Your Real Self

Part of the healing work of vodou is surfacing the most authentic expression of the person, the part of them which is closest to their soul (well, the part of their soul which persists) and has the least interference from the false things they have been taught about themselves, society, and the way the world works. Healing strips back falseness and strengthens the person, which lets them have a greater range of expression.

This does not mean that the person becomes enlightened, more positive, etc. In fact, some of the most authentic people are often some of the least pleasant to be around until they’ve done enough elevation work to have actual self-control instead of punishment and denial, and actual humility instead of an inflated or underestimation of their own position in the world.

By necessity, a healed person is not a nice person—they need more elevation to be able to choose kindness. Your real self is not nice. Your real self is not kind. Your real self is not a being of light which never has a vengeful thought.

Your real self is an asshole, and until you embrace this, you cannot change it.

We often advise people, in vodou, to be the asshole they want to be. It’s not because we particularly like people being assholes. It’s because they need to be complete, which involves understanding all of their tendencies. Sometimes, you need to be an asshole for awhile to understand yourself.

Ideally, you move through that stage.