Transcending the chatty asshat in your head
“We cannot create anew with the same ole, same ole, same ole.”—Sherrie Taylor-Jones
Larry King was interviewing some swami. He asked him about his mind, “How does it get so quiet in there?” The swami answered, “It IS quiet in there. That’s its natural state.”
Everything else (the incessant mental verbalizing) is just a crutch we non-Swami types use to buffer the world. The never-ending chatter narrates the world for us, slicing and dicing it to fit our personal story. Its purpose is to keep us distracted and disoriented.
Most of us are too close to the “roommate in our head” to be objective, to fully realize its overriding power over us.
As Lesson 10 of A Course in Miracles says: My thoughts do not mean anything.
After years of identifying with the thoughts in our head, it can be confrontational to hear that our “precious thoughts” mean nothing. To learn that they’re simply useless mental commotion that we devised to filter reality. It’s particularly shocking to hear our thoughts are not who we really are.
It doesn’t even matter if the thoughts are telling us nice things. Doesn’t matter if they’re spouting spiritual wisdom or telling us we should proceed immediately to our beds and pull the covers over our head. Either way, that voice is not us.
Just for kicks, stop for a second and make the voice in your head say, “John Jacob Jinkleheimer Smith.” Now, make it say it in a sultry voice.
See. It’s at your command. And it’s busy, night and day.
We mistakenly believe this ongoing sideline color commentary keeps us safe. But, as we come to learn in the Course, the non-stop vocalizing mechanism keeps us trapped. It keeps us from knowing who we really are.
So for today, take it from Larry King’s swami and start to observe the “roommate in your head.” Realize that chatty voice is not you. And know that true freedom comes the moment we decide to transcend it.
Pam Grout is the author of 19 books including E-Squared, E-Cubed, Thank & Grow Rich and her new book, Art & Soul,Reloaded: A Year-Long Apprenticeship to Summon the Muses and Ignite Your Daring, Audacious, Creative Side.
