What does it mean to be authentic?

Having already dived into the theme of Self-Acceptance and The Shadow Self, I felt drawn to go deeper into the meaning of authenticity in and of itself.

As a healer, I hear so many people in spiritual circles using the word “authentic” and it makes me realise that, like many things, authenticity means different things to different people. Various dictionary definitions of the word include ‘being worthy of acceptance or belief based on fact,’ ‘trustworthy,’ ‘genuine,’ ‘not false or imitation,’ ‘true to one’s own personality, spirit, or character.’

What I’ve come to recognise is that many of us think we are being authentic, yet if each of us looked a little deeper into our own psyche and were brutally frank and honest, it’s often the case that what we say and what we do are not always in alignment. Isn’t that interesting?

For me, being authentic with yourself is the first and most important step to authenticity in the wider world

I’ve mentioned this before, but I feel it’s vital to emphasise again that we really do need to own both our light and our shadow selves. This is because as we learn to accept who we truly are in ourselves, we can then learn to make our decisions from our positive state of being rather than from our more shadowy aspects.

What’s beautiful too is that the more we are able to be authentic with ourselves, we grow and deepen into that inner trust in our own inherent wisdom – which in turn means we are then able to make decisions when we are in alignment with our light rather than our shadow.

Essentially, we learn not to allow our ego to run the show

We learn to trust our authentic selves, not the tricker side of the ego – that side being the part of us that is super experienced at derailing our lives; the part of us that expects the worst and also as often as not seeks the worst outcomes to prove ourselves right. I remember when I was teaching, I would often say to the children, “if you think you’re going to fail you more than likely will, to prove yourself right! So, dare to allow yourself to believe that you will pass – put in the work and surprise yourself.” And, do you know what, more often than not, it worked!

As we truly learn to be authentic with ourselves, understanding our own unique moods and fluctuating human emotions, we then become more aware of the authenticity of those around us – thus helping us to make better choices for our lives in all that we do. We begin to have stronger, healthier boundaries, and we cultivate healthier and more positive relationships with others as we work together in a positive, co-creative energy. Things begin to fall into place in the most harmonious and wonderful ways.

So, learn to know your true self, warts and all, and then let your light shine out into the world. Be all you came here to be in all of your resplendence!

Please do get in touch if you’d like my support on your own healing journey, or call me on +61 4 2451 8884.