EGO, FRIEND OR FOE?

            Good morning Solomon.  The subject of ego has been a regular topic among metaphysical circles for ages, including my meditation classes.  Some fear it and some say that it is essential for our lives in the body.  Would you please share some more insight on this subject?

Ego is among the most talked about subjects in the entire metaphysical spectrum.  It is also perceived by many as something to be feared and conquered.  Some spend a lifetime fighting it and by doing so, become all but slaves to its power.  There are some that say that the ego must die.  This may be so, but not in this lifetime.  If it were to do so, the entire universe as we know it would collapse and cease to exist.

Ego is absolutely essential to existence.  Without it, there can be no perception, belief, emotion or a sense of individuality.  Without these things, we as human beings could not function.  We would not be aware of loving or being loved.  We could not be able to be either happy or unhappy.  It is ego that is among the first manifestations of the law of polarity.

            Even though ego is essential to being and functioning in the physical realm, if left unbridled, it can be deadly to the soul.  It can be the greatest source of misery, betrayal and unhappiness.  It also can and will deny even the very existence of the soul and its survival beyond the greatest illusion, death.

            The opposite is also true!  The ego can be the single greatest motivating factor in a person’s achieving his/her greatest potential It is that which reflects a person’s perception about his or her place in the universe.  It is the principle that allows one to recognize the beauty worth of everything within and in this illusion that we call the earth plane.

            Without polarity, there could be no motion and without motion, there could be no thought, no awareness of self, no concept of past, present or future.  Past present and future are the essential building blocks of this illusion of time and space.  However, focusing on anything but the present can imprison one to the ego and all of its traits.  Ego works well when it is one’s junior partner and consciousness is the senior in this life’s journey

            There are many ways of defining ego.  The one that seems to be the most comprehensive and easiest to understand would be, the mind.  The mind is made of matter and is finite with infinite possibilities of perceptions, applications and expressions. When the mind is engaged, Ego is also in full operation.  It can be said that the ego is “that which spawns the illusion of separateness.”  It is the ingredient that keeps one oriented to the physical universe.  It is preprogrammed to maintain the body and all things pertaining to it alive and focused in the physical. 

            The ego is a reflection of the physical universe.  In fact it is a universe in miniature.  It has all the qualities of the outer universe with all is was, is now and ever will be.  Its possibilities are infinite.  Free will as a basic ingredient assures that those possibilities can show the way to fulfillment and profound peace or chaos, misery and destruction.

            With the ego in motion, there will always be more.  More to accomplish, more to build, more to learn, more to love and more to create.  In the appropriate circumstances, these are good and essential traits to have.  They must be taken seriously and hopefully used with wisdom.  However, even without the benefit of wisdom the ego will continue to create one way or the other.

Ego reflects one of the venerable statements of Shakespeare, “Nothing is good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”  This is an outstanding illustration of the function of ego.  Whether the creation coming from ego is good or bad depends on the observer.

            The law of polarity is the primary building block of ego.  Even though it does not recognize the good or bad of something, those possibilities are always there and the ego will use any combination of those polarities to accomplish its creative goals.  Whether or not the ego supports the idea of good, bad or in-between depends on the amount of consciousness is present at any given time.

            In keeping with the law of polarity, the traits of ego are quite obvious.  It is beautiful and ugly, good and bad, cunning and shallow, brilliant or Stupid, light and dark etc….

            Before we go further in discussing ego, it would be a good idea to address the concept of consciousness.  In every way, the ego is necessary for human survival in the material universe.  Even though the very nature of the material plane is motion and as such is an illusion.  It is the ego that makes it all work within those boundaries. Ego is essential for any perception.  It is said that there is no reality, only perceptions.                                  

            Perceptions are beliefs that come from one or all of the physical senses (Sight, touch, hearing, smell and taste).  All things pertaining to the material plane must involve these principles.  One might ask, “What about extra sensory perception?  Isn’t that beyond things physical?”  Yes, that principle does, for the most part, come from beyond the physical, but has to be observed through any or all of the available physical senses.

            The concept of the physical and “nonphysical senses may be clearer if perceived as sensors.  Consider for a moment the idea that one perceives the material plane with his or her sensors, whether or not those perceptions make sense depends on the individual and his or her history or experiences.  While something seems to make sense that thing would be perceived with one or more sensors and with just a small amount of consciousness in the mix, that thing would make sense.  Pondering this concept while in a meditative frame of mind can bring a much greater understanding of this concept.

            Another way of looking at this idea is to realize that in a metaphysical perception, there are two sets of senses.  The first is physical (that which is tangible) and spiritual (that which is not tangible or measurable with physical instruments).  Both sets are vital for making sense of a person place or circumstance.

            Both of these examples work well when understood through the process of personal experience and the meditative process.

            The only thing that is constant in the universe is consciousness.  No doubt, there are many ways of understanding this concept.  Many people will probably be seeing these ideas in basically the same way, but with a different terminology.  Whatever the terminology might be, the truths shared are still the same.

            While the ego is finite even though infinite in its possibilities, it still has a beginning and eventually an end.  Consciousness, on the other hand, has no beginning and is endless.  It has NO polarity, therefore has no motion.  This is the nature of the infinite.

            There are other words that are interchangeable with consciousness.  They are the same because they are infinite.  Among the major words are love, truth and light.  There are others, but these are the most obvious ones.

            Love is infinite! It is the very reason for our existence.  Without it, there would be no existence. Love does not change nor can it be created or destroyed.  The way people view and try to understand it is to perceive it almost always through one of the main traits of ego.  It is through the eyes of emotion.  The way someone knows that love is present always involves this precept.

Truth has the identical traits that are found in love.  Truth exists independent of the observer.  Like love, it is there whether it is sought after, feared, hoped for or avoided.  It has been present since before the beginning and will exist after the universe has fulfilled its purpose. 

            In the physical sense, it is possible, but not always, found in facts.  Facts change and therefore, are ego based and capable of error.  Sometimes people use facts to detract from that which is truth.  Again, Facts are a matter of perception, truth exists independent of perceptions.  There is always a measure of ego in perceptions.  There is also a measure of truth as well.

            Light, in the metaphysical way of thinking, has always existed and cannot be seen directly with the human eye.  Light can only be perceived by reflection.  Light is within all things.  Without it, nothing can exist in the physical plane. This is equally true of love and truth.

            Deeply imbedded within the body and its senses, lies a tiny fragment of light that hints of something beyond what can be seen, touched, smelled, heard or tasted.  Something that far exceeds what we think we know about ourselves and our place in the universe, something infinite.  That fragment could be called consciousness. 

            While the mind is a material thing having polarity and is in constant motion, consciousness has no polarity and as such does not move.  It is pure light. When there is light present in anything material, there is a foundation of knowledge that there is indeed, more to being than what the mind (ego) can comprehend.

            The more consciousness that is infused into awareness, the more perception into those greater “realities” becomes available.  Simply, the process of living and learning from our circumstances will allow additional volumes of light to flow into the mind and the awareness it generates is formidable.

            One of the most significant things that will attract an abundance of light to the mind is meditation.  Meditation is any process that brings a person into an attunement and awareness of a greater “reality.”  Consciousness always reveals itself when the mind relaxes and is placed in the direction of that non-material world.

            Meditation will be discussed at another time to come soon.  Suffice it to say, meditation is simple and for the most part automatic.  Of course, there are some procedures that require a great amount of discipline and they are very effective.  However, most meditative experiences are so simple that they regularly get overlooked.

            Any thought or observation that brings the conscious part of the mind into focusing on something that is even slightly more “enlightened” than the observer at any particular time could be rightly considered a meditative experience and will invite the corresponding amount of light into the mind.  Some of that light will infuse itself into the mind permanently any light that is already there

            Thank you Solomon for this insight!  I’ll be looking for more insights as the time becomes appropriate.

 Solomon