Atma Devata, the Self as the Divinity...

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" Atman means the Self or soul, the very essence of our being as pure

consciousness. It is common to all living creatures and pervades the entire

universe.

 

In the modern world, psychology dominates our thinking relative to the mind and

emotions, the self and ego and has its influence on how we view spirituality and

yoga as well. We have also come to look at the Atman in a psychological light,

sometimes to the detriment of its broader reality.

 

Spirituality is about the pursuit of self-knowledge and self-realization. There

has been an effort to turn this into a kind of psychological self-knowledge, an

analysis of human emotions as the prime factor. But Self-knowledge in the sense

of the Atman is something much more than that. There is a modern effort to

psychologize spirituality. On the positive side, this may help to spiritualize

psychology, bringing yoga and meditation into psychological approaches. Yet on

the negative side, it can confuse spirituality and yoga with mere human

psychology. It can reduce our spiritual self or soul to the confines and

concerns of the ego and our outer nature as a mere social or political entity.

 

Beyond the Psychological to the Cosmic Self

 

Our true Self is not the psychological self, which is the ego that is to be

discarded for it to shine forth. Our true Self is not the personal identity of

this particular incarnation. It is not the self-formations of emotion or our

personal likes and dislikes. Nor is it our mental or intellectual identity

through the opinions, beliefs and predilections of our thought processes. It is

not even our human self but our soul that unites us to all beings and all

worlds.

 

To put it simply: our true Self or Atman is a Devata or Divine principle. The

Self is a principle of subjectivity, awareness and self-being inherent in all

existence. It is the ultimate principle behind all the laws, principles and

dharmas operative in this magical universe of mind and matter. "

 

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