Who Do You Think You Are?©
When my Spirit Guides (“my Guys”) gave me the title “Who Do You Think You Are?”, they told me to emphasize the word “Think.” Without that specific focus, the phrase sounds like a condescending, critical judgment. By changing the emphasis, the entire meaning shifts from criticism to an examination of thoughts and awareness. This perfectly connects back to my previous newsletter posts, “Do You Really Understand?” and “Perception Is Everything, But…” because our Perspective entirely shapes how we Perceive our reality.
This idea ties directly into our human spiritual paths. When I was young, I disliked René Descartes’ famous phrase, “I think, therefore I am,” because I thought it was too coldly logical; it expressed no humanity. Now, I see it differently: I think he was defining “thinking” as being aware of one’s own consciousness. When you look at it through that lens, it perfectly aligns with the idea that our Perspectives and thoughts truly create our reality.
Whenever I’ve been asked “Who are you?” on a podcast or in a class, I have always answered with my name: “I am Dennis Dossett.” It sounds normal enough. But who is Dennis Dossett, exactly? He isn’t his education, his job titles, the organizations he supports, the philosophies he advocates, or any number of other things. So, who is he?
Think about your own name for a moment. Who is the person represented by the “blank” when you say, “I am ___”? In short: Who Do You Think You Are?
Not so long ago when I was asked that question, I paused for a moment. To Answer with “I am Dennis Dossett” didn’t feel right anymore. It was too limiting, inauthentic, only partially true from a particular Perspective. In fact, it almost felt like a lie. So, I side-stepped the question; I answered, “My name is Dennis Dossett.”
As I think about it, that response might seem a little odd, even if quite accurate. But I have changed my Perspective on my identity quite a bit over the years. I now think of “Dennis” simply as the material body—the Horse I ride in this incarnation. So, what changed?
In other incarnations, I was not “Dennis” at all, and I will continue to change both in this and in future lifetimes. I am not the Horse—this temporary, material body that eventually will die. No, I Am the Rider: the immaterial (vibrational), unlimited, eternal consciousness that expands and gains wisdom both across and even between incarnations. This is the identity that resonates with me now. “Dennis Dossett” isn’t the same identity as he used to think he was. For that matter, neither are You!
Whenever you fill in the blank after “I am ,” you limit yourself. You create a convenient excuse to see yourself as separate from your Creator—God, Source Energy, or whatever name you prefer. But Source doesn’t care about human labels or their messy human connotations; it simply understands your intent (revealed through your vibration). How could a finite human label ever offend “All-That-Is”? It can, of course, offend other humans—particularly those who struggle to see beyond a material Perspective to grasp concepts that are unlimited, universal, and omnipresent. But to Source, it’s all about the vibration; the label means nothing.
Human labels reflect our cultures, religions, and limitations—not the unlimited and unified Perspective of “All-That-IS.” We create these exclusionary boundaries to differentiate among the endless variety of human beliefs and organizations. I think Shakespeare (in Romeo and Juliet) had it right: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
To God—at least, the God of my understanding—labels are just adjectives and adverbs describing the underlying essence of identity, specifically the vibrational frequency associated with itself (God, Creator, All-That-IS … whatever). Does that sound like Heresy (with a capital “H”)? Perhaps. But only from a limited human Perspective.
The phrase “I AM” is foundational to many major world religions. For example, it anchors the three Abrahamic faiths: in Judaism—“YHWH”—the Tetragrammaton, “Yahweh”, Elohim, El Shaddai, Elyon, and dozens of others; most notably “I Am That I Am” in Exodus 3:14. In Christianity there are up to 950 (by some counts) names including “Jehovah,” “God”, “Father,” and many others. And in Islam there are nearly 100 names including “Allah,” “Rabb,” and others. In Hinduism, “I AM” is recognized as “Atman,” “Parabrahman,” “Isvara,” and many other names. And the same holds true for dozens of other religions. Most of them acknowledge more than one “name” attached to “I AM”.
Conversely, Buddhism and Taoism reject “I AM” as an absolute truth, teaching that the deeply ingrained feeling of “I AM” (asmimāna) is but mental conceit and a primary source of suffering. But the idea of spiritual liberation (with the concepts of soul and Brahman) is reminiscent of a supreme state of being (consciousness) as opposed to a supreme entity. Thus, despite endless, heated debates over the “correct” name, the essence of “I AM” remains far more accepted than any other single designation for that vibrational, spiritual energy.
More to the point, many of my teachers either specifically say “You are God” or paraphrase it. For example:
• The Vedas and Upanishads in ancient Sanskrit teach “Tat Tvam Asi” (“That Thou Art”) or “Ohm Tat Sat” (“All That Is”)
• The “Sons of God” are repeatedly referenced in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible
• Jesus says “Ye are Gods” (John 10:34), also quoting King David in the Old Testament (Psalm 82:6)
• Many Christian mystics say or imply this, including St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Meister Eckhart, Jan van Ruysbroeck, St. John of the Cross, Catherine of Genoa, and Matthew Fox
• Many “New Age” teachers such as Alan Watts, Ram Dass, Neville Goddard, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Abraham (channeled by Esther Hicks), Maitreya (channeled by Margaret McElroy), and Paramhansa Yogananda specifically state “You are God.” Yogananda’s chant: “I Am He! I Am He! Blessed Spirit, I Am He!” adds to his direct statement. (Note: Yogananda often refers to “He” as “Divine Mother”)
In 2024, I received a message from Spirit directing me to write a series of books (God, Why Am I Here?) “dictated” (through automatic writing) as a channeled conversation between me and the God of my understanding. In Book 1, Chapter 1 (”God, Who Am I?”) the following answers appear:
• GOD: “I AM Spirit, energy, consciousness, and so are you, the real You.”
• “Okay. You may not be quite ready for this, but here it is. I Am Spirit and you—a cell in My ‘body’—are just like Me. I Am you, and you are a necessary and inseparable part of Me. I AM not complete without you and, believe it or not, you are not complete without Me because I AM YOU, and … YOU ARE ME. You are not all of Me, but you are a necessary and inseparable part of Me, like it or not.”
So, how does all of this fit into spirituality? I believe that Perspective changes our Perceptions which create our thoughts. Our thoughts create our reality, and that is actually a spiritual choice for each of us moment-by-moment each and every day. As Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet, “There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.” All of the above gave me a very different Perspective on who “I AM.” I now think of the consciousness riding the “Dennis Dossett horse” as “I Am That I Am.” And with that shift in Perspective came a complete shift in my Perception of everything in my life.
Does that Perspective change your Perception of “Who You Think You Are?” Whatever you even casually fill in the blank after “I am ” is a direct choice reflecting your consciousness—your chosen identity. And, “like it or not,” it shapes your life experience to an extent and in ways you rarely acknowledge. Welcome to the human condition; you are in excellent company!
Regular readers of this newsletter, know that I am an advocate of Conscious Living, the process of becoming the Master of your life rather than being mastered by life. Yes, “Perception Is Everything, But …”, your Perspective determines your Perception of Who You Think You Are. That Perspective has Conscious Living written all over it. It is an excellent way systematically to begin changing your Perceptions—your thoughts and ultimately your reality—which is the quality of your daily life experience.
Have a great month!
Dennis
www.DennisDossett.com
