"All we can do is be" - your thoughts provoking post led me to think about how being my truest self, and loving myself as l am, has created much more compassion for others. Less judgement towards myself and others, which in turn enables others to feel comfortable being themselves. There's contentment in living authentically, combined with a sense of freedom.
That's beautiful Elizabeth...thank you for reading and sharing your experience 💖
Just being in the frequency of our authentic selves without trying to be anything else does enable others to feel comfortable being themselves. I love that you feel it too!
May we continue living in the authentic frequency of who we are, and inspire others to do the same 🙏😊
Thank you Holly. Authenticity is very tough and it’s an ongoing process. I’m learning that it’s something we have to work at consistently because our ego likes to think it’s in charge. We will all experience a full ego death one day but until then we have to work to manage the pesky thing. lol
Thank you for reading…I appreciate your ongoing support 🙏💖😊
Wow! What an amazing and beautiful article this is!! I definitely resonated with you about the religion, as I too grew up as catholic and always felt odd going in to church all the time. You are definitely not alone in that. I also love your words on what spirituality represents, and why it's been used in bad ways. Like you said, Spirituality is about being real vulnerable and authentic, not egotistical having it all together being a know it all kind of person. I can feel and hear how your experiences have helped you to grow in to the amazing person you are now!! Amazing 👏 So proud of you Darcy! I'm really looking forward to reading your next article 😊❤️💙
I’m so glad to hear that this resonated with you Pierre! And I’m glad to hear that I’m not alone in the feelings I had about attending church. Your support and words of encouragement mean so much…thank you 🙏
And may we continue to inspire and encourage each other as we continue to grow and evolve through the journeys we are both on 😊
Hi Darcy. I listened to your post twice. I wasn't quite sure why, as I started to play the second time. I just knew there was a message for me that I wasn't quite getting. Then, as I listened the second time, the message I needed landed. And it's connected with my writing here on Substack.
Years ago, I started hating writing on my blog. I felt like I had to perform for Google to get anything seen. Then I found Substack and a whole different world opened up. Of course, over the 3 years and 3 months that I've been on Substack, I've tried to learn from other people how to improve my work here. I let that change my voice. A while ago, I reread a post I had created. It was fine. It was helpful; it even had a personal story from my own life in it, but as I read it, probably a couple of months after writing it, something felt off. I then realised that wasn't what I wanted for me, for my Substack. It didn't feel like the real me. So, I stopped. Then my subscriber count stopped growing; I'd gain a few, lose a few and then it dropped. Many people tell me that this is quite normal in the Summer months for things to slow down, but I hadn't noticed it in previous years. But I am me, and that's the only way I want to show up here. And I truly believe that being myself, being completely authentic, will bring me the people I really want around me, and it's the only way I want to show up. So your post today has been my reminder that I'm doing it right. Thank you, Darcy.
Oh Wendy…that is beautiful! Even though it sometimes feels like it, we can never go wrong when we show up as our authentic selves. It took me a long time to learn that as well and I totally understand what you said about performing for Google and algorithms. Every time we go online we see things that can lead us to question ourselves, our writing and what we’re putting out into the world. It can be extremely difficult to not compare ourselves to others, or to not constantly look at our stats. But those are some of the things that can lead us to alter our authentic voice.
For a long time I worried about what people would think about some of the things I write about. Maybe they wouldn’t like it, maybe they would be offended by it, or maybe they would think I’m crazy. But then I realized that none of the ways people might react to what I write about are actually a problem. I had been censoring my authenticity based on the illusion that I could make everyone comfortable. Not everything we write or talk about will please everyone and that’s okay. We all have different ideas, beliefs, and ways of showing up in the world, and that’s a beautiful thing! Because like you said…being ourselves, being completely authentic, will bring the people we really want to have around us. And that’s what truly matters.
Thank you for sharing your experience and wisdom here. I appreciate you 💖🙏😊
This was gorgeous. I love how you map authenticity back through healing, mystical experience, relationship with the divine. It feels like coming home to yourself. And wow that distinction you made… that true union/connection doesn't require a witness… is such clarity.
New Age, Wiccan, and mainstream religions are a great place to start, but they all have limitations. Why? Because we humans have limits to break through. Authenticity is showing our imperfections, which is fighting against our ego. Ego wants us to be perfect.
A teacher of mine was teaching us to be 'authentic'; however, they got angry when I was my true self. There were some difficulties that occurred. Thankfully, we worked them out in the months to come. This taught me to see their imperfections and love them anyway. I am sure the teacher did the same with me. A couple more sessions and I’m ready to move on from them to my other Earth lessons…
I absolutely agree Pamela! New Age was a great starting place for me, but as time went on I started noticing those limitations. But it’s all part of learning, growing and evolving, and I’m grateful for everything I’m learning through this journey.
Authenticity is definitely not easy and it’s interesting that a teacher who was teaching authenticity was angry at you for being your true self. Such a teachable moment for both of you! I’m glad you were able to work through those difficulties and love them despite their imperfections. That’s unconditional love…and that’s true authenticity 💖
Thank you for reading, and I appreciate you sharing your experience and insights on authenticity 🙏😊
This essay highlights a key moment of integration where the emphasis moves from intellectual understanding to emotional experience. The contrast between discussing spirituality analytically and experiencing that night under the stars highlights the core tension of modern self-discovery. Rumi’s quote beautifully anchors this idea, emphasizing that the journey isn't about acquiring more knowledge or searching for what’s absent, but about breaking down the internal barriers we've created to shield ourselves from our true selves.
"All we can do is be" - your thoughts provoking post led me to think about how being my truest self, and loving myself as l am, has created much more compassion for others. Less judgement towards myself and others, which in turn enables others to feel comfortable being themselves. There's contentment in living authentically, combined with a sense of freedom.
That's beautiful Elizabeth...thank you for reading and sharing your experience 💖
Just being in the frequency of our authentic selves without trying to be anything else does enable others to feel comfortable being themselves. I love that you feel it too!
May we continue living in the authentic frequency of who we are, and inspire others to do the same 🙏😊
Excellent as usual. I am a enneagram 4 so all I want is to be authentic. Tough. You almost need full ego death.
Thank you Holly. Authenticity is very tough and it’s an ongoing process. I’m learning that it’s something we have to work at consistently because our ego likes to think it’s in charge. We will all experience a full ego death one day but until then we have to work to manage the pesky thing. lol
Thank you for reading…I appreciate your ongoing support 🙏💖😊
Wow! What an amazing and beautiful article this is!! I definitely resonated with you about the religion, as I too grew up as catholic and always felt odd going in to church all the time. You are definitely not alone in that. I also love your words on what spirituality represents, and why it's been used in bad ways. Like you said, Spirituality is about being real vulnerable and authentic, not egotistical having it all together being a know it all kind of person. I can feel and hear how your experiences have helped you to grow in to the amazing person you are now!! Amazing 👏 So proud of you Darcy! I'm really looking forward to reading your next article 😊❤️💙
I’m so glad to hear that this resonated with you Pierre! And I’m glad to hear that I’m not alone in the feelings I had about attending church. Your support and words of encouragement mean so much…thank you 🙏
And may we continue to inspire and encourage each other as we continue to grow and evolve through the journeys we are both on 😊
Hi Darcy. I listened to your post twice. I wasn't quite sure why, as I started to play the second time. I just knew there was a message for me that I wasn't quite getting. Then, as I listened the second time, the message I needed landed. And it's connected with my writing here on Substack.
Years ago, I started hating writing on my blog. I felt like I had to perform for Google to get anything seen. Then I found Substack and a whole different world opened up. Of course, over the 3 years and 3 months that I've been on Substack, I've tried to learn from other people how to improve my work here. I let that change my voice. A while ago, I reread a post I had created. It was fine. It was helpful; it even had a personal story from my own life in it, but as I read it, probably a couple of months after writing it, something felt off. I then realised that wasn't what I wanted for me, for my Substack. It didn't feel like the real me. So, I stopped. Then my subscriber count stopped growing; I'd gain a few, lose a few and then it dropped. Many people tell me that this is quite normal in the Summer months for things to slow down, but I hadn't noticed it in previous years. But I am me, and that's the only way I want to show up here. And I truly believe that being myself, being completely authentic, will bring me the people I really want around me, and it's the only way I want to show up. So your post today has been my reminder that I'm doing it right. Thank you, Darcy.
Oh Wendy…that is beautiful! Even though it sometimes feels like it, we can never go wrong when we show up as our authentic selves. It took me a long time to learn that as well and I totally understand what you said about performing for Google and algorithms. Every time we go online we see things that can lead us to question ourselves, our writing and what we’re putting out into the world. It can be extremely difficult to not compare ourselves to others, or to not constantly look at our stats. But those are some of the things that can lead us to alter our authentic voice.
For a long time I worried about what people would think about some of the things I write about. Maybe they wouldn’t like it, maybe they would be offended by it, or maybe they would think I’m crazy. But then I realized that none of the ways people might react to what I write about are actually a problem. I had been censoring my authenticity based on the illusion that I could make everyone comfortable. Not everything we write or talk about will please everyone and that’s okay. We all have different ideas, beliefs, and ways of showing up in the world, and that’s a beautiful thing! Because like you said…being ourselves, being completely authentic, will bring the people we really want to have around us. And that’s what truly matters.
Thank you for sharing your experience and wisdom here. I appreciate you 💖🙏😊
And I appreciate you 💖
💖💖
This was gorgeous. I love how you map authenticity back through healing, mystical experience, relationship with the divine. It feels like coming home to yourself. And wow that distinction you made… that true union/connection doesn't require a witness… is such clarity.
I'm so glad it resonated with you! Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts Jeanette...your support is greatly appreciated 🙏😊
This is just great. The alignment with authenticity and then the wider self is just incredible. Great piece as ever.
Thank you so much for reading and taking the time to share your thoughts Jon. I appreciate you 🙏😊
New Age, Wiccan, and mainstream religions are a great place to start, but they all have limitations. Why? Because we humans have limits to break through. Authenticity is showing our imperfections, which is fighting against our ego. Ego wants us to be perfect.
A teacher of mine was teaching us to be 'authentic'; however, they got angry when I was my true self. There were some difficulties that occurred. Thankfully, we worked them out in the months to come. This taught me to see their imperfections and love them anyway. I am sure the teacher did the same with me. A couple more sessions and I’m ready to move on from them to my other Earth lessons…
I absolutely agree Pamela! New Age was a great starting place for me, but as time went on I started noticing those limitations. But it’s all part of learning, growing and evolving, and I’m grateful for everything I’m learning through this journey.
Authenticity is definitely not easy and it’s interesting that a teacher who was teaching authenticity was angry at you for being your true self. Such a teachable moment for both of you! I’m glad you were able to work through those difficulties and love them despite their imperfections. That’s unconditional love…and that’s true authenticity 💖
Thank you for reading, and I appreciate you sharing your experience and insights on authenticity 🙏😊
This essay highlights a key moment of integration where the emphasis moves from intellectual understanding to emotional experience. The contrast between discussing spirituality analytically and experiencing that night under the stars highlights the core tension of modern self-discovery. Rumi’s quote beautifully anchors this idea, emphasizing that the journey isn't about acquiring more knowledge or searching for what’s absent, but about breaking down the internal barriers we've created to shield ourselves from our true selves.