The Spiritual Foundation Of Self-Trust

Do you have difficulty trusting yourself? If so, you are not alone. Clients frequently tell me they find it hard to trust themselves for various reasons. Fortunately, it is never too late to rediscover, recover and heal your divine, confident self.

I struggled with self-doubt for many years, due to experiences that undermined the development of my sense of self in the formative years of my life. I have since dedicated decades to getting to the root of my self-doubt, and in time cultivated self-trust in its place.

My path to healing was intuitively guided by God, Source, Spirit, the Divine, every step of the way. Now sharing the wisdom and insights I have learned from my self-trust journey has become one of the prominent themes in my service to others.

The first major lesson I learned was the importance of becoming anchored in a spiritual conception of the self. I found this understanding in the teachings of two Hindu scriptures known as the Bhagavad Gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. These ancient texts meticulously explore the eternal identity of the self and how to revitalize it is.

Our true self is the spirit soul present within our physical body. It is the spark of life force, the divine consciousness that animates both our body and mind. This spiritual spark emanates from the Supreme Personality of God and bears its own eternal, individual identity. Although the soul is an atomic particle of God’s energy, it is also a person – the real person who is the self.

We are not our body, mind, or intelligence. We are not the personas we project or identify as in this world. All of those are mere ‘coverings’ of our true soul essence, much like the clothes we wear to cover our body.

There is a universal, intelligent life force that exists within everyone and everything. It resides within each one of us as a deep wisdom, an inner knowing ~ Shakti Gawain

Now, if we were no more than these superficial coverings we present to the world every day, then self-doubt would make sense, since our senses are imperfect and prone to make mistakes in how we perceive ourselves and others. In fact, our physical senses give us much cause and reason not to fully trust them.

Our soul, however, is intrinsically knowledgeable, wise, blissful, divine, and beautiful. Like a spark is to a fire, so is our soul to God. We are of the same quality, just different in quantity. God is the source from which our soul emanates as a spiritual spark.

Our soul spark is a confident extension of the ‘divine fire’ when we are in complete alignment with the Divine. Our soul can then shine brightly and serve its higher purpose. In this state our soul self connected with God is illumined with its original, innate beauty and aligned with its purpose to serve the Supreme Person from who it comes, and for who it exists. But when our soul becomes separated or disconnected from its original fire, the spark fades.

The peace of God is with them whose mind and soul are in harmony, who are free from desire and wrath, who know their own soul ~ Bhagavad Gita

The Bhagavad Gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam also teach that the soul is seated in the heart of every living being and is accompanied by a partial representation of God as the Supersoul (Paramatma). The Supersoul guides, protects, and supports us from within as our infallible divine friend, guide, and witness.

To find self-trust we must first become aware of our soul’s relationship to the Supreme Soul, and then align with it, and rely upon it. To recognize and trust the inner guidance we receive, we must discern it from the dictates of the mind. This is accomplished by purifying our consciousness through the process of devotional service.