~ A text by Irma ten Brink inspired by the work of Yoginâm ~

How to Unlock Your Inner Essence:

A Practical Guide to Self-Analysis for Spiritual Transformation

Discover, Heal, and Transform Your World

Yes, those trying to live a spiritual life need introspection and self-analysis. But how do you do self-analysis? How does it work in a way that really matters? A way that truly brings deeper meaning into life? A way by which both you and the world around you transform? A way that can transform your entire life and bring true meaning and purpose?

I have been exploring this for about twenty-five years, and my tools have grown with me. I want to share some insights.

If you are stuck… or feel a longing

If you are stuck in your way of self-analysis, or stuck in life—feeling like you are standing still, feeling alone, sensing no movement, thinking there should be more to life... or you are curious about other ways of living, have life questions, you feel a certain longing within—then this blog is for you.

LivingNâm

Although I will share my personal approach, my teachings come mostly from Yoginâm, and I try to live what he brought to the world: pure wisdom, perspectives, and powerful tools which he called LivingNâm.

He wrote many books and gave interviews that are powerful tools for reflecting on what it means to be human and to live in continuous transformation toward wholeness.

Self-analysis from an ego-only perspective

Many people begin by asking, “What are my qualities? What is my horoscope? What do I like or dislike? Where are my boundaries and how do I protect them? How can I get what I want?” These questions concern the persona or ego.

There is a phase of life when this focus is natural and unavoidable—it is part of growing up. But this is a childlike phase, not spirituality. It is meant to be transcended, as you grow into adulthood in a deeper sense than age alone.

Know Thyself

Inscribed on the temple of Apollo in Delphi is the injunction: “Know Thyself.”

Mystics across traditions—Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib among them and one of the first—say,

“To know thyself is to know thy Lord.”

This ancient wisdom remains essential for living a spiritual life.

In time I began to realize this is not about my horoscope, becoming more assertive, or merely training skills to protect myself or achieve goals. While these can be related, there is much more behind that wisdom.

I discovered that self-analysis is really about “What am I beyond myself?” What does it mean to be a human being? What is life’s meaning and purpose?

There is an Essence you can discover—in silence only

This Essence, the “beyond myself,” transcendence, is what mystics and sages across ages address. It cannot be described; you must begin looking for it yourself. LivingNâm gave me tools to search for it, and ultimately to become mindful and to remember constantly.

But what happens in the process?

While searching for this Essence—or, as in Arthurian myth, the Holy Grail—you encounter what are often called “your veils”: everything that grabs your attention and prevents attunement with your Essence. It is easy to get lost there.

We can become so preoccupied with the veil that we forget we are trying to transcend it to find our Essence. Self-analysis without the aim of attuning to your Essence becomes egocentric entertainment.

You need a practice that guides you: one that helps you transcend the veils through transformation rather than getting trapped in them. A practice that helps you remember—a state of mindfulness.

Yoginâm writes:

“All living is transcendental
Expressing infinite potentiality
In an infinite variety
Of which human living is a distinct range
A human living has an inherent urge
To transcend its range and widen itself
Human living expresses what is beyond that living
And has an inherent longing for beyond living
This is carried by imagination
That in human living gives direction”

(The Book of Nâm, pp. 9–10)

He continues:

“Human living searches for its transcendence in beyond
But is hampered by its natural inclination of being human
It consequently searches it where it cannot be found
It clothed the objective in rational and conceptional wrappings
That obscure it and cause it to remain hidden”

(The Book of Nâm, p. 10)

Although these quotes address more than self-analysis, they are relevant here.

Spirituality is not something you do—you become

Spirituality is not a hobby; it is a way of life. If you want to find what the “Beyond” refers to, you must explore—and that exploration is itself a transformation. Your whole life changes.

If you want to stop searching where it cannot be found, you must change how you search. That requires a completely different perspective on life; once you change your view, you begin to live differently, and life changes naturally. This is unavoidable and beautiful.

Self-analysis is an attitude

When life becomes challenging, this attitude helps. If you learn only to look at the “I,” you get stuck and miserable. Only from a wider perspective can things move, transform, and become meaningful.

When you embrace that you yourself are—with all your thoughts, feelings, beliefs, desires, and actions—resonance. And that as resonance you participate in a wider field of resonance, then you are making progress.

Consider what this implies......!

The world around you, as you see it, is also resonance

Resonance within resonance—think of it as energy. Your energy and the energy of the world flow together like the smoke of two incense sticks: the smoke intertwines and cannot be separated. They influence one another.

Your resonance—created with every thought, dream, and desire, conscious and unconscious—intertwines with the resonance of your world and influences it.

This gives you a powerful key:

You may not be able to directly change the world or the people who influence you, but you can become conscious and choose which resonance you create and allow to blend with the world’s resonance.

Of course, yesterday’s resonance is already blended and cannot be changed. But you can observe it in your day-to-day life and draw conclusions which gives a second key.

And a second key:

First, start with consciously creating beneficial resonance through your life attitudes, anew each moment in the Now.

Second, learn to see your daily life symbolically as a mirror. It reflects what you have been creating unconsciously. The more you see life as your mirror and as part of you, the more you recognize subtle signs that point to causes within yourself—how your habitual programs and inner attitudes have co-created your life to this point.

Asha - the Face of the Beloved

These signs can guide you. Poetically this is expressed as seeing life as the Face of the Beloved; in LivingNâm we call this living in Asha.

This approach lets you address unconscious layers that create reality. Your mirror shows how you have unconsciously created your world—because most creation is done with unconscious programmes.

Do you see how self-analysis becomes essential and gains ethical meaning? Through self-analysis you can become a co-creator of your world.

To transform the veils from the perspective of resonance, you need guidance—powerful tools to support you, guide you, and help you avoid getting lost.

The other co-creator

You may have noticed I referred to a co-creator. If you wonder, “If I am the co-creator of my life, who or what is the other part?”—we touch the mystical. Yoginâm hints at this: "human living expresses what is beyond itself and longs for beyond living; imagination gives it direction".

In Poetry this is often named “The Beloved.” In LivingNâm we use the sound "Abbah". Because it cannot be named, we hint at it and use imagination to relate to it and find direction.

Now let’s get practical

Begin by becoming conscious of your thoughts, how you speak about yourself and others, how ethical your desires are, and how judgmental you may be—your general attitudes.

When you see the outer world as resonance reflecting your inner world—rather than a world simply happening to you—you can relate to it as your mirror, part of you.

You can ask questions such as: “Show me what I need to see.”

- A recurring issue or conflict: close your eyes, bring the situation to mind, and ask, “What do I need to see?”
- A physical problem, such as a recurring headache: “What do I need to see?”
- An intense dream: “Show me what I need to see.”
- A person you have difficulties with: “Show me what I need to see.”

Sit with the question; allow what comes. Don’t overthink—just sit and breathe and trust that answers arrive when they are ready. Often not as words or thoughts, but as a sudden knowing or an image with a sense of certainty. Sometimes the answer comes through an overheard remark or a randomly opened book will provide it. Frequently the answers are surprising and unexpected—sometimes not what you wished for—but you sense they are true.

Practice

By practicing this bit by bit, you dive deeper; what is hidden in the subconscious will surface. Why? Because you have set your intent. You want it to happen—even if what comes is not always beautiful—driven by an inherent longing to find what is beyond living.

Take notes

Over time you will see patterns that repeat across situations. When life repeats itself in different forms, it is trying to demonstrate something to you.

Approach life this way and life becomes your guidance. Ignoring the signs life offers can cause problems and illness because you miss what is meant for you to see.

This is why spiritual life is often described as listening.

As Ibn Arabi said:

“The heart does not speak; the heart listens.”

Are you inspired?

I invite you to join this search with me—a truly joyful endeavor. A powerful retreat on “Meaningful Living” begins this year 2026 on April 8 - August 12 and October 14—less explanation, more exploration through imagination, reflection, and contemplation.

Looking forward to diving in deep together.

Irma
Asharum Amonines