Dropping Ego

We are all aware of what the word ego means. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines ego as "the self, especially as contrasted with another self or the world." What strikes me about this definition of ego is that it is based in separation. Ego is the individual you when separated from everything else. Why would we need to drop ego at this critical time? We need to drop ego because the problems we have in the world today have been created within a state of separation.

When I look at my own ego, I see problems. It's my ego that gets offended when someone treats me poorly. If I allow myself to stay in ego instead of reverting back to my BEing (that is joined with Oneness), I will act out aggressively instead of understanding their poor treatment is the result of the abuses they themselves have suffered at the hands of others acting through ego. It's my own ego that seeks to build itself up instead of acknowledging the value and worth of others. This, in turn, feeds into all the other separation that is in the world. While ego has been necessary to experience duality in a conscious way, we have come to a point in time where it has created enough separation we will destroy the planet. We need to get ego under control if we are to survive.

Dropping ego requires opening the heart and living from that place. This is because our hearts are what connect us to Oneness. Oneness is the space where the illusion of separation is shattered. It is within Oneness that the solutions we seek for our dying world come to light because everything exists there. All information is accessible. It is from the heart that we understand what is necessary for the health and well-being of the whole.

We cannot solve problems through the same thinking that created them. It is in ego the problems were created in the first place. It is time to drop the separation mindset. It is time to drop the ego and learn to live together as One.

~CSE

Allowing Pain

Many of us make our choices in life based on avoiding pain. We run away. We ignore. We distract ourselves with other activities. What we fail to consider is the benefit pain can bring. Pain does not have to be the terrible thing our minds have created it to be.

When you choose to look at and explore your pain, it is very much like intentionally stepping into a fire. Yes. The fire is hot and unpleasant. In our minds the fire is consuming--devouring. We fear that stepping into the fire will literally kill us and turn us to ash.

The real process is much different. The fire is not designed to destroy us. The fire is designed to refine us. We are very much like precious metal. When the metal is placed into the fire, it melts and changes shape. Impurities are burned off. What is left is a much more perfect and pliable substance, capable of fitting in to places it would never have fit into before.

Allowing pain is all part of the perfecting process. It helps us let go of things that no longer serve us. It can change our focus and enable  us proceed in a new direction. It can even help us let go of ego so that we are better able to connect to our hearts and to Oneness. When have taken the time to allow our pain and make peace with it, progress is made. We are different. Changed. New.

Take the time to sit with pain in your own life. Allow yourself to feel it. Cry. Throw a tantrum. Do what needs to be done to accept it, make peace with it, and move on. By allowing pain, you take down the walls you have created to keep you "safe" and allow the energy to flow once again.

~CSE

 

    

Ascension, the Rapture, and Spirituality

There is a popular New Age principle referred to as Ascension. In one form or another, it hints at a human's potential for upward expansion. While there are many versions of what is supposed to happen in this process, the most disturbing to me is the thought that certain people have made more progress than others. In this version of ascension, those who have made it to a certain stage of development by an unspecified date will magically enter a much higher realm. After all, those who are ready to ascend have such different frequencies than those still asleep. They no longer need to deal with the problems average mortals face!

Ironically, this particular idea of Ascension reminds me heavily of the Christian concept of the Rapture. The Rapture is supposedly the time when Christ returns back to earth. He will gather his believers to him and save them from the great tribulation that will fall on those left behind. Become a good Christian and you too will be saved from a potentially terrible fate!

What bothers me about these two concepts is judgment. In Ascension, those who have learned enough to overcome the limitations of society will go on to a place free from those who cannot handle it. In the Rapture, people are judged by God and if found to be following the precepts He has laid out will be separated out and spared from potential pain. In either scenario, there are standards to be followed which will determine whether or not you make the cut. To me, both ideas scream separation and ego--not very spiritual ideas in my book.

I would offer up an alternative view of Ascension. I see Ascension as a learning process. While we may be at different stages of growth and development, it is not about making any cut or adhering to any standard. It is about learning to deal with your pain and your obstacles in ways to keep you moving forward. We all backslide at times, and that is part of the process. Beings are not singled out for punishment or accolades. Rather, each individual success is a success for the greater whole. Ascension is ever changing, progressive. It has nothing to do with ego and everything to do with Oneness.

If your principles on spirituality result in leaving people out, might I suggest you try looking at them from a different angle? Ask yourself if you would really be happy with part of your family or friends left behind? It would be as if part of yourself was left behind (and indeed it would be exactly that).

We're all on this human journey together. When we understand how to live and work together, we will be on the road to Ascension. When we are unwilling to leave anyone behind, we will have arrived in the promised land!

~CSE

Using Ego As Your Guide!

Most of us view ego as a bad thing. It can lead to vanity and pride. It can prompt us to argue and fight. It can even spoil our relationships and taint our lives with division and separation. The thing is, ego does not have to be a downfall! Ego actually has the ability to be life-changing because it shows you where your problems are!!!

One of the things my ego has pointed out to me is my need to justify my point of view. For example, when someone points something imperfect out about my writing, my ego reacts quickly, either by showing how I really said that same thing in a different way or by justifying how the point is not important. A classic case of trying to pretend I know everything (definitely an ego thing)!!! It is an interesting process--recognizing there are little things that set your emotions off every day that are based on ego.

How can ego be your guide? By becoming conscious of those occurrences that bring conflict into your life. Ego by its very definition is your separate, independent self. When you feel yourself divided from others, it is because ego has intervened.

When you feel yourself in conflict, it is time to stop and think. Get into your heart and ask what you can do to take yourself out of the fight. It may be as simple as recognizing that you really don't know everything or shouldn't hold yourself responsible for knowing everything or even that what was said was not outside yourself.

Recognizing when ego rears its ugly head can be your guide to a much better understanding of self. Allow this guidance system to indicate what issues you need to work on and use it to create unity in the world around you! Your life will never be the same!!!

~CSE