October 14, 2013 Debbie West, Contributor
Waking Times
The part of the person that is one’s ego is a construction of self arising from external views or perceptions of who we are. The ego measures us against others and competes for a greater sense of self and fulfillment, bound by ideas of what we have done in the past and what we will do in the future and limited to a single dimensional aspect of self. Ego therefore is a unique tasking system of analyzing, judging and labeling, thus creating in your mind who you think you are. The ego can never be satisfied, and, because is exists on the outward surface, it can never attain a connection to universal cosmic awareness of self and others. To get beyond our ego self, we must manifest a new orientation towards a greater awareness and a connection to soul self. All of our fears, judgments, thoughts and emotions are part of ego. Beneath the ego is the soul where we can process the world though love and compassion and a sense of unity to all of the cosmos.
False Ego vs. Cosmic Ego
When we say that we must get rid of the ego, we are really saying that we must release ourselves from that false sense of self that is created by the mind and boxes us in as better than or less than. Our need is to release ourselves from the false sense of self that is created in society that labels who we are by the superficial aspects of ourselves such as our job, appearance, religion, sex, nationality, culture, etc.
“In this new era of unity consciousness, the ego serves a very important function. In the old paradigm of survival, the ego helped us to compete,” explains author Marsha Phillips West. “In our new paradigm of peace and harmony, the ego helps us to integrate with one another into wholeness.”
West wrote the book, Seven Portals to Your Soul: An accessible Guide for Mending Your Life:
“How do we make the transition from the old false ego to the true enlightened ego? We enter into a greater sense of wholeness within and oneness without. It is how we experience our oneness while still maintaining our unique identity.”
The practice of finding one’s cosmic or enlightened ego is described as a means to connecting oneself to a higher level of awareness, beyond the demands of the selfish ego. Many religions discuss ego, as do experts in the field of psychology.
For instance, in Islam the ego, known in Arabic as the nafs, is an aspect of ourselves, a perception of reality, through which we filter all experience. And it is this holy or spiritual struggle against the self that comprises the essence of Islamic Spirituality. The fundamental characteristic of the ego is based in resistance, and that the path to transcending the self and ultimately overcoming the ego is in surrender, the very meaning of Islam. Through the Islamic spiritual path, which is based in the principle of internal surrender, one can achieve freedom from the limited finite self, dissolve the ego, and awaken to the Divine Presence of God.
Christianity discusses principles about humility as a way to overcome sense of self (or ego). According to the Christian Bible, an inflated ego and its focus on self are not in keeping with the Christian call for humility. Rather, it is the antithesis of what characterizes true Christians—dependence on God and service to others. A humble heart has no room for ego or pride or arrogance because it recognizes that all we have and all we are come from God.
According to Judaism, God created us with an ego because we had to be able to think independently. “Ego” as we’re using the term means our basic human personality, including all the physical and psychological parts and functions that make it work. Ego is the structure of human personality wherein we can identify the exercise of free will. But that very structure of the psyche that enables us to be independent also enables us to block infusions from God. God may send us messages about how best to handle the business of perfecting the world. He is probably sending us angels, and dreams, and intuitions, all the time, but we have the capacity to shut them out. It’s as if there is a “soul channel” that is broadcasting continuously, but we can flick a switch and turn onto a different one whenever we want. As Rabbi Nachman of Breslov said, “We are surrounded by stars, planets, worlds of light, but we can shut it all out with one small hand.”
Multi-Dimensional Aspect of Universe and Oneness
Dr. Jude Currivan, an author with a PhD in Quantum Physics, explains that the multi-dimensional aspect of ourselves and our universe are diminished by the human persona or ego, which chooses to reflect back only the illusion that is visible using our five ordinary senses. When in reality, consciousness is much greater than our body and is an intelligent energy that operates on many dimensions. She sees this time in history as one where we will be able to dissolve our ego-based human persona created by our personality and replace it with a connection to the portal of unity consciousness. Her perception, shared by many, is a view of the entire Cosmos as an inter-related, multi-dimensional and conscious whole. As such, her view on ego is that we can overcome the drive for power and recognition that the ego constantly seeks. As Currivan states:
“We are spiritual beings undertaking the physical experience of being human. In doing so, we take on a personality, an ego-based persona that goes with the territory. I don’t feel that we can or should attempt to be ego-less, but I do believe we can go beyond just living from its limited and often imbalanced view of the world. When we begin to take responsibility for our choices, listen to our inner voice, live in love rather than fear, empower ourselves and sense something greater than us alone, we begin to not only balance the needs of our ego, but to transcend it and become ego-free.”
In the world of evolutionary medicine, there are energy centers on the human body called Chakras . The seven energy centers create a balance and harmony of the human mental and physical condition. When the chakras are in balance, the body and mind are operating as the highest self. When the energy is stuck, out of balance or filled with fear and doubt, it creates blockages that affect us physically and torment the human psyche. Through expanding mental practices such as meditation, we are able to maintain a core alignment to the benevolent energy that enters the human energy field and cleanse our chakra energy systems.
A Shift in Religious Systems and Unification
While various mainstream religions and experts in psychology and evolutional medicine all agree that we can transcend our ego and reach a higher level of existence, we are still in a culture that battles each other unmercifully. It could be said that today’s society has reached an unprecedented turbulence sustained by greed, power and uncontrollable egos, and thus created an atmosphere of significant global social and economic instability. In the struggle for evolution in consciousness, the world view of religion might make a quantum shift in order to align all souls to a single purpose. Some modern spiritual teachers see this evolution transpiring now on the planet. Dr. Jude Currivan explains why modern religion will shift as we reach a higher level of evolution as a species:
“Whilst I honor all spiritual paths, I do feel that more and more people are, and will, decide to undertake their own journey of enlightenment away from religious organizations. I feel that Judaism, Christianity and Islam have all, to some degree or other, marginalized and oppressed women. And whilst an emerging and balanced spirituality is for everyone, because there are currently more women than men opening up, I feel that unless the organized religions become much more balanced, less hierarchical and more inclusive their influence will continue to decline.”
Eckhart Tolle, author of A New Earth and contemporary spiritual teacher, sees a new consciousness arising balancing our egos and empowering us to create new ways of living together:
“Humanity is faced with a choice of finding new ways to live together or continuing the cycle of violence and conflict. If the structures of the human mind and ego remain unchanged, we will always end up re-creating the same world, the same evils, the same dysfunction.”
Experts agree that the ego keeps us small, exaggerates our mistakes, passes judgments and criticisms, and prevents us from attaching to the highest level of human understanding. It is a barrier between our true selves and our connection to the totality of the universe. Without the ego driving our thoughts, we connect to the cosmic self, creating a larger sense of purpose and a greater knowingness of our connections to all of humanity. As a society, we have reached an age of evolution where we are contemplating overcoming our ego-based attachments and evolving as a species into a more civilized unified society, together experiencing spiritual growth as peaceful beings. In unity consciousness, we connect to each other and to the universe with love and unite in a complex and cosmic structure of mental awareness.
About the Author
Deborah West worked in corporate public relations and media for over 20 years and is currently a freelancer, reporting on a wide variety of topics including disclosure, ancient and multidimensional civilizations, the the shift in humanity’s consciousness and brings truthful reporting to topics ranging from healthcare to energy. She writes a column called Lost Knowledge at The New Era Times and has a weekly radio show called Lost Knowledge on Tuesdays 3-5pm CST. To see her articles go to:
http://www.tnetimes.com/contributor/deborah_west/92/
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