In my coaching, I often tell my clients that we are like a Sphere of Consciousness, with different layers…
The OUTER layer of the sphere is where our EGO resides. When we are inside this outer layer, we operate from our Ego-mind. We are like a Point of Awareness that is temporarily located in the outskirts of our own Consciousness. Our Ego-mind functions like a self-proclaimed Guard, guarding its own interests and the survival of the body/flesh against any perceived potential threat in our surroundings.
In this Guard position, we are constantly watching, assessing, judging, and controlling what is coming IN to our sphere, and what is going OUT from our sphere. Therefore, we carefully observe what is going on around us and what we need to protect ourselves from. Unknowingly, we can also let things pass through the guard gates and affect us in different ways (eg supporting our selfish interests or confirming our fears and beliefs). Here, we also try to control what we express outwardly (as going OUT from the sphere). So, in the Guard position, we constantly attempt to look out for and control what is being exchanged with our surroundings. Because it’s based in fear, the guard position can be a dark and lonely place.
Meanwhile, the very core of our sphere is where our SOUL resides. Here, we are RESTING in total Stillness; we are ONE with our Soul – our pure Essence – being Unconditional Love, Truth, and Freedom. But, because we ARE Consciousness, we can MOVE our point of awareness between the outer layer (our Guard position) and the inner Core of our Being (our Soul). So, when we feel fear, anger, shame, sadness, etc, we can CHOOSE to MOVE away from that Outer layer and back into the Core of our Being.
In sum, in the Guard position, we are like an atom inside a dark cloud and the only thing we see is the cloud. We have forgotten that the cloud is actually existing within a vast blue sky, and that we can, if we wish, choose to move back to our center… to the warm, ever radiating, Sun, which is made of Unconditional Love.