HERE EGO AGAIN…written by David and Yvonne Brittain
<http://www.ascensionsupportteam.com> the website for free thinkers
Frequently we are informed that we must eliminate ego, and that in fact we cannot ascend until we have eliminated ego. Confusion enters the scene when we are then offered various different versions of the definition of ego. Many of these definitions are sincerely presented to us in a tone that brooks no argument because they represent and are quoted from what this or that ancient-times sage had to say on the subject. When we compare the lives of ancient-times sages to our own lived in a hectic, modern and ruthless producer/consumer society, understandably many of us find it difficult to relate to the sage offerings of those ancient-times sages. Unlike modern day seekers of truth most ancient-times sages would have been indoctrinated into some sort of meditative belief system from early boyhood.
Possibly installed by their parents into some obscure, remote monastery over the years they would have absorbed the ancient teachings and methods offered by yet even more ancient-times sages. Apart from required domestic, work-sharing chores of the monastery the sage-to-be could lead a tranquil and quiet life of meditation and contemplation. Everything and everyone around this individual would be geared to aim him and themselves towards enlightenment, self-illumination and ascension.
If even secluded monastery life lacked the tranquillity needed by our evolving, more advanced sage-to-be he could then transfer himself and his few possessions to the silence and solitude of a nearby vacant cave, to be only disturbed occasionally with offerings of food and water. With the deeply instilled required outlook coupled with the complete absence of diversions, our ancient-times sage-to-be in his cave would probably have found it very difficult to remain un-enlightened.
It is very different and more difficult for folks that have reincarnated into modern times and who eventually feel drawn to seek to find the meaning and purpose of their lives. From day one they are lovingly and authoritatively swamped and engulfed by the political, religious, and social ideas, beliefs, demands and requirements of their previously swamped and engulfed beloved and respected elders. Unlike our ancient-times sage the modern times seeker’s childhood rarely includes anything not considered relevant to the child’s future career to be carved in a competitive selfish society. Everything we are taught is aimed at helping us to build, boost, and then fiercely protect our ego, and this until we regard ‘me’ and ‘ego’ as exactly the same thing.
We began this article by mentioning the different offered versions of the definition of ego. We might ask what is ego? During the mid-nineteen seventies in London, England the very first Spirit, Mind, and Body exhibition was opened to the public. The name of this exhibition was well chosen because it introduced the largely unaware general public to the then mind-shattering idea that each individual is very special and unique. The name Spirit, Mind, and Body also gives us a clue as to where the ego resides. Many aspects of each individual soul remain on the non-physical levels. The only non-physical aspect of each soul that is called upon to muddle along in the physical dimension we all individually tend to think of as ‘me’. So if we change the name ‘Spirit’ to the pronoun ‘me’ we each whilst amid the illusion of physical existence consist of a trio made up of non-physical ‘Me’ Mind, and physical Body, a trio that must somehow co-exist for each physical lifespan. Each member of this trio plays an essential role but as the purpose is to allow non-physical me to experience and then eventually, permanently escape from physical existence he or she is meant to be fully in charge of the trio. Ego enters the scene when ‘me’ doesn’t realise that he or she is meant to be in charge, and doesn’t even think of self as a trio.
One of the oldest belief systems in the world is that of the Kahunas of Hawaii. The Kahunas believed that each individual consisted of not just one but three souls, two of which existed in the same physical body. The lower soul we would regard as the mind, the middle soul we would regard as ‘me’ and the higher soul that exists on a higher non-physical level we would regard as our super-conscious, or our higher self. The Kahunas were well aware that above the higher soul existed a Creator but they chose to leave any required contact with their Creator to their higher soul. The only reason for mentioning the Kahunas is because they clearly placed a definite dividing line between ‘me’ and ‘mind’ and this is what many people fail to do. Mind monitors the functioning of body, and mind also monitors for harmony and balance the thoughts of me. Mind also supplies emotion to enrich the thoughts of ‘me’ but mind cannot think because thinking is the role of ‘me’ not of mind. Mind is like a nervous, fiercely protective child that thinking me must help to always exist in a state of harmony and balance, and for mind and body there is no past or future, there is only ‘now’. The Kahunas regarded lower soul or mind as a younger brother or sister who acted both, as a linkage between middle soul or me and higher soul or higher self, and also as the linkage through which, via physical body, me experienced physical existence.
Here we will see the need for that consciously placed definite dividing line between thinking me, and mind and body that cannot think. For mind and body there is only now, but for thinking me to learn from experience past and future have to exist in the consciousness of me. We could liken me to the captain and navigator of a ship. Mind is the chief engineer and communications officer who obeys and records for the captain’s future reference, the captain’s orders and also monitors the smooth running of the ship, but mind knows nothing about destinations. The ship used for the voyage is of course the physical body. If the captain, through doubt of self, fails to choose and then navigate towards a destination the ship will just sail in aimless circles on the oceans of life.
Where does ego fit into the trio? Ego is a creation of mind created to protect its state of harmony and balance when thinking me is continuously absent from the trio. How could thinking me be absent from the trio? Simply by always having thoughts focused upon the future or the past thinking me is absent from the trio because for mind and body the future and past do not exist, and thinking me is whenever and wherever his or her thoughts are focused upon. We all without exception face an uncertain future and also a past during which we have made mistakes.
How thinking me regards that uncertain future and that unalterable past will deeply influence our outlook in this moment called now. As each moment passes our level of understanding rises and increases, and this means we can only cope at our then level of understanding in that moment when faced with events and other people. Mind supplies the emotion and intensity that exactly matches the current thoughts. This means that as the level of understanding rises as time passes the emotion felt in the past is no longer appropriate when the thought is recalled in the present.
Mind is also your filing clerk and its role is to file all of your thoughts and memories for future reference. If we compare thoughts to written letters, and the accompanying emotions to the thoughts we compare to envelopes, mind will file everything you send to it, letters and envelopes unless you consciously dump the no longer needed envelope so that only the letter is filed.
The role of mind is to protect thinking me, and body from danger, but mind’s protective mechanism is limited to the primitive reaction of fight or run. This is adequate to protect the physical body, but not always appropriate when faced with the subtleties of human thought processes. Mind cannot think but mind can detect disharmony and unbalance in the thoughts of thinking me, and will immediately trigger the fight or run protective mechanism to flood those current thoughts with fear or anger.
This is why that consciously drawn dividing line is needed to keep mind and its flow of baffling emotional energy in its correct place. How do we eliminate ego? Simply by consciously acknowledging each emotion as it crosses that dividing line. I feel angry, or I feel intimidated, or I feel worried, I feel jealous, or even I feel happy. By consciously acknowledging the emotion or feeling as you feel it you have converted its energy into clear thought and so have removed its power to affect and cloud your clear thinking. It takes practice and you will frequently forget. Start anew each day and soon it becomes an automatic way of life.