Through God’s Eyes, Discourse #6

If you are just joining this online book club we are reviewing and discussion Phil Bolsta’s book, “Through God’s Eyes.”  Download it or buy a hard copy on Amazon and join the discussion through the comments below.   In gratitude.   amazon>>>

I’m at 12% on the Kindle edition…

UGGGGGGg…… I can’t even believe what we have to talk about today in my random flip of Phil’s book, but here we go:

But beware:  Like an incumbent politician who is all bluster and no substance, your ego is programmed for self-preservation at all costs.

The ego is simultaneously enamored with its self-appointed magnitude and terrified at its real ineptness. ~ Alan Cohen

I have lots of thoughts about the ego and of course all of my thinking is through the lens of yoga.  First, you have an ego and there is nothing you can do to get rid of it.  One of my teachers explained the ego as follows:  When you incarnate into this human existence, you walk through a film of plastic wrap.  It wraps all around you giving you many bits and pieces of your personality including your likes, your dislikes, and your mannerisms.  This is the ego.  It’s a gorgeous thing.

Coming to terms with the self means coming to terms with the ego and not letting it overshadow the more quiet aspects of the soul.  During The Elemental Cleanse we go through a process of defining stereotypical ego qualities that tend to land us in trouble and reeling those in.  For example, if you talk to much and do not listen.  That’s an ego habit responsible for diminishing your ability to have meaningful relationships.  You would counter attack the ego by practicing listening more and talking less.

Now the real question is, are you a terrible person because you talk too much and who is determining what “too much” is?  Perhaps you are a gifted speaker and you need an outlet for talking to an attentive audience?  Are you pre-disposed to talking too much because this is actually a hidden talent?  Or, do you talk too much because you just like to hear yourself talk, but you don’t have anything of value to say?  Or, do you talk too much because you are lonely and when you get around other people you just can’t stop talking because you are so sick of talking to the cat?  So, is it bad or good?  Is it ego or soul?  I don’t know. This confuses me.

This is what I know.  I know that humility counts.  Humility in yoga is expressed as Tat Tvam Asi meaning “I am above no one, I am below no one.”  It’s honoring your place in this yoga with humanity and in the example above it looks like balanced talking and listening.  Any trait you organically express in an imbalanced way would be deemed as the ego out of control.

What is meant by the ineptness of the ego? In yoga, if you attach to any aspect of anything and allow that to define you, you will suffer.  The person attached to their looks, their intelligence, their success, or even their family, is going to realize the ineptness of the ego or really defining oneself by outward conditions. This is duality.

Personally, I am at a state in my spiritual practices and studies where I see three of me.  There is the happy pammy living her life and not harming anyone.  I just let her go and have fun.  There is the observer pam.  She doesn’t have a lot of personality and is great at looking on and reeling in.  She feels powerful.  I don’t want to say she feels like the soul and most connected to spirit because in all honesty, happy pammy feels most connected.  And then there is the demon pamela.  She’s a piece of work.  I would classify her as the most egoic where she wants what she wants and she is going to get it.  Oddly, demon pamela does have some substance…or is that demon pamela writing this sentence?

Tell me about your relationship with your ego.  What does it look like?  feel like?  taste like?