Remove Your Masks

in shadow •  7 years ago  (edited)

Set your soul free from the chains of your masks!

Beneath the layers of identity and labels, beyond all the physical and emotional attachments, is the very essence of your being. That is who you are. At the core of everything all you have is your consciousness.

But because your consciousness is so immense, when translated into physical form, there are no words to truly describe it. Therefore, all we receive are glimpses of this magnificence.

This magnificence can be seen everywhere. When someone carries passion into a job that they are truly passionate about, it creates a beautiful spiral of positivity rippling out to everyone around them. These people tend to excel far above everyone else and it’s the passion that is the driving force behind it.

If we all have the capability to shine like this, why don’t we see more of this beautiful essence radiating the light within everyone? The answer is that it is hidden behind the darkness of your masks, which you would call your identity.

In this physical reality we are told who we are before we are even brought into this world. For us as individuals, we are given an identity that is created based on the realities of those we are around the most, like our parents, friends and grandparents. When we come into this world our subconscious is taking in information to try to make sense of things. We are most programmable before the age of 7. As part of our defense mechanism, we are trying to formulate an identity that we use in order to survive and thrive.

Many of us go through this world and experience a lot of trauma along the way. This creates blocks, which we could equate to a mask, in order for us to be able to move on and live normally. Even if we haven’t had many traumatic events in our lives, each moment of our existence had a role in creating the many masks that we wear.

The lifelong question that has puzzled mystics and philosophers for thousands of years is the question, “Who am I”?

This is the question that shakes the very core of our being. Because to answer the question in some simple answer is not really possible.

We identify with who we are based on what we like, what we do, who we hang out with, what we eat/drink, our lifestyle and so on. These things mold who we see ourselves as. This is mirrored back to us from others from interacting and communicating. Thus, giving us a better understanding of who we are.

We often become very attached to the masks that we wear because we find comfort in them. We defend our beliefs at all costs to protect this identity. When others bring their perspectives, our protective masks blocks the incoming signals. Thus, rendering us a slave to our masks.

I say masks because there are several layers that must be uncovered. I have been on this path for many years and each year I go deeper into the rabbit hole of figuring out my true identity. One thing leads to another and I venture down other paths realizing more about my purpose here. I learn more about how to connect bits of information that will make not only my life better, but the lives of others as well. I still have many masks to take off. There are also masks within our spiritual identity, which are even harder to identify.

But aren’t these masks good if they are protecting us?

The answer is that they are neither good, nor bad. Because they are simply doing their job, which is a good thing. But it is also important to see the truth beyond what you initially perceive as the truth. Dig deep and you will eventually find the buried treasure within.

Although these masks serve as protectors to keep us safe, it also tends to block out the most important thing of all. The essence of our consciousness that is expressed through both the light and the darkness.

As a society we are taught to suppress our emotions because it makes us look weak. We are taught that we can’t be too vulnerable around others. So many people on this planet have so much darkness suppressed that if they are constantly around the wrong people, it can wreak havoc on their ability to grow. So we think that we must carry this with us the remainder of our lives.

We carry it with us for so long that it becomes that dominant mask that we wear.

But the time has come for us to stop running from ourselves, take off these masks and reveal ourself to the world. The perspectives we gain throughout our lives are invaluable and this includes the darkness that we have tried so hard to suppress.

I have personally noticed soo sooo many people in my life that has experienced depression on some level. Some are constantly struggling, while others have much more sporadic cycles. But it has dawned on me that this suppressed darkness causes us to lose parts of ourselves. This “soul loss” also causes masks to be created to fill that void. We step into these masks because they are all that we have ever known.

But when we muster up the courage to walk in faith and trust in the universe and trust in each other and trust in ourselves, we can transcend this sickness of the collective soul. For so long, people have suffered and many turn to drugs or suicide in order to cope. This is because they are so misunderstood that they can’t bare to look at themselves in the mirror because they are not able to see who they are. The world tries to tell them who they are and this constant programming drives them insane because deep down they know that isn’t who they are.

They know that something is missing, but they don’t know how to get it back and many around them don’t either. This entrapment causes them to either suppress the feelings, numb their feelings with drugs and other things or to check out of life early.

This would not happen if we had more of a sense of community. These problems wouldn’t be so prevalent if we only came together and learned to hold space for each other. We must learn to open up to not only our own darkness, but the darkness of others as well.

Now is the time to speak your truth! Please share your experiences and what you need to say in order to #RemoveYourMasks

What masks have kept you prisoner that you have had trouble being able to overcome? What are some of the masks that you might be struggling to overcome as we speak?

It’s important for us to understand ourselves better in an attempt to understand what we need to do to make ourselves happy. In order to that we must remove our masks and transform our lives! Love and unity my friends! <3

Remove Your Many Masks.jpg

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Great post. This touches on a lot of things that I have been working through in my own life.

When someone carries passion into a job that they are truly passionate about, it creates a beautiful spiral of positivity rippling out to everyone around them.

I literally just wrote a post about trying to unlock the parts of my identity that are hidden in order to find my truest form of passion.
I really appreciate your break down here because it connects a lot of the dots that I have been seeing.
Keep up the good work mate!

Thank you so much brother! I read the post that you made and I loved how you said the lighter burned off masks that you had created for yourself. A very powerful statement!

We have been taught, as a society, that emotion is weak and to suppress it is the "strong" thing to do. But with each passing day people are beginning to realize that this is not true at all. The moment we realize who we truly are lies underneath the masks we wear is the moment that we step into our true authentic selves. Thus, transforming our lives and the lives of everyone around us!

Thank you for the comment, peace and love my brother <3

Thus, transforming our lives and the lives of everyone around us!

Big time. And for me, that is such an exciting prospect. Yes, a large part of my motivation is for my own transformation. But when I think about the lives of my kids, wife, and dear friends being enriched by my steps towards authenticity, it can really start a fire in me to push onward.

It is definitely a great incentive to know that those that we love and honestly the entire planet, not just us, will benefit from us focusing on becoming our greatest version :)

@meditationmann I resonate so deeply with the words you have written here. The amount of people who are wearing a mask in this reality and who have not yet become aware of it is impressively high. As you say it is the most important aspect of our lives to recognize so one can begin to find true contentment out of life. A problem can not be resolved unless there is recognition there is a problem in the first place. I know in my own journey of #removeyourmasks I did not start to truly find contentment until I began to recognize the illusion of the self I had been creating since I first became sentient. I applaud you for yourself being vulnerable and expressing a truth that more people need to hear and those that have heard it need to revisit. I hope you continue to pull these masks away one by one so you can continue to share your perspectives with all of us. In infinity we float, fly on my brother!

Yes! I have noticed that recently too! It honestly BLEW ME AWAY to see how many people are walking around with these masks on every single day and have no idea they are doing it.

When I really thought about it, it made since to me that this "emotional plague" needs to end. To end it we need to let our emotions out. To let our emotions out, we need to take off the masks that keeping them hidden. And most importantly we must hold space for those around us that are removing these masks because in that vulnerable moment of that person's life, the kind of reaction they get could make or break them. But if we come together as a community, hold that space for ourselves and each other, without judgement, the impact will be IMMENSE!

I am very glad to see that you too have been able to recognize the masks that you wear and the control it has on your life. We live our lives thinking we are in control and convince ourselves of this because we want to be empowered. But probably 99% of people are not actually in control the way they think they are.

I will continue to take my masks off and reveal more of myself to the world in hopes of inspiring others to do the same. I am in pursuit of becoming a life coach, so for me the perspectives of others and the journeys that others have been through is an invaluable experience that I would love to hear. Every person holds a piece of the puzzle of life that is needed to create the world that we came here to create.

Keep being your beautiful divine self, brother. Much love! <3

I will be following. Your comments are worth as much weight as most posts. Keep on keeping on. 😇

--The physical body within which is life, is but a vehicle for Soul. You may call it by many names, but the name is seeking to find closure on what and who I am.
--This I am!
--One with the Allness of Life.
--Of the divine essence.
--An individualized part of the Light and Sound.
--May the blessings be.

--Keep on keeping on. 😇

I totally agree that it is a vehicle for the soul, but the hardest challenge is to not confuse our identity with that of our body. Because our body is a vehicle we have to peel back the layers that have been created in order for us to shine light on the aspects of ourselves that truly have the power to transform the world. Much love to you brother! ❤️

Can't believe I've been so busy I missed this post for 6 days!! I upvoted 100% and resteemed even though it on day 6! lol

I am definitely going to do a #RemoveYourMasks post. This is soo super crucial for everyone, myself included. I could completely relate to what you were saying about being on that path and removing masks but still each time diving deeper and finding more. I used to get frustrated as I removed on and found yet another lurking underneath.. Impatiently I'd tear it off praying that the one true being would be hiding directly below but now I'm starting to release the frustration and accept that the day I peel back that final layer will be the day I stop living.

This response is rather long lol but I wanted to highlight this part of your article :

As a society we are taught to suppress our emotions because it makes us look weak. We are taught that we can’t be too vulnerable around others....we think that we must carry this with us the remainder of our lives.

That entire paragraph is very profound. The emotional programming is so subliminal, so accepted and "second-nature" I dare say with great sadness that we don't notice we're doing it or succumbing to it. The weight of holding all the darkness inside can easily become so strenuous that we are in constant pain - yet we CANNOT put it down.. we cannot give in for fear of looking weak but also because it has literally become part of us and our identity.

What an awesome post and challenge for us all!

I would love to hear what you would have to say sister! We all have masks that we must remove, at least for a moment so we can be able to see beyond it. But realizing that it is there is the hard part. If we share our experiences then it will encourage others to do the same. This ripple effect would spread to others and it would start a chain of everyone taking off these masks.

I realized this is something that isn't very talked about. There are so many people experiencing depression and anxiety and it causes so many problems to ripple out to others. I wanted to start a movement kind of like the #MeToo movement, but with depression and other feelings that are being hidden behind our many masks.

It can definitely be frustrating to have to continuously work through things that you thought you were done with. But that is also the fun of it, because you never know what is next 😃 It's crazy how deep the programming goes though, like you said. I see so many people that act like they want to support you, but when real emotions start to come out they run. But I don't want to be like this, I want to be open and accepting of all things that people need to let out. It's the only way we will be able to truly transcend beyond this sickness of the mind.

Thank you for the compliment sister, much love! ❤️

Keep on keeping on 😇

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@amariespeaks well written, But the day you peel back that final mask is the day you understand you are now truly alive 😉 😇