Skip to main content

letting go of the ego... embracing who you really are.

at the dojo of my meditation teacher, BeBe Wolfe

as of late, i have been reading a lot about the ego from such metaphysical authors as Marianne Williamson and U.S Anderson. because i have been reading this type of material for a while now, i thought i had moved beyond my ego... i was confident that i had it in check. "of course, i don't have an ego problem... i'm on a spiritual path", i would tell myself. but that was just the ego's way of entering the house from the back door. 

you see, the ego is the part of us that we believe in. it's our story. whoever you think you are and whatever you do makes up the egoic myth. it limits us to our own irrational thinking and blocks us from the miracles that occur naturally as a part of the divine order. i love how Dr. Wayne Dyer defines it as Edging God Out. so whenever we are absorbed in our thinking or trying to solve our own problems, even the most minute ones, we are coming from our limited, fear-based perspective.

when we break free of the ego's control, we are liberated because we find out that we are all the same. there is no "me, me, me and you, you, you." this sense of separation is what causes us to think we have to compete with one another, or that we can afford not to help each other, among other things. 

so there are really only two options: to think from the egoic mind or pray that our mind is elevated to the divine mind-- that place Paul was referencing in Phillipians 2:5 when he wrote "Let this mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus." 

 the relinquishing of the ego is the work of our lifetimes and is absolutely necessary for us to experience the fullness of life. i will continue to contemplate this for the month of October and share my insights.

and as always, we would love to hear from you. tell us your definition of the ego and how it shows up in your life by emailing us at spiritualanthropology@gmail.com or by commenting in the comment section below.

 here's to another month full of possibility!



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

who are we when we love? Honoring Nelson Mandela

I remember very vividly the summer I first read Nelson Mandela's A LONG WALK TO FREEDOM. I was living at my grandmother's house then. At nineteen years old, it was the longest book I had ever attempted to read. But I felt my soul leaping and growing and telling me that I had to live courageously. I could not afford to not fight for justice. I could not afford to not dedicate my life to love's purposes.  By reading Mandela's story, I saw what the best of humanity looked like. I saw that no matter how much oppression and humiliation others may inflict upon us, we can rise above it. We can choose to not let their evil define us.  Nelson Mandela is my hero. He was a giant of a man who had the unique ability to make others feel even larger than he was. You see, that is what great people do. They remind us that the light they have is inside all of us as well. We only need to let it shine, fearlessly and with the intent of eradicating evil by the power of love....
Post a Comment
Read more

i am grateful for OPRAH

Yesterday, my "Angel Mother" as i like to call her, Ms. Oprah G. Winfrey received the highest honor in the land-- The Presidential Medal of Freedom. President Obama applauded her for... "reaching the pinnacle of the entertainment universe." For twenty-five years, The Oprah Winfrey Show helped to extend the conversation about topics that were taboo; from sexual abuse to cellulite, she made it okay to tell the truth. She created a safe space for people to come and leave their shame and the secrets that blocked their light. Because of this, millions of others were liberated by the knowledge that they were not alone in their suffering. I started watching the Oprah show when I was around eight or nine years old. Her voice was soothing. Her insights were as wise and profound as those of my own mother. I saw the same light in her eyes that I saw in my mother's eyes. I believe it was because of this that she would go on to mean even more to me after my mother lost ...
Post a Comment
Read more

your life is sacred: honoring every moment

on this day, exactly eleven years ago today, my mother entered the Baptist for her second mastectomy. the cancer was vicious, relentless, and evidently insatiably hungry for the life of my mother. She had already had the other breast removed and she went into this surgery confident that it would be best.  i remember her strength and her faith most vividly during this week. i also remember her strongly rejecting my request for funds to purchase a new shirt for the pastor's appreciation that was coming up that Friday. i'm not sure if my mother knew this was her last week on earth. there were no "final conversations" or any discussion of what was next for our lives without her.  she would leave behind her four children, her dreams, and ultimately, a life well-lived that same night of the pastor's appreciation, which also happened to be All Saints Day. my mother's life, her struggle with breast cancer, and her early demise at thirty-three helps def...
2 comments
Read more