Why is it important to develop self-observation?

Answer from the V.M. Samael Aun Weor.

But, unquestionably, in order to see all of this, we need attention intentionally directed towards the interior of our own selves. This is not passive attention.

Indeed, dynamic attention proceeds from the side of the observer, while thoughts and emotions belong to the side, which is observed.

All of this causes us to comprehend that knowing is something completely passive and mechanical, in evident contrast with the observation of the self which is a conscious act.

Nevertheless, we are not affirming that mechanical self-observation does not exist; it does, but such a kind of observation has nothing to do with the psychological self-observation to which we are referring.

To think and to observe are also very different. Any person can give himself the luxury of thinking about himself all he wants; yet, this does not signify that he is truly observing himself.

We need to see the different “I’s” in action, to discover them in our psyche, to comprehend that a percentage of our own consciousness exists within each one of them, to repent of having created them, etc.

Samael Aun Weor. Excerpt of the book: Treatise of Revolutionary Psychology.

Answer from the Magazine "The Wisdom of the Being".

Just as the towers of medieval castles were built to keep watch, in esoteric chess the towers represent the state of wakefulness or alertness of consciousness, they represent the sense of psychological self-observation to promote self-discovery. When consciousness awakens, the world is seen as it truly is, and not as it apparently is. To develop the sense of self-observation it is necessary to live alert and vigilant like the lookout in wartime. Through self-observation from instant to instant and from moment to moment, it is possible to discover psychological errors and reveal how we really are and not in appearance.

The phrase from the temple of Delphi in Greece, "Noscete ipsum" ("Man, know yourself and you will know the universe and the gods") invites the human being to wake up, to know himself, because ironically, despite being In the era of knowledge and technology, and to develop more and more scientific prodigies, great self-ignorance prevails, the origin of frustration, the cause of desires, the processes of anger, the undercurrents of resentment are unknown. and resentment..., they have a wrong image or concept of themselves, the image of the physical body is accepted because it is palpable, but psychology is different, other people perceive us differently, we do not know ourselves.

In order to know oneself, it is necessary to observe oneself in the street, at work, at home, in the temple, at school..., and then we will discover how the egos that are hidden in the subconscious or in the unconscious emerge spontaneously before the different circumstances. In general, the selves remain calm until they see the opportunity to feed themselves, which is why, in the gym of life, complicated situations make those selves appear and if we are in a state of alert or vigil, then we discover them. in action and we can self-observe them.

The Wisdom of Being Magazine 97, Chapter: "The Towers."