Tune into your “I” space, your interior as a conscious individual, an intentional sentient being with a sense of “self.” What’s going on in there? What’s arising within the landscape of your own consciousness? No one can fully answer this except you. Your behavior can provide clues, but your inward eye is best suited to answer these questions, because your interior, your “I” space is invisible to others.
An itch here, a tickle there. Pain in your lower back. Energy after an intense workout. Exhaustion after a long day. Tingling pleasure from the soft touch of a lover. Hunger for a midnight snack. Sore feet. The stickiness of dried sweat. What sensations do you feel in your “I” space?
Anger toward a world gone slightly mad. Compassion toward all of us doing the best we can. Apathy when you don’t feel you can make a difference. Excitement when receiving a paycheck. Disappointment after opening it. Happiness walking in the moonlight. Boredom at work. Intense love blowing open your heart. Melancholy for no reason. Fear that you won’t reach your potential. Gratitude for who you are right now. Envy that you’re not there, doing that, with them. Joy waking up. What emotions do you feel in your “I” space?
Inner voices chime in constantly: the controller, the skeptic, the protector, the critic, the judge, the pusher, the wounded child. “You’re not good enough.” “That’s not safe.” “Push harder.” “That’s wrong.” “Do this instead.” “That’s bullshit.” And that traumatic memory keeps popping up. Abused as a child. Abandoned by your father. Betrayed by a friend. And the long shadow bag we drag behind us, stuffed with all those qualities we’ve disowned and project onto others. “I’m not angry, but she is.” “I’m not jealous, but he is.” Or the deadening numbness that comes from dissociating completely with a part of ourselves. What psychological dynamics occur in your “I” space?
Thoughts, ideas, opinions, intentions, motivations, purpose, vision, values, worldview, and life philosophy all exist within your personal interiors. All concepts from “I think she likes me” to “E = MC 2” arise in this “I” space. Dreams light up in interior display with subtle images doing the strangest things. Whether they’re horrifying, sexual, or luminous and exhilarating, dreams open a subtle realm much different from our normal, waking state. And that’s obviously just a taste of the phenomena that could arise in the “I” space, the individual interior of this and every moment.
By practicing introspection or focused “I” gazing, moments of grace may occur in which the moving waters of your interior become still. In place of the typical currents and rapids, an illuminated mirror mind appears, lucidly reflecting your face, your Original Face—usually elusive, yet so obviously everpresent. Radiant stillness opens the gateless gate of radical transparency all the way down to the ocean bottom of your own awareness. Witness the empty space holding the bubbly water that is your interior consciousness, your “I” space.
An itch here, a tickle there. Pain in your lower back. Energy after an intense workout. Exhaustion after a long day. Tingling pleasure from the soft touch of a lover. Hunger for a midnight snack. Sore feet. The stickiness of dried sweat. What sensations do you feel in your “I” space?
Anger toward a world gone slightly mad. Compassion toward all of us doing the best we can. Apathy when you don’t feel you can make a difference. Excitement when receiving a paycheck. Disappointment after opening it. Happiness walking in the moonlight. Boredom at work. Intense love blowing open your heart. Melancholy for no reason. Fear that you won’t reach your potential. Gratitude for who you are right now. Envy that you’re not there, doing that, with them. Joy waking up. What emotions do you feel in your “I” space?
Inner voices chime in constantly: the controller, the skeptic, the protector, the critic, the judge, the pusher, the wounded child. “You’re not good enough.” “That’s not safe.” “Push harder.” “That’s wrong.” “Do this instead.” “That’s bullshit.” And that traumatic memory keeps popping up. Abused as a child. Abandoned by your father. Betrayed by a friend. And the long shadow bag we drag behind us, stuffed with all those qualities we’ve disowned and project onto others. “I’m not angry, but she is.” “I’m not jealous, but he is.” Or the deadening numbness that comes from dissociating completely with a part of ourselves. What psychological dynamics occur in your “I” space?
Thoughts, ideas, opinions, intentions, motivations, purpose, vision, values, worldview, and life philosophy all exist within your personal interiors. All concepts from “I think she likes me” to “E = MC 2” arise in this “I” space. Dreams light up in interior display with subtle images doing the strangest things. Whether they’re horrifying, sexual, or luminous and exhilarating, dreams open a subtle realm much different from our normal, waking state. And that’s obviously just a taste of the phenomena that could arise in the “I” space, the individual interior of this and every moment.
By practicing introspection or focused “I” gazing, moments of grace may occur in which the moving waters of your interior become still. In place of the typical currents and rapids, an illuminated mirror mind appears, lucidly reflecting your face, your Original Face—usually elusive, yet so obviously everpresent. Radiant stillness opens the gateless gate of radical transparency all the way down to the ocean bottom of your own awareness. Witness the empty space holding the bubbly water that is your interior consciousness, your “I” space.
References
Wilber, K., Leonard, A., Morelli, M., & Patten, T. (2008). Integral Life Practice. London: Integral Books.