When you bring your thoughts, feelings and behaviour into alignment with your own authentic Self you become more empowered and can move forwards in your life without self sabotage. To do this you need to identify which elements of your life are out of step with your personal Truth.

Take your time over the questions that follow and answer them as fully and honestly as you can. You are encouraged to revisit these questions from time to time, as each time you answer them and heal what comes up for you there is an opportunity to clear yourself down to another level. If you record your answers in a journal and date them you can see your own development as you shift towards a place of integrity. You may find that working through these questions with a supportive friend helps you explore them more deeply.

Do I betray myself on a physical level?
Go and look at yourself in a long mirror. Record what you see reflected there. Do you dislike or criticise your reflection? Do you fragment your image into small parts, some of which are deemed acceptable and others unacceptable?

If you are finding flaws with your face and body then you are disempowering yourself at the level of your physical identity. Pause and reflect on the truly miraculous nature of your body. No scientist in a lab has the ability to create a whole human body. You are a miracle of Nature and your body is a marvellous gift that allows you to experience life on the Earth plane.

Fault finding and the dislike of our physical appearance is a damaging and a far too prevalent attitude in Western cultures obsessed with ‘perfect bodies and perfect looks.’ In truth the images we are given via the media are often airbrushed and computer enhanced. You need to develop self acceptance and love for every bump, wobble, wrinkle and freckle. When you can’t accept your very own appearance you undermine your own physical presence in the world.

If you had trouble with the mirror exercise please persist. Spend five minutes a day looking into the mirror saying, “I love and accept myself just as I am.” Over time your self perception can really change and become more loving and as it does your self esteem will rise.

Do I betray myself through my actions or words?
You move away from honouring your Truth whenever you feel you should do something in one way, but then bow to pressure to do it another way, or when you agree to something which you feel coerced into doing or don’t believe is right.

Why do you do this? Perhaps you feel you need to please someone to gain their approval and make yourself more acceptable in some way? Perhaps you are afraid of what others may think of you or say about you if you follow your personal truth? Do you fear rejection perhaps?

You may find that as you look at this question your answer varies depending on the situation and the people. So for example you may feel you are in your Truth with friends, but that you habitually step out of integrity at work, or in your interactions with parents. This can be a scary one to deal with as you have to find the courage to commit to yourself and say, “I will be true to myself even if others don’t approve of me.” The first step is to bring some awareness into the situation and from there you can start to make changes.

Do I betray my true feelings and emotions?
Do you habitually hold your emotions back, or do you stay stuck in one state such as anger, to stop yourself feeling another, such as sorrow? Which feelings do you avoid expressing?

Any emotions that you feel are unacceptable are suppressed and may instead fall into your shadow side where they fester. You will probably be given plenty of opportunities to experience the entire range of human emotions on your Earth journey. Really feel them and look at what they are telling you. Find a safe place to do so and then let them flow through you, let them be expressed and released so that you can come into a place of peace and acceptance. Repressed emotions will never let you feel peaceful, however long you ignore them.

Do I betray my sense of Spirit?
Do you restrict your spirituality to fall into line with what are considered acceptable spiritual beliefs by others? Do you downgrade your spirituality and the promptings of your Higher Self so that your spirituality is only allowed to influence selected areas of your life? “I’m spiritual because I meditate/ go to church/ do yoga,” is okay, but what about the rest of your life? Do you think Jesus confined his teachings and good works to Sunday mornings? Why put such constraints on your own spiritual life? Does your Ego fear loss of control if you allow your Spirit to lead the way?

Don’t worry if you find you have lots of work to do to being yourself into a place of integrity. Most people have! Any positive changes you make are affirming your commitment to be true to your Self. Keep your journal and revisit these questions from time to time so that you can chart your progress.