Understanding the true nature of the Self can feel like grasping at something invisible, something that is always present but just out of reach. In many spiritual traditions, the Self is described as the core of existence, pure awareness that transcends the mind and body. But how do we get closer to understanding this abstract idea? A helpful metaphor for the relationship between the body, mind, and Self is to think of them as a spaceship, a radio receiver, and electromagnetic waves.
Imagine the body as a spaceship, the vessel through which we travel and interact with the physical world. The spaceship navigates the external environment, just as our bodies allow us to move through life. But the spaceship alone isn’t enough to receive communication—it needs a functioning radio receiver inside. In the same way, our minds act as receivers that translate our deeper essence into something we can experience and understand. However, the electromagnetic waves, representing the true essence or Self, are always present, whether or not they are picked up by the receiver.
The body, like a spaceship, is crucial for our journey, but it is not the destination. It is a vehicle, allowing us to engage with the world through the senses, but it doesn’t define who we are at the deepest level. Often, we become so identified with our physical form that we forget it’s just a tool, not the source of our true nature. The body enables experience, but it doesn’t hold the essence of existence.
Similarly, the mind plays a vital role but can also obscure the truth. As the radio receiver, the mind is necessary for translating the signals of consciousness into thoughts, emotions, and perceptions. However, if the receiver is cluttered with noise—like distractions, attachments, or mental chatter—the signals become distorted. This noise blocks our awareness of the Self, just as static interferes with a clear radio broadcast. The more we identify with the mind and its constant flow of thoughts, the further we move from the clarity needed to recognize our true essence.
What’s important to grasp here is that the electromagnetic waves—the Self—are always there, whether or not the mind is tuned in. These waves represent the pure, unchanging awareness that underlies all of our experiences, but they often go unnoticed because we’re caught up in the noise of the mind. In spiritual terms, this points to the idea that the Self is ever-present, but our identification with the body and mind prevents us from perceiving it clearly. The process of awakening is like tuning the radio receiver—quieting the interference so the true message comes through.
When the body and mind are aligned, functioning in harmony, they become more open to receiving the deeper truth of the Self. Practices like meditation and mindfulness help in this alignment, but it’s crucial to remember that the Self doesn’t depend on these efforts to exist. Even when the mind is full of distraction or the body is in pain, the Self remains constant. We are always connected to it, whether or not we realize it. The journey toward self-realization is not about achieving something new but recognizing what has been there all along.
This metaphor—spaceship, radio receiver, electromagnetic waves—offers a way to understand the interconnectedness of body, mind, and essence. The body serves its purpose as a vehicle for experience, while the mind processes those experiences, but neither holds the full truth of who we are. The Self is the ever-present awareness that lies beneath it all, waiting to be recognized when the mind is quiet enough to hear its signal.
In our daily lives, we often get caught up in the noise of the receiver—the constant stream of thoughts, worries, plans, and judgments. But by stepping back and realizing that this noise is not the essence of who we are, we begin to sense the presence of the Self. It is the space that remains when thoughts quiet down, the awareness that watches without getting caught up in the narrative of the mind.
At the heart of this metaphor is a simple truth: the Self is always there, and our task is not to create it but to clear the interference that keeps us from experiencing it. The spaceship, the radio receiver, and the electromagnetic waves together form the framework for our human experience, but the deeper essence, the Self, transcends all of them. It is always present, always available, and always waiting for us to tune in.
Spiritual Gravity 