The First Law of Unique Self Encounters
Unique Self Level I Course starts April 24: More information here
By Marc Gafni
SEEN FROM ONE PERSPECTIVE, life is a series of encounters with other human beings. Of these encounters, the ones that are the most profound, pleasurable, and transformative are Unique Self Encounters. There are seven core rules that define a Unique Self encounter. This is the first.
1. In every Unique Self encounter, each person holds a piece of the other’s story, which must be returned to the other in order for both to be complete.
Every person you meet — in a significant meeting — possesses a piece of your story. Some people may have a sentence, others a missing word, while still others may hold a paragraph or even a whole chapter. Significant meetings involve Unique Self encounters.
The ultimate Unique Self encounter may well be with your significant other in life. The person you choose should be the person who can return to you a significant piece of your story, which you have either lost or never found. Conversely, you hold and need to return the missing and magnificent pieces of their story to them. The Unique Self relationship is the committed, caring dynamic process of discovering just what these missing pieces might be, and puzzling them back together.
A Unique Self encounter, however, is in no sense limited to romantic partners or long term connections. Others may have pieces of your story, and you of theirs. Nor are Unique Self encounters limited to your sphere of colleagues, friends, neighbors, employers, and employees. A Unique Self encounter may last a minute or a lifetime.
A Unique Self Encounter may be a wisdom encounter. Through your Unique Self convergence with someone, you gain deep insight into your own Unique Pleasure, Joy, Obligation, Need or Shadow.
When we meet others, we are called upon to ask ourselves, “Am I bringing the best of my Self, my Unique Self, to Presence with this person?” Life then becomes a series of fascinating, expansive and truly extraordinary experiences with our fellow human beings, providing abundant measures of Joy and Growth.
