The importance and timeliness of the phrase "Know thyself"

"In my understanding, self-knowledge is the main necessity of the human being in life, the practical means for true inner reformation, so encouraged in the Spirit Doctrine and, without doubt, the main objective of reincarnation." (Carlos Roberto da Silva Júnior, Interviewee.)

Alongside charity, self-knowledge is very important for spiritual growth, in identifying our impulses and imperfections.

By making visible our imperfections, we bring the unconscious contents into the light of consciousness, which makes it possible to combat evil. This method of bringing to consciousness the contents, used by so-called deep psychologies, frees the human being from its imperfections. "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32) takes place in the mechanism of the analysis of the contents made aware.

"I also realize that there is resistance in the Spirit movement to this approach [of knowing imperfections], because they claim that there is a lot of emphasis on dealing with human imperfections. However, these critics ignore that this is precisely what the spirits have recommended to Kardec what we should do in Question 14 of The Spirits' Book: '... Study your own imperfections, that you may be free from them.' "(Carlos Roberto da Silva Júnior, in the interview cited)

Study your own imperfections, not of others - unless you are a therapist, professional or lay person, invested with trust.

It is always good to have someone to trust in, in the exercise of the word, to comfort oneself, to strengthen oneself and to help each other. "Confess your sins to one another and pray one for another, that you may be saved. Much can the prayer of the righteous." (James 5:16)

"It is still pride, accompanied by selfishness and fear, the greatest obstacles to be overcome by the incarnated human being on Earth." (Carlos Roberto da Silva Júnior)

Pride blinds us to the truths about us. Therefore, when we are blinded with pride, we admit nothing that goes against our "dignity," our "honor," even though we are ready and very lucid to identify the faults of others. It is a well-known fact that when confronted with a behavior that offends us, we can be sure that the same defect is found in us.

"I have mentioned pride in the first place, for most who seek any religion do not want to discover in themselves the evil that claims to exist in the world without turning their eyes and attention to themselves and finding not only their own imperfections but, understand the reason they exist in a specific way in our life history, so that we can overcome them." (Carlos Roberto da Silva Júnior)

The process of liberation that leads to the realization of an imperfection is a process, so to speak, of healing through expiation. This purification of ideas, concomitant with healing, is a consequence of the detachment of the defenses which keep the unconscious contents repressed and prevent us from seeing our own inhibitions and repressions.

The consequent freedom from truth knowledge as Jesus teaches, it can be thus developed: knowledge of the truth about us produces knowledge capable of healing, and thereby free ourselves from our inhibitions and repressions, making us free and aware of what we have more important to rectify.

In fact, it is always good to remember what, on the subject, Allan Kardec consigned in that which is considered the main spirit work: 

- What is the most effective practical means for man to improve himself in this life and to resist the attraction of evil? "A wise man of old times has said unto him, Know thyself." (The Spirits’ Book, 919.)