How to Live in Alignment With Your True Nature

Charlie as a kitten playing with the wrapping paper (Image courtesy of worldofmiri.com)

A lesson on ‘living in alignment’ taught by our cat

 “To deny ones' true nature’ and the gifts given you by the gods is to tempt disaster. You cannot hide behind the mask forever.”
― Midori Snyder

“Acceptance means events can make it through you without resistance.” – Michael A. Singer, The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself 

How does “alignment with our true nature” translate into our lives?

 What if we couldn’t deny our true nature, our soul’s deepest desire, our true path? What if our highest path unfolded, automatically, unless we stood in the way and resisted? What if all that was required was to go with the flow, to surrender, to let go of control?

But what does this actually mean? How does this translate into daily life? As I asked myself these questions, the teacher appeared, of course. The lesson was called “living in alignment with my true nature”, and it was taught by our cat.

How Charlie moved into our hearts and house 

A few months ago, we adopted a kitten. He was four weeks when he moved in as a rescue cat and we fostered him and his siblings until they were thirteen weeks old. By then we had fallen in love with this little champagne colored-purr-machine. He seemed to like us, too.

I was torn. We’d had a cat before in Australia, and frankly speaking, Australia is not a great place for cats. The native wildlife is not used to a predator the size of a cat, and cats have played and continue to play a role in diminishing native wildlife. Also, dangers exist for cats here that potentially don’t exist in other countries. Our last cat caught a disease called tick paralysis and had to be put down when she was a mere 2.5 years old. Even though an animal in the house brings balance and joy, especially for children, I was not ready to commit again. At least, I vowed to myself, if we got a cat again, it would have to be kept inside.

Fostering kittens seemed like a great compromise for combining the joy of animals without the long-term commitment. However, with the third litter came Charlie. He purred his way straight into our hearts. When the time came to return the foster kittens, everyone was in favor of keeping him. I succumbed under the condition we hold him inside. Once Charlie got over grieving the separation from his siblings, he adapted well to his new life. We played with him. He accepted a stuffed toy cat as his new fighting buddy and slept in our beds every night.

How Charlie taught us a spiritual lesson

Eventually, Charlie reached cat puberty which made him agitated and fidgety. Playing with a string or attacking his toy cat just didn’t cut it anymore. We tried our hardest, but Charlie almost felt depressed. Down. Not as “purry” any longer. I was worried. What could we do? We doubled our efforts: playing with him, distracting him, keeping him entertained. But he lost interest quickly and limply lay on the carpet. Deep inside I knew what he was craving. He was a cat. Cats are hunters, it lies in their nature. Even though Charlie had never been outside in his life—meaning he couldn’t know what he was missing—he felt “incomplete” nonetheless. His way of life was out of alignment with his true nature.

As always in a situation like this, I had to look at myself: I wanted to control Charlie’s life to keep him and the wildlife safe. By doing this, I deprived him from the very experiences defining him as a “cat”. Did I even have the right to do this? Who was I to be the judge over how he “lived his life”? I realized I couldn’t only have the purring, cuddling part, but I had to take it all. If I wanted a cat, it was all or nothing, including the hunter aspect of his nature.

We debated the issue in the family. A day later, we bought a tick repellent, and opened the garden door for Charlie. He’s been roaming our garden since. Apart from a fearful encounter with a brush turkey—which sent him into his hidey hole for an hour—he’s had lots of fun. Countless leaves lie ready for attack, grass sways in the breeze, and flies bounce off his nose. He didn’t stop for a nap the first day outside but explored for eight hours straight. I guess he still needs to learn to balance his rest needs with his hunter instincts, another lesson I had to go through myself.

What did I take away from this story?

I, also, cannot deny my true nature. If I do, I don’t feel fulfilled, something I experienced the hard way leading me into my major life/health crisis. My healing journey has involved dropping the “masks” I’ve been wearing my entire life. Often, these processes were scary. What would happen if I took away this “part of myself”? Only later did I realize those masks weren’t actually a part of myself but formed artificial images of who I thought to be. Stripping myself of these bits and pieces ironically made me feel “fuller”, more whole, and authentic because my core essence was less hidden.

The next learning is one I am opening myself up to slowly. If I cannot deny my true nature and my path will unfold if left undisturbed, wouldn’t it be best to fully surrender to the experiences life is presenting me with? Maybe everything is a lot easier than I thought? Maybe challenges arise to help me drop the next “masked part” and guide me into living my fullest potential? Maybe my focus should be on surrendering instead of trying to make sense of everything? Maybe this was the best way forward to help me unveil the gifts the Gods have presented me with.

Now that you’ve read through my story, perhaps you’re wondering how can you reflect on this. Here are some questions which I hope can provide food for thought:

• What kind of masks do you wear?

• How does the thought of taking off of a mask make you feel?

• What does it mean for you to be in alignment with your ‘true nature’?

I sincerely wish you the best in your own perfect unfolding.