Know Thyself

In a 2014 study published in the Science journal,

researchers found that many people

would rather give themselves electric shocks

than sit alone with their own minds.

Eighteen men were put in the room

that contained no external stimuli,

with a device that would give them

a small electrical shock if they pressed a button.

The idea was to provide a “thinking period”

in which participants could entertain themselves solely

with whatever flitted through their minds. 

Twelve of them administered the electric shocks

to themselves rather than continue to sit alone with their thoughts.

One participant pushed the “shock” button 190 times in 15 minutes.

That’s how much we resist being alone with ourselves.

But this isn’t new. Carl Jung said it long ago:

"People will do anything, no matter how absurd,

to avoid facing their own souls."

Well... I believe it’s because when we begin that inward quest,

it asks us to go deep within — and that’s often terrifying.

Because what if, when we get there,

we don’t like what we find?

Or worse... what if we realize

we’ve never truly met ourselves at all?

What if we uncover truths so raw, so intimate,

that we begin to realizewe are really just a mosaic

of learned patterns - echoes of other people’s voices:

parents, teachers, culture, society…

Layers upon layers.

Like burnt grease on an old frying pan. . .

sticky, distorting, not truly us.

But when you begin, gently, honestly, courageously

to scrape that residue away...something shifts.

You begin to hear your own voice.

Your own desires.

Your own fears.

Your own boundaries.

Your own limits.

Your own gifts.

Your own truth.

As the famous quote from The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho says:

“Listen to your heart. It knows all things, 

because it came from the Soul of the World

and it will one day return there.”

Knowing yourself isn’t easy.

But it is a beginning.

It is a beginning of freedom—and not the kind

that is being sold in self-help books or slogans

or flashy videos. . .It's deeper. . .More visceral.

It also requires having a support system.

Because stripping away layers can stir up residues of

old fears, anxiety, buried emotions, suppresses trauma

and that can be challenging having to go through that alone.

That’s why we need each other.

To witness, to hold, to remind.

But this work? This journey inward?

it’s the beginning of freedom.

the kind that whispers: "I am home in myself."

Because when you begin to know your truth

and know yourself,

you stop searching on the outside.

You stop seeking, stop grasping.

You begin to feel contentment within.

And from that place—a place of knowing—

your life begins to align.

Not because you’re trying so hard...

but because you’re no longer resisting yourself.

The patterns and cycles of your life path

will begin to make sense,

Not because the chaos disappears

but because you recognize it.

You can see it. You can name it.

And therefore, you can move with it.

Life won’t suddenly be smooth sailing—

this is still a dual world.

There will be storms. Contrast. Shadow.

But you’ll navigate with more grace,

more clarity, more compassion for yourself and others.

It is the light that nourishes us—

but it is the shadow that teaches us.

It holds up a mirror.

And through that mirror,

we learn, grow and evolve.

Everything that comes to us

comes to either bless us or teach us.

When you embrace this,

you begin to flow with life's current

instead of swimming upstream.

And here’s a beautiful side effect:

when you're in tune with your truth,

you begin to manifest more easily.

You’re aligned. You’re clear.

You’re not chasing - you’re attracting.

You’re not begging the Universe - you’re co-creating with it.

Because you’ve removed the resistance,

everything begins to fall into place - like a domino effect.

Now don’t get me wrong - you can still manifest

without knowing yourself. But it might feel... wishy-washy.

Like tuning into a radio station that keeps going fuzzy.

Because if you don’t know what you truly want,

the Universe will send you a variety pack.

Lessons. Curves. Detours. Until you figure it out through them.

I always say, there is an invisible thread in everyone's life,

that weaves your narrative together.

Hidden patterns, cycles, themes, songs, signs,

synchronicity, repeating sequences of events,

negative schema and so on . . .

These aren’t random.

They are the language of the Universe.

And to know yourself is to begin decoding it.

Recognizing those patterns means

that we are no longer unconscious to them.

In that moment, those old mechanisms begin to lose their grip

and we are no longer involuntary slaves to ourselves.

So I invite you, over the next few days or weeks;

whatever rhythm feels right

to take a pen and paper, a notebook, or your phone...

and begin a journey back in time.

Year by year,

write down the events that shaped you.

Revisit the songs, the lyrics, the prayers,

the heartbreaks, the patterns, the strange coincidences.

What did you ask for and forget?

What showed up when you least expected it?

Each day you come back, revisit your past a little more,

Each time you return, write a little more.

You are not just building a timeline,

you’re building a mirror.

A map.

A memoir of meaning.

Remember the Universe speaks a language unique to you.

and it takes patience, trust and practice. . .

like any relationship. You have to get to know one another.

My aim is to help you become so empowered,

so in tune with your own wisdom,

that you no longer need to ask the outside world

for answers you already hold within.

Know thyself… and the rest shall follow.

2025 © Ester Caty Young, All Rights Reserved