I’ve been taking the time to read and ponder lately; I’ve been spending a lot of time in my inner world which has helped me balance and connect more deeply.
One of the themes that has come forward is a self-image theme (and I assume class on Sunday will focus here). I have seen several examples in the people all around me lately. Self-image (or the way you see yourself from pretty, smart, capable and so on) determines how you treat yourself and how life treats you. In the words of Zazoo, who you say you are (which your self-image does) is acknowledged by the universe who then says ‘As you wish, it is my pleasure.’ And the universe then brings you experiences that match you (your self-image).
If you are what you eat, then think about how you see yourself. This goes far deeper and is far more impactful because your thoughts, feelings, actions and (most of all) your energy directly affect everything you experience.

Here’s a great illustration for you:
One of the books I indulged in reading is called The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult. Here’s a link to the author’s site: http://www.jodipicoult.com/the-storyteller.html and here’s a link to a free pdf (though I didn’t try the link): https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=6&cad=rja&uact=8&sqi=2&ved=0CD0QFjAFahUKEwjrhreN4K7IAhXIXB4KHWoYCGs&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdownloads.bbc.co.uk%2Fradio2%2Fshows%2Fsimon-mayo%2Fstoryteller.pdf&usg=AFQjCNHNQL8Tl7RlY4btnhL85y2TS7ZKVw&sig2=penMl9ENVxAFSTNZjsoZpQ&bvm=bv.104317490,d.dmo
To try to be brief (and, as you can see by this email, I can be verbose), the story has several stories in it (very nicely weaved together, I do recommend the book) – but the two characters that were most interesting were the Nazi soldier who worked at Auschwitz and the young girl who was a prisoner there. Now, if you know me, you know that I’ll argue that people can spiral up and be benevolent or spiral down and be malicious; you’ll know that I don’t believe in victims – which is hard to keep in mind or believe when you think about a Jewish prisoner who has not chosen these circumstances or this life. At this point law of attraction looks like a bunch of bs, no? I don’t like ‘victim’ stories- this is why I recommend this book – I loved the way the author brought these two characters forward.
Neither character picked this life – which is key. Are they both victims? People tend to blame a Nazi soldier for taking the actions they did- and I can’t disagree with that but I also can’t agree. It’s karma, not necessarily choice. In the story both the soldier and the young lady are the victims, if you will, of their own timeframe; they are pushed and prodded by where they were at the time they were, that being Germany after WWI. The guard is juxtaposed with his brother, who is far more willing to be a soldier and kill Jews… but the book does an amazing job of showing the reader that we don’t always have a choice in life.
As Americans or people living in a first world country, we don’t necessarily see this because it’s not our experience. We can choose to better our lives financially, physically, emotionally, mentally; or we can choose to go on a day-time talk show and add to our dysfunction and the world’s. We are in a unique time and place because most people’s lives are dictated for them, whereas we have choice.
Not everyone has these choices and in the book I felt that the way life limited everyone’s choice in Germany was well illustrated.
Now my point: Even though the soldier and the prisoner had no choice, they both kept being who they were. They didn’t lose themselves, which would be very easy to do when everything you want to do, be and experience is stripped away. While people around them became lost in their identification as a soldier or someone robbed of their lives, the two main characters kept their self-image, and this in turn kept them afloat. It also created their life and what they experienced after the war.
Without telling you too much about the story, in case you want to read it, I’ll say that the prisoner (and the soldier) moved to the US and had a “normal” life (now there’s a relative term, especially in a sentence like that! Is that normal?). She never spoke of what happened to her because, we find out in the book, she really doesn’t want to come from or create from the self-image of being a victim. She wants to have a life with her children and grandchildren, which she does.
In his self-image, the soldier wants to try to make up for what he’s had to do (even though he was forced to become a soldier and he didn’t agree the ideology and the way Jews were treated, and even though he took positions in which he doesn’t have to hurt the prisoners). After the war he spends many years being a fabulous teacher, a pillar in the community and dedicates himself to helping others. In his self-image he sees himself as bad despite that fact that he too had no choice. So, his self-image haunts him, and shapes the rest of his life.
How do you see yourself? Can your self-image be the core of your experience? Yes, it can and it is. Your self-image can run deep and I’ve helped students look at their perception of themselves both consciously and subconsciously because how you see yourself subconsciously tends to dictate most of how you see yourself (and what you experience).
Here’s a way for you to work with your self-image that is easy and nice. Be sure to be kind to yourself. We’ve all heard this kind of advice before, but we may not realize how important it can be to consciously impose kindness upon ourselves. If you can put any judgments or harsh observations about yourself aside, be kind and then set out to do what you know is beneficial for you, then you can get yourself ahead of the game in life. Even though it seems simple, when you choose to be kind to yourself and do what you know is best for you, you will bypass your own limitations and your own self-imposed Nazi soldier (the part of you that would otherwise judge and punish you – or at least chastise you)!