The Gifts of Ego

I have been interested in ego psychology for a long time. Coming to understand the nature and purpose of the ego from a spiritual perspective has been [third] eye opening for me. This week I stumbled upon an interview with a Jungian analyst who explains the gifts of the ego.

Here is one quote from the interview that I love:

[T]he ego is a necessary formation for the creation of identity, consciousness, intentionality and purpose—all of which are pluses. The ego itself is not a problem. However, when it's in a state of possession by our insecurities, when it's in the grip of our history, it becomes neurotic, so to speak—it gets in the way. So the problem is not the ego; the problem is what happens to the ego. The perfect balance—if we could ever achieve it—would be an open ego state in dialogue with the other parts of the outer and inner world, where we could absorb messages from the culture, but not necessarily be subsumed by them, and we could also dialogue with the unconscious.

Angel Sighting

This morning, my son and I were in the kitchen, and he pointed about half-way between the floor and the ceiling and said, "Mom, there are the angels." I said, "Where?" and he pointed again. Later he described them to me as having pretty eyes, noses, and necks. I feel comforted knowing this.

Tarot Card of the Day

Go to this site and click on a moon....

Quote from Conversations with God

"Inquire within, rather than without, asking: 'What part of my Self do I wish to experience now in the face of this calamity? What aspect of being do I choose to call forth?' For all of life exists as a tool of your own creation, and all of its events merely present themselves as as opportunities for you to decide, and be, Who You Are."

Quote by Anais Nin

The Lord's Prayer as Translated from the Aramaic

O, Birther of the Cosmos, focus your light within us -- make it useful
Create your reign of unity now
Your one desire then acts with ours,
As in all light,
So in all forms,
Grant us what we need each day in bread and insight:
Loose the cords of mistakes binding us,
As we release the strands we hold of other's guilt.
Don't let surface things delude us,
But free us from what holds us back.
From you is born all ruling will,
The power and the life to do,
The song that beautifies all,
From age to age it renews.
I affirm this with my whole being.

by Saadi Neil Douglas-Klotz of the Sufi Order of the West
Further information on Neil Douglas-Klotz