Free of Ego

The other day a student told me that she met a man who she thought did not like A Course in Miracles because he said he didn’t believe that anyone could be totally free of ego since he had never met anyone who was. I pointed out to her that that only meant he was not totally free of the ego because only ego sees ego. Thoughts do not leave the mind of the thinker; what you perceive is your own mind. If you are coming from ego you see ego; if you are coming from Christ you see Christ. If you are waiting for others to manifest Christ you will wait forever because you will be looking out from ego and therefore you will see ego. Only ego wants you to think that what you experience comes from others so that you can blame them for what you are choosing to not see. In your Christ Mind you know that you look only on yourself.

The name of Jesus is the name of one who was a man but saw the face of Christ in all his brothers and remembered God. So he became identified with Christ, a man no longer, but one with God. (C-5.2)

This line from the Course confounded me for many years. I thought of Christ Consciousness as one’s inner awareness of their Oneness with God, which manifested in certain attitudes and behaviors. This idea that to be Christ is to see only Christ was baffling to me. Before I could understand this I had to accept that only I am responsible for what I experience because only I am responsible for the thoughts that cause my experience. This led me to the realization that there are no others, only bodies onto which I project personalities or which I overlook (forgive) to see Christ. All of this occurs in my mind, not outside of me.

Jesus knew he was only Love so he taught only Love yet Love was not what everyone learned of him. If they did he would not have been crucified! Those who looked on him from Christ in their own minds saw the Christ in him. Those who looked on him from ego saw another ego that threatened theirs. Religious leaders thought he taught blasphemy; politicians thought he was a political radical. This happens with the idea of Jesus to this day. No matter what Jesus was actually teaching, others learn what they want to learn from the ego or from their Christ Mind. You are always only teaching yourself. This is true of everyone with everyone. No matter what someone means to teach you, you will see the ego you project or the Christ you extend from your own mind. And they will see in you what they project or extend. You can see anyone wholly free of ego anytime you wish to see only Christ by extending Christ.

Comments

anthon said…
My own experience has been that there is a difference in intention between Christ-consciousness and ego in responses or reaction to others or their statements.

When my thoughts of others have been 'critical' I have used the opportunity to forgive myself and the thought and ask the Holy Spirit to put everything into its right place. If I miss the opportunity at the time but am reminded later, I do it then.

The Holy Spirit will [and must?] work through the ego until because that is where we are until we are egoless. Just as [I suspect] having opinions is another ego manifestation - not that it's 'wrong' but it can be helpful that it is transitional and not where we may wish to be.

Ego is the automatic pilot to which we have all been conditioned, but intention and affirmation to myself of a change of intention has been really helpful of keeping me in a state of mind that allows itself to be aware of anything that disturbs its peace.

And whatever distresses me I forgive. It has made a remarkable difference to my peace of mind in [to put it into ego-perspective:] a relatively short space of time.
4:22 AM
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