Upholding the More in order to see what has to Die

Thanks to this meditations lesson 13 I understand deeper what it means to uphold something more than the self, the 9th rite of the 18 rites.

If I don't uphold anything more - it could be Beauty, Joy or That which does not change - then I'm afraid I am only upholding the self of Erik and reducing everything to myself. And then I cannot be naked, because I'm walking around with this Erik and doing Erik everywhere.

And then Master added that when upholding, one can observe how the self wants to come in and reduce all to where the self is stuck. Which explains the 10th rite, the death I am here to live out is the death of that mechanism that tries to interrupt the upholding.

By the action of upholding it becomes clear what has to go, but if I don't uphold I cannot see the self that is in the way...

And then ... when I feel unworthy or just hopeless, I can remember the message in the attached picture, that we are always allowed and welcome to uphold, and to love.