SOULutions Newsletter, November 2008

Moving From Ego to Essence

Essence is a beautiful and simple word I use to refer to a mysterious something that is hard to define, but we all know it when we experience it. Essence is the physical sensation of feeling a Divine Presence. 

Essence comes through when we are swept away by listening to beautiful music, moved deeply through witnessing great art and or expanded through well-crafted writing. We sometimes feel it from the teachers who touch our lives the most profoundly. Yet, we are just as likely to be touched by it when witnessing a simple act of kindness, an amazing athletic feat or when receiving a child’s dandelion bouquet.  It is the overwhelming emotion of love we experience when we share a hug with our beloved.

The source of this Essence is God, Spirit, or The Divine. The name that I choose to use is Presence because in my line of work, I often experience a sensation of having a Divine Presence working with me and through me as I guide people to heal their deepest wounds. I call this experience Embodied Presence and it is the reason I get so much joy out of my work. 

Whatever your word is, we all yearn to connect with this Presence, breathe it in deeply and fully, when those moments come.  Essence is the part of us that allows this connection, craves it and seeks it out.  I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes by Emerson from The Oversoul:

Within us is the soul of the whole; the wise silence; the universal beauty,
To which every part and particle is equally related; the eternal one.
When it breaks through our intellect, it is genius;
When it breathes through our will, it is virtue;
When it flows through our affections, it is love.

Embodied Presence  is found when we live in the moment and not the past or the future. It’s when we allow the Divine Presence to come through us and express itself. To live as fully, and deeply as is possible, we must move beyond the limits of our Ego to find Essence. How do we know we have moved beyond our Ego and are living in our Essence?  Here are a few observations I have about Ego and Essence from my own life and experience:

• The source of Ego is fear. The source of Essence is Presence, or you could say: God, Oneness, Light, The Source, Wholeness, Love, Spirit or Creator.
• Ego’s purpose is to protect against vulnerability or to cover our shame and gain power through control (see Genesis 3.6). The purpose of Essence is to express Presence.
• Ego desires to control. Essence desires to create.
• Ego reacts from the past (as in re-acting from old hurts).  Essence responds freely from the present moment.
• Ego defends. Essence allows and accepts.
• Ego seeks pleasure and avoids pain. Essence responds fully to the present and experiences all that life offers.
• Ego is mentally either in the past or the future. Essence is always experiencing and/or expressing the fullness of the present moment.
• Ego is jealous. Essence is real love.
• Ego separates or isolates. Essence connects.
• Ego blames. Essence becomes curious.
• Ego inflates or deflates. Essence remains centered and connected with Presence.
• Ego wants to be right. Essence wants to find truth.
• Ego grasps for certainty. Essence embodies faith.
• Ego feels pride. Essence rests in humility.
• Ego seeks to suppress or impress. Essence seeks to express.

There are, of course, many more distinctions that could be made about Ego and Essence. I invite you to use this as a partial guide to help you clarify when you are acting out of Essence or seeking refuge in your Ego.  Add to the list with your own experience. Be aware of the physical reactions of your body and simply ask yourself, “Does this feel more like Ego or Essence?”

In Wholeness,
Michael