Re: I/Thou

[Guest guest]

Dear Alice,

It is wise of us, you and i , not to take ourselves too seriously. There are enough "serious" important things that we cannot often find funny...but you and I will go down trying.

I am always reminded of the middle part of someone famous poem when I read some of our contributors :

" Life is real and life is earnest

And the grave is not the goal

Dust thou art to dust returneth

Was not spoken of the soul......"

Life just can't always be taken that seriously!!!!

So what's a "cracked-up ego " among friends?

By the way...here I put on my more serious face (not really, tho')

"Facing the Dragon " ( Confronting personal and Spiritual Grandiosity)by L. really speaks to the part of the ego we were considering.

It isn't the ego per se, but grandiosity which does us in.

I reread it recently in connection with the struggle over "that" dream.. It is the spiritual grandiosity that seems a particular pitfall for anyone who takes their spiritual life very seriously.( co-authored a book with Murray Stein, I didn't know that)

( , by the way mentions the dangers of the New Age output on spirituality which totally ignores the shadow as serious or as he puts it; "we must avoid the New Age tendency to deny the reality and power of evil. This widespread flight into "light"is particularly tempting today because it requires so little in the way of either reflection or action.It enables continual denial of the seriousness of the situation, and denial of how we as individuals participate in our own destruction of our communities and our planet.")

He doesn't think much of modern theologians either because they seem to treat evil as an interesting speculation.

He mentions Jung on the archetypal Self beyond the ego; "but unlike many of his more naive and romantic followers, he warned us to take great care lest this archetypal self overwhelm the ego with its grandiose energies."

He speaks about all cultures realizing that the great engine of evil is arrogance and hubris.

Anyway, I think his book is great, especially about the archetype of Spiritual warfare...and the psychological resources around it. He thinks the Jungian approach is the only one that makes sense, and he includes the understanding of Jung and the shadow..

I am intrigued that he finds that there is more to the spiritual warfare problem than simply integrating the shadow. To know and recognize the personal shadow and differentiate it from the archetypal forces which have access to one's psyche from within.

Anyway, Jung and give me a lot think about.( I know I read about this and this book but it feel like I never "saw" all this before.

love,

Toni

.. I/Thou

Toni wrote:

In the opinion of this writer, it is impossible to write about the opinions expressed on this list and by the person expressing them without using personal pronouns unless only the passive voice is used.

The undersigned has noticed that the "motherator" of this list has made this comment a few times before, but thinks this is a false conclusion to the use of the ego, or its meaning in replies to this list.

If ego were not to be presented, this list would be totally unreadable or not understandable. Is not the personal opinion of each member what this list is about? And is it not a fact that the ego is necessary in the psyche of a normal human being?

So, what shall the members do? retire in silence or admit that each has an ego...which has never really been denied. Even without the use of personal pronouns some on this list are perfectly able to demonstrate a well endowed ego taking on all. ( not the "motherator" is meant, but others are obvious, often by the tone of the posts)

Toni

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Dear Toni! This is a humorous masterpiece! Brilliant!

Bless yr heart! Perhaps, this demonstrates the difference of thinking/feeling functions - objectibe/subjective.

If we are conscious human beings, we have egos n they bear our name n have a chart, to boot.The best we have to give will be conditioned by our egos.The challenge is not to identify w/it bec ultimately, the probability is, that the Self [Divine Guest] is hoping to move through us. Wisdom, per se, does not come out of us but through us. As the Sufi wrote, "I am but a reed that You breathe through." Each will provide a different melofy..........

The best we can hope to do, is to surrender the ego w/devotion to the Source n transmit if the connection is made. The trick is to know the difference!

My conclusion is that the best we can do is offer something n hope that someone may pick it up.

Feel a CREDO coming up on what Bronson Alcott taught about teaching. Stay tuned!

It's late, n we have severe weather predicted,

so nitey-night!

love from a cracked-up ego

ao

[Guest guest]

But

isn't that the problem? Don't we have to go beyond the intellect for the

I/Thou encounter?

Joyce