LET GO MY EGO!

Hello Dreamers,

Today I would like to share my thoughts on ego.

e.go noun- a person’s sense of self-esteem or self-importance.

I posted recently about becoming highly awake, and the spiritual mindset tells us to “let go of our ego”. Along my spiritual journey I have learned that one of the purposes of meditation is to see beyond the ego. The Buddhists believe (Anatta the illusion of the “self”) is made up by the mind. No matter what we are doing, our actions come back to the sense of self-consciousness when we experience pain or confusion, we will find the ego. The Buddha teaches us to let go of attachments, ergo the ego.

And others describe the negative connotation of ego as a conspiracy theory. This is supposedly to mass control individuals by breaking them down and eliminating their control. This method is currently being used in some spiritual and religious groups. Our ego is fear and by keeping us fearful, we are in a perpetual state of servitude.

Sigmund Freud taught the belief of three egos: ID, EGO, and SUPEREGO.

ID is explained as being outside of conscious thought and selfish.

EGO is organized and realistic. Freud believed that a person with a strong ego has a healthy personality but that imbalances in this system could lead to unhealthy behaviors.

SUPEREGO aims for perfection, acting as our conscience. It punishes misbehavior with feelings of guilt. It is our parent voice inside us and works in contradiction to the ID.

When I moved from Orlando to a small community in the midwest,

I must have heard the phrase,”But we’ve always done it this way!”about one hundred times. I don’t know who had the bigger ego - me, wanting to change things up - or them, by trying to play it safe and not accept change.As you become more successful, your ego will be fed more. Ego has its limitations and pushes people away. The ego is connected to our Root Chakra, lower realms is where the ego lives. Ego grows when you take yourself too seriously. When we are not trying to prove anything, we are relaxed.

But doesn’t having an ego mean that you are self-confident? Muhammad Ali - I AM THE GREATEST used his ego to become his greatest version. So the ego can be good or bad. If you think of Yin and Yang, you know there has to be a balance.

Here are some ways to recognize when your ego is getting the best of you:

*You think you already know it all.

*Never admitting you are wrong.

*Thinking there is no better way.

*Caring about what others think of you.

*Reliving the past in your mind.

*Feeling good about yourself after someone praises you.

*Feeling very possessive of anything.

You don’t need to get rid of the ego, you just need to learn how to spot it and use it at the right time to make it work for you. Once you can manage this, you feel more connected but not with attachments or concepts that label people. Your strength lies in pure awareness.

Here is a favorite story similar to the devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other telling you what to do:

A Native American Cherokee Story – Two Wolves

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.

“One is Evil – It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego."

“The other is Good – It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: “Which wolf wins?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

And that, my dear dreamers is my thoughts on ego. Join me again next Wednesday over smoothies and I will have some book reviews for you.

Keep Dreaming,

Coleen