Originally Posted by Tiago Basilio
But, regarding another famous and highly regarded book: 'The secret', a question comes in to mind - If the ego is not who we really are, but purely some criation of our intelect, and everything that we crave for emotionally and materially, in general, are cravings from the ego trying to fullfill itself, how is it possible that if we wish it so much, it happends? Because our ego isn't who we really are, it is not in touch with the unity of the universe, as our true counscience is, how can he move universal forces towards is material goals? It sounds like a paradox to me... Who is wrong? Is it me :-) ?
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Originally Posted by bashmaki
I have this same question rolling around in my head too Tiago.
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I really love it when people ask questions such as this - it demonstrates an intelligent expression of curiosity into what often seems a paradoxical subject: the apparent separation between our true nature and our nature as a human being. I'd like to offer an answer and bridge the 'gap' so to speak by pointing out that these two aspects of our consciousness are not actually separate in an 'absolute' sense.
The answer lies in understanding that whilst the ego is a different form of expression to that of our true nature, it is not something removed from our true nature as if it was some form of new being entirely. When reference is made to the ego as not being 'who we really are', it is not a reference to say that the ego is somebody else, or a manifestation of an all new, completely individual consciousness with no relation to our own, or that has no connection whatsoever to the essence from which it springs. It is more of a reference to an alternative expression of who we are.
Perhaps an iceberg offers a great analogy. Your conscious mind (what I like to call the Temporal Mind for it is as temporary as your human life is temporary) can be parallelled to the tip of an iceberg. Just because the tip of the iceberg pokes its head above water, and appears to be small, does not discount the fact that it is fundamentally connected to that aspect of itself that resides beneath the surface of the water. The tip might appear to be something separate, but without the mass beneath the water, it would have no 'seeming' individual expression above the water.
A second analogy that comes to mind might be that of an actor. An actor assumes a role and places themselves into the shoes of a different person, and to all appearances they become, at least for a time, somebody else. Yet, when their time to portray that person is over, they revert back to who they really are. The person they portrayed may have been someone completely different, and despite appearances, the actors own consciousness was never separated in order for the actor to pretend to be someone else. Does that make sense? Our human self is, in a sense, a kind of act. The more we tune into our obsession with the physical realm and material things, the more closely we associate to our 'act' than we do our 'essence'.
So, regardless of the nature of ego versus the nature or awareness of truth, there is never any actual disconnection - perhaps 'disassociation' is a better word. The important thing is that your timeless, endless self is quite aware of your human self - it is your human self that through its physical realm obsessions becomes distant from the awareness of your true nature. Your true nature is in sync with the Source from which you emerge, and so this is why it can be said the more you associate to your human ego, the less unity you have with the Universe. Even without operating in harmony with the universe around you, it remains true that you are fundamentally connected to the universe, that you are experiencing the universe, that you are participating within the universe, and so forth. The person with the most disconnected consciousness is nonetheless intricately connected, even when operating out of harmony or out of balance with it.
Sort of like being the tip of the iceberg and being able to see nothing of yourself except for that which sits above the water, and categorically denying that there is anything more to you, despite the fact that the mass under you makes your current ability to perceive and interact with the world above the water possible. The tip of the iceberg can assert its individuality and its above water individuality all it wants, but it won't change the fact that the bulk of its existence is nonetheless
still there just under the surface level.
When it is said that your ego is not in harmony with the nature of the universe or with your true essence, this lack of harmony does not imply that your Celestial self (your true essence) is not listening to what your human self pays attention to. Without this absolute 'split' between your human self and your celestial self, can you now see how the process of creative attraction is no longer paradoxical? If not, think of it this way. Your human mind pays attention to a certain thing, and sends the signal of what it is paying attention to from the Temporal Mind into the Celestial Mind. The Celestial Mind, as and of Source, begins to draw the object of your Temporal Mind desire into existence. It doesn't reason whether or not that thing is good for you - reason is a function of the Temporal Mind. And so, no matter how much you identify yourself as nothing more than a human being, no matter how much you might be materially obsessed, it makes no difference to the signal you send related to the desires you want to fulfill.
Despite the fact that your human self might be out of tune with your true nature and that of the universe, you can creatively attract into your life that which you isolate your attention and action upon. The experience of life is, in this regard, almost completely your choice (not completely however as this is a co-creation world). However, your experience of life is vastly different when the object and experiences of your attention are more in tune with your true nature than with what you identify with as your human material wants. Life lived in tune with your inner nature and that of the nature of the world around you, one lived with connection and awareness, is far more enjoyable and profoundly happy than one lived purely for the purpose of having a TV in every room and a house full of pretty trinkets.
Hope this helps or is clear enough. The biggest difficulty in discussing this kind of a subject is the limitation of words. I suggest always look at the concept rather than the words used.
