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THE DEVIL INSIDE

 

In my last email I briefly mentioned the Lower Self.

I want to expand on that concept here because understanding how it manifests in our lives is the pathway to psychological and spiritual freedom.

What is the Lower Self?

The Lower Self is our life force energy turned against ourselves in response to overwhelming pain and negation at a time when we were vulnerable and helpless.

(I realize this is abstract, but stay with me, I’m going to give examples, and it will all make perfect sense to you.)

Think of the innocence of a child. They’re wide open, loving, unselfconscious, fully alive, led only by their impulses, their curiosity, and their needs.

But the world they are born into is not innocent.

Humans have biases, judgements, fears, resentments, bitterness, hatred, and anger.

It’s scary and confusing for the child.

They adapt in response.

They need to survive.

A decision is made: “I will never show or express any part of myself that leads to pain.”

Because they can’t bear it.

And so they deny themselves, contract, disassociate, and make these parts of themselves “bad.”

It’s a rational, life-affirming decision, given the circumstances.

But it comes at a cost: shame, separation, and self-negation.

They’ve split. They are no longer whole. They’ve been cast out of the Garden of Eden.

This fills them with rage. But that rage cannot be expressed. It’s not safe.

So it gets turned inward, used in service of their self-denial.

With righteousness the lower self proclaims:

“I won’t be here!”

“I’ll never need!”

“I’ll never let go!”

“I’ll never show you who I am!”

“I’ll never open my heart!”

“I’ll never trust!”

“I’ll never be vulnerable!”

None of this is conscious, of course. It operates in the shadows, but controls everything, manifesting as procrastination, avoidance, isolation, and addiction.

We’re at war with ourselves.

Because our life force is STRONG and longs to be expressed. But the lower self, believing it’s keeping us safe, says “NO!”

The mind rationalizes, creating enemies to make sense of our frustration and justify our desire for retribution.

But it’s all a projection of our internal separation. The enemy and the victim are both within.

Can you see this in yourself?

In your fantasies of revenge? In the ways you blame and make yourself a victim? In your indulgence in gossip and superiority? In your defensiveness? In your refusal to take responsibility? In your anger at God because life is not fair?

The light and the dark live in all of us.

The cruelty you see outside of you is also inside of you, projected out and within.

(Is there anyone you’re harder on or less forgiving than yourself?)

Some think of the lower self as Satan, Lucifer, or a demonic entity.

Whatever metaphor you wish to use, know it’s a feature, not a bug.

Evil is an evolutionary force.

Because it’s only through contrast that our life has meaning.

You cannot know God until you make peace with the Devil.

So seek not to eradicate or transcend your darkness, but to know and accept it.

Are you willing, with love and gratitude, to say YES to all your humanity?

To take ownership of your capacity for cruelty, revenge, and destruction?

To stop projecting it out and have the courage to look within?

It’s only then you will stop fighting, fall to your knees, and surrender to your pain, finally putting an end to your separation.

Freedom. Peace. Salvation.

And the truth you’ve been seeking: the light and the dark are one.

 

March 31, 2024

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Copyright David Sutcliffe 2025

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