Where’s your focus: Form Identity or Essence Identity?
Eckhart Tolle has a wonderful, direct and short clip about Essence Identity. In just about five minutes Tolle sheds a great deal of light around the subject. Had you ever considered you might have a Form Identity and an Essence Identity?
Of course, these are but words that point to the nameless, that which can never be expressed by words. But we humans have to try, don’t we? It appears true that you need to identify something, before you can dis-identify from it. So, let’s talk about the differences between Form Identity and Essence Identity.
“Grounding profound Essence Identity into the three-dimensional world of Form Identity, provides a vantage point. It is not meant to be the end destination, but rather a passing of time, along the way of a life journey.”
Tolle likens it to two children competing over how one of them is better than the other. In the clip below, one child might say, “I can do this, and you can’t!” Or, a child might say, “My dad’s car is bigger than your Dad’s car.” And thus a culture of comparison begins in early childhood. Thereafter, we adults struggle to get out of black-white thinking, one up-one down paradigms and “I win-you lose” arguments.
Take a look and listen to “Balancing Form and Essence Identity” as posted by Eckhart Tolle on YouTube:
Essence Identity not yet a mainstream phenomena
Eckhart Tolle suggests that many humans are still emphasizing their Form Identity, or at the very least, are still unaware they have an Essence Identity. Because Tolle speaks so clearly, little interpretation is really needed. But just to be very clear, here is a transcript of his explanation of Form Identity versus Essence Identity:
“[To] emphasize Form Identity is a natural thing. …There is a point where this should come to a natural conclusion. I would say in a more evolved humanity, the emphasis of Form Identity as a person reaches adulthood, a little bit after, is replaced—at the moment this is not what’s happening, but—can be replaced by something more genuine and deeper.
“And that is finding your Essence Identity, that’s underneath your Form Identity. And that is spiritual dimension. Finding the spiritual dimension in yourself, so that who you think you are is no longer—you still HAVE a Form Identity—Yes! That level is still there undoubtedly.
“You have certain abilities .You are good at this, you are not good at that. You’re better than the other person in this thing, but not as good in the other thing ….that remains, but it no longer gives you, your sense of who you are.”
–Eckhart Tolle
Grounding pretty words through dimensional living
These are very pretty words, as well as very profound words, that point in a direction that may be hard to access for some of us. The Monday Music selection, “Heart Types yellow brick road of shame” puts Tolle’s generic, yet still profound words, in the container of an imagined life. The song in that Monday Music selection is Jewel’s “Goodbye Alice in Wonderland.” And the imagined life to which the lyrics speak, becomes grounded as the listener hears and accepts the detail as sung by the vocalist.
Grounding the profound Essence Identity into the three-dimensional world of Form Identity, provides a vantage point. It is not meant to be the end destination, but rather a passing of time, along the way of a life journey.
The lyrics of “Goodbye Alice in Wonderland” tell the story of a talented person who looked to her Form Identity of beautiful woman with a beautiful voice and a talent for poetry, and thought she saw her Essence Identity. A decade or so down the road of her career, in the song, this same woman is now searching for what’s been missing in her life, a life she had spent focused on her Form Identity, let’s say.
Craving reality: dummy light for releasing Form Identity?
Our imagined life person from the song thought she had love, but when she re-evaluated it seemed she only had fame, spoiled children and fantasy. For a time—which turned into decades—this was very satisfying for our imagined life person. But the lyrics continue with examination and discontent before finally culminating in this statement: “I guess that’s why I’m leaving, I crave reality.”
Could this be that “natural conclusion” Tolle is referring to? Reality as it is: the seeking of experience devoid of any Form Identity trappings? Is that the place or the space in which contact with your Essence Identity in the spiritual dimension can happen? Something curious to ponder, as you live your way through the upcoming week. Or, if you are interested in reading more, why not try “Universal Enneagram symbol explains life.” Enjoy the music, and use the Grounded Relating Monday Music Challenge to stay present to yourself today, and every day.
