New Creation: The True Self

"Truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again." - Jesus

Nicodemus responds to this puzzling statement with a question: How can someone be born when they are old? Nicodemus is a religious leader who comes to Jesus in darkness and by his question reveals that his spiritual journey has only just begun. Jesus says he must be born again and discover his true spiritual identity. To point towards this new identity, Jesus compares the Spirit to the wind which has no boundaries - you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. You cannot see it with your eyes, but if you are still and listen closely you can hear the sound - rustling leaves, a whistling breeze, hollow chimes, or even your own breath. Jesus says, "So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

True humanity, or our true self, is not constrained within the boundaries of flesh and blood. It includes our body but also transcends physicality. It includes the things that make us unique, but also transcends our individual personality and traits. The true self is our collective life and breath. It‘s our true identity found in the one Spirit that unites humanity together and unites humanity to the divine. It is what remains once we are able to see beyond the illusion of our separate and exiled existence. It is the awareness of an identity that transcends our ego and reveals the ego to be nothing more than a construct - a list of desires and identity markers that distinguish between you and me. With our true self, we begin to recognize a common light shining within ourselves and every other person. Simply put, our true self is boundless love.

When we feel most human and most alive, can we not transport our awareness into the shoes of another and experience pain or joy beyond our particular individual experience? When we lay beneath a canopy of trees or stars, can we not feel our awareness explode beyond our tiny footprint on the ground? Or when we experience divine presence, does it not serve as a reminder of what is always present, just beyond what we can see? This is what it means to be born again. In these moments, we are birthed into a greater reality. We open our eyes again and see that we are part of something much bigger. We finally see that to hate another is to hate ourselves, and to love another is to love ourselves.

Like Nicodemus, even the most devout person can be practicing religion from a place of individual piety. This sort of religion inflates the ego rather than crucifying it. It makes people feel superior to others and becomes more about moral policing and judgment than affirming the goodness of our true humanity. As Jesus himself says, he didn't come to condemn the world. Instead he is pulling back the veil so that we are able to see what is true about ourselves, that we are born of both flesh and spirit - humanity and divinity reconciled together as true humanity.

Eyes shut. The wind moves where it pleases. It is neither here nor there. It fills every empty space with one breath. Be born into the world. Eye open. The spirit moves within you. It is neither mine nor yours. It fills every empty space with one life. Be born into the all.