your inner self
Have you ever seen Severance? This show on Apple TV from 2022 has only one season at the moment, but there are rumors of a second season being released in the spring. If you don’t have Apple TV or you haven’t seen Severance, don’t worry…I think this analogy will still make sense.
Severance is a story about a dystopian biotech company (Lumon Industries) that uses a surgical procedure called ‘severance’ to separate the consciousness of their employees. When severed, a person’s consciousness at work (their innie) is separate from their consciousness outside of work (their outie)... to the point where each severed employee has two distinct personalities with their own agendas and neither personality has a conscious awareness of the other.
The heroes of Severance are four regular employees (innies) who have undergone the severance procedure and are struggling with the split in consciousness. Their superiors at Lumon are pretty despicable characters. But the company counselor, Ms. Casey, is sometimes brought in to give individual sessions to the innies as a reward for good behavior. In her peaceful, Zen-inspired office, she’ll sit them down and recite a list of strengths and traits of their outies. Over soft background music, she’ll say things like, ‘your outie is kind. Your outie loves softball. Your outie has lots of friends.’ And often, the innies, who are generally agitated and confused, will soften with her words.
OK, so where am I going with this analogy?
I think that we have inner and outer selves…inner and outer lives.
We have a personality, the way that we show ourself in the world, and that’s our outie.
We also have an inner self that doesn’t reveal itself to the outside world. Our inner self is the same quiet observer, somewhere behind our eyeballs, that has been looking out at the world for our entire life. Our inner self, or our innie...it may influence our personality to some degree. But unlike our personality, our innie is unknowable.
It is the silence that is taking in everything.
I have found that this inner silence is very wise. It is a quiet, intuitive intelligence that I may completely overlook at times…but it’s there when I call on it. It may express itself through words or ideas, or through a kind of inner knowing.
People have asked me if the innie is a different personality from the outie. I don’t think so. I don’t think the innie has a personality at all…it’s there before the personality.
I’m not suggesting there’s anything wrong with the outie…we all have one, and an outward facing personality is essential to living in the world. Our outies are influenced by outer things…our friends and families, social trends, conditioning, education, and lots more.
Sometimes, a person’s outward personality is deeply connected to their inner self…in other words, their outie is informed, shaped, and guided by their innie. I think this is the best kind of collaboration you can have between your inner and outer self.
If I were to tell you that the answers to all of your questions are actually inside you, as inner wisdom…you might roll your eyes at me. You might not buy it.
But it’s true.
When you tap into your innie, get cozy with it, learn its ways, and ask it the questions you want answered, it will be there for you.
Your innie is the wise guru you’ve been looking for, outside yourself, all along.
Your innie is an internal GPS system that helps you navigate the twists and turns of life. It is a silent and supportive friend you can always turn to.
Your innie is worth checking out. It’s worth developing a relationship with.
And it’s worth inviting your inner self into a real relationship with your outer expression in the world.
Are you curious about your own inner wisdom? Tune into my podcast, coming home (to yourself) where I talk in more detail about cultivating your inner self. Or if you’re curious about change work, schedule a free connection call with me. As always, may your week be filled with self-love and rich insights. With love, Amy ♡♡♡