The ego part of our personalities represent the devil. It's that part of us that dims the light of our true divine nature. Arguing with our divine self and trying to take control. It takes discipline to "catch" our little devil in action. We must be very wary of his presence because he slips in and out of the mind pretending to be the real us. If we are conscious of his presence, however, we can catch him in the act and return control over to our more angelic or divine natures.
What is ego? In his book A New Earth, Eckhart Tolle defines the term ego as an "illusory sense of self" based on one's memories and thoughts. Tolle says that when studying history "it becomes obvious that the human ego in its collective aspect as “us” against “them” is even more insane than the “me,” the individual ego, although the mechanism is the same. By far the greater part of violence that humans have inflicted on each other is not the work of criminals or the mentally deranged, but of normal, respectable citizens in the service of the collective ego. One can go so far as to say that on this planet “normal” equals insane. What is it that lies at the root of this insanity? Complete identification with thought and emotion, that is to say, ego."
His thoughts seem to resonate with the article written about the dysfunction in our society and families. It is the perpetuated pattern of society that is inflicting the most pain and damage to ourselves and our planet. Knowing what the ego is, is the first step in dissecting the self. Taking a look at our personalities, where they were formed and our concepts of who we are is the first thought process in becoming aware.
Take a moment and think about who you are. Ask yourself the following questions to help you realize what part of you is the ego:
- Who do I think I am? Are you a product of society or a divine being? If you answer, I am an accountant, I am a speaker, that is not the real you. Who are you? Ponder this.
- What do I feel is my life purpose? Is it to DO something or BE something? Ego does, divine IS.
- When I think about my relationships with others I think about . . . Is it thoughts of love or thoughts or how you compare to them?
We spoke about being present and conscious of our feelings and our thoughts previously. Being present with ourselves is one of the easiest ways to get the ego out of the way.
There have been many who have written books, teaching on the ego. Eckhart Tolle has had one of the best published books on the ego and how we can over come it in his book A New Earth. I've recently found a pdf copy and am posting the link here for your convenience: http://www.expandingthoughts.us/wp-content/uploads/docs/Eckhart%20Tolle%20-%20A%20New%20Earth.pdf
Knowing we are not our thoughts, not what we've been taught, and not our past frees us. Do you realize that no matter what has happened in your life, no matter what your thoughts have been about how you were treated, how your life has been has absolutely nothing to do with the real you? How freeing is that?! You ARE NOT who you've been told and have told yourself you are. Dare to look deeper. Dare to find the real you and you'll be astonished just how magical you are!
3 comments:
I learnt so much from Eckhart Tolle. His book The Power of Now is the most used book I own - it's as worn as anything because I've studied it so much. Understanding the ego was perhaps one of the most profound and useful things I ever learnt about.
I would like to know the twinsoul of Eckkhart Tolle, does somebody claim here too?
Who knows who any of Eckhart's twin souls are. Nobody here has said that they are his twin soul - we have just said how wonderful and helpful his work is.
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