What It Means to “Discover Your Essential Self”

Introduction

When you open this website, you are greeted with the words “Discover Your Essential Self.“ Royal Way provides seekers with the tools to do exactly that: to discover themselves as they truly are, beyond the limitations of the ego-mind.

The “essential self“ is not a new idea. Exploration regarding the concept has existed in the East as well as the West for millennia. In today’s culture, discovering our essential self is not merely another trend or “new-age“ movement, but rather the key to living a fulfilling life.

Sounds simple, but there are countless distractions and obstacles that prevent us from accessing our essential self. Between the frenetic pace of day-to-day activities and goings-on—traffic, working, paying bills, relationships, political upheaval, etc., we’ve strayed from and forgotten who we really are. We’ve lost touch with our essential self, also referred to as our true self or authentic self. The goal is to rediscover that place inside us that the outside world can’t touch, a place of true peace and joy—our inner home. Royal Way provides the opportunity to discover the essential self that emanates from our divine being and the experience of God.

 

Who Do We Think We Are?

We’re all familiar with the catchphrase “just be yourself.“ The problem is, we think we are our beliefs, thoughts, feelings, etc. But where did those come from? Dr. Michael Menahem Gottlieb, founder of Royal Way Spiritual Center, writes, “What we call our beliefs, our thoughts, our attitudes, our tastes, our prejudices are not ours at all. They have been imprinted on our psyche from day one by parents, teachers, priests, politicians, books, TV, etc., etc. We are saturated and gorged by input from others. How much of our ‘knowing’ is truly our knowing? Most of us don’t even know how to know.“ 

Consequently, we often act from the social self—identifying and behaving from our roles and subsequent perceptions of who we think we are as a spouse, sibling, child, parent—or via our upbringing, profession, status, etc. But if we’re not who we think we are, then who are we? Michael writes, “Only the individual’s energy is unique and original—not his mental processes, not his mental productions, not his mental creations, but his energy, his beingness.“

Discovering our essential self is not about abandoning our roles or responsibilities, but rather tapping into our unique and individual energy—our divine energy—and connecting with our beingness. On a practical level, we become free to live our best life, which also enables us to give our best to others, including those we love.

 

Where To Look

Where does the journey to discovering your essential self begin? We can start by looking in the mirror—but which face is looking back at us? Michael writes, “Have you ever noticed how many different faces we have? One for our mate, one for our children, a different face for our parents, another face for our boss, one for our employees, one for the IRS, and a different face for each friend and acquaintance.“  In the process of moving from one face to another, we stray from our essential self, our divine nature, and connection with God. The question is: Why are we continuing to move away instead of toward it?

 

Valuing Your Self

A major issue is that we don’t value our true self. Michael explains: “We always want someone else’s shape, appearance, health, personality, mental acuity, position, status, career, possessions, etc., etc. This freezes our energies psychically and organically.“  Michael continues, “Only man flounders and strays from his essence, seeking fulfillment through impossible imitation of another. How can you grow if you do not value your self? How can you flower if you do not love your self? It is impossible. The reason we are so blind, so foolhardy, is that we forget who we really are.“

We tell ourselves we can be better, that we’re not good enough. We confuse self-improvement with self-condemnation, never appreciating our God-given qualities that make each of us unique. 

 

Discovery As A Constant

Becoming our authentic self is not a one-time endeavor, nor is it a predetermined endpoint. As we dive deeper into our essence, we experience new levels of calm, creativity, intimacy, and abundance. The community of Royal Way provides the support of other like-minded individuals who want to live with more clarity, freedom, and joy. Together, we help each other discover our respective individual uniqueness.

The journey to the essential self is ongoing. So are all the rewards that come with it. Royal Way’s retreats and workshops provide the resources to get in touch with our divinity and godliness. At times it involves work. Using the metaphor of oil, gold, and diamonds, Michael reminds us, “You have to dig deep to find what you are looking for, and it is worth every bit of effort.“

Thus, the more you dive in, the more you get. If you started walking up the stairway to heaven, would you stop at the second floor?

 

Retreat From The Noise

Royal Way Spiritual Center is nestled in the high desert of Southern California where we conduct our retreats and workshops. The silent and serene environment provides a haven to quiet the mind, meditate, and explore spiritual growth. Once we learn how to cultivate the divinity within, we’re able to experience godliness crossing a busy intersection, navigating rush-hour traffic, standing in line at the grocery store...anywhere and everywhere. 

 

Conclusion

Royal Way is devoted to the path of discovering our essential self. Dr. Michael Gottlieb established Royal Way as “an instrument for bringing modern man and woman to the experience of God—not blind faith, not a philosophical knowing, not a theological knowing, but an experiential knowing.“ Through Royal Way’s retreats and workshops, you’ll have the opportunity to experience your divinity and explore your connection to God.