The Crisis of Ego and the Promise of Soul

“It is no measure of health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” —Jiddu Krishnamurti

Maria and I had an email exchange recently about how to navigate these times, where everyone is looking for normality yet life as we know it is not the same. To find our way, we must step into a larger spiritual perspective—one that understands that at this time, life is ushering in a new humanity. We are birthing a new consciousness, and each of us is simultaneously in labor, the midwife, and the new baby itself. For the delivery to be successful, we must go deeper into the two aspects that live within each of us: the ego and the soul.

The ego is the image we construct of ourselves; the beliefs, needs, roles, and possessions we identify with in the world. The ego is concerned with self-preservation, success, and survival. It knows fear, competition, and scarcity. It sees us as separate from all other beings and the earth itself.

In contrast, the soul is the aspect of us that is eternal, inherently wise, and loving. It knows peace, joy, and gratitude. It is free and unattached, yet deeply connected to everyone and everything. The spiritual invitation of these times is to put our soul aspect in the driver’s seat of our lives.

Living life with the ego at the wheel while singing along to its favorite song “I am not enough, you are not enough, and there is not enough,” has driven us into the “profoundly sick society,” that philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti references. We are in a crisis of ego consciousness–hypnotized by one aspect of ourselves and veiled to our true nature.

This is reflected in the clutter of our individual lives: the mental clutter of fear, lack, resistance, and judgment; the emotional clutter of anxiety, shame, resentment, and rage; the energetic clutter of striving, needing, and overwhelm; the relationship clutter of jealousy, conflict, and disharmony; and the physical clutter of accumulation, be it possessions, money, land, or anything else we mistakenly believe “belongs” to us. All forms of clutter are the ego made visible.

The crisis of ego is also reflected in the way our society—a collective of entranced ego minds— celebrates the false self while ignoring and devaluing the soul. We find ourselves obsessed with our individual status, consumed by mindless consumption, disconnected from nature, squared off in constant competition, and alienated from our intuition and deeper knowing. We even fail to recognize that the more we have, the more deeply identified with the fear and suffering of the ego we are, and the less connected we are to our soul selves. We emulate those who go after more, more, more, and we dehumanize and devalue those with less, be it by life circumstance or conscious choice.

Our personal and societal health is inextricably linked to our spiritual health. And the root cause of most of our problems is misidentifying ourselves. At this moment in time–pregnant with possibility and transformation–we are being called to remember who we are. If we can hold the big picture of ourselves as souls first, a wiser world will be born. A world in which we understand our place in the intricate web of interconnection; where collaboration takes precedence over winning; where sharing is more valued than hoarding; where consuming is supplanted by the stuff that truly matters; where I am enough, you are enough, and there is enough; and where we know in our bones that we are here (temporarily) with one purpose–to serve our love to the world in our unique ways.

It’s a rough ride in the birth canal of a new consciousness. Resistance is strong. Long-held systems are deconstructing before our eyes. The reality of racial injustice is emerging where the statue of equality once stood strong. Economic and social inequities are rising into awareness, inspiring innovative solutions. The relentless marketing of “never enough” and its impact on our mental health is coming into view. Ambitious greed that ignores our connection to each other and the earth itself is getting called out (and mother nature is having her say). Our insatiable demand for more stuff is being recognized as the real supply chain issue. Voices we usually tune out are being heard, and those we usually deny a seat at the table are being welcomed.

We are slowly awakening from a trance of ego-based functioning, and it’s intense for everyone. Many of us are proceeding as though nothing has changed and it is business as usual on planet Earth. Some are fighting for anything that affirms the ego’s usual status. Others are responding to the turbulence with their familiar coping strategies, for better or worse.

A wise few are embracing the change, riding the waves as best they can. If you are yearning to do so, and to ease the birthing soul consciousness, here are a few practices to follow:

• Stay as present as you can, softening into acceptance rather than resistance.
• Become a compassionate witness of your ego’s thoughts, emotions, energies, and ways of relating, and be willing to sit with them rather than act on them.
• Be grateful when you notice your ego at the wheel, as it means you are present enough to choose– to ease your ego into the passenger seat and engage with life in soul-affirming ways.
• Be on the lookout for soul energies within yourself and others, such as love, enthusiasm, gratitude, joy, compassion, contentment, and acceptance.
• Break away from the herd of egos and practice relating to others with presence, peace, kindness, and harmony.
• Find five possessions that no longer serve you and release them to new life with someone who really needs them.
• When you observe someone in the grip of their ego, remember who they really are.

Life is calling us home. The new measure of health, for a profoundly well society, is a soul being true to itself.

To paraphrase the beautiful sentiment of Rev. Michael Beckwith, we must ask ourselves if we are willing to be a representative of that kind of world, even if it can’t be seen yet. After all, by the nature of us being here together at this extraordinary time, we are spiritual family. And this is what we came for.