“Who are you?” said the Caterpillar. Alice replied rather shyly, “I–I hardly know, Sir, just at present—at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.”
Before I began to discover who I truly am, I felt like Alice wandering in Wonderland. I lived through roles and identities shaped by circumstances. But over time, something deeper started to awaken. I saw a more lasting self, one not defined by looks or reactions. And yet, I admit I often forget. This knowing is not fixed but flickers like a candle in the wind, requiring constant return.
But who am I?
Within the human soul lies a sacred gift, the power of self-awareness. We are not only beings who act and feel; we are beings who can observe ourselves, who can witness the stream of thought flowing through the mind. This is no ordinary ability. It is a gateway to the sacred.
Consider this: I can step back and observe my thoughts as they come. I can notice emotions without getting lost in them. So, who is watching? And who is being watched?
Many spiritual traditions, including Advaita Vedanta, Christian mysticism, and Buddhist mindfulness, refer to this inner awareness or inner witness. Some call it the soul, others the Self, the Atman, or the inner presence of God. It is the still point within us, untouched by change, eternal, and aware. Recognizing this witness is the beginning of remembering our divine nature.
And so the journey inward continues — not toward something new, but toward something ancient and always present, quietly waiting beneath the surface of who we believe we are.
I read books by leading psychiatrists, neuroscientists, philosophers, New Age gurus, the Bible, and the Vedas. The first book that made me think differently was “Be. Here. Now” by Ram Dass. I hopscotched between science, psychology, neuroscience, and Eastern philosophy. I read books such as “Self Comes to Mind” by neuroscientist Antonio Damasio, “Phantoms in the Brain” by V.S. Ramachandran, and “The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat” by Oliver Sacks. I also read “Who Am I” by Ramana Maharishi.
I realized that there are two versions of myself, two “I”s. One “I” can observe the other, and I knew the “I” that was being watched intimately; I recognized it as myself. That was who I thought was me.
The “I” doing the watching was new to me, and this is where my understanding became interesting. I learned that the “I” doing the watching is the real me, while the other “I” is an impostor. The “I” I believed was me turns out to be an impostor.
The Silent Witness, the one doing the watching, is my true self, I learned. It is who I am.
Discovering that there is a “real me” and an “impostor” was a profound insight that changed me.
Discovering I wasn’t who I thought I was was a huge revelation. This impostor is my ego, and I am not my ego. It was freeing not to have to constantly boost my ego.
Maintaining self-image requires a lot of energy. Letting go of it was a relief. I was free to be myself. It’s freeing not to have to pretend to be someone I am not.
Getting to know the real me has been both transformative and disruptive. I am no longer who I was; I have the chance to reinvent myself. I am at peace with who I am, and my life is heading in a new direction.
Rumi [1]
“When I am not. I am
[1] Rumi translated by Haleh Liza Gafori
Have you ever wondered:
- Who am I really?
- What is my true nature?
- Am I the same person I was years ago?
- Why do I feel like I’m pretending to be someone I’m not?
- What would it feel like just to be myself?
- Why does maintaining my self-image feel so exhausting?
- What is the meaning of spiritual awakening?
- How do I find peace with who I am?
- How do I break free from limiting beliefs about myself?
- What does it mean to reinvent myself?
- How do I find lasting fulfillment?
- How do I navigate the gap between who I think I am and who I really am?
- What would it feel like to be free from the need for constant validation?
Then try this life hack that Claude.ai and I created https://claude.ai/public/artifacts/6c03df5b-7d4a-4a27-8ec6-79d7b5096f37
Shiva's Dance 