If you are approaching Reiki as a self development path, or better still as a support on your spiritual path, then one turn of phrase that you may have encountered a long the way is “self honesty”.

I really like self honesty. I think it is one of the most important supports for personal growth. But, I also think it is a tricky game to play.

When we think about the “self” in this context we are talking about the relative self. The little self. Or the ego. All meaning the same thing. And our normal self is something that has gotten pretty good at having things go pretty much all its own way. But, at the same time it is also the very best witness, because it is always there. We can never escape ourselves.

I was thinking about this, while sitting listening to one of my Buddhist teachers give a talk the other night. He was saying that for him, the best person to judge whether his practise is genuine is himself. Because he always sees himself, he is always there. Whether he is feeling happy or sad, acting polite or not, he is always there. He cannot hide from himself.

And, I think this is the really positive aspect of self awareness/self honesty. Because, we carry that witness always, we can use it to keep ourselves “honest”, so to speak.

The tricky thing is, as I said above, our ego has had such a great time up until now, pretty much having free reign over our decisions, that it is very good at “acting” like it is being raw and true. When in fact it is keeping some aspects back.

Which usually shows when we justify something to ourselves. Like having lost our temper (we were being righteous..) or skipped one too many daily self treatment sessions (I should only do it when it feels “sacred”..) or whatever..

Obviously, everyone is different. And the stories are going to be different. But, everyone should approach their feelings with a little bit of skepticism, because, self honesty is a perspective not so easily won.