The transcendent self

We all feel a deep connection to the main protagonist in any coming-of-age movie, as they learn to balance the magic of their childhood with the harsh realities of the adult world.

We all smile when we see a wise old man dropping wisdom on a young fool, providing sage advice that was hard-earned over a long life.

And we all cheer when the reluctant hero stops trying to avoid his destiny and finally embraces who he was meant to be, casting off the shackles of self-doubt and putting his fate in the hands of a force much greater than himself.

But why do these scenarios stir such deep emotion in us?

Carl Jung reasoned that it was because these archetypes, among others, are part of all of our collective unconscious. That just as the human body evolved to help us navigate the confines of our physical world, so the human psyche has evolved to help us navigate the confines of the mental-emotional world. 

Jung was a student of myth and religion from across human cultures, and what he found in the course of his studies seems impossible at first glance: human cultures from different places around the world, even before they had any contact at all with one another, developed mythologies and religions where the same themes, character archetypes, & lessons kept showing up again and again.

On one level, this implies there is an incredible amount that we can learn from the study of myths and archetypes to help guide our own journeys through the world. But it also points to a deeper truth: we each have a part of us that transcends the personal self, and connects us to the whole of humanity.

Your transcendent self, or transpersonal self, represents the part of you that exists beyond your own thoughts, feelings, and emotions. And really beyond your body & mind too.

When you feel carried away by the music at a show, moved deeply by a performance or piece of art, or overcome with wonder when looking out upon an entire city, you are experiencing an expression of this transcendent self. You may even feel like you’re having an out of body experience, because you literally are.

If you’ve ever woken up from a nap and had a few seconds where you forgot where you were, who you were with, or what was going on in your life – nothing but a sense of being, of "I am" – that is also an experience of the transcendent self.

There are many approaches to intentionally connecting with the transcendent self, the simplest of which is accessing the “transpersonal witness.” Below is a super helpful exercise adapted from philosopher Ken Wilber’s works:

Spend a couple minutes taking deep breaths and getting in touch with your body. You can strike a meditative pose, sit in a comfortable chair, or even lie down.

As you relax, start to repeat to yourself:

I have thoughts, but I am not my thoughts. My thoughts can be known and anything that can be known is not the true Knower.

I have a body, but I am not my body. My body can be seen and anything that can be seen is not the true Seer. 

I have emotions, but I am not my emotions. My emotions can be felt and anything that can be felt is not the true Feeler.

I am what remains, the awareness behind these sights, thoughts, and feelings.

In some of my pieces on “thinking clearer,” I talk about observing thoughts and choosing better ones, but try not to do that here. Rather, try not to judge the thoughts or feelings that arise at all. Just seek to connect to the awareness of them. 

The more you practice this, the more you will develop a connection to your transcendent self that lives apart from all of the things we usually associate with who we are.

And if you should ever doubt your value, your worth, or your ability to deal with the frustrations of everyday life, just remember: the real you exists beyond the chaos of your everyday problems, beyond your shortcomings and anxieties, always & inextricably connected to the rich tapestry of human existence, side by side with the gods & heroes alike. 

Just because you tend to forget it doesn't make it any less true.

Even if you’re a bit skeptical of some of these ideas related to the self in transcendence, I encourage you to keep an open mind to the idea. After all, this is the realm of practice of some of the world’s most renowned psychologists, philosophers, and mystics throughout the ages from St. Thomas of Aquinas to Aldous Huxley to Carl Jung and Abraham Maslow. But ultimately, the only way to judge it is to experience it for yourself. So get to it.