“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”—E.E. Cummings
Many of us hide under a veil where we reveal only some of ourselves to the world as we yield the rest to the expectations of others…it takes courage to remove the veil and step out into the world as who we really are. Those of us who choose to remain veiled choose a life that is, ultimately, under-lived. The veil of ego is what ties us to it.
For me, ego is the same as resistance, or the building of walls. Walls can exist anywhere, at any time. Anything that blocks us from the trueness of who and what we are, is ego. Ego is a reflection of that trueness, it’s equal and opposite and without one, we wouldn’t know the other. Ego, therefore, is not to be rejected or eliminated. It’s absolutely essential for our existence here as it allows us to accomplish what we came here to do, which is to grow into the Love we are in our very essence.
We’re all trying to accomplish that, in different ways and to varying degrees. All of us are on this meandering path to our bliss-state, our state of ideal being, whatever form that may take. For one person it’s through becoming a teacher, another a gambler, yet another it’s…fill-in-the-blank. The point is, it doesn’t matter how you get there. The journey along the way reveals more and more to us about who we are.
To make the choice NOT to do this or that because of the expectations of others is a choice made from the vantage point of ego. We tell ourselves it’s for the best that we do not follow our heart, or our bliss (as Joseph Campbell said). We believe it’s too hard, too risky, etc. The bottom line is, we lack the self-love it requires to step forth into our best life. The emphasis on self-love (i.e. whether we’re following our bliss) and this is a reflection of the present state of our ego. Now, ego can be very small, as in having the belief we don’t deserve what we desire. Ego can be very large, as in believing what we think is the only way to think. There are varying degrees of ego-presence based on the energies activated within us in any given moment. When we’re able to examine our emotional state and assess the amount of fear present in our perceptions and thoughts and felt in our physical body, that is equivalent to the amount of ego present and is a great way to gauge where we are in relationship to the amount of Love vibration activated in that moment.
Joseph Campbell has also said one reaches maturity when they become the initiator of their own life. This takes courage, intention of love over ego and embedded within that is love of the Self, above all. Being self-ish is not selfish, in the popular sense of the word. I highly encourage it!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day all, may you allow for all the love and good fortune of the universe to shine upon you today. xox
Krista Gorman, PA-C
