Archive for the 'questions' Category

the e-word

Jim October 2nd, 2008

over the last few weeks we have had quite a bit of discussion about the “ego” or “ego-mind.” for some, the very word “ego” seems somewhat elusive and out there, and might not be a very common word among many “Christians,” though Biblical words such as “flesh” and others seem to be pointing to it. i know for myself, i still struggle through how to deal with the ego. so, i’ve got several questions in hopes of unpacking it all with more clarity. or is the desire for clarity and understanding a produce of the ego? :)

1. Is there a concise definition of the ego that is helpful? Perhaps briefly describe what the ego does and why?
2. Is the ego necessary for being human, and if so, for what? Does the ego have a positive role if kept in check?
3. How do you deal with the ego – do you ignore it, fight it, transform it, etc.?

4. What does it mean to not identify with your ego, and to instead live from and follow the Christ life, intuitive knowing, deep feelings within?

5. Is the ego capable of being conditioned to get in line with and follow truth? Can the ego tap into love, freedom, peace, contentment, etc?

6. Does the ego ever go away, or is that not desirable or necessary?

8. Since the ego is a concept-producing machine, should we stop incessant talk and discussion on a conceptual level and seek to relate/discuss more on an intuitive and deep feeling level?

(photo by zoo gal)

applying the new mind

Jim September 30th, 2008

i appreciate every person who contacts me as a result of reading one of my books. often as a result, new friendships begin and conversations evolve. i’ve been on the road the last few days and i received an email from someone who is struggling through watching someone they deeply care for suffer through cancer. as part of the email she mentioned, “why God allow bad things to happen to good people.”

i asked her if she would consider a different way of processing the situation. what if instead the truth is, God never shuts off the supply of good for anyone, ever, no matter their condition or circumstance.  another way you could say it is, the source of all goodness is unconditionally present within our being in every moment. the Christ life within, or that intuitive knowing knitted to the fabric of our deepest being, or those deep feelings flowing within us, which connect us with love, peace, freedom, and contentment are never under any threat by the condition of our human body or the reality of our human circumstances. the changing condition of our human body and human circumstances are part of what it means to be a human expression of divine reality. and yet none of this shuts off the supply of everything that is truly good.

right?

(photo by zoo gal)

what does the sun do? shine

Jim September 24th, 2008

so, let’s say you come to this point on the journey when you realize that ‘you’ are not the sum total of your physical biology or the sum total of what happens in your mind. come to think of it, you realize, your mind seems to be perpetually preoccupied with things like comparing yourself to others, acquiring something you don’t have, doing something important that others will take note of, being accepted and loved by others, proving your superiority over others, what people think of you, and an endless amount of other things that just seem to breed discontent, fear, worry, and all kinds of crappy stuff.

so you realize there is more to you than what you see in the mirror and all the craziness that goes on in your head.

perhaps you’ve been told you were created as a reflection or image of God, or as a Christian you know that the Christ life flows within you, or maybe you have realized there is something more to you that springs forth from your deep feelings or a certain intuitive knowing inside you. in any event, more and more you are identifying with that divine reflection or Christ life or deep feeling or intuitive knowing within you. more and more you are understanding these to be the real you.

it dawns on you that this ‘you’ can’t be improved, made better, enlightened, or enhanced. does the image of God need imporvement? is the Christ life within you in need of progress? do those deep feelings or that intuitve knowing need educated? you realize, this ‘you’ is all that it is in every moment, and never in need of you doing anything. it’s like the sun. the sun is the sun always. it doesn’t strive to be the sun. it doesn’t need help to be the sun. it doesn’t follow a program to be a better sun. it never fears being less of a sun. it isn’t bogged down in an endless number of options about how to be or how not to be the sun. it’s just the sun…always. it has no options…it just is.

what would life be like if we quit feeding and acting upon all that stuff in our mind, and instead just allowed ourselves to be a reflection or expression of God, be the Christ life, be those deep feelings or intuitive understanding?

so what i’m asking is, what would a life of simply being these entail? what if we stopped orienting our lives around all the head stuff, and oriented all of life around being that real you?

(photo by zoo gal)

do you need a philosophy degree from Harvard?

Jim September 21st, 2008

i was recently talking with one of my “divine nobody” friends who reads this blog regularly but does not comment. he mentioned that sometimes he feels like it’s too complicated for him. so, just let me ask the question: do you have to have a PhD in Philosophy from Harvard or spend two years at the Institute of Metaphysical Studies in order to grasp and live the simple truth? i hope not!

i know for me, i tend to steer away from using typical Christian language to identify or describe things i’m experiencing because for many years i used this language and it either reinforced error (at least the way i was using it) or it was just nice-sounding words or phrases that sounded good and Christian but did not correspond to anything real i was actually experiencing in life. so, i became more descriptive and at times replaced words like “flesh” with alternatives such as “ego-mind.” but then the way it goes, the new language can also become nothing more that just some new, progressive, more enlightening-sounding language that still may not have any connection with the reality of your life.

so, it prompted me to do this post. alright, here we go…

what can you say you know is truth because you have experienced it or because you have had that deep feeling or gut intuition or inner knowing that it is truth. for the purpose of this post, you can’t base your answer on the Bible or your interpretation of it, or any sacred writing or spiritual guru or philosophy. if truth is eternal and timeless, you should be able to experience it right now as opposed to relying on what anyone in the past said about it. so, what do you know as truth as a result of what you are experiencing or know inside now.

(photo by zoo gal)

what is being?

Jim September 16th, 2008

the ‘real you’ (the Christ-life you, the deep-feeling you, the knowing you, etc.)  can’t be renewed, reformed, enlightened, improved, educated, or purified. the ‘real you’ is an expression of God/Truth/All/Christ. it’s forever and always 100% perfection. it is what it is and always will be.

we could apply all those actions to the ego-mind/self, seeking to reform, educate, or enlighten it. but why? it’s the ego-mind, and it is what it is also. so, if you let go of the desire of reforming your ego-mind, all that’s left is being the ‘real you.’ what does that mean? what does it mean to “be?” what does it feel like and look like? if someone said to you “it’s time to start being,” how would you respond? instead of a _________-driven life, what about simple being. how does that work out? is that the kind of life you want to live? what would be desirable about it? how would it be different from the typical life?

(photo by zoo gal)

God’s kingdom has come (what does it look like?)

Jim September 10th, 2008

Picking up on Rick’s comment from the previous post…

Jesus said the kingdom of God has come and we can enter into it through “metanoia.” And yet, the kingdom many have habitually been living in is the “ego-mind” kingdom. Rick writes, “In the kingdom of God we are all one, have the same desires and are the same Truth.” Rick raises the possibility of a society “who only sees, hears, tastes, smells & touches the true reality of the kingdom of God…looking past the ego-mind world to the heart, what’s truly real.”

What I’m wondering is, what does it look like to unplug from the ego-mind world, and to instead live in the reality of the kingdom of God? Why don’t we cease all entanglements and attachments in the ego-mind kingdom, and live solely from that ‘Christ life,’ ‘oneness,’ ‘deep feelings,’ ‘knowing’ within?

What does this look like for you, your life, your relationships, etc.? Can you share an example? Even if others around us are living in the ego-mind kingdom, it doesn’t require us to do the same or prohibit our living/being the kingdom ourselves. After all, beneath the ego-mind activity of another person still lies the ‘real’ them who is the same expression of truth as you are. Are you finding that you can live this way? How specifically is it coming together in your life?

(photo by zoo gal)

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