November 22: Day 145

STONE EIGHT CONTINUED
 
Release: After experiencing all feelings, I release any emotions I deem harmful to my spiritual path.

Instruction: Release ego thoughts.

Perhaps there is a way to train the ego to think in right ways and not in directions that are selfish or self-destructive. I would like to think that it’s possible for the ego to be used in positive ways. Since we have egos, hopefully they can serve a useful purpose. Until we have trained our egos to benefit us instead of making our lives more complicated, it is wise to treat the ego the way we treat our emotions and thoughts. We acknowledge ego thoughts, examine them, and then step back and decide if the thought works for our best interests or against them. I like this quote from A Course in Miracles concerning the ego:

Today we let no ego thoughts direct our words or actions. When such thoughts occur, we quietly step back and look at them, and then we let them go. We do not want what they would bring with them. And so we do not choose to keep them.[1]

Dismissing ego thoughts is a good practice that can help us release unwanted thoughts and emotions, and again it’s not a matter of repressing them but releasing them. When the ego says, I am more important, or I deserve — we can step back, examine the thought, and correct it by reminding ourselves that everyone is divinely created and all are equally important. The ego thought will float away, but we know that it might (and probably will) return again, perhaps in a slightly different expression, and that we can dismiss it every time it returns.

If we have trained our egos to respond in positive ways, we can examine the thought and accept it. Perhaps someone belittles us for something we said or did, and the ego says to us, You are divinely created, worthy of love and acceptance just like everyone else. We can accept this thought and let it soothe us. We can move forward from there and extend grace to the one who injured us even though our initial reaction might be to retaliate in kind. We feel the pain, and we examine the thoughts of retaliation and we decide if they will serve our best interests. Then, we can release them if we decide they will not work for us, and we can choose a different thought instead.

When trying to look at our ego and how it helps or hinders us, perhaps it might help to observe (without trying to judge) someone you know who has an ego that seems overly strong, people who boasts of their accomplishments. Then observe (again without trying to judge) someone who seems to have a weak ego and thinks they are worthless. Where do you relate to those two individuals? Somewhere in the middle or more to one side? What does a healthy ego look like? Perhaps the person who knows their importance, but also the importance of everyone else, has a more balanced ego that can work for them and not against them.
 

[1] Schucman, Dr. Helen (Scribe) (2008-08-01). A Course in Miracles (Kindle Locations 17412-17414). Foundation for Inner Peace. Kindle Edition.