The "I" Who Observes Me

I remember my husband telling me, years ago in a discussion of spiritual things, that he knew spirit existed within him because there was a part of him that was not what he experienced, but stood outside of his experience, watching it.  He explained to me that the part of him that observed as he moved through all of his thoughts, feelings and activities was the eternal part of him.  As he said, there's a me noticing me.

A fellow spiritual blogger, Inspiration Austin, wrote of this recently in his blog, Inspiration for Spiritual Journeys, in a post called Learning to Step Out of Your Skin.  In his post, he discusses the difference between the "I" that we normally identify with, and the I which is the observer of our experience.  I was grateful for that post, as yet another example of the order and serendipity in which truth expresses itself:  answers often come in various ways, from different sources or in different words, and at just the time when that particular answer is precisely what I'd been seeking.

Surely, we are able to live in awareness of being spiritual beings having a human experience.  We can know ourselves as eternal spirit expressing as our own unique personalities.  After listening to a guest speaker at Unity a few weeks ago, I discovered how truly helpful and precious this awareness can be for me.

In his message called "I Believe in You," he showed a fun but very profound video clip from the 1967 film version of the musical "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying."  Robert Morse is singing "I Believe in You" (click here for the YouTube video) to himself in the mirror as other men around him sing of wanting to stop him.  It is a silly but poignant example of how life can be sometimes, when in the moment everything seems to be conspiring to limit how we want to express ourselves, and we are doing our best to stand tall in the truth that we are larger than those limits.

As we smiled watching that video of a grown man singing in the mirror, tipping his hat to himself and in a great state of self-appreciation, I noticed what a strong message it gave to those of us watching.  What a tremendous gift, that part of ourselves who not only observes, but can speak the truth to us when no other voice in the world is, or can.

The eternal "I" who sees us always is a dear friend who, as the saying goes, "knows the song in our heart and can sing it back to us when we've forgotten the words."  I am getting to know the "I" that observes me as a gentle and loving parent, noticing my emotions and reactions and providing me with unconditional love and guidance as I learn more about navigating my time on this earth in love, peace, and gratitude.  It is the voice of God within me.

I tried it, speaking the words "I believe in you" to myself in the mirror.  It was silly but also fun, and uplifting.  I've remembered since then to allow the voice of I, the eternal observer,  to inspire me and heal me by speaking the words of the song in my heart.

May this tool be a blessing. . .