As spiritual seekers, what is it we are seeking? Inner peace, happiness, contentment, fulfillment, self-acceptance – perhaps self-actualization?
“Self-actualization, according to Abraham Maslow, represents growth of an individual toward fulfillment of the highest needs: those for meaning in life, in particular. We can’t do this without the EGO. It’s good to have a healthy sense of self.
Typically defined, our EGO is our sense of self-esteem or self-importance. It is the part of our mind that mediates between the conscious and the unconscious: it is responsible for reality testing and a sense of personal identity. Metaphysically speaking, it is ‘a conscious thinking subject.’ How can we measure our progress and be aware of our process as we intentionally seek to actualize our potential expression and experience as divine human beings, without our EGO?
While the self can be our greatest resource, it can also be our darkest enemy. On the one hand, the fundamentally human capacities for self-awareness, self-reflection, and self-control are essential for reaching our goals. On the other, the self has a perpetual desire to be seen in a positive light. The self will do anything to disavow itself of responsibility for any negative outcome it might deserve.
Just for fun I looked up some Acronyms and Abbreviations for EGO, what I found put a smile on my face - Everyone’s Greatest Obstacle - Eliminating Growth Opportunities - Evil Genius Organization - Everyone’s Got One…and the most commonly used acronym in spiritual and religious circles: Easing God Out!
As the Latin root word EGO means “I” – the “I AM” is simply the opposite side of the same coin and can affect how we view our EGO moving forward.
I have always worked to appreciate the function of my EGO. The awareness I develop of where I am, and am not, missing the mark in my thinking, behavioral, goal planning, and visualizing process. Having the opportunity to exaggerate/animate the destructive thoughts and behaviours of my EGO through the art of clowning, I soon learned what a GOD-send the conscious awareness of self is in the ultimate human experience of personal integration and fulfillment of my potential. It was then I coined the phrase: EGO is Easing God Onboard! I am grateful for the amusement it brings, now that I have learned the fine art of being in the world, but not of it.
The purpose of the EGO is the human consciousness part of us. It was designed to ensure our security and survival. I know that when I adopted my EGO into my family of things, I experienced a calm sense of self-connection and wholeness. My sense of security was grounded in my personhood, rather than someone or something outside of me, and my capacity to survive wore a cloak of ease and grace, led by faith.
I remember this time so well. I created a Workshop for a CSL Conference entitled: Building your Altar-Ego, and had the participants literally create altars in honor and celebration of their EGO!
When I stopped wanting to rid myself of my EGO, (my humanness) or make it less important, it became my ‘How To’ operator’s guide on my journey to Easing God Onboard.
Rev. Nadene Rogers