The Ego Writes checks We Can Never Cash
/user-assets/Egowriteschecks.pdfThe Ego Writes Checks We Can Never Cash!
The first time I heard this statement I marveled at how succinctly it summed up the reality of an ego based existence. The ego, being the uninvestigated belief of who we mistakenly believe we are, continually leads us on fantasy trips, setting up expectations that will never come to fruition.
The ego is basically an intricate mess of ancient emotional attachments. When we think about it, all suffering or loss is derived from some form of emotional attachment. For example, relationships, careers, values, opinions, and objects. These things, when threatened, can cause emotional pain, from mild upset through to complete devastation. Our desires are also born from this dysfunctional foundation. What we think we need emerges from an illusionary belief that we ‘need’ these attachments to survive. The ego then is really an emotional core that we mistakenly believe to be the “I” that we call “myself”. If uninvestigated, the ego will continue to churn out checks that we can never cash.
The process goes something like this…Firstly; the ego gives us false terms of reference of who we are; alone, isolated, neglected, needing defense and attack to survive. Secondly, it conjures up plans built on those false beliefs with expectations of future happiness, love, health, etc. Thirdly, it implements its plans. The outcome of which is always disappointment, confusion and misery. Our sense of failure leads us to question our worthiness and the collapse of our plans further entrenches our mistaken belief that we are alone, isolated, that this world is random and that all we can do is pray for the best! At this point, the ego has delivered on its mantra of ‘Seek and do not find’. It has successfully written checks we can never cash!
But not all the ego needs to be annihilated in order to arrive at enlightenment. While we are still in the body we need a thread of ego left to operate in this reality we call life. What is dramatically different about this remaining thread, however, is that it has been totally abdicated to the Universal Inspiration’s command. No part of a person’s will is ever in conflict with the reality of any given moment. There’s absolute trust that, no matter what, Wisdom exists at all times.
The part of ego that necessitates elimination is the part that tries to tell us that we are separate, alone, isolated and unloved. It is this unconscious belief system in a mistaken identity along with its set of attachments that we need to relinquish. The ego is purely an unconscious belief/will that’s apart from God. And when questioned and dismantled it increasingly takes its rightful place of being an instrument through which the divine extends Itself. Where we’ve mislead ourselves is in our personal and collective belief that our ego is God or the replacement for God. Most our decisions, needs and perceptions are unconsciously directed by this substitute for divine Will; the ego. Out task then is to stop investing in the ego’s plans.
All we need do is surrender and give up following its instructions and plans. It is simple but not necessarily easy, because like an addicted gambler, we keep thinking that we know best and that the next throw of the dice will yield success. In truth, following the ego is like the definition of madness – doing the same thing but expecting a different outcome. We will only be able to cash in checks of sustainable value when we relinquish control of writing the checks. When we hand over our will to the Universal Inspiration, we will begin to receive a payout beyond our wildest imaginings. We can say goodbye to confusion and disappointment because we will be given the blessings and gifts that come from right-minded perception as opposed to the ego’s limited, fear based perception.
Right-minded perception is the alignment of our will with the divine and opens up an entirely as yet unknown paradigm of living as the conscious co-creator of our life. In this paradigm, we recognize that all change is beneficial and that offering forgiveness and extending love is all we want as we learn from experience that giving is indeed receiving. Doubt begins to dissipate and with it a growing sense of certainty that all we need is already here. We begin to see that we are all one and so the desire for conflict also dissipates as we see that all acts are either an ‘expression of love’ or a ‘cry for love’ and that love and forgiveness are the only appropriate responses.
To attain right-minded perception we must take full responsibility for our lives. It means that we accept that we made up all we see, our past, people, circumstances, events, the lot! We need to come to the point of acceptance that our mind is the creator and cause of all that happens in our life and that all we see and experience are its effects. It is only when we embrace this concept that we can begin to undo the ego’s hold on our lives.
Most of us spend our entire lives addressing the effects of our life rather than questioning the real cause of all our suffering – a mind left to the control of the ego. Think about it? If we have a weight problem, we diet, exercise, take pills and spend a fortune on it to boot! How much time and many resources do we spend on examining the reasons why we have a weight problem to begin with? This is a simple example of the ego’s mantra of ‘Seek and do not find’ at work. Living in right mindedness is living a life of miracles because we now entrust the interpretation of and reaction to every event to the Universal Inspiration.
Unfortunately, not many of us are there yet because the process demands trust and most of us still entrust the function of decision making to the ego. It uses our mind’s capacity for logic and reason to enforce its limiting perception on us. Sadly, most of us will not yield until we experience crisis or deep disillusionment. We still believe that to embark on a truly spiritual path involves sacrifice; that somehow we will have to give up something valuable in exchange for a life of peace and joy. We all want to know what’s on the other side before we will let go of this side. This is impossible to do because the belief system of the ego and that of Love are completely opposite. They are completely different paradigms, one fear-based; the other love-based, each with their own set of beliefs and values.
To make the journey from the ego based paradigm to Love, we need the ingredients of trust and faith with a pinch of willingness and accompanied by lashings of desire for peace above all else. This is a tried and true recipe passed down the ages and guaranteed to deliver us from the hunger that we, as humans have experienced since time began.
Footnote: Nouk Sanchez and Tomas Vieira are the authors of best seller “Take Me to Truth; Undoing the Ego”. Published by O- Books UK. ISBN 1 84694 050 7 They will be conducting workshops in the UK this coming summer (2008). For more details go to www.takemetotruth.com
The first time I heard this statement I marveled at how succinctly it summed up the reality of an ego based existence. The ego, being the uninvestigated belief of who we mistakenly believe we are, continually leads us on fantasy trips, setting up expectations that will never come to fruition.
The ego is basically an intricate mess of ancient emotional attachments. When we think about it, all suffering or loss is derived from some form of emotional attachment. For example, relationships, careers, values, opinions, and objects. These things, when threatened, can cause emotional pain, from mild upset through to complete devastation. Our desires are also born from this dysfunctional foundation. What we think we need emerges from an illusionary belief that we ‘need’ these attachments to survive. The ego then is really an emotional core that we mistakenly believe to be the “I” that we call “myself”. If uninvestigated, the ego will continue to churn out checks that we can never cash.
The process goes something like this…Firstly; the ego gives us false terms of reference of who we are; alone, isolated, neglected, needing defense and attack to survive. Secondly, it conjures up plans built on those false beliefs with expectations of future happiness, love, health, etc. Thirdly, it implements its plans. The outcome of which is always disappointment, confusion and misery. Our sense of failure leads us to question our worthiness and the collapse of our plans further entrenches our mistaken belief that we are alone, isolated, that this world is random and that all we can do is pray for the best! At this point, the ego has delivered on its mantra of ‘Seek and do not find’. It has successfully written checks we can never cash!
But not all the ego needs to be annihilated in order to arrive at enlightenment. While we are still in the body we need a thread of ego left to operate in this reality we call life. What is dramatically different about this remaining thread, however, is that it has been totally abdicated to the Universal Inspiration’s command. No part of a person’s will is ever in conflict with the reality of any given moment. There’s absolute trust that, no matter what, Wisdom exists at all times.
The part of ego that necessitates elimination is the part that tries to tell us that we are separate, alone, isolated and unloved. It is this unconscious belief system in a mistaken identity along with its set of attachments that we need to relinquish. The ego is purely an unconscious belief/will that’s apart from God. And when questioned and dismantled it increasingly takes its rightful place of being an instrument through which the divine extends Itself. Where we’ve mislead ourselves is in our personal and collective belief that our ego is God or the replacement for God. Most our decisions, needs and perceptions are unconsciously directed by this substitute for divine Will; the ego. Out task then is to stop investing in the ego’s plans.
All we need do is surrender and give up following its instructions and plans. It is simple but not necessarily easy, because like an addicted gambler, we keep thinking that we know best and that the next throw of the dice will yield success. In truth, following the ego is like the definition of madness – doing the same thing but expecting a different outcome. We will only be able to cash in checks of sustainable value when we relinquish control of writing the checks. When we hand over our will to the Universal Inspiration, we will begin to receive a payout beyond our wildest imaginings. We can say goodbye to confusion and disappointment because we will be given the blessings and gifts that come from right-minded perception as opposed to the ego’s limited, fear based perception.
Right-minded perception is the alignment of our will with the divine and opens up an entirely as yet unknown paradigm of living as the conscious co-creator of our life. In this paradigm, we recognize that all change is beneficial and that offering forgiveness and extending love is all we want as we learn from experience that giving is indeed receiving. Doubt begins to dissipate and with it a growing sense of certainty that all we need is already here. We begin to see that we are all one and so the desire for conflict also dissipates as we see that all acts are either an ‘expression of love’ or a ‘cry for love’ and that love and forgiveness are the only appropriate responses.
To attain right-minded perception we must take full responsibility for our lives. It means that we accept that we made up all we see, our past, people, circumstances, events, the lot! We need to come to the point of acceptance that our mind is the creator and cause of all that happens in our life and that all we see and experience are its effects. It is only when we embrace this concept that we can begin to undo the ego’s hold on our lives.
Most of us spend our entire lives addressing the effects of our life rather than questioning the real cause of all our suffering – a mind left to the control of the ego. Think about it? If we have a weight problem, we diet, exercise, take pills and spend a fortune on it to boot! How much time and many resources do we spend on examining the reasons why we have a weight problem to begin with? This is a simple example of the ego’s mantra of ‘Seek and do not find’ at work. Living in right mindedness is living a life of miracles because we now entrust the interpretation of and reaction to every event to the Universal Inspiration.
Unfortunately, not many of us are there yet because the process demands trust and most of us still entrust the function of decision making to the ego. It uses our mind’s capacity for logic and reason to enforce its limiting perception on us. Sadly, most of us will not yield until we experience crisis or deep disillusionment. We still believe that to embark on a truly spiritual path involves sacrifice; that somehow we will have to give up something valuable in exchange for a life of peace and joy. We all want to know what’s on the other side before we will let go of this side. This is impossible to do because the belief system of the ego and that of Love are completely opposite. They are completely different paradigms, one fear-based; the other love-based, each with their own set of beliefs and values.
To make the journey from the ego based paradigm to Love, we need the ingredients of trust and faith with a pinch of willingness and accompanied by lashings of desire for peace above all else. This is a tried and true recipe passed down the ages and guaranteed to deliver us from the hunger that we, as humans have experienced since time began.
Footnote: Nouk Sanchez and Tomas Vieira are the authors of best seller “Take Me to Truth; Undoing the Ego”. Published by O- Books UK. ISBN 1 84694 050 7 They will be conducting workshops in the UK this coming summer (2008). For more details go to www.takemetotruth.com