[pinawinekolad]

i heard that we must serve the one creator. i also heard that the one creator is ourselves, so if i serve myself, wouldn't i be serving the creator (me!)...or is it never really about yourself but other selves?

o.o i'm confused....

this is a good question because it seems tricky until you realize that the answer depends on how you are perceiving your idea of "self" in relation to "others."

service to self
if you perceive yourself in your personality-mind-body, as separate from the other "selves" walking around on the planet, then your motivations will be driven by a need to compete with others in order to get your needs met. this environment is the breeding ground for the shadow side of human nature, which will resort to manipulation and/or seek to dominate others to ensure that you "get yours."

service to others
if you see your self connected to and one with others, then you know that that which you do to others you are actually doing to yourself...

do onto others as you would have them do onto you.
and the other way around as well. if you are serving the divine self within you, that is the divine self within everyone, that is the all-one-creator-self, then serving yourself is serving others.

i find that my body always knows the answer. if serving myself is in alignment with serving others, my heart space will feel peaceful and relaxed.

on that note, there are also some choices that some of us have been programmed to believe are "selfish" behaviors that are actually not, such as taking time to take care of ourselves and our bodies. self care replenishes our personal resources so that we can have more to give others, and this benefits everyone.

at each step and with each breath we are given the option of acting and responding, both inwardly and outwardly, from the conditioning of egoic consciousness which values control and separation above all else, or from the intuitive awareness of unity which resides in the inner silence of our being.
-adyashanti