The Ego vs. Your True Self
Lately I have noticed that some people are promoting the idea that the ego is your friend. According to some, we can make friends with our egos, work with them, and have a much better life. Really? Wow! Let’s examine this idea more closely.
Firstly, we must identify what the ego is. And we know for a fact that it is not divine, nor is it a product of our highest self. How do we know this? Because the ego never speaks from love. The fundamental matrix upon which the ego bases all of its logic is mathematical. It is ultimately sourced in division. The ego thrives in the duality of contrast, in the form of this or that, right or wrong, and good or bad.
The next thing that we must note about the ego is that it is fundamentally negative. Even if it says something good about you, it will always be at the expense of someone else. The ego never says anything that can stand on its own as a self-sustaining truth. It must point out a contrast somewhere about everything it says.
And just to be clear, in case you are unsure, the voice of the ego is easy to discern. It’s that annoying speaking voice in your head that never goes away, and is fond of keeping you awake at night worrying about all kinds of negative potentialities.
The ego has a nifty trick to fool you into thinking that it’s your own voice that you are listening to. This trick is so stupidly simple, that you are likely to miss it altogether. The trick is to use the word “I” whenever it presents you with its negative ideas, so that you will think it is you coming up with this unpleasant stuff.
The Real You
Before we continue about the ego, let’s clarify a few things about your true self. Your real self does not express itself through the mind. It expresses through the heart.
The arrangement as it is meant to be is simple. Your heart is directly connected to God. You are a creation of the infinite love of God, and a direct extension of that infinite power of love. This means that the real you is literally made of love and nothing else.
So it looks like this: First there is God’s infinite love – then you are created in the form of a divine human presence made of the same love – then that divine human presence is felt and expressed through the human heart.
Where does the mind fit into this picture? Well, that’s a simple answer when things are lined up as they should be. The mind is meant to exist as a humble servant to the heart. The mind is meant to take the heart’s directive, and create a way to implement that divine directive through the physical body in the form of a life’s purpose.
This all sounds great, doesn’t it? A perfectly beautiful flow of divinity into the world through the real, authentic, divine you.
You might have noticed that the ego is not mentioned in this sequence. In fact, you may notice that in this sequence, the ego is not needed at all! Hmm….
How does the ego insert itself into your divinity?
The ego is literally a false self that manifests out of a belief that there is something called “not God” or a belief that “God is not here”. This belief exists as a manifesting lie because it is simply not true!
Infinite in its truest sense is not a mathematical term. It does not refer to an endless series of numbers or parts, such as in the concept of an infinitely growing fractal. The true definition of infinite is all-present. So God, being infinite love, means that such a love is all-present, or omnipresent. Which clearly demonstrates that there is no such thing as a place where this love “is not”.
Thus you can see the manifesting lie of anything that purports to be “not God”. The definition of a manifesting lie is simple. It’s what is known as an illusion. So each time we experience any evidence that “God is not here” such as in incidents of violence or hate, it means that this lie is literally manifesting in a physical way. It means that there is an illusion manifesting in physical, 3-D form. So we experience this illusion, and understandably call it real. It’s a real illusion actually manifesting!
If you have ever wondered how our world of duality got created, it’s simple. If you believe a lie called “God is not here”, then that means that God has to be somewhere other than here, wherever “here” is. In other words, you have now created two possibilities in terms of where God can be; here and there. Such as in the concept of “heaven and Earth” or “heaven and hell”. And out of this arises a cornucopia of dualistic manifestations like good and bad, right and wrong, darkness and light, etc…
The most ravaging part of this manifesting duality occurs right inside of our own psyche. It’s why you experience yourself to be both good and bad, and right and wrong. It’s exactly what creates the alternative self called the ego. The ego is the part of your experience that wants to convince you that there is a place in your life where God is not. That place is the domain of the ego. The ego’s world is the place where God is not. If such a place can pretend to exist within you, and then literally manifest in your experience, then you are in trouble. And on planet Earth, as it now stands, every living being suffers from this tragic state of affairs. It’s why we have wars. It’s why people kill and torture each other. It’s why there is fear, pain, death, and suffering. All of these things exist as the physically manifesting illusions of places where God is supposedly “not”.
The ego is not your friend
The idea that this false, alternative self, who constantly promotes the idea that God has abandoned you, is somehow your friend is utterly preposterous. It is also a very dangerous game to play, if you care anything about Earth’s evolution into a higher place of divinity and love.
Just because the ego exists does not mean it’s a good thing, for heaven’s sake! And if we try to make it so, it simply means that we have fully succumbed to this manifesting illusion. It means that we are lying to ourselves in attempting to adopt it and embrace it as our own. If we could successfully do this, which fortunately we can’t, then all hope would be lost.
The ego will betray you at every turn, and you know this because you have experienced it repeatedly in your life. It will convince you to do things that will cause you harm, and then when you do those very things, it will berate you endlessly for being such a fool. If it tells you you are great, it’s because someone else is terrible. If it tells you you are terrible, it’s because someone else is great. No one wins when in the company of this phantom self!
Ultimately, the ego rules with its scepter of fear. It uses brutal intimidation tactics to convince you that you can’t do anything that you truly want to do. It serves you a non-stop diet of horrible images about yourself and others to convince you to stay in your place and not change anything about your life.
We, as a human species, have gotten so used to these endless intimidation tactics that we actually think it is normal. We think it is us just being ourselves. Nothing could be further from the truth!
What to do about the ego
The first thing to do about the ego is to step away from it and see it for what it is. Recognize its incessantly negative “talk” in your head and refuse to listen to it anymore. Stop giving it equal time and credibility.
Next, you should spend more time listening to your heart. The human heart has been so buried under the crushing intimidation of the fear-based ego, that many people don’t even know that they have a heart anymore. It is not at all uncommon for a person to say they have no idea where their heart is!
Look at all of this in a very simple way. Your heart, which reflects your true self, always speaks from love. The ego, which is a manifestation of a phantom self that purports where God is not, always speaks from fear.
If you start from this simple recognition, you can begin to place more emphasis on your heart, and less emphasis on the fear-based ego. You can start exercising real discernment in your life, and begin to heal your consciousness from the ravaging effects of the ego’s insanity.
You carry the natural antidote to the ego right inside of yourself. It is the divine love of God which always exists in your heart. That love has endless patience, and just waits for you to connect and listen to all the answers you could ever want. No matter what you have been through, or what you have done, that love awaits you with healing and kindness. Go there and begin to heal. Go there and feel the peace of a world that is whole. Let it make you whole again.
Do you get tired of the negative thoughts that are generated by the ego? What would your life be like if you listened to the love in your heart instead? Share your thoughts with me in the comments below!
thank you for the egoic overview i spent 5 6 weeks in peace state thoughtlessness the ego is conceptulized thought which can only vibe at 499 as put out by david hawkins 500 being love a state of blank velvet no thingness not a concept but a state called beingness of love i got there by sound music must be high minded and beautiful must be tuning forks and adult colouring books ego is noise of the nervous system trying to run our lifes its scary they mean you harm love is fluff on and on the colouring book worked because it capitvated me fully at that time it could be knitting singing on on tuning forks are made of alummi not steel steel does not offer overtones a course in miracles says ego can only sustain in a space of tolerance and i guess i can get a break from it for a while in this forward moving spiral dance and thats worth it that state is silent and thoughtless i want to be there again haha and the ego be encompassed by the greater whole in which it be quiet wellbehaved for 5 6 weeks thank you saratoga i really find you of great clarity which is a god goddess sent love and clarity mikkala
I’m glad this was helpful for you, mikkala. I definitely like what A Course in Miracles says about the ego. It’s pretty straightforward. I like to think of peace as being a state where we are not necessarily “thoughtless”, but rather are more attuned to our higher intelligence. Our higher intelligence perceives and generates thought that is in harmony with Love and the natural universe. Therefore it doesn’t feel like the static, disharmonious energy of the ego. Instead, it blends beautifully with our higher self and the natural harmony of our beings, so it is not disruptive to our lives. Instead, it empowers us.
The adult coloring books you mention are a great idea for quieting the annoying ego and bringing our consciousness back into a state of wholeness. And I agree that knitting and other similar activities can do the same. I think this is one of the benefits of engaging with the arts and with nature. It definitely quiets the thinking, talking mind.
It is my fervent wish that every being on this planet would connect with their hearts and ignore that voice in their heads. I pray for this every morning in meditation. If every being chose their hearts, how long would it take to turn this world around. I would bet it would be super fast. I pray for that day.
Thank you Saratoga for this wonderful blog.
Yes, I agree. If everyone did that, it would be amazing. I think the best thing we can do is to start with ourselves. 🙂
Oh yeah, I get tired of the ego’s negative thoughts. Some days, I roll my eyes so much, I have to be careful my eyes don’t get stuck in the back of my head. I’m just glad I stopped banging my head on the desk years ago, or I’d have serious issues these days. (Okay, I never REALLY banged my head on the desk, but some days …) 🙂
Seriously, though. Trying to make the ego a friend? I can’t imagine a greater state of insanity. What is this, some weird kind of Stockholm syndrome? I mean really! The amount of devastation and suffering this thing causes throughout the world is beyond preposterous. To see this, all you have to do is look at what goes on across the Earth on any given day. These kinds of things have been going on all the way back to the beginning of time, all across this universe!
And then there’s the heart. From which only comes love and beauty. From which comes inspiration and a connection to the most loving and profound feelings and experiences imaginable. From which comes utter peace and fulfillment.
Why is this even a question?
Well, Avalon, I have to say I agree that this doesn’t make any sense. I know I’m not the first one to say this (I think Eckhart Tolle and A Course in Miracles also indicate this), but believing that you are your ego and following it as though it’s real, is a bizarre form of insanity. Yet, this is where we find ourselves here on planet Earth.
Anyway, it’s great to have a sense of humor about it! I think that actually helps us to begin disengaging from it because we start by not taking it so seriously. 🙂
Saratoga, I love the picture that you have chosen of the little angelic-looking girl just above your words “Your real self…expresses through the heart.” Her sweet smile and gentle presence express beautifully a feeling that she is at peace within herself. That’s a state of being that I am trying to hold within myself.
Your words always ring true but this simple image transports your message much, much deeper. It opens my heart with a smile and helps me to “lighten up”. Thank you.
I’m so glad you like this image, Marianne. I had a similar feeling about it. Sometimes it’s true that pictures speak louder than words 🙂
Very usefull and important article. I feel that we came to this planet at first to experience the roughness of ego and then discover our true self helping others to do the same. Thank you!
Well, I certainly agree with you, Ana, that the ego is very rough indeed. And it is certainly not good for our souls.
But you are very right that we can experience so much of our true selves by helping others to realize such things. I think that living a life’s purpose of service to Earth’s evolution actually encourages our true self to come forward. It’s very magnetic to try and help others to know the truth about themselves because only our real self can speak from that truth authentically.
Dear Saratoga, if it’s ok for you I would like to translate your article in Italian and share it with people I know. Of course, I’m going to share your information so that those people that speak English can follow you. I find your articles very deep and very in tune with my inner self. I recently found my soul mission in helping others evolve, and guiding people to get to know their true self and recognize the evilness of ego is a big part of my work. So if you allow me to share your article I would be very gratefull because I find it very well written for many people to understand. I’m looking forward to hearing from you soon. Ana
Hi Ana – I love your description of your soul mission. That sounds so wonderful and so needed in this world.
Obviously, I saw your request on Facebook to translate this blog post before I saw it here. Now that we are connecting via email about this, I’m sure we can work something out soon. Thank you so much for asking. You are very sweet! 🙂
Oh and if yes, can I use the same images you used or are they protected by copyright? Thanks
Hi again, Ana. I have to find out about the images because I have a license to use them in a certain way. And yes, they are protected. I’ll be in touch soon! <3
Thankyou so much for your beautiful message I must say I have had many ego thoughts I did wonder why one minute I was positive and the next negative .It’s about a man who I know in my heart that I do care and love however I’ve had so many mixed messages that I really don’t know the truth anymore.We havent seen each other for a long time So now after waiting five months I have wished this person love and happiness in his life I’ve sent him loving thoughts I feel at this point it’s time now to move on I’m not running away I decided to move away in the next six months I love to read your message your such a inspiration thankyou
Veronica, it sounds to me like you are handling this situation very well. It doesn’t sound to me like you are running away, but just letting go so that you can move on in your life. That sounds very positive to me.
I’m so glad you enjoy these messages. I’m sending you love and blessings for a wonderful new freshness in your life ahead. And lots of happiness! 🙂
Hello Saratoga:
I just completed reading your latest book A Guide for Lightworkers by Archangel Michael. I enjoyed it from cover to cover. I could not read it fast enough. Now that I have made it to the end, I must start over again and absorb every last detail.
You speak at great lengths in this book about the ego. To be honest I never gave my “ego” much thought, but I have always been intensely aware of a voice in my head which I referred to as my “personal critic”. I suspect these two aspects are one and the same. They seem equally destructive and insidious in their approach.
It feels very satisfying to have validated for me something I have known since childhood. There is something really wrong with the way the world functions. In modern day language one might say this whole thing we have been living for eons is nothing short of a “scam”. It feels so perfect to say that. But one cannot stop here. I have to learn how to move out of the scam, to live with awareness of the scam, to live from the truth, from my heart, from love. There is a lot of focus needed here. And to pray …. not to a God …. but as a God. Wow!
As I read your words, my heart says “Yes! Yes! and “Yes”. So delicious!
I was hoping to read more feedback from other readers of your book, but it is likely I am on the wrong page, or forum or whatever. Perhaps you could redirect me.
In the meantime, thank you from my heart, for putting into words what I so needed to hear.
With Gratitude, Mary
Mary, I am truly thrilled that you enjoyed my new book! And you know, I really like your idea of some kind of forum for people to share their ideas and experiences around what Archangel Michael and myself wrote about. That would be great! I will have to give that some thought.
In the meantime, perhaps I’ll put a post on my Facebook page to invite people to do this. (Of course the only problem with Facebook is that they only show a tiny percentage of a page’s posts in people’s newsfeeds, so I’m not sure how many people would see it.)
In the meantime, are you on my mailing list to receive emails? If I come up with a more permanent solution, I would likely notify people there.
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts about the book. I truly appreciate it. I totally agree that reading it over again is great. I have done this several times myself already since it was finished, and I don’t have to worry about the publishing process anymore. I find that the experience does not diminish at all no matter how many times you read it. I actually find it to be almost like a meditation experience – it really changes your vibration each time you read. Again, I’m glad you shared your experience here.
I’m sending you much love, and many blessings 🙂
Thank You So much for this inspiring article piece. There is a saying, “He who awakes early is aware of much.” The same could be said about the conscious mind and ego.