Speaking Truthfully has many facets. The one I want to talk about now is the aspect of Speaking Truthfully I have termed “self-revelation. It is what I point to when I use words like transparency, intimacy, vulnerability, honesty.

Rather than try to define “self-revelation,” I’ll tell you a story, which I’ve never before written about. You will take from this story what you want, and I’ll be happy with that. It’s where I first came face-to-face with the fear of self-revelation, and what I did to pierce it. (Warning: graphic sexual content follows!)

Quite some time ago (how’s that for specificity?), I lived in Marin County, California. I had just finished leading a weeklong meditative inquiry retreat in the Sierra Nevada mountains. I met a lady there, who shortly afterward became my girlfriend. She lived in nearby San Francisco. When we recognized we wanted to get together, we went for a long walk in Muir Woods, sharing with each other what we wanted, what we were able to give; you know, let’s start with some conscious communication and go from there. (more…)