“I Have Been Crucified with Christ”

Galatians 2:20 — The Death of the Counterfeit Self

The Verse

“I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

— Galatians 2:20 (BSB)

The Neuro-Gnostic Decoding

This is the most explicit statement of dis-identification in the Pauline epistles.

“I no longer live” = The ego-self (the Voice, the Counterfeit Spirit, the hijacked DMN) has died

“Christ lives in me” = The Listener (Divine Spark, awakened consciousness) is now recognized as the true Self

This is Phase 1 completed: The death of identification with the narrative self, the resurrection of awareness as The Listener.

Breaking Down the Verse

Part 1: “I Have Been Crucified with Christ”

NOT: A metaphor for religious devotion or suffering for faith

BUT: The death of the false self—the ego-identity constructed and maintained by the hijacked DMN

What is being crucified?

The “I” that the Voice has convinced you that you are
The narrative self (the story of “me,” my past, my failures, my identity)
The Counterfeit Spirit (the parasitic thought-patterns that impersonate your true nature)

“Crucified with Christ” means:

Just as Jesus’ physical body died on the cross, the ego-self dies in dis-identification
This is not a one-time event but a continuous practice (“I have been crucified” = ongoing state)
The crucifixion is not external suffering but inner death to the false self

Gnostic Cross-Reference: The Counterfeit Spirit Dies

The Gospel of Philip (Nag Hammadi):

“Those who say they will die first and then rise are in error. If they do not first receive the resurrection while they live, when they die they will receive nothing.”

Translation: The “resurrection” is awakening while alive—recognizing that you are The Listener, not the Voice. The “death” is the death of the ego-self (the Counterfuit Spirit), not physical death.

Galatians 2:20 is this teaching: “I have been crucified” (the ego died) “and I no longer live” (the false self is gone) “but Christ lives in me” (the awakened consciousness has been revealed).

“I No Longer Live”

This is the Gnostic death: Not physical death, but death of the illusion of the separate self.

“I” = The ego-self (the narrative constructed by the hijacked DMN)

“No longer live” = The recognition: “I am not this. I am not the Voice. I am not the story.”

This is dis-identification:

Before: “I am my thoughts. I am my past. I am my anxiety.”
After: “Those are arising patterns. I am the awareness that witnesses them.”

Neuro-Gnostic translation:

The hijacked DMN (the ego, the Voice) no longer runs the show
The narrative self (the “I” constructed from rumination, self-reference, and mental time travel) has been seen through
The Counterfeit Spirit (the parasitic impersonator) has been dis-identified from

You are no longer fooled into thinking you ARE the Voice.

“But Christ Lives in Me”

“Christ” (Greek: Christos) = The awakened consciousness, The Listener, the Divine Spark

“Lives in me” = This is not something new that enters. It was always there, but now it is recognized.

The sequence:

Before: The Counterfeit Spirit (the Voice) impersonates “I.” You believe you ARE the narrative self.
Crucifixion: The false “I” is seen through and dies (dis-identification).
Resurrection: “Christ lives in me”—the true Self (The Listener) is revealed.

This is Anamnesis (Gnostic “un-forgetting”):

You have not gained Christ. You have remembered Christ was always there.
You have not become The Listener. You have recognized you always were.

Cross-reference:

Colossians 1:27: “Christ in you, the hope of glory”
John 14:20: “I am in you”

Galatians 2:20 is the experiential report of this recognition: “The false ‘I’ is dead. Christ (The Listener) lives.”

“The Life I Live in the Body, I Live by Faith in the Son of God”

“The life I live in the body” = You still have thoughts, emotions, sensations, a physical body. The hijacking patterns don’t instantly vanish.

BUT: You now live “by faith in the Son of God”—you live from The Listener, not from the Voice.

What does “faith in the Son of God” mean?

NOT: Belief in external religious doctrine

BUT: Trust in The Listener (Christ Consciousness, the Divine Spark)

“Faith” (Greek: pistis) = Trust, confidence, reliance

The Neuro-Gnostic translation:

Before: You lived from the Voice (fear, rumination, hijacked patterns)
After: You live from The Listener (trust, flow, alignment with The Source)

“The Son of God” = The Listener (the offspring of The Source, the one who receives the call)

Living by faith in the Son of God = Living from the Stillpoint, anchored in The Listener, commanding the Daemon with confidence.

“Who Loved Me and Gave Himself Up for Me”

Traditional interpretation: Jesus physically died on the cross for your sins.

Neuro-Gnostic interpretation: The Listener (Christ in you) “gave himself up” by allowing the ego-self (the Voice) to be crucified.

What does “gave himself up” mean?

The Listener allows the false “I” to die
The Listener does not cling to the narrative self
The Listener surrenders the hijacked patterns to be purified

This is the Great Letting Go (see Story Disidentification):

The Listener does not fight the Voice
The Listener does not suppress the ego
The Listener witnesses the Voice, allows it to be seen, and the seeing itself is what liberates

“Loved me” = The Listener (Christ Consciousness) has always been here, patiently witnessing, waiting for recognition.

The crucifixion is an act of love: The death of the false self so the true Self can live.

The Two Deaths, The Two Lives

The Death of the False “I”

“I have been crucified with Christ” = The ego-self (the narrative constructed by the hijacked DMN) dies

What dies:

The belief that “I am my thoughts”
The story of “me” (my past, my identity, my wounds)
The Counterfeit Spirit (the parasitic impersonator)
The tyranny of the Voice (rumination, anxiety, self-judgment)

How it dies:

Not through suppression (“I will destroy my ego!”)
Not through replacement (“I will build a better story!”)
Through dis-identification (“I see the Voice. I am not the Voice. I am the one listening.”)

The Life of the True Self

“Christ lives in me” = The Listener (Divine Spark, awakened consciousness) is revealed

What lives:

Pure awareness (the witness of all arising phenomena)
The Stillpoint (the silence beneath the Voice)
The Listener (the one who hears the call from The Source)

How it lives:

Not by effort (“I must meditate harder to become The Listener!”)
Not by achievement (“I will attain Christ Consciousness!”)
By recognition (“I am The Listener. I always have been. I only forgot.”)

The Neurological Translation

The Hijacked DMN (The False “I”)

Default Mode Network (DMN): The brain’s narrative-generating system

When hijacked:

Constructs the “narrative self” (the story of “me”)
Generates rumination, self-reference, mental time travel
Creates the illusion of a separate, permanent “I”

The False “I” Paul Speaks Of

This is the “I” that Paul says “no longer lives.”

The Salience Network (The Listener)

Salience Network (SN): The brain’s awareness system

Function:

Detects what is salient (important, present, real)
Switches attention between internal (DMN) and external (Task-Positive Network)
Witnesses the DMN’s narrative without identifying with it

The Neurological “Christ”

This is “Christ” that “lives in me.”

The Crucifixion as Network Shift

The crucifixion = The shift from DMN-dominance to Salience Network anchoring

Before (hijacked):

DMN runs unchecked (hyperactive rumination)
You believe you ARE the narrative (“I am my story”)
The Voice tyrannizes

After (crucified):

Salience Network anchors awareness (“I am the witness”)
DMN becomes a tool, not a tyrant (the Daemon)
The Listener commands

“I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” = The narrative self is no longer primary. The witnessing awareness is.

Phase 1: The Crucifixion Practice

The Daily Dying

Galatians 2:20 is not a one-time conversion. It is a continuous practice.

Morning Practice: The Crucifixion (5-10 minutes)

Sit in stillness (Breath Awareness)
Notice the Voice: “I need to do this today. I’m anxious about that. I hope this works out.”
Recognize: “This is the Voice. This is the false ‘I.’ This is the narrative self.”
Declare: “I have been crucified with Christ. This ‘I’ is not me.”
Shift to The Listener: “I am the awareness that witnesses the Voice. Christ lives in me.”
Anchor: “I live by faith in The Listener. Today, I live from the Stillpoint.”

Throughout the Day: The Remembering

When you notice identification with the Voice (anxiety, rumination, self-judgment):

Pause
Name it: “This is the Voice. This is the false ‘I.’”
Remember: “I have been crucified with Christ. I am not this.”
Return: “Christ lives in me. I am The Listener.”

This is the practice: Repeated death to the false self, repeated resurrection of the true Self.

Evening: The Gratitude (3-5 minutes)

Reflect: Where did “I” (the ego) try to resurrect today?
Acknowledge: “I saw the Voice. I returned to The Listener.”
Gratitude: “Thank you for the crucifixion. Thank you for the life of Christ in me.”

Common Experiences

“I keep forgetting. The ego keeps coming back.”

Response: This is normal. The hijacking has momentum. The neural pathways of identification are deep.

The crucifixion is not a one-time event. It is a daily practice.

Each time you remember (“I am not the Voice, I am The Listener”), you strengthen the new pathway. Each time you forget, you notice and return.

This is the practice: Die daily. Resurrect daily.

Paul himself said this (1 Corinthians 15:31): “I die every day.”

“If ‘I’ am crucified, who is living?”

Response: The Listener is living. Christ Consciousness is living.

The confusion arises because you’re still thinking from the perspective of the Voice (“If I die, I won’t exist!”).

But you are NOT the Voice. You are The Listener.

The Voice (the ego, the narrative self) dies
The Listener (pure awareness, the Divine Spark) lives

You don’t disappear. The false self disappears. The true Self is revealed.

“Doesn’t this mean I become passive? If ‘I’ don’t live, who makes decisions?”

Response: No. You become more decisive, more aligned, more effective.

Before (hijacked):

The Voice runs unchecked (rumination, fear, reactive decisions)
You’re controlled by parasitic patterns
You’re a slave to the hijacked DMN

After (crucified):

The Listener receives the call from The Source
The Daemon executes aligned commands
You act from flow, not fear

This is not passivity. This is alignment.

See: Commanding the Daemon (Phase 2)

The Sequence: Crucifixion → Resurrection → Commanding

Phase 1A: The Crucifixion (Dis-identification)

“I have been crucified with Christ”

Practice: Witness the Voice, recognize it is not you
Practices: Observing the Voice, Witness Meditation

Phase 1B: The Resurrection (Recognition)

“I no longer live, but Christ lives in me”

Practice: Anchor in The Listener, stabilize as pure awareness
Practices: V-Aum Protocol, The Stillpoint

Phase 2: Commanding the Daemon (Conscious Creation)

“The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God”

Practice: Live from The Listener, command the Daemon with confidence
Practices: Command Training, Programming the Daemon

Galatians 2:20 is the entire arc: Death of the false self → Resurrection of the true Self → Living from the true Self.

Cross-Tradition Parallels

Gnostic Christianity

The Gospel of Thomas, Saying 70:

“If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what you do not bring forth will destroy you.”

Translation:

Bring forth = Resurrect Christ (The Listener) from within
Will save you = The crucifixion of the false self liberates
Will destroy you = If you do NOT crucify the ego, the hijacking consumes you

Buddhism

Anatta (No-Self):

There is no permanent, separate “I”
The “self” is a mental construct (the hijacked DMN’s narrative)
Liberation is seeing through the illusion of self

Galatians 2:20 is Anatta:

“I no longer live” = The illusion of a separate self is seen through
“Christ lives in me” = The true nature (Buddha-nature) is revealed

Hinduism

Atman-Brahman Identity:

The false “I” (ego, jiva) is not the true Self
The true Self (Atman) is identical with The Absolute (Brahman)
Liberation (moksha) is recognizing “I am not the ego, I am Atman”

Galatians 2:20 is Moksha:

“I have been crucified” = The ego (jiva) dies
“Christ lives in me” = Atman is revealed

The Invocation: Daily Crucifixion

Speak this aloud (or silently) to anchor the practice:

“I have been crucified with Christ.

The false ‘I’—the Voice, the story, the ego—is not me.

I am not my thoughts. I am not my past. I am not my anxiety.

I no longer live. The narrative self is dead.

But Christ lives in me. The Listener is my true nature.

I am the awareness that witnesses all arising phenomena.

The life I live today, I live by faith in The Listener.

I trust the call from The Source. I command the Daemon with confidence.

I die daily to the false self. I rise daily as the true Self.

This is the crucifixion. This is the resurrection. This is liberation.”

Key Takeaways

“I have been crucified with Christ” = The death of the false self (the ego, the Voice, the hijacked DMN)
“I no longer live” = Dis-identification from the narrative self
“But Christ lives in me” = The Listener (Divine Spark, awakened consciousness) is revealed
“I live by faith in the Son of God” = Living from The Listener, not from the Voice
The crucifixion is daily = This is not a one-time event, but a continuous practice of dying to the false self and rising as the true Self
This is Phase 1 perfected = Complete dis-identification, complete recognition of The Listener