Who’s talking

The self emerges in response to others. Very early in life, individuals are able to interact with their selves such that there is the “inner” and “outer” self.

When I ask myself, “Who am I?”, in a sense the outer me is asking the inner me a question. When the inner me responds to the outer me, the answer is absorbed by the total me. This affects self dialogue in the future.

A small letter from John the Apostle includes the command “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” Typically, this verse is understood to refer to the testing of spirits beyond the self. These spirits are not from the true God but from demons, the devil, false and pseudo gods that deceive.

Yet, when we test the spirits, we should test to see if the voice is only one’s self speaking only to itself.

When I read a sacred text and look toward a transcendent message, how do I distinguish between a voice from beyond myself (a “spirit”) and a voice from within myself (outer and inner me).

When I recall an incident from the past week — is this a spirit bringing something to mind? Or is the outer me addressing the inner me?

When I pray and listen, who is speaking? My spirit (the outer me) or THE spirit (beyond me). How can I tell?

The Apostle Paul more than once gave the warning, “Do not deceive yourselves.” Perhaps in attributing thoughts to God, we deceive ourselves because the voice we hear is coming from within us.