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Claudia Dommaschk's avatar

This is so interesting. As a Gestalt therapist, I am currently writing a long-form paper on the "self as process" and just wrote about this last night. So it is in the "ground" or "field". Thanks for bringing your version to life and I look forward to the next to pieces on this subject.

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Inanna's avatar

I don’t disagree with any of this but as a longterm student of yoga philosophy (Vedanta/tantra in the main), I do think that the westernised view of selfhood is horribly enmeshed with its religious tradition and/or reactivity towards that. This seems to define and limit the terms of engagement with the actual issue. The reason I study what I do is because I was fascinated, and disturbed, by the fact that I did not understand the oft-quoted “just be yourself” advice frequently dished out to children and was aware from an early age that I was a different ‘me’ in different environments. The Eastern traditions are incredibly rich for anyone wishing to explore such stuff.

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Michael Magus's avatar

The Self is not static. It is a flow state, a river, an evolving being.

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Linda Joy Stone's avatar

How delicious to be reframed as a “dividual”—a divided multidimensional self! My husband likes to playfully refer to me as being “polyphrenic”, but that seems more as a state of being…something in flux and evolving, whereby “individual” seems static and unmoving, a single unidentified human. Hmmmm, and where might the soul fit in or we dividuals fit into it? Here’s to multidividualism!

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Wild Pacific's avatar

Thank your for pushing this view. We’ve been stuck in the valley of me-me-me for so long, I hope this much fuller understanding of our psyche and potential becomes clear to everyone.

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Max Borders's avatar

Well done!

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Herald of the Octopus's avatar

thanks Max

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Yaansa's avatar

Hinduism also reveals multiplicity in some beautiful ways. And also, it was a great read!

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Captain Mavis 23's avatar

Aye....permanently changing and constantly elusive, a mystery to discover, exploring the multidimensional territories of consciousness.

#ormec

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Gnosis Infinita's avatar

And the Multitudes

Remember.

Subscribe @Gnosis Infinita

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Andrea Hiott's avatar

Whoa this is weirdly close to a post I wrote for the Waymaking substack (not the LP podcast) around the same time, or about a month before (Dec 03 2024) 'Kaleidoscopic Future' with 'We contain multitudes' about multiplicity. Maybe that's how your piece came into my feed. I also reference Whitman and seth and even use the same photo that you use here! I had not realized this was re-channeling Deleuze, so this is quite helpful. Need to go back and read Deleuze asap. Seems this theme of multiplicities is in the air and definitely important to be discussing now.

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Michael Magus's avatar

Yes, there are many aspects of the unified self, many of which are in opposition. However, all are in service to the highest good- evolution, and self-actualization. ❤️ 🔥

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Lucas Barber's avatar

I like to think of the Self as a living frequency, like playing a beautiful chord out of many notes. In the end there is the single idiosyncratic sound that is unique to the individual

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Takim Williams's avatar

Thank you for this. I've come to believe that distended individualism is THE problem of our time in the West. The pendulum must swing.

My recent sci-fi here on Substack explores the question: "If the Bodily Self were infinitely flexible, what consequences would that have for the Narrative Self??" Check it out, it's got big-time octopus vibes, might be right up your alley 😊

https://takimwilliams.substack.com/p/hello-my-other-hello-my-self-encapsulation

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August Coyote's avatar

Did you really reference the Seth material from Jane Roberts writings??

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