Over the 35 years I have studied and taught A Course In Miracles, I have had many people ask me questions about the ego. Here are a few common ones:
What is the ego?
The ego is the belief in separation. This belief is literally insane (you are not in your right mind), and impossible. If you were separate from God and other people, you wouldn’t exist. You hurt yourself and others with this belief, and it’s not even real.
The truth is that we are ALL special in the eyes of God or Love, no greater or lesser than one another. (To me, God is Love. These words are synonymous.)
How do you know when you are in your ego?
- You let fear dominate and control your life. In fact, anytime you react out of fear, you are in your ego. There is only love and fear; all other emotions stem from these two. (Of course, there are times you need fear to stop you from hurting yourself and others.)
- You compare yourself to others, whether you try to set yourself up as better than them, or you believe you are lesser than them.
- You try to figure out other people and their motives for why they do what they do.
- You try to control other people and their lives.
- You try to figure out your own dilemmas and problems, instead of asking the universe, God, and your Guides for guidance and help.
- You need to be right.
- You believe that what you do to other people, whether it is loving or hurtful, doesn’t affect you. It does. They are your mirrors.
The ego has creative and endless amounts of ways it tries to prove to you that you are separate, and therefore special, from everyone and everything. It is very clever about this. It may seem rational, but it never is. The ego can be very confusing, and makes no sense!
How do you know when you are NOT in your ego?
This one is simple: When you turn any situation or relationship over the Holy Spirit. The Course tells us that the first person to remember to do this is the most sane, or in their right mind.
Your true Self is Love and so much more brilliant than your ego can ever devise and try to make you think you are.
Remember that you are never alone, and you are never healed alone.
Let go, and just BE. Allow your love to shine through,
And live your passion.
Maren Nelson
