What part of you is responding or reacting?
Identifying soul, personality and ego & the interplay with emotions
In our internal world, there are three distinct aspects of each of us that interact and influence how we each make choices. Identified as soul, personality and ego, each plays an essential role in the process of maintaining our individuality, supporting the expression of our gifts and talents, as well as deeper growth, self-realization and direction.
Emotions effect and influence each of these aspects in more ways than we are lead to understand. In this article, I will define, in broad strokes, the role of all three aspects.
In subsequent article(s), I will address how to create pathways to help you willingly feel and how that affects the three aspects.
When your feelings are active, balanced and available, you experience great personal freedom.
Clarifying Soul, Personality & Ego
The ego is our essential sense of the “I am,” differentiated away from the whole. A drop of water in the ocean is an apt metaphor to describe ego in relation to a person’s entire being. And ego is what gives us our individuated experience apart from the whole. This is its intention. The ego is focused on self-preservation and is guided by “survival of the fittest” scenarios. We can clearly see why having a survival instinct is necessary. As a general rule, however, the ego is not committed to growth and change for the better, which is the intention of our soul. When a person allows their ego to take over and dominate the decision process, the person experiences a separate, survival reality. In that experience a person feels truly separated from Self and humanity. Attempting to manipulate, the need to be right or the need to be perceived in a particular way as are aggressive ego-based or ego-defense based behaviors. Other passive/escape ego-defense behaviors sink into self deprecation, create dramas or escape reality altogether. We all live with some degree of this in our lives. The ego is generally committed to avoiding feelings such as fear, pain or shame even - where danger is not present. This is where it gets complicated with emotions, because when one feeling is blocked (by the ego) the entire energetic flow is also blocked.
The biggest threat to your ego’s survival is the revelation of oneness.
The personality is the real-world interface and conscious decider between the elements of soul and ego. We need both soul and ego on this human, three-dimensional experience to maintain individuality as well as experience our individual expression. Personality is connected to the thinking and choosing process. Personality also maintains a sense of identity, preferences, proclivities, and expresses a person’s astrological aspects. Personality is influenced by both soul and ego and acts as the balancer between the two. It is only through the personality that we choose to feel or experience, choose to move toward, choose to confront (a fear) or face something. Choosing courageously leads to creating the experience of growth. Being courageous means choosing in the face of the feelings that arise as a result of making the choice. When we do not actively choose, we are subjecting ourselves to unconscious ego-survival choices and a less empowered reality.
The biggest threat to the soul is constant focus on (ego-based) survival scenarios
The soul contains the essence of consciousness, the life force and intimate connection to everything. The soul is the unified field of awareness. The soul is where authenticity resides as it’s not in the ego’s capacity to express authenticity. What I have come to understand about soul is that it’s a verb, an action of purity, integrity and directness. Soul acts purely without fear, separation (from humanity, or anything else for that matter) or resistance. Your soul, because it is eternal, does not fear nor does worry about survival in the conventional sense. To allow your soul to act in these ways, your personality must choose to face the resistance your ego has to feeling. More specifically, feeling the fears attached to unworthiness, not being enough, or being wrong. Your soul also chooses or attempts to choose the direction of your life as well as the major players which support your soul’s journey. Optimally, when the soul is engaged in your life, it chooses through the expression of gifts, talents and qualities of heart.
Part of the purpose of your life’s journey is the awakening of soul into existence. This must be chosen by the personality in order to be cultivated. Your soul comes into being by a process of self effacement, self-discovery and evolving self-love. In facing anything, one comes in direct contact with emotions. Difficulties or resistance to growth happens when the ego attempts to thwart these feelings as the ego can become easily threatened by feelings. When there is a willingness to feel, the personality interfaces more directly with the soul. Through the ability to feel, distinct qualities of heart are developed such as discernment, conscience, connection, willingness, passion for life, celebration, compassion, and forgiveness.
The soul is often the unconscious commander, the ego, the unconscious (attempt to) controller, and the personality, the conscious balancer.
What role do emotions play in this process? - Next time I will continue to explore how the emotions affect all three...
In the meantime, love yourself and all your feelings equally.
Identifying soul, personality and ego & the interplay with emotions
In our internal world, there are three distinct aspects of each of us that interact and influence how we each make choices. Identified as soul, personality and ego, each plays an essential role in the process of maintaining our individuality, supporting the expression of our gifts and talents, as well as deeper growth, self-realization and direction.
Emotions effect and influence each of these aspects in more ways than we are lead to understand. In this article, I will define, in broad strokes, the role of all three aspects.
In subsequent article(s), I will address how to create pathways to help you willingly feel and how that affects the three aspects.
When your feelings are active, balanced and available, you experience great personal freedom.
Clarifying Soul, Personality & Ego
The ego is our essential sense of the “I am,” differentiated away from the whole. A drop of water in the ocean is an apt metaphor to describe ego in relation to a person’s entire being. And ego is what gives us our individuated experience apart from the whole. This is its intention. The ego is focused on self-preservation and is guided by “survival of the fittest” scenarios. We can clearly see why having a survival instinct is necessary. As a general rule, however, the ego is not committed to growth and change for the better, which is the intention of our soul. When a person allows their ego to take over and dominate the decision process, the person experiences a separate, survival reality. In that experience a person feels truly separated from Self and humanity. Attempting to manipulate, the need to be right or the need to be perceived in a particular way as are aggressive ego-based or ego-defense based behaviors. Other passive/escape ego-defense behaviors sink into self deprecation, create dramas or escape reality altogether. We all live with some degree of this in our lives. The ego is generally committed to avoiding feelings such as fear, pain or shame even - where danger is not present. This is where it gets complicated with emotions, because when one feeling is blocked (by the ego) the entire energetic flow is also blocked.
The biggest threat to your ego’s survival is the revelation of oneness.
The personality is the real-world interface and conscious decider between the elements of soul and ego. We need both soul and ego on this human, three-dimensional experience to maintain individuality as well as experience our individual expression. Personality is connected to the thinking and choosing process. Personality also maintains a sense of identity, preferences, proclivities, and expresses a person’s astrological aspects. Personality is influenced by both soul and ego and acts as the balancer between the two. It is only through the personality that we choose to feel or experience, choose to move toward, choose to confront (a fear) or face something. Choosing courageously leads to creating the experience of growth. Being courageous means choosing in the face of the feelings that arise as a result of making the choice. When we do not actively choose, we are subjecting ourselves to unconscious ego-survival choices and a less empowered reality.
The biggest threat to the soul is constant focus on (ego-based) survival scenarios
The soul contains the essence of consciousness, the life force and intimate connection to everything. The soul is the unified field of awareness. The soul is where authenticity resides as it’s not in the ego’s capacity to express authenticity. What I have come to understand about soul is that it’s a verb, an action of purity, integrity and directness. Soul acts purely without fear, separation (from humanity, or anything else for that matter) or resistance. Your soul, because it is eternal, does not fear nor does worry about survival in the conventional sense. To allow your soul to act in these ways, your personality must choose to face the resistance your ego has to feeling. More specifically, feeling the fears attached to unworthiness, not being enough, or being wrong. Your soul also chooses or attempts to choose the direction of your life as well as the major players which support your soul’s journey. Optimally, when the soul is engaged in your life, it chooses through the expression of gifts, talents and qualities of heart.
Part of the purpose of your life’s journey is the awakening of soul into existence. This must be chosen by the personality in order to be cultivated. Your soul comes into being by a process of self effacement, self-discovery and evolving self-love. In facing anything, one comes in direct contact with emotions. Difficulties or resistance to growth happens when the ego attempts to thwart these feelings as the ego can become easily threatened by feelings. When there is a willingness to feel, the personality interfaces more directly with the soul. Through the ability to feel, distinct qualities of heart are developed such as discernment, conscience, connection, willingness, passion for life, celebration, compassion, and forgiveness.
The soul is often the unconscious commander, the ego, the unconscious (attempt to) controller, and the personality, the conscious balancer.
What role do emotions play in this process? - Next time I will continue to explore how the emotions affect all three...
In the meantime, love yourself and all your feelings equally.