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I have been observing recently how my ego always seems to get what it wants.
No matter how bad its advice, and how much I know I shouldn’t, I end up following it.
Maybe it’s just me, but the more aware I become of my ego and of just how untrustworthy it is, the more I notice how powerless I often am to resist it.
The ego is smart: it makes sure to offer us something we want in return for maintaining control over our energy and life force.
Of all the bad habits I keep, and for all the ones I succeed in quitting, there’s one that rules over all the rest. Habitus Rex: the spell of the mind. It’s when I let the mind tell me how I feel and what’s real.
The mind – when put in blind service of the ego or false self – is the petty tyrant that rules over our perceptions.
How am I measuring up? Am I happy or fulfilled? If not, why not?
The ego-mind’s policy is simple but endlessly adaptive. Divide and conquer. Problem. Reaction. Solution.
Ego-Mind to Self: You’re unhappy!
Self: Oh no! Why am I so unhappy?
Ego-Mind: You’re doing it all wrong!
Self: Oh no! What can I do?!
Ego-Mind: Don’t worry. I will save you. Just do exactly what I tell you to do.
Like a corrupt government system or a bored despot, what the mind tells us to do is, as often as not, exactly what we shouldn’t be doing. Whatever will sap us of energy, keep us locked inside robotic patterns of behavior, and ensure our unhappiness continues ~ this is what the mind prescribes for us in order to keep us dependent on it.
Like the government makes us pay taxes so it can enforce the laws that keep us enslaved, the Ego-Mind’s support program is a protection racket. Underneath its endless solicitations and promises is a baseline of “Or else.” Listen to your mind (obey the rules of the system) or else: you will wind up destitute, abandoned, helpless, homeless, loveless, and out in the cold.
But is this really true? And if not, what’s the alternative to following our mind’s dictation?
To answer this question, with your help, I will be hosting an online video meet-up, this Sunday at 10 am PST/1 pm EST/6 pm GMT.
If you are interested, just make a donation of any amount in the side bar of the home page of this site. Be sure to mention what it’s for and include a working email address, and I will email you the details.
Are you going to post the video meet-up ? Was Marla Singer there ? That fraud ! How dare she show up for the meeting ! ?
Funny, as I already made FC jokes in the email lead-up (where you watching?) and the original invite was sent, unaware, on Sept 11.
The recording (audio only) of the meet won’t be made public, I don’t think, tho it may be available to new, urm, subscribers (ie, who attend future meet-ups).
No, wasn’t watching. Just remembered that you met her. Where’s the sign-up dongle ? I get bored pretty quick at these things as too many people are looking merely to belong agreeably and mirror what they sense is the party line. Tribal clustering is prob embedded in us to heighten survivability potential ?
Terror, Love and Brainwashing by Alexandra Stein. Have her on. Not sure if you’re still into the hard core stuff. Fairly no nonsense….
Are you definitely going to do another one? I was very disappointed to see I missed this one. I can’t say I was overly disappointed because I was in Playa de Carmen Mexico!
Whether there will be more live meet-ups depends on whether there’s enough interest. There’s one penciled in for Sunday Oct 1. If interested, apply here: https://auticulture.com/community/auticulture-questionnaire/ (Answer all questions, please. Those who’ve already filled out this questionnaire can just email me.)
I think I’ve been to that playa….
Jasun… You are using terms, “self” and “ego” from the Freudian-Jungian Model of the Psyche. The self is part of the unconscious mind, and therefore the dialogue you posted with the self talking to the ego is, in reality, the ego just imagining what the self would say if it were conscious. In other words, you are having the ego play pretend games with itself. Do you agree?
To say that “the self is part of the unconscious mind” is inaccurate. Refer back to your Jung collection (which i suspect you don’t have).
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