Self Talk with Rachel Astarte
Self Talk takes a conversational look at how we can show up in the world—for the world. If you're on a journey to your true self, this is your next stop.
Self Talk with Rachel Astarte
Building Your Foundation of Self—You Are Your Highest Self
The highest self isn't an idealized version of ourselves to strive for, but rather our preconditioned consciousness that has always been present within us.
• Our highest self is like a blank sheet of paper upon which our life experiences are written
• Reconnecting with our highest self shifts inner work from fixing ourselves to remembering who we truly are
• When connected to our highest self, we respond rather than react in relationships
• Four practices to reconnect: stillness, writing as dialogue, self-compassion, and presence in daily life
• Notice moments when you feel merged with your highest self—during calm moments, while in nature, or engaged in activities you love
• Inner work isn't about becoming someone else but remembering who you already are
Join us for Write Yourself Open every second and fourth Tuesday at 1pm Eastern to use meditation, writing, and community discussion to reconnect with your highest self. Learn more and register at writeyourselfopen.com or find it on foundationofself.com or rachelestartetherapy.com.
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Timeline:
0:00:00 Rachel introduces the concept that there is no "higher self" to search for; you are already your highest self, and the task is to let go of false ideas about yourself, a reference to Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, a spiritual teacher.
0:00:28 Host Rachel Astarte welcomes listeners and explains the ongoing "Building Your Foundation of Self" series, focusing today on the "highest self."
[0:01:00–0:05:27] Rachel defines the "highest self" as the pure, original consciousness within everyone—not an ideal to strive for, but the essence that is always present. She explains why reconnecting with the highest self is important for authentic inner work and avoiding burnout from constant self-improvement.
0:05:27 Transition to practical advice.
[0:05:28–0:08:01] Rachel shares four practical ways to reconnect with the highest self: stillness/meditation, writing as dialogue, self-compassion, and presence in daily life. She provides tips for each method.
[0:08:01–0:08:05] Encouragement to listen quietly for the answer from your highest self.
[0:08:05–0:11:50] Rachel gives examples of how listeners may have already experienced their highest self and invites them to notice and journal these moments. She emphasizes that inner work is about remembering who you are, not becoming someone else, and previews the topic of the next episode, the underdeveloped ego.
0:11:50 Rachel invites listeners to join the "Write Yourself Open" program for further exploration and support, providing details on how to join and
Got a question about your self?
Send it to me at rachel@selftalkpodcast.com and it may be featured on a future episode.
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Music:
"Ave Marimba"
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
There is no second or higher self to search for. You are the highest self. Only give up the false ideas you have about yourself. Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, Welcome to Self Talk. I'm Rachel Estarte. Thank you for being here.
Speaker 1:Over the past few months, we've been working through the Building your Foundation of Self series, taking the time to really understand the parts of us that create a strong, steady inner life. Today, we'll talk about one of the most essential and often most misunderstood parts of that foundation the highest self. And we covered self-talk and the highest self in the last installment, but today I want to dive deeper. When we talk about building our foundation of self, the highest self, sometimes also called the true self, is the material of which that foundation is made. So, yeah, it's important. What is the highest self? Let's start with that obvious question.
Speaker 1:When I say highest self, I'm not talking about some idealized version of you that you need to work hard to become right. I'm not talking about the perfect you who always eats right and never loses patience and meditates for an hour every morning. The highest self is not an aspiration or a concept of a person you want to be. It's not even something outside of you. It's already present in you. In fact, it was present in you before your concept of you even came into consciousness. It's your preconditioned consciousness, pure, original, source consciousness, untouched by the conditions even of human form. It's that spark of source that lives and speaks within you. That lives and speaks within you, the highest self, is the you that is already whole, already wise. It's the essence of who you are, when all the noise, the roles, the expectations and the experiential wounds fall away. Sometimes I describe it as a blank sheet of paper on which your life experiences are written. What is written is not the paper itself. The inked stories of your life lie on top of this perfectly pure and accepting and eternal sheet of paper. That paper, that self, is always there, always was there. That is your foundation, your highest self supporting you and your stories.
Speaker 1:So why does this matter? Why bother reconnecting with the highest self? Because without it, our inner work can start to feel like this endless self-improvement project. We get trapped in this idea that we're broken somehow and we need to fix ourselves, and that is exhausting. I've heard it from my clients, I've heard it from my students I'm tired of doing all this work and in fact, some of you may have also experienced inner work burnout. You're using all the tools and you're healing all the childhood wounds and you're keeping your body healthy and you're practicing loving kindness and you're being reborn into the being of light. You're pretty sure you are, but after a while it becomes a slog. Light you're pretty sure you are, but after a while it becomes a slog. It's such an uphill effort that it almost seems pointless. That's because it's the small s self who's doing the heavy lifting.
Speaker 1:When we work from the perspective of the highest self, everything shifts. Instead of fixing, we remember Instead of striving, we return home to our original place in collective consciousness. The highest self gives us perspective. Gives us perspective. It helps us rise above the temporary moods, the spiraling thoughts and the stories that we tell ourselves about things that are going on in our life now, things that went on in the past, things that we think might happen in the future. It grounds us in a kind of deep truth and it makes us steadier in relationships. When we're in touch with that inner compass, we respond instead of react. We connect authentically rather than defensively. This is why I always remind my students and my clients you are not here to create a new self. You're here to remember who you are. Now let's get practical. How do we reconnect with this part of ourselves? Notice, I said reconnect because you never actually lose your highest self. You just lose touch with it sometimes. So here are a few simple ways to come back to yourself, to connect to the highest self and listen to it again.
Speaker 1:Number one stillness. Even a few quiet breaths can help you drop below the surface noise of your thoughts. Below the surface noise of your thoughts. Meditation, if it calls to you, is a powerful doorway to that. Number two writing as dialogue. This is something that I teach in the Write Yourself Open program. You can actually sit down and have a written conversation with your highest self, Ask a question and then let the deeper part of you respond on the page. It's often surprising what you get back and very reassuring. But before you try to do that, I would recommend being quiet before you start to ask the question and write. So take a few breaths, clear your mind as best you can and then ask the question and drop in and let what comes out come out naturally. Number three is self-compassion. When we treat ourselves with kindness, we clear the static that keeps us from hearing the deeper voice. This is why non-judgment and gentleness are such an important part of foundation of self-work. So we develop that self-compassion, that care for ourselves, so that we can give back to collective consciousness and, more immediately, to the people around us in a more authentic and grounded way.
Speaker 1:Number four presence in daily life. You don't have to sit on a cushion for an hour to connect with your highest self. You can literally feel it in your body when you pause in nature or when you lose yourself in creativity, or when you simply just notice your breath, as we were talking about a moment ago. It really is that simple. Sometimes you can just get quiet for a moment, take a single, long, slow, deep breath I call it LSD breathing and ask yourself what does my highest self know right now and listen quietly for the answer. And listen quietly for the answer. So this may seem very strange and distant to you right now, but I'll give you an example of how you probably have already listened to your highest self. It is probably the voice that told you this podcast would sound really good to me right now. I'd like to learn more about this stuff. That's your highest self telling you hey, this is something that will be helpful for you.
Speaker 1:The highest self is a guiding force. It is the pure self connected to source, as we mentioned. It is with you always, and we lose our way sometimes. In the day Stuff happens, Our small-s self, our underdeveloped ego self tends to take over and get caught up in the drama. The highest self is always there, waiting for you to return. It is the expanse of the quiet depths of the ocean, while on top of the ocean is the crazy waves and a lot of tempest. So here's my invitation for you until we meet again.
Speaker 1:Notice the moments when you are merged with your highest self. Maybe it's a flash of calm when you thought you might get angry. It's a flash of calm when you thought you might get angry. Maybe it's in that gentle inner voice that says hey, take a rest, You've been working too hard. Maybe it's when you feel completely alive and connected in something you love doing, or perhaps you're out in nature. Jot those down in your journal or your notebook. You all have your favorite notebook and pen by now, right? So use that space to reflect on these moments and you'll start to realize that there's a pattern of how your highest self feels compared to the noise of the ego and fear. Remember your inner work is not about becoming someone else. It's about remembering who you already are, without the bullshit stories that you were told about yourself, without the small S self, underdeveloped ego trying to keep you small because it's scared. And we're going to talk more about the underdeveloped ego next time and how to help it become developed for your service. I hope this exploration into the highest self gives you something to reflect on and carry with you and, if you'd like, please do share your thoughts and experiences. I love to hear from you.
Speaker 1:If you want to continue your work with your highest self in a more practical way, please join us for Write Yourself Open. We gather every second and fourth Tuesday of the month at 1 pm Eastern online and we use meditation, guided meditation, writing and community discussion to reconnect with who we truly are. There's nothing like that support of the group. You're going to come away from each session with practical tools to integrate the guidance that you received every time we meet from your highest self and, of course, the supportive community that we have at Write Yourself Open. You can learn more and register at writeyourselfopencom. You can also find it on my website at foundationofselfcom or rachelestartetherapycom. You can sign up for a package. You can also just drop in. Just come for a single class. That'd be great. I'll add all these links in the show notes, so no worries. Until next time, be gentle with yourself.
