The ego, or how your good energy becomes bad energy
Working on your ego
In Part IV of the series Working with Energies we look at how our ego influences our energy. Which methods and tricks uses our ego to change our energy. And how does it accomplish that every time. What is happening inside of us in the moment that our ego tries to influence us. And what can we do about that.
The ego is a complex being that has many tricks to get us to do what it wants. But it is important to understand that it always operates from the shadows. After all: What we can’t see, we can’t change. Part IV The Ego I have written to better understand how our ego functions. And which influence that has on us and our energy. That is the condition for no longer being the slave of our ego. And through which we can avoid many unpleasant things in our lives.
The ego methods Identification and Projection
There are two basic methods the ego likes to use: Identification and Projection. Both these forms are very alike in that they essentially represent a similar intention. Because in a way they are each other’s mirror image. Identification you could see as psychological theft, Projection as psychological transfer. Identification likes to be or have something, Projection doesn’t like to be or have something. You could say: to be or not to be, or to have or not to have.
Identification and examples of it
Identification means that the ego tries to stimulate you to take something from the other. Not theft in the normal sense of the word, but rather a type of psychological theft or energy theft. Identification then means: Someone has something I like to have. For example, it could be a trait, an idea, being heroic or famous, loved, joyful or happy, some form of power…. Whatever you perceive as positive and would like to have for yourself. Identification comes in countless forms. And you will always be able to feel it in your energy (often around Chakra 3) when you are prompted to go along with it.
Situation I: Children and Authority
Mother is away for a short while. Your younger siblings see this as a great opportunity to do something naughty. They are together busy eating the cookie jar empty. Now that mommy is not here, you as the eldest start playing the boss. You find it a good idea to punish your younger brother and sister.
The older child identifies herself with her mother, who likely wouldn’t have allowed this. She herself takes the opportunity to take over the mother role. With the power that comes with it. This power can be very tempting. And will likely not only solve problems, but also create new ones.
Situation II: Insecurity and Popularity
You not always feel certain that other children find you nice and worth talking to. Therefore, you do artificially nice to the fellow student who is very popular at school. You are always found near this popular boy. And you defend him to others, although he not always deserves that. It gives you a sense of belonging and importance.
Because of this identification, you subconsciously hope that as a result some of that popularity will reflect on you. And that this will give you more self-confidence. Making life at school easier and more enjoyable for you. However, this will never give you long-lasting self-confidence, because this confidence doesn’t originate from your Self.
Situation III: Heroism
As a supporter, you have secured a ticket to the World Cup final. The soccer match is extremely exciting. Just before time, your team’s striker scores the winning goal. You now feel euphoric and released from a lot of tension. And you feel that your encouragement helped make this possible.
Following your identification with the soccer player scoring the winning goal in the World Cup final, you can feel yourself a hero for some time. What you cannot achieve yourself, being the hero of the soccer stadium, you can achieve as a supporter. This heroism is also borrowed, and unreal.
Projection and examples of it
Projection means that the ego tries to stimulate you to give the other unrequested something that’s yours. This isn’t something positive, but something you don’t like about yourself. It may have to do with guilt and shame. Or something that burdens you in some way, that you would like to get rid of. Often there is some form of denial or repression. This ego method tries by projecting or transferring from something unwanted of yourself, to impose it on someone else. Through which you seem to have temporarily lost your dissatisfaction, frustration, pain, etc. With projection you can also, by consciously Working with Energies, feel when your ego tries to stimulate you.
Situation I: Physical Beauty
You like being nice and slim, then you feel good about yourself. But you have been overweight for some time. When a remarkably fat person walks by on the street, you immediately think: How fat is he? If you have to walk around like that….
You project your own frustration about your weight onto the person who is even worse off. So that your frustration is overshadowed and temporarily diminishes. Off course without really helping you.
Situation II: Theft and Shame
It occasionally happens that you steal some things in a store. Even if you don’t need them at all. Actually you are ashamed of it. But at the same time you find it exciting. If one day in a store you see someone else stealing something you reflexively (the ego) start calling for the staff. So that someone else is caught for stealing.
Here you try to accuse someone else of a deed you yourself have done several times. Somehow that seems to reduce your self-blame and shame about your own shoplifting. What in the end only will add to your self-blame and shame.
Situation III: Friendship and Unfaithfulness
You caught your husband making love to another woman. It still hurts. When you tell your girl-friend about it she says: Luckily that never happened to me. Your ego reaction: How naive you are! All men are unfaithful, yours too. You just don’t know it yet.
Your pain of your husband cheating reduces, when you see this unfaithfulness happening to your girl-friend too. The cheating of your husband here leads to being unfaithful to your friendship. With the ego as the only winner.
Energy Work: Understanding the ego and avoiding problems
The ego has many tricks to let you do certain things. Not all are they connected with Identification and Projection. But rather many are. Important is to use these examples to get aware of the sort of situations the ego uses. And to feel exactly at that moment what happens energetically inside of you. Being aware of this feeling can avoid many problems. Because that’s the moment when you can put a stop to what your ego wants to provoke.
But there is another method that may be very helpful too. Suppose something has happened of which you can suspect that your ego was responsible. Then do the following. Go back in your mind to the situation. And especially shortly before something happened that you are not happy about. Could you feel something happening in you? For instance in your belly? Did your energy all of a sudden change? Started your energy suddenly becoming more negative than it was before? Exactly this helps you to be present with your consciousness the next time. And to prevent that something unpleasant can happen. This working on yourself is precisely where Working with Energies is all about.
Part V of the series Working with Energies is about relationships. Which energy changes go together with relationships, and how positive or negative can they be?
WWE I: Working with Energies
WWE II: Energy Changes
WWE III: Emotions
WWE IV: The Ego
WWE V: Relationships
WWE VI: Daily Energy Work