Transcending the Ego
This summer has been the summer of intense experiences. Intensely challenging experiences in some ways, which have led to intensely ecstatic experiences.
I’m running four to five miles at a time while going at a faster pace than I’ve been used to. I’m at the dentist’s office, in excruciating pain- for hours. I’m lying on a table, getting needles repeatedly stuck into me. For hours. On skin this is inflamed and red already. (Yes, I am getting a new tattoo. I am not THAT much of a masochist.) 😉
We all find ourselves in extremely challenging circumstances at certain times in our lives. My life just tends to be UNUSUALLY exciting. I’m that kinda person. Perhaps you are too. Either way, you KNOW what I’m talking about.
And predictably, for most of us, when we’re experiencing some kind of physical and/or emotional pain, the first thing that happens is our ego kicks into high gear. It starts saying things like: “This isn’t worth it. Something is terribly wrong. This sucks. You don’t have to put up with this. Just give up.” Next thing we know, our pain has turned to suffering. In extreme situations, the ego says: “*uck this sh*t. Just kill yourself.”
Remember, the ego is the part of us that is here to protect us, to keep us “safe”. It can come in handy sometimes, for sure. However, the question is this: is safe ALWAYS better?
If my ego were in charge, I’d have given up the jogging long ago. If my ego were in charge, I wouldn’t have given a Sacred Yoni Massage workshop earlier this summer. Damn, I wouldn’t be doing this work at all! If my ego were in charge, I wouldn’t be getting a huge-ass tattoo on my back because, well, it effing hurts. Frankly, if my ego were in charge there’s not a lot I WOULD be doing besides sitting on my couch being scared until one day “they” would come and kick me out of my house because the bank got sick of me not paying my mortgage.
Having an ego is part of the deal of being a human being. When we made the choice to come here this time around, we made the choice to have an ego. I know that I am not capable of getting rid of it as long as I am here. And, as much as I’d love to sometimes, I wouldn’t want to get rid of it. This is the experience of being human on planet earth- for a reason. Our ego does keep us safe, sometimes for real. And I don’t think there’s any arguing the point that it can be really AMAZING having a body sometimes! (It’s a package deal here on Earth.)
I/we can, however, tone that ego down a bit. We can even choose to transcend it when life calls for that.
How, you ask? Here are a few steps and ideas for you:
1. Recognize that your ego is attempting to take over the steering wheel of your mind.
2. Make a choice to say no, as politely as possible, to your ego. Say to it something along these lines: “Look, I know you’re really freaking out right now. You don’t like ‘x’ and you’re trying to keep me safe. And I appreciate that, I really do. I also know that we are okay. And that we can get through this.”
3. Recognize that you are more than just your ego. You are also a divine being. There is no separating you from that which some call God. You are God/dess with a body and an ego.
4. Remember that ALL of this is nothing more than a persistent illusion, albeit a VERY real-seeming one at times. To the point of being downright pesky, I’d say. 😛
5. Choose how you want to create the experience of actually feeling okay, even great, even WHILE you’re in what you perceive to be an unwanted situation. For example, you can do what I do when I’m running, and tired, and want to stop, and my ego is screaming at me. You can breathe in and take energy up from the Earth. You can draw in anything you want and need from Mother Earth. She is the same thing you are. Difference is, she never forgets. Take in that life force energy. You can meditate and remember who you are. You can do tantric breathing to the brink or point of “breathgasm”. There are countless things we can choose to do instead when we are suffering. You may have some favorites of your own that are not listed here.
6. DO it.
Life really doesn’t suck, even when it seems like it does. When we start thinking it does, it’s a sign our egos are trying to wrench that steering wheel out of our hands again. Just say no.