The Many Voices from Within: The Ego vs. the Sage

How can you distinguish the voice of the ego from that of the Sage? There are recurring themes, which tend to give the ego’s game away.

When you listen to your inner voice, simply ask yourself whether the intention behind it is Sage-like or ego-like. If it tries to tell you that you are the star, that is your inner silly twit speaking. Tell it to sit down and behave itself. But do it gently.

The best way to know the ego is to develop a close relationship with it. Befriend it. Remember, each time you judge yourself or deny parts of yourself, you retract from the unconditional love that is your birthright.

Take a look at the list below, and note the distinctions between ego and the Sage.

The Ego vs. the Sage

 
The Ego The Sage

Sees itself as the center of the universe, and tries to establish observers.


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Knows that he or she is part of a greater whole.

Insecure. Needs constant approval from others.

Knows himself or herself. Releases needs of approval from others.

Lives in a state of constant desire, in the past or future.

Lives within peace and presence.

Seeks control and power over situations and people. Pushes for outcomes.

Knows when to let go and listen to Spirit. Takes gentle action that honors all.

Runs from pain, uses it for attention and emotional leverage.

Takes responsibility for pain and allows a healthy expression of pain.

Blames and seeks revenge.

Uses anger responsibly, including as a spur to take appropriate action.

Death-denying. Seeks to maintain things as they are, or return to the past.

Permits change and transformation, understands all things are impermanent.

Intuitive Ways of Knowing

In contrast to the rational ways of knowing, intuitive ways of knowing are not well understood in modern cultures. If we define intuition as “subtle inner feelings that prompt us toward a certain perception, attitude, or action,” then intuition has more than one voice and various sources.

I divide intuition into two broad categories: mundane and mystical.

Mundane Intuition

Mundane intuition is the brain’s way of communicating information through subtle feelings. The data goes into the brain via the five senses, and then the mind-computer crunches it. The mind organizes the information all by itself, and we don’t have to think about it. The unconscious mind communicates its “understanding” to the conscious mind via subtle feelings — intuitions.

Mundane intuition is useful and real. The more conscious you are of the feelings prompted by mundane intuition, the greater will be your wisdom in any given situation.

Mystical Intuition

The Many Voices from Within: The Ego vs. the SageMystical intuition involves ESP. The positive expressions include guidance from spiritual guides (trustworthy spiritual entities), the inner Sage, the universal reservoir of information, and from memories preserved within the consciousness fields of places.

We all have spirit guides. Yours can give you information, which will help you through your life’s problems. It is not just one-way ­communication, though. The more you ask for help, the more assistance your guides will give you. You should cultivate your relationship with your guides. You do this by asking them questions, listening for their guidance, and then applying it to your life.

The second source of mystical intuition comes from your inner Sage. Your Sage will, from time to time, prompt you with feelings and intuitions to help you out. Again, you can cultivate the relationship with your Sage by detaching from the ego. It is also important to stop believing that your mind chatter is really “you.”

It is your higher self that will call you toward your bliss.

The universe contains a vast reservoir of recorded information, sometimes referred to as the Akashic Field, after the Hindu term. This information is the third kind of positive mystical intuition. The “memory” of past and present is at your disposal. However, your capacity to tap in to it depends upon your intuitive development, the state of your mind at any given time, and also on whether you are given permission to access the data. There is some data that is not permitted for ordinary human beings, or those not ready to see it.

The fourth kind of mystical intuition occurs when we receive a direct stream of information from the environment, including places and all of nature (plants and animals, Gaia and cosmos). Every place we enter contains information about its history at a psychic level. Places have memories.

“Negative” Mystical Intuition

Simply because you have a gut feeling, a vision, or a voice tells you something, it doesn’t make it the word of God. Mystical intuitions can become distorted by negative influences, and some of them simply come from the bad guys.

The first and most common cause of distortion comes from the mental projections of other people. Your mind is being constantly bombarded with the thoughts and emotional energies of others.

If you are planning to relocate to another country, for example, your mother’s abandonment issues may get triggered. She may send you a stream of manipulative psychic energy to try to “dissuade” you from going. These projections are often completely unconscious, and people would be shocked if they knew how destructive their mental ­projections often are.

You are also influenced by the collective energy fields around you. Collective consciousness fields incorporate all groups, from small gatherings of people, right through to the collective energy of humanity. The longer a group has been together, and the stronger their emotional bond, the more powerful is the field of connectivity. For example, with the downturn in the world’s economic system at the time of the writing of this book, great psychic pressures have been placed on all of us. These relate to our beliefs about money and lack of abundance.

Ideally, the leaders of this world could take preventive measures during difficult times to ensure that they don’t get caught up in collective darkness.

©2012 by Marcus T. Anthony. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission of the publisher,
 Inner Traditions Inc. www.innertraditions.com

Article Source

Discover Your Soul Template: 14 Steps for Awakening Integrated Intelligence -- by Marcus T. Anthony.Discover Your Soul Template: 14 Steps for Awakening Integrated Intelligence
by Marcus T. Anthony.

Providing 14 easy-to-use spiritual tools to activate your integrated intelligence - your innate capacity, often experienced as “intuition” - Marcus Anthony shows you how to tap in to the wisdom of your soul template, distinguish the voice of ego from the voice of your inner sage, and strengthen your intuition to profound levels, thereby developing a trusted inner source of guidance.

Click here for more info or to order this book on Amazon.

About the Author

Marcus T. Anthony, Ph.D. author of Discover Your Soul TemplateMarcus T. Anthony, Ph.D., is a futurist seeking to deepen our understanding of the future beyond economics and technology into such areas as philosophy, psychology, and spirituality. The director of MindFutures, he is a member of World Futures Studies Federation and the Darwin Project Council. In recent years Dr. Anthony has become a prolific writer. He has published the academic book Integrated Intelligence, and the more layman-friendly Discover Your Soul Template, as well as Extraordinary Mind. He has penned scores of academic articles, and numerous internet features. Visit his blog: www.mind-futures.com/blog and web site: www.mind-futures.com