Thoughts on Spirit and Ego (and a Baby Sloth!)

I keep thinking it's a Wednesday, but it's still only Tuesday. Is anyone else having inner calendar struggles? 

I'm so grateful that the soccer team trapped in the cave has been rescued. My mum, brother, and I have been following that story on the news and praying that the team would make it out okay. So much courage and bravery on both the sides of those who were trapped and those who were trying to rescue them!

I recently found myself tumbling a little bit into the world of "let's look for labels!" again. Oops! I find a lot of security in "identity," and, while self-reflection is very meaningful, it can take a dark turn when it becomes overtaken by the ego.

Wait, what? 

The "ego," from a somewhat spiritual standpoint, is the part of the mind that is focused on how an individual is perceived by others, seeking importance and validation in often materialistic ways. Each of us has an ego, and, when it gets too powerful, it can completely drown out our sense of intuition. The ego can also manifest rather skillfully as an eating disorder. It takes everything that you really care about and casts it aside, turning fitness and dieting into overwhelming, dangerous idols.

Sadly, much of our current culture feeds the ego. Just look at the cover of any magazine and you'll see the next fad fitness trend or 10 ways to make yourself "better" (i.e. thinner, fitter, etc.). The ego grabs onto these messages enthusiastically: "Oh, look, you need to change! You need to work on yourself!" Essentially, we end up disconnecting from all that is intuitive and compassionate and going down a scary path into obsession, manipulation, and fear. The ego loves fear, and it teaches us that we need to "fix" something in order for ourselves to feel "whole" and ready to participate in our lives.  But deep down there's an inner voice--the one that is part of this great complexity we call the universe--that knows the ego isn't telling us the truth.

From Quotefancy

In her brilliant and beautiful A Return to Love, Marianne Williamson discusses the importance of disconnecting from the ego and reuniting with the spirit so that we can really get to know ourselves and remember what's truly important. No level of control over food and no dietary label is ever going to provide us with long-term happiness or security. We don't need to advertise some sort of identity to the world in order to be validated! Isn't that refreshing? Take a step back from the pictures on social media and the advertisements that flash brightly across the TV screen and ground yourself in the moment. You are here. You are now. All is well.

All is love.

And, if you need a cheer-up, here's this photo of Lunita the sloth:

SO MUCH CUTENESS.

<3