Theory Ego[]
Introduction[]
The purpose of this short paper is to inform the reader of what their ego is, the difference between their ego and themselves, and teaches one how to separate themselves from their ego. This paper is inspired by a good friend of mine who had many questions concerning this very topic. I decided to take the log of my response to him and transform it into an article format.
The Aspects of Oneself[]
A person has many aspects of themselves. For the purpose of keeping this simple, and to help the reader to understand and comprehend the importance of this article, I will only focus on two aspects that make up their collective. One is known as "ego" and the other is known as "soul". What is this ego though? The ego can be defined as the material and worldly aspect of yourself. Herein I will list a few common definitions found on the web detailing what the ego is....
Ego[]
1. An exaggerated opinion of your own importance 2. An inflated feeling of pride in your superiority to others 3. A conceited and self-centered person 4. Characteristic of those having an inflated idea of their own importance 5. Characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
Ill stop here but I think you can grasp the general idea of what the ego is. Now your ego is not the real you. Its the materialistic worldly aspect of yourself. The ego is your body and your mind, which includes thoughts and their resulting emotions.
Your soul may be defined as the immaterial part of oneself. Your soul is the real you, inhabiting this body. It is your consciousness, your awareness. The part of you that is aware of your existences, aware of your thoughts, your body etc. The soul itself is just the part of you observing. It is NOT the part that makes judgments such as, "I can do this", "I can't do that", "This is good", "That is bad." etc. That is just your ego, part of your minds thoughts. That is just your brain. Your soul is just the part of you that is aware that you have these thoughts.
I Can't Do This![]
So, some people will say, "But Sy, I can't meditate, it's too hard." *sighs* It is your mind... you see? If you can't control it then how are you going to do psionics or any other magical practice? Think of your ego as a little untrained horse. It just runs around and does whatever because you haven't trained it to obey you, the soul. You are the one in control, not the ego. And this is where you need to make the separation. You are not your ego, you are not your body, you are not your thoughts, you are not your emotions. You are aware that you have them, but you are not them and therefore you are not controlled by them.
For example... and this could be anything, but here is an example. Let's say you have trouble visualizing your energy shape into a psi ball. Well... maybe your brain is thinking, "I can't do this." "This is hard." "I can't see a sphere in my mind." This is where you are letting that little horse have it's way. You need to step in and train it right there. The way you do that is like this. First... you need to sort of step out of your ego, and into your soul. Thus, observing your thoughts/feelings. So as you meditate or relax, then mentally go into the back of your head and observe your thoughts. Don't judge them, because then it's not really you the soul. Just watch them, you aren't there to be a critic. So just observe your thoughts, and the feelings that result from each particular thought.
I Am In Control[]
You need to come to the point where you realize, that your thoughts do not control you. It is your mind, you control it. If you haven't trained it properly, it will be like a disobedient child. So if you think something like, "I am losing control." Just stop your mind right there and say something like, "Wait...". And then replace that negative thought with one that you choose. This is pretty much how you detach, just be the observer of your ego, step into the soul the real you. You are in control, sometimes though, our minds misbehave because we have neglected to train them. Kind of like a kid, or a horse. One important thing you need to do while doing this, is to breathe deeply into your stomach and relax all of your muscles. Don't breathe into the chest, always breathe deeply and into the stomach. That will help you get out of the ego and into your soul.
The point of breathing into your stomach is that, when we normally breath into our chest, we do not fill our lungs totally, which doesn't give us our full supply of oxygen. It only fills the top section of our lungs, the mid and lower section doesn't receive as much. Breathing in through the lower stomach section allows us to take in more air and oxygen which promotes further relaxation and blood flow. By breathing deeply into your stomach(not too deep but what feels comfortable and not straining), you will also notice that your mid section and part of your chest if not all, will fill as well. There is a technique that is taught and known as, the Yogi Complete Breath. The Yogi Complete Breath utilizes the teachings of low-breathing(breathing in through the stomach), mid-breathing(the middle section of our lungs), and high- breathing(inhaling air into our chest), bringing into use the entire respiratory apparatus(your lungs).
I personally find that such precise breathing exercises are not really my forte and I would rather breathe in the way I am comfortable with and what works best for me instead. This is in no way discrediting or shunning Yoga, or exercises such as the Yogi Complete Breath, I simply find that my way works better for me.
When learning to detach and navigate your own mind, you will find that you are also able to choose your thoughts. It might be hard at first if your mind is untrained, but after a while it will become very obedient to your will. This is probably the reason alot of people suck at psionics. They aren't aware of this, and go around as if they are slaves to their own mind/emotions. They act like they have no control over this. They act like victims to their own mind. If you ever feel depressed, stressed out, happy, sad, good, bad. Remember you are choosing to feel that way. What you feel is a result of what you are thinking. It is completely your choice.
To me, this is pretty much the basics of everything psionic. All energy working is based on control over your own mind and intents. So if you do or don't like something about your life, its probably your responsibility and your choices that got you there. If your spells/constructs fail, again that is your own responsibility. If you want to have a failure/success mindset and thought patterns, it is entirely your choice. It's your choice what you want to do.
Conclusion[]
I have come across few articles or papers that touch on this subject, and unfortunately many practitioners go throughout their paths not learning or acknowledging this fundamental lesson. It is my hope that the reader has been able to get something out of this paper which will assist them in their spiritual journey in whichever path it is they are on.
About this Article[]
General Psionics: Theory (Ego) - Beginners (By: Castiel)