What is the Ego?

Our special theme says, “The ego is ‘proof’ that strength is weak and love is fearful, life is really death, what opposes God alone is true.”

In other words, the ego is “proof” that we are limited humans existing in a body in a world and destined to die.

What that means to me is that the ego is the source of doubt.

Do you ever experience doubt? Do you ever doubt that enlightenment is real? Do you ever doubt that eternal life is real? Do you ever doubt that you could awaken to truth beyond this world?

Fortunately, although we sometimes experience doubt, doubt isn’t all that is in our minds. There is also willingness; there may even be a longing to search for truth, possibly a longing so strong that it feels like a calling you can’t ignore.

Will we listen to the ego’s doubts and resign ourselves to the self and world that we are familiar with? Or will we follow our willingness, longing or calling, and engage in the spiritual practice that leads beyond the ego and its doubts?

How far are we willing to go in order to discover truth beyond the ego?

Forgiveness ends the dream of conflict here.

The prayer in today’s lesson says:

Father, forgiveness is the light You chose to shine away all conflict and all doubt, and light the way for our return to You. No light but this can end our evil dream. No light but this can save the world. For this alone will never fail in anything, being Your gift to Your beloved Son.

Forgiveness, as we have seen, is abiding as our unaffected Self. It’s often called being the observer or remaining in Presence.

Our lesson begins by saying, “Conflict must be resolved. It cannot be evaded, set aside, denied, disguised, seen somewhere else, called by another name, or hidden by deceit of any kind…”

What is the difference between abiding as the unaffected Self and falling for habits like evasion, setting aside, denying, etcetera?

How can we abide as the unaffected Self when we feel affected by something or someone?

Consider asking one of these questions, or a similar question, and writing to realize helpful clarity about abiding as the unaffected Self. Any clarity you receive will help, especially if you are going through the purification stage right now.

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What is the Ego?

Our new special theme begins by saying, “The ego is idolatry…”

We can stop right there. Already we have something to contemplate.

What is idolatry?

Idolatry is extreme admiration, love, or reverence for something or someone.

In order to turn this definition into helpful insight, let’s pause and look at the definition slowly and contemplatively:

Extreme admiration, love or reverence
for something or someone.

In our last special theme, we saw that Truth is the absence of consciousness. Now we see that ego is the extreme admiration, love or reverence for something or someone—that is, love for object rather than for absence.

Can you find that— extreme love for object rather than for absence—in you? Can you see that which is intently focused on “something or someone” instead of absence?

Close your eyes and look. What is interested in thought, sensations, sounds—anything but absence?

It may feel like ‘me.’ It may feel like a sense of what you are. It may feel like your very existence. But it is none of those things. What you have just discovered is the ego.

Ego is that which admires, loves and reveres some thing. Ego is that which keeps us engaged in outward focus.

Fear binds the world. Forgiveness sets it free.

Fear is defined as an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.

When it comes to the ego, fear is actually the belief that the absence of someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.

Today’s lesson says,“ego makes illusions.” Another way of saying that is outward focus makes illusions. We could also say attachment to objects, including thoughts, makes illusions.

The lesson also says that “Truth undoes” these same illusions.

In our last special theme, we saw that truth is the opposite of illusions. That means it must also be the opposite of outward focus.

Of course, the opposite of outward focus is inward focus. It is through inward focus that we find Truth, of which our lessons says, “It merely is. And by its presence is the mind recalled from fantasies, awaking to the real. … Without forgiveness is the mind in chains, believing in its own futility.”

In our first special theme, we learned that forgiveness is abiding as the unaffected Self. That means that the ego is undone by turning inward and abiding there as the unaffected Self.

Please contemplate this tip. Notice the ego in you. See it in action. Also contemplate how ego is undone. And then with this clarity, enter into your meditation for today.

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