When the world is upside down, the knowledge of our True Nature as the Self becomes a precious sanctuary. Since the dualistic nature of the mind is trapped by the limited options of right or wrong or good or bad, how is it possible to actually know ourselves as the Self?
We are aware that the human mind is not equipped to fully grasp the vastness of the Self. It can form concepts and ideas about it, but the direct knowing of the Self will always elude the human understanding. It doesn't mean however that we can't use the power of our minds to stretch and expand our understanding towards knowing the fullness of the Self.
Analogies and metaphors can be helpful tools to expand the grasp of the mind. One of the most potent ones in regards to understanding the difference between the Self and the individual mind came to me when I was reading an article about virtual reality games. The player sits in a chair wearing goggles through which s/he is entering a whole new universe. In this virtual reality the person plays a specific role, acts, makes decisions and lives an entire storyline, including all the details of the chosen situation. Virtual reality games create situations that appear so real, that it is easy to get deeply absorbed in them. So much so that the participant may forget that s/he is actually sitting in a chair, being completely free from any involvement in the situation unfolding in the virtual reality. Even though the player can become utterly identified with the role s/he is playing, it is obvious that none of the virtual reality exists without the watcher sitting in the chair....
Just like the watcher of a VR game, the Self is always free and uninvolved. If the player of the "game of life" knows the Freedom and Oneness of the Watcher and is aligned with it, any action s/he takes will be imbued with the all-inclusive vision of that Oneness. It will be action inspired by the knowledge of the Self as opposed to action coming from duality, fear or anger. This is definitely a time to choose the source of our action wisely....
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