How to Get the Ego Out of It's Comfort Zone
Posted: Friday, November 27, 2009
by Tony Brussat
http://qualiadelic.com
The ego, as Eckhart Tolle describes it, is like a defense mechanism gone out of control, which eventually imperils our personal growth. Conscious Ritualing provides us with a safe way to lure the ego out of it's comfort zone, so that we can accomplish more with our lives.
In early childhood the baby begins to imitate the objects of its desires. By smiling, for instance, the baby becomes like its mother. When this happens, some of the powerful energy directed toward the mother becomes diverted into this new part of its consciousness, which we call the ego.
The ego becomes quite adept at moderating this instinctual energy, even at older ages, when the child pushes the boundaries of "right and wrong." At this time the ego identifies with the moral code of the community as well, further diverting and capturing the instinctual energies for itself.
(Of course, these instinctual energies and desires are known by the Freudians as the "id," and the moral code of the parents and the community is labeled the "superego." The ego's ability to become like and to fantasize about the objects of the id's desires is known as "identification." It is simpler to sum it all up, like Tolle, under the name "ego.")
And then we grow up, and in the process we encounter crises of various sorts which the ego cannot fathom. Crises in our relationships, in our sense of who we are, and in our obligations to the communities in which we live and participate. When this happens we are visited, usually in our dreams, by what Freud's student, Carl Jung, called Archetypes.
Archetypes are symbolic instincts, instincts that have helped human beings through similar crises throughout our history. Alas, the ego resists this form of instinctual energy.
The simple framework of ritual, however, invites the ego to play with the archetypes. Conscious ritualing allows these critical, unconscious instincts to express themselves in a safe manner. The ego, rather than becoming defensive and fearful, will find itself acting out with controlled spontaneity, enjoying itself, and opening up to the greater wisdom of the collective unconscious.
It is as if we have come full circle. We began with instinctual energy, which was progressively controlled by the ego and the community. Such control, while necessary, can eventually become harmful especially when the community itself is not healthy. But then we are presented with the possibility of a savior in the form of a new instinctual energy.
The new energy is symbolic, intuitive, insightful it is qualiadelic, which comes to like manna from heaven. But it is also living inside of us; it is the living ideas, such as the ego itself, that reside in our brains and that make up our human consciousness.
Tony Brussat has a Master's degree in Rhetoric and Communication, and he is currently a Registered Nurse in the field of Behavioral Health. Purchase BE QUALIADELIC for $9.95 to learn more about Conscious Ritualing. Visit qualiadelic.com
This Article has been viewed 694 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (0 total)No comments yet.
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.