “the personality is an instrument through which the soul plays its music.” Reinterpreting this, she saw that choosing one career or another was not nearly as relevant as cultivating an inner state of harmony that would enable her to be as fully human as she could be. As she began to cultivate this inner attitude, problems with work, family, and friends gradually began to fade away. For all these positive results to become a reality, it was first necessary for her to have sufficient determination to think things through and then gradually find ways in which she could realize the wisdom of her Higher Self.
From this example we see that a fundamental purpose of interpretation is to recognize at what level of applicability the answer lies, and at what level it should be applied. Interpreting a message as belonging to the wrong level can have a harmful and even dangerous effect. Such misinterpretation is the basis of many cases of fanaticism, ego-inflation, or grandiosity. Such mistakes can be made even by highly developed people.
A famous example of an interpretation at the wrong level is found in Francis of Assisi, when he heard God say to him, “Go and rebuild my church.” At first, Francis thought that meant he was to rebuild the small ruined church of San Damiano, which lay outside the city walls of Assisi. Only later did he discover the true meaning—to rebuild the corrupt Catholic Church of his day through his example of love, modesty, and charity. It is interesting to consider what would have happened to Francis of Assisi if the message had really been about rebuilding the church at San Damiano, and he had gone after the entire Catholic Church!
We can also experience different levels of the wisdom of the Higher Self in a single dialogue. A very busy man described the following exchange:
I felt very rushed, out of sorts, and unstable. So I talked to the old Sage about it, and the first thing he said was something like, “You need to rest and to trust the process; everything will fall into place. If you exhaust yourself now, you won’t be able to do the things that really concern you.” But I kept waiting for more, opening up in expectant silence.
After a few minutes, I experienced a quantum leap in understanding. I saw that my worries had a purpose. The old Sage enabled me to see that the current worries were a necessary part of the “process” he had spoken of. “This is what it is about for you right now – you are irritable and tense because you are going through a process of learning to work with people, and you do not yet know how to do it. But the process is very important in your development into a human being who can give something good to the world. It is, as you know, a necessary step away from your nice but useless idealism. It is the step that will make your idealism practical and useful in the world. That is why you can be patient with yourself and even take the rest of the day off. You are doing well.”
The role of the mind
As we have seen, the use of the Higher Self Dialogue technique does not necessitate closing the mind. Far from it. The intellect can and should be involved not only in the stages of discernment and interpretation, but from the very beginning and at all levels of the process. It is important to use the Higher Self Dialogue technique in conjunction with, and not as a substitute for, thorough critical thinking.
Intensive thought activity is not necessary. It is not necessary to feel that we must turn our brains upside down before we have earned the privilege of contacting the Higher Self. Common sense tells us that it is necessary to choose the golden mean between too much and too little thinking. (If in doubt, it is a good subject to ask the Higher Self for feedback on.) In important situations, it is generally advisable to think through the various pros and cons of our problem as much as we can before presenting them to the Higher Self. The best preparation in such situations is to make as exhaustive a description of the circumstances as possible, or to silently tell the Higher Self the essence of the problem. This not only trains the mind, but also mobilizes the superconscious or higher unconscious to come up with a more creative solution, and at the same time it puts the mind in a receptive attitude, where it is as receptive as possible to the answer when it comes. In creative language, it is about the fact that once we have dealt as exhaustively as possible with the problem on the “horizontal” level (where it currently exists), we can more effectively turn “upward” for illumination.
To take a concrete example, a man is wondering whether he should take one job or the other. The first job pays more and is more secure, but the second is more creative. He begins to think about the consequences of each of the two choices: He has more opportunity to grow and express himself in the creative job, but in the well-paid job he can save more money for his children’s education. When he has listed all the arguments in relation to both options, he asks the old Sage, who says, “Your main obligation to your children is the quality of your being.” The problem is thus indirectly solved by an answer on a higher level. His obligation to his children and his own personal growth are not opposites. His prior thinking thus gathers the necessary basic information for the Higher Self to work. Usually, this conscious thinking through of the situation is sufficient for the Higher Self to offer the solution to the problem without actually being called upon.
In general, therefore, we can say that the most effective use of this technique occurs when the mind is used, or when there is a will to use and develop it. Making contact with our own inner wisdom through the various symbols of the Higher Self is in itself a strong motivation to develop the mind. With the assurance that we have an inner core that is wise, good and loving, we have a foundation on which to build a coherent self-development program. We get an experience that we deserve this, and we respond to the gradual and kind call of the Higher Self. We can then increasingly direct our will, our intellect and our emotional nature in a way that accommodates the best within us.
As this process continues, people report that they can turn to the Higher Self for answers to deeper and deeper questions. They realize that the ultimate utility of this technique (even if it does not initially seem like the best utility) is to penetrate the outer form of the concrete problems (this job or that) to the meaning, principles, and qualities that lie behind them. This upward movement in the application of the technique usually occurs gradually. It is a natural transition that can be encouraged but not forced. The process may begin by asking the Higher Self about smaller things—“How can I feel better right now?”—but it will lead to seeking the underlying causes of the problems. One way to use the technique with the Higher Self that does not need to be postponed until later is to ask for understanding and awareness of various abstract qualities—as in the example of harmony. Other qualities we can explore are Love, Joy, Wisdom, Compassion, Courage, and Serenity; yes, in fact, all the qualities that we, in our human wisdom, consider to be part of our highest humanity. This is because it is in these qualities that the real solutions to our problems in life must ultimately be found.
This technique has helped many people to recognize that the dimensions that lie beyond their ordinary selves are real and living aspects of life. As they come to know their Higher Self better and better, they find that their love and wisdom, compassion and serenity are increasingly accessible qualities. Some people who have used the technique for a long time report that they are finally able to let go of the symbols of the Higher Self; for example, the old Sage and the tools of communication or writing or having a formal dialogue. They talk about knowing the “feeling,” “quality,” or “energy” associated with messages from the Higher Self and simply wanting to be in touch with their Higher Self and to “be there.” For example, certain therapists report that – after using this technique for a few years – they experience in their therapeutic work that the voice that used to belong to the old Sage spontaneously speaks to them and simply works within them – and that at times they are even able to let it become their voice and make it merge with their personality and illuminate it.
Such levels of realization do not come immediately, but they are possible. An important aid on the way is writing – writing down our dialogue with the Higher Self. As already mentioned, this can include writing down the initial mental reflections – the thinking through of the problem – and then writing down the actual answers, the work of discernment and interpretation, and any other mental elaboration of what the Higher Self has said. In this process of writing things down, it is about establishing an obvious connection with the wisdom of the higher unconscious mind and the conscious mind. Another useful method of furthering the process is to imagine that we are building a “channel” or a “path” through which the superconscious energies can flow – and with our imagination to actually visualize such a channel.
Sometimes, when we ask a question or express a need to the Higher Self, the answer comes in the form of energy of some kind. When this happens, people report a feeling of joy, illumination, flashes of light, a sense of courage, and many other subtle and very positive experiences. However, these experiences tend to be fleeting and transient unless we root them and express them in action and integrate them into our daily lives. Writing down and storing the insights and later mental elaborations helps us do this and seems to pave the way for ever higher insights. It seems as if the very act of introducing the superconscious material into our daily activities creates space for more to come.
Such higher experiences, where we experience the Higher Self speaking through us, or where we seek to bridge the gap between the superconscious and the everyday personality, or where we express ever higher and higher intuitions, are experiences that we have been accustomed to imagine as reserved for a select few. In practice, however, the simple technique of affirmative inner dialogue with our own best selves is found to help open the doors to the transpersonal for many who had previously thought them closed. Many who begin to use the technique of Dialogue with the Higher Self become increasingly aware of the value of connecting their personality with their higher nature. For pragmatically minded people today, it provides a thoroughly pragmatic approach to areas that used to be reserved primarily for formalized religion. This can lead, through meditation and other techniques, to more systematic explorations of opening wider channels to our individual higher aspects. Ultimately, this can lead to an experience that is beyond dialogue, wisdom, purpose, and love. People will then speak of the Self, the soul, the divine spark, Atman, as an inner being—a reality and not a metaphor, an experience of real aliveness beyond duality, the “place” where the human and the universal unite. They will speak of such experiences as the source of a sense of fearlessness that comes from a direct knowledge of their true nature, of the ontological reality of their soul, and of their immortality.
The dual beauty of this simple technique is that while many look back on it as the thing that got them started on the path to such exalted heights, it is equally applicable to helping us solve everyday problems.
Stuart Miller is trained in comparative literature and modern European languages. As a professor at Berkeley, Rutgers, and the State University of New York, Old Westbury, he has participated in efforts to find humanistic alternatives to contemporary higher education. He has written a number of books and articles, including Measure, Number, and Weight: The Picaresque Novel; Hot Springs, and “The Return of the Soul.” He has been director of The Institute for the Study of Humanistic Medicine and has been editor of “Synthesis.”
·) Ontology = The Doctrine of the Being of Things
1. Note to Professionals: Some therapists report that contacting their own Higher Self to activate their intuition and gain insight into their client has been very successful. Of course, such insights – like all therapeutic insights – must be carefully reviewed and evaluated before being applied in practice.
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