Ego Versus SOUL

Ego versus Soul by Aine Belton

Below are 9 Ego-Soul distinctions. These are listed for enhancing awareness – don’t fall into the trap of judging yourself or feeling guilty about your ego traits, that’ll be your ego 

Your ego is as invested in making your feel ‘less than’ as it is in making your feel ‘better than’ – anything to keep you from love and the wholeness and acceptance it grants. Love essentially equals death of the ego, so understandably, the ego resists it.

You are loved, loving and loveable, ever and always.”

Before listing 9 Ego versus Soul traits, I first share 9 Graces of Consciousness that can help you move from ego to love.

9 Graces of Consciousness

1) Love, an obvious first, will always disengage ego. Judgment, guilt, control, etc., cannot exist when you are immersed in the energy of love. The reason the other below 8 ‘graces’ work also is because they are catalysts for opening to love or help you let go of what is standing in the way of that love.

The answer is always love; love for yourself, others and the world.”

2) Gratitude opens your heart, raises your energy, and focuses your attention on what you love and appreciate in your life. This melts away ego perspectives and invites in love.

Gratitude is the sweet fragrance of an opening heart.”

3) Forgiveness of self and others (which are always related, and outer projected judgments can be your hidden denied self-judgments), will free you from darker emotions and thoughts such as many in the ego versus soul list below, and relinquishes ego agendas like judgment, blame, resentment, etc., returning you to love.

Forgiveness sets you free, and opens the door to love’s eternity.”

4) Joy is an instant and effortless energy up-lifter, brings you fully into the present, and connects you with the inherent goodness of you, others and life. The ego cannot exist in laughter, for example. It simply has no foothold in that space of high energy. Light-heartedness and seeing the funny side of life, people, situations and yourself can help to move from ego to your true joyful self. After a good laugh problems can disappear, you can wonder why certain things ever bothered you, and you are filled again with just how wonderful life is.

Today is always the best day for having fun!”

5) Meditation positively transforms your state of being and quells the ego through calming the ‘monkey mind’ and looping repetitive thoughts, and creating the space for higher energy and perspectives to dawn, your heart to open and your soul to connect more closely with you. It will literally alter your brain frequencies physiologically that enable deeper states which are more receptive and aligned to your Higher Self. There are a lot of different kinds of meditation practices, choose any you most enjoy or resonate with. Even just some moments in quiet stillness can be of help, perhaps slowing your breathing, listening to relaxing music, spending time in nature, etc.

When you feel the rapture of bliss, you are deeply connected to your highest self.”

6) Acceptance of self/others and life is like taking a huge releasing sigh, and a powerful step in letting go of any ego state and challenging life situations.

Take a moment to accept yourself, life and others, just as you/it/they are.”

7) Feeling your feelings helps you to release them and is a way of being honest, honouring and intimate with yourself. I’m not talking about wallowing or over-indulging in negative states (i.e. nip that pity in the bud), but more allowing your emotions to be felt and in that expressed, so they can move through rather than get repressed. The ego can use emotions like anger, pain, jealousy, hurt, to loop dark stories in your mind that keep you from the truth, feeding lies about yourself, others, and life in a way that keeps you from love. Constricting emotions can in themselves cloud and separate you from love’s presence.

Give yourself permission to feel, feelings are what make you real.”

8) Oneness perspectives and an awareness that at a fundamental level we are all connected can do wonders for helping us move from ego to love. 

You are both the sky and the one who looks at the sky.”

9) Empathy and compassion, putting yourself in another’s shoes, engaging your care and seeking understanding help to move you from ego to your love in empowering ways, and dissolves traps like blame, judgment, fear, defensiveness, etc.

Behind everyone’s eyes there’s a child somewhere inside, always be kind.”

EGO Versus SOUL – 9 Dichotomies 

Judgment ~ Love and compassion (for self and others)

Separation ~ Joining

Blame/victimhood ~ Responsibility

Criticism ~ Compassion and understanding

Resentment ~ Forgiveness

Control ~ Love, trust, receiving/allowing

Jealousy ~ Self-Love, self-acceptance and self-value

Feeling ‘better than’ or ‘less than’~ Self-Love and acceptance

Fear ~ Love and trust