55. Introspection

Human beings live between two worlds, one internal and the other external. Both are like attracting poles that fight ceaselessly to obtain the universe’s most valued commodity – attention. The two worlds have such power that we rarely realize that there is a third centre capable of polarizing our attention, an alternative assembly point from which we could be and exist. However, we live off-centre, distanced from this core.

From an early age, we are taught to waste our precious capacity to pay attention. Little by little, we become accustomed to paying attention only to that which makes the most noise. But not only this; we give the name "I" to the noisy pole that inhabits the interior and make the world revolve around it. Most of the time, human beings experience a kind of fragmented attention that fluctuates between self-reflection and absorption in the external world. The recurrent focus of the internal world on self-reflection has caused the process of identity to be firmly anchored to the egoic self, since the latter manages to recruit for itself the greatest amount of attentional resources, both external and internal. We have simply forgotten that we are able to change the attentional process by bringing its control centre into the original self. Making this change is fundamental if we want to encourage vertical development.

The off-centre state consists in allowing the ego to handle the greater part of the attention. In this way, the internal (as well as the external) dialogue revolves around the process of identity in which there are constant self-references to I, me, mine, myself, and so on. This mechanism is necessary in order to reinforce the feeling in the individual that one self is the egoic self. In addition to fostering a form of egocentric attention, based on automatism and fragmentation, the off-centre state makes it more difficult to distinguish between our thoughts, what we feel and what we are. This, in turn, distances us from our true potential, both in a worldly and a transpersonal sense, as well as being a source of much of the suffering that we experience.

In spite of the constant pressure that the egoic mind exerts upon the original self, with a little work it is not so difficult to improve the quality of our thoughts and to modify the way in which we pay attention to them. Both the relationship that we have with ourselves and the way in which we interact with others will largely depend on the excellence of our inner world. Reclaiming the centre and harmonizing our thoughts are two of the simplest and most immediate objectives of introspection.

Principles of introspection:

• To introspect, the individual must make the decision to explore their inner world from the perspective of pure observation. Before commencing, it is important to underline and establish the following premise:
• The observer and the observed are two phenomena that are intertwined and dependent yet, at the same time, separate.
• Introspection is a special state of consciousness in which attention is paid to one's own feelings and thoughts in an attitude of total acceptance.
• True acceptance derives from a quality called forbearance.
• In Emoenergetica, forbearance appears by merging the four metavirtues: sobriety, humility, appreciation and equanimity. All of these are shaped by cultivating non-compassion for others, while simultaneously restricting the activation of the pillars of the ego in oneself to the greatest extent possible.
• Sobriety is the absence of the feeling of inferiority, compassion or pity, for oneself and for others. Sobriety is only authentic if it is accompanied by humility, appreciation and equanimity.
• Humility appears by combining the absence of the one’s own feeling of superiority with non-compassion for others. Humility is only genuine in the presence of sobriety, appreciation and equanimity.
• Appreciation emerges when the feeling of personal importance is deactivated, non-compassion towards others is sustained and, at the same time, gratitude towards the opportunity to live is nurtured, as well as recognition of the intrinsic worth of all living beings, since each of these is part of the Spirit. Appreciation is possible only when it is surrounded by sobriety, humility and equanimity.
• Equanimity is the state in which one neutralizes one's own feeling of offense while experiencing non-compassion towards others. Equanimity is only real when it works in union with sobriety, humility and appreciation.

While meditation is the art of paying attention to anything other than one's thoughts, introspection is exactly the opposite. In our day to day lives, we are generally absorbed in our thoughts most of the time, and yet this absorption has nothing to do with introspection. The latter is a voluntary, conscious and deliberate act of observing and stalking one's own mental and emotional processes. Like meditation, introspection is practiced in two different ways, one active and the other passive.

Active introspection:

1. This type of introspection is the easiest to perform. It is used to demarcate, clarify and change one's perspective, as well as to develop strategies for specific issues.

2. This approach is more psychological than transcendental.

3. This is practiced with pencil and paper. It is very convenient to work with an introspection notebook. This, as we will see later, will also serve as a recapitulation notebook. Obviously, when I speak of a notebook, it can be specifically this, but any other means by which notes can be taken, including electronic devices, is useful.

4. First, we select a topic with which we have problems that are conflictive, painful, unresolved, pending or recurring.

• Try to reduce the subject to a single sentence and write this as a statement of introspection.

5. Underneath, opening a bullet point, write the following: Is this really true?

• Below, write down one or more short explanations, discussing the veracity or otherwise of the statement.

6. Then, in another bullet point, write the question: At what times has this topic affected me or been important?

• Briefly list some of the occasions in which the topic has been present.

7. In another bullet point, write: How did it or does it affect me?

• Make a short list of the effects the topic currently has or has had in the past.

8. In a new bullet point, write the question: What can I do about this?

• Below, list the possible actions that you could take to improve the situation with regard to the issue.

9. In another bullet point, write: What can I not do about this topic?

• List some of the aspects or actions regarding the topic that are beyond your control.

10. Start another bullet point and write: Is this topic what I am or is it just part of my life experiences?

• Note the answer.

11. Now, go back up to the phrase that represents the topic.

• Mentally read the statement. Spend a few seconds paying attention to the feelings and thoughts that appear at this moment. Just observe, with forbearance and detachment, as if looking at everything from the outside.
• Next, change the perspective and try to situate yourself within the subject, letting yourself be absorbed by it for a few moments, feeling it in the first person.
• Change your perspective again and observe everything from the outside for a few moments.
• If there are more people involved in the topic, shift your perspective, putting yourself in the shoes of each of these people, trying to perceive it all from their point of view.
• Mentally re-read the statement, paying attention for a moment to the feelings and thoughts it provokes. In this step, once again, try only to observe, with forbearance and detachment, as if you were seeing everything from the outside.

12. Continue reading each of the subsequent bullet points, observing thoughts and feelings from the outside for a few seconds before moving on to the next; do so until you reach the end.

13. Finish the activity.

14. Ideally, you should recapitulate each point, once it has been introspected. Later on, we will examine how to do this.

Passive introspection:

This is a very different approach to what we have seen in active introspection, although the principles are the same for both approaches.

Its objective is more transcendental than psychological.

This type of introspection is not the same as meditation, although it is prepared for in almost the same way.
1. Close your eyes. Assume a comfortable position, either sitting or lying down, in perfect stillness.

2. Passive introspection should be performed for a minimum of 10-20 minutes. With time you can increase to an hour or more.
3. Pay attention to your thoughts, without reflecting on or reacting to them, in complete acceptance and forbearance.
4. Let your mind think for you. In this way you will be able to change your focus and become the observer.
5. If you become distracted, that is, if your attention has been absorbed by your thoughts and self-reflection, then immediately refocus and return your attention to the thoughts and feelings from the position of the observer, with forbearance and detachment.
6. When you decide that you have finished, start moving slowly, open your eyes and get up normally.

Passive introspection, like meditation, can produce epiphanic experiences and expansion of consciousness, especially if practiced intensively. In some schools, such as those where different modalities of mindfulness are taught, it is believed that the aim is to experience consciousness from non-duality and non-self, coming to the conclusion that the self is an illusion.  Emoenergetica explains this differently. We can experience states of consciousness in which the observer is located outside the state of self-reflection, that is, outside the assembly point of attention whose centre is the egoic self. This causes reality to be temporarily experienced from a distinct and intense sensation of continuity in which there appears to be no separation or duality between the observer and the observed. Nonetheless, the sensation of "non-duality" is nothing more than a subjective interpretation, the result of the strangeness felt when perceiving the world and oneself from outside the habitual process of ego identity, which is associated with the experiences that we have as people in the everyday world. It is a mistake to confuse the ego with the self. In Emoenergetica the egoic mind is considered a pure automaton, while the self is the original mind, including its nagual part. Only the nagual is truly capable of perceiving, manifesting and making decisions; what occurs is that the ego has recruited the self and this, basically, assumes that the commands coming from the egoic mind are its own.

The problem with the concept of non-self and non-duality in certain teachings is that it often goes hand in hand with ideas about realization and enlightenment that are so simplistic and reductionist that they can completely sabotage the practitioner's opportunity for spiritual growth. The self is not an illusion, it does not matter if we refer to the ego or the original self; these are two centres around which it is possible to assemble attention, producing different visions of the world. Perhaps the illusion itself is to forget that the only true thing is the Spirit and its emanations, with everything else being an interpretation of greater or lesser quality. When spiritual experiences arise, they can become so intense that it is easy to fall into the temptation of validating the interpretations or feelings we have under their influence. Although, as I said, unless these disciplines are practiced very intensively, it is quite rare to have transcendent experiences (unless you take psychedelic drugs). For the practitioner of Emoenergetica it is important to understand the conceptual differences with other schools in order to avoid falling into the errors that have been mentioned here.

Even with moderate practice, introspection can noticeably change your perspective and beliefs about consciousness, attention, and that strange thing you call “I”.

In their everyday life, warriors of consciousness must relentlessly strive to keep their minds in the correct disposition, that is, either in a meditative state (in inner silence) or in an introspective state (in a position of self-stalking). This can only be possible thanks to their forbearance of spirit and the impeccability of their deeds. Mental noise, being off-centre and going into complete automatic mode are not viable options for true spiritual aspirants.

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Introspection by Chema Sanz is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.