One way to look at how we relate to the world around us is through a perspective of human duality. We all have an ego that is primarily concerned with survival and our individual needs. This is the part of us that orients towards self preservation, control, and power. Out of balance, it restricts our thinking to very small parameters, often leaving us feeling grandiose or victimized. But without it, we might not feed ourselves, find shelter from weather or strive to accomplish great things. We also have a soul self that recognizes spirit and interconnectedness. This part seeks to collaborate, appreciate, find joy and relationship in all of life. If this part is malnourished, we may find ourselves depressed, isolated, worried, or even angry. Both parts are intrinsic to human nature and necessary for human survival. The balance between them determines the quality of our experience.
Keeping our duality in harmony is an ongoing challenge. We need ego's self care and boundaries to stay safe and true to ourselves, AND we need the soul's ability to recognize our relationship to everything else. Some people call the soul self our "higher self", but I think that our higher self is actually the balanced integration of the two, with deep wisdom that comes from seeing without judgement or prejudice. From the point of view of us as spiritual beings in physical bodies, it makes sense that there is a need for an ongoing dance with those two aspects of our human nature. Perhaps thinking about this perspective can help us remedy imbalances when they occur by recognizing what aspect of ourselves we need to strengthen to restore congruence.
Keeping our duality in harmony is an ongoing challenge. We need ego's self care and boundaries to stay safe and true to ourselves, AND we need the soul's ability to recognize our relationship to everything else. Some people call the soul self our "higher self", but I think that our higher self is actually the balanced integration of the two, with deep wisdom that comes from seeing without judgement or prejudice. From the point of view of us as spiritual beings in physical bodies, it makes sense that there is a need for an ongoing dance with those two aspects of our human nature. Perhaps thinking about this perspective can help us remedy imbalances when they occur by recognizing what aspect of ourselves we need to strengthen to restore congruence.
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