Compass of the Times 238

Walking with the Other Self

Keiko Takahashi

Starting as a New Self

Happy New Year. It is the beginning of 2024. What are you feeling at the start of this new year?

As I have mentioned in the past, junctions in the passage of time create important milestones in our lives. The juncture of a new year is the perfect opportunity to renew our way of life.

I urge you to remember that the start of a new year is the beginning of a new life, a time to begin as a new self.

Moreover, this year, what I wish for us to be aware of, more than anything as a new self, is that we are walking together with our Other Self.

Believing in One’s Other Self

Our Other Self is the “soul” that breathes within us. Of course, the “soul” is not a separate entity from us.

And yet, by paying attention to the existence of the “soul” as one’s Other Self that resides within us, we can bring it to light, and use it as a catalyst to start our new life.

Deep within us lies a self we do not yet know. Until we pay attention to it, we cannot even feel that it is there.

The presence of one’s Other Self, however, is special to all of us.

When you are in a difficult situation with various problems and obstacles that prevent you from taking even a single step forward, please talk to your Other Self about your pain. Your Other Self will accept everything and encourage you. It is always on your side, no matter what.

Your Other Self has experienced life many times and has accumulated much wisdom. It may not be able to bring us relevant knowledge directly, but it can tell us why we are encountering the event and allow us to face it.

When one feels lonely in solitude with no one to talk to, those who have found their Other Self will feel that this is always there for them. Even when they are left alone, they can feel that they are not alone.

When we have a fight or conflict with someone, our Other Self encourages us to reflect on the event like a best friend. Sometimes, it gives us advice to work hard and learn together with others, and sometimes, it teaches us our weak points.

We repeatedly make choices in our lives. There are times when we are not sure which path to take at a crossroads in our lives and are lost in a labyrinth. In that forest of labyrinth, our Other Self is there to guide us in the right direction so that we can choose the best path. Our inner Other Self is our ally who supports us, our companion who is there for us, our best friend who can advise for the better, and our guide who leads us to the right path. I would like you to believe that there is such an Other Self hidden inside of you.

Walking with One’s “Other Self”

The relationship between our mind and reality is a mysterious one because what we think in our minds always affects our reality.

What we think in our minds does not stay only in our minds but appears in actual situations and sometimes even becomes reality itself.

That is why, in this new year, I would like you to think strongly about your inner Other Self and call upon that presence from time to time.

In your daily life, please talk to your Other Self and listen to its voice. I ask you to envision living your life in dialogue with your Other Self.

For many of you, this will be something you have never done before. In some case, you may not feel a definite response.

Nevertheless, I would like you to believe that one’s Other Self exists within all of us, and to be conscious of walking with it. Doing so will surely bring you new steps forward this year.

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