You Are the Sky, Everything Else Is Just the Weather

This article was made possible following a post by dear Beyhan Budağ, in which she highlighted Pema Chödrön’s words: “You are the sky, everything else is just the weather” — this phrase encapsulates one of the most elegant and profound steps on the path to knowing oneself and awakening to one’s inner truth.

As stated in The Tibetan Book of the Dead, edited by W. Y. Evans-Wentz, the purest, most pristine and primordial state of the mind resembles a transparent, cloudless sky without periphery or center. This magnificent analogy provides us with unparalleled guidance in distinguishing between the transient and the permanent aspects of our being.

The sky represents our true essence — infinite, unchanging, serene, and all-encompassing; while the weather symbolizes our fleeting emotions, thoughts, worldly troubles, and the storms that physical life brings.

When we examine this profound truth under the guidance of ancient teachings, psychological studies, and spiritual practices, we encounter the magnificent adventure of reclaiming our true identity. The journey of a person toward themselves is perhaps the longest yet most meaningful voyage of all — and it begins with knowing oneself.

Knowing Oneself: The Sky as Our True Essence

All spiritual teachings emphasize that a human being is not merely their outward appearance, and that the real truth is the infinite “sky” that lies within. In the book Silver Birch – Wisdom from the Spirit World, translated into Turkish by Jale Gizer Gürsoy, this is expressed very clearly: our true self is not the outer surface or shell, but the seed, the core, the soul, and the divine spark within us.

This immortal fragment — which will endure even after our physical body dissolves and returns to nature, through which we will express ourselves — is the sky itself. Knowing oneself means recognizing this eternal fragment as our true identity.

As described in Maurice Nicoll’s compilation Psychological Commentaries on the Teaching of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky, the “Personality” that a person acquires over time from their environment is false and temporary; whereas our truly unchanging and permanent aspect is the “Essence” that is born with us. The sky is precisely this Essence.

From a Sufi perspective, in Erkan Alagöz’s study of Muhammed Nûru’l-Arabî’s el-Envâru’l-Muhammediyye, it is stated that the existence of Hak Teâlâ is fundamental and absolute, and that the human being serves as a mirror capable of comprehending this supreme truth. As expressed in the readings based on Edgar Cayce’s The Destiny of Man, the soul recognizes the spirit of its creator, and life is a manifestation of the First Cause — that is, God. What is unchanging is the soul; what changes is merely the form of manifestation — in other words, the weather.

The Weather: Duality, Fleeting Emotions, and the Many “I”s

If we are such a magnificent sky, why do we find ourselves tossed about in the midst of storms? By the very nature of the universe, everything exists together with its opposite. As explained in Divine Order and the Universe and Destiny and Necessity by Master Dr. Bedri Ruhselman, every movement and evolution in the cosmos arises from the value differentials created by opposites and from the laws of divine will.

The winds, storms, and temperature changes that constitute the weather all stem from this polarity. Without knowing oneself, one remains at the mercy of these opposing forces.

Within this turmoil, a person falls into the error of “identification” — equating themselves with their temporary states. As P. D. Ouspensky elaborated in his book The Psychology of Man’s Possible Evolution, a person believes they possess a single, unchanging will; yet within them exists a crowd of “I”s that constantly shift according to external influences and do not recognize one another.

A random external stimulus (a weather event) brings an angry “I” to the fore; another event raises a happy or fearful “I” to the surface. Yet these are not our true being — they are merely the transient reactions of our false personality, operating like a machine. The moment we say “I am angry” or “I am sad” about these passing emotions, we forget that we are the sky and become completely lost within a cloud or a storm.

The True Purpose of Storms and Dark Clouds

No storm in the sky breaks without reason. As Master Ergün Arıkdal described in his works Evolution and Knowing Oneself, our descent to earth, the events we fall into, and the hardships we experience are not coincidental. These are a developmental program of a universal school that we ourselves have joined, in order to know and develop ourselves, driven by our spiritual needs.

The sorrows and storms in our lives are the challenging lessons of this divine school. The process of knowing oneself accelerates precisely through these trials.

The spiritual visions and séance records compiled in Dolores Cannon’s Between Death and Life emphasize that life’s difficulties are deliberately chosen to purify and strengthen the soul from fear. Humans must pass through various trials in the world to remember what they truly are, and reincarnation is not perpetual torture but an instrument of awakening.

Likewise, in Master Dr. Bedri Ruhselman’s Destiny and Necessity, it is expressed that worldly conditions such as darkness and sorrow are inevitable in order to “hear the voice of our conscience, which will be the catalyst for the awakening of our sufferings.”

In short, the illnesses, pains, and difficulties in our lives are catalysts for us to discover that our true being is a vast “Sky” that is never affected by storms and dark clouds.

Breaking Free from Identification: The Observing Self

So how shall we experience being the sky?

The way lies in turning inward and observing oneself in order to truly begin knowing oneself. As frequently emphasized in Maurice Nicoll’s Psychological Commentaries on the Teaching of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky, for a person to awaken, they must “observe” the crowd within themselves and their mechanical reactions to events as if they were an outside spectator — shifting from external attention to internal attention.

When a “dark cloud” such as jealousy or anger arrives, the person who can say “A wave of anger is passing through me right now, but this is not me” — rather than entering into it — has awakened the “Observing I” (Consciousness) and broken free from identification.

Master Dr. Bedri Ruhselman, in his work Destiny and Necessity, draws attention to the necessity of “self-examination” in order to act in accordance with conscience and divine will, rather than being unconsciously swept away by events.

A person who drifts away from their inner reality and is entirely dragged along by the whims of the external world lives as a prisoner of false values throughout their life. Yet when they become conscious on the path of knowing oneself, the destructive power of that storm vanishes, and the person becomes an infinite sky.

Peace Comes from Within, Not from Without

Many people believe they will achieve lasting happiness by trying to change the weather outside — that is, by trying to change other people or circumstances.

As very clearly warned in the spirit communications recorded in Silver Birch – Wisdom from the Spirit World: “Peace comes to you not from outside, but from within… Do not equate material events with spiritual principles. The spirit is the master, matter is the servant. Let the spirit demonstrate its mastery.”

A person can find true serenity not by rebelling against the storms of the world, but by building their inner richness. Knowing oneself is the key to reaching inner peace regardless of external conditions.

As can also be seen in Carl Gustav Jung’s The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious and C. A. Meier’s Jung: Archetypes, Dreams, and Religion, true illumination and healing of the soul are possible only when a person courageously descends into the ocean of the unconscious and discovers the light within.

The archetypes and universal symbols in the depths of our minds connect us to our eternal being beyond material limitations. We are not merely a storm, but a great sky that encompasses an entire climate. This realization is the very heart of knowing oneself.

Living in the Infinite Blue

When you feel yourself drowning in the troubles, anxieties, and storms of everyday life, stop and remind yourself that the storm is merely a passing weather event. You are the infinite sky that embraces all these experiences and witnesses their coming and going.

As Master Ergün Arıkdal stated in his book Positive Living, truly living positively begins with realizing that life’s painful conditions and our worldly goals are in fact “target instruments” that carry us toward our true purpose.

Once you perceive that unshakable blue behind the clouds, storms can no longer frighten you.

The wind blows, the rain falls, winter comes; but the sky is never stained, never diminished, and is always there. Every morning when you wake, remember that you are that great sky — beyond time and space; that cannot be frightened, cannot be altered, and cannot be shaken.

On the journey of knowing oneself, being able to carefully examine our mental patterns and inner resistance is an important step in discovering this infinite sky.

References:

• Alagöz, Erkan. The Sufi Views in Muhammed Nûru’l-Arabî’s el-Envâru’l-Muhammediyye (Master’s Thesis). Akdeniz University, Antalya, 2018.
• Arıkdal, Ergün. Knowing Oneself, Enstitü Publications, Istanbul.
• Arıkdal, Ergün. Positive Living, Enstitü Publications, Istanbul.
• Arıkdal, Ergün. Evolution, Enstitü Publications, Istanbul.
• Cannon, Dolores. Between Death and Life. Ruh ve Madde Publications, Istanbul.
• Cayce, Edgar. The Destiny of Man / The Language of Dreams.
• Evans-Wentz, W. Y. (Ed.). The Tibetan Book of the Dead. Summum, 2010.
• Jung, Carl Gustav. The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious. Trans. Canberk Şeref, Pinhan Publishing, Istanbul.
• Meier, Carl Alfred. Jung: Archetypes, Dreams, and Religion. Trans. Süha Zaimoğlu, Lejand Books, Istanbul, 2022.
• Nicoll, Maurice. Psychological Commentaries on the Teaching of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky (Vols. 1-4). Trans. Neslihan Parlak Kosova, Ruh ve Madde Publications, Istanbul.
• Ouspensky, P. D. The Psychology of Man’s Possible Evolution. Trans. Ali Belbez, Erol Konyalıoğlu, Ruh ve Madde Publications, Istanbul.
• Ruhselman, Bedri. Divine Order and the Universe. MTİAD1950 Publishing, Istanbul, 2013.
• Ruhselman, Bedri. Destiny and Necessity. Ruh ve Madde Publications, Istanbul.
• Silver Birch (Medium: Hannen Swaffer). Silver Birch – Wisdom from the Spirit World. Trans. Jale Gizer Gürsoy, Sıralar Press, 1982.