The concept of the Ego - the psychic structure of self-identifications, beliefs, desires and personifications is recognised as the basis of our psychocosm. A curious misconception has arisen that the Ego is a barrier to magical development - that it is somehow to be taken down or destroyed before one can advance 'spiritually'. To some, it seems that while 'Western development' builds up the ego, 'Eastern approaches' aim at ego-transcendence. There is much dicussion of the 'higher self' which appears after the ego has been transcended - this is a common theme in so-called 'New Age' thought. The psyche however, is not a static entity, and this kind of 'ego vs higher self' thinking is a carry-over of the rationalistic mind-body division. Attempts to get rid of the ego can easily result in one-sided development, fostering both self-importance and a 'holier-than-thou' attitude. Avoiding the so-called 'dark' aspect of human desire results in a shallow caricature of human potentiality, a blandness which avoids plumbing the depths of the psyche. Clarity of thought, insight, and struggle are glossed over with a sugar-coating of bliss.
To work with one's ego is to begin an inner alchemy, the aim of which is not to 'destroy' or 'transcend' it, but to move from a state of fixation (ego-centric) to a condition of mutability (Exo-centric), which is capable of constant revision and change. This is what is meant by the phrase 'letting go', and of dissolving the idea of mind as separate to the world. The Ego remains as a point of 'I-ness' which gives meaning to experience, yet the contents of the psyche become much more fluid.
In one sense, it is the ego which roots us in space-time - the psychic equivalent of having a sense of place, of occupying a particular set of co-ordinates. The majority of our experience of reality is at the level of objects, bodies and events that appear to be temporally separate. We experience ourselves as centres of will, perception, and ego...read more...
