Ask: What are your thoughts on the idea of a "healthy ego"?

 “Over the years, I’ve heard the term ‘healthy ego’ what are your thoughts about this? Is there such a thing?” – ESA 

Ego is not real, so from Spirit’s perspective, there is no answer to this. But within the framework of its false reality, an ego’s state of health ranges from extreme mental illness up to spiritual self-realization, Bill Thetford being a good example of the latter for students of A Course in Miracles. So, in short, yes there is such a thing as a “healthy ego”, but it’s a relative, never an absolute, thing.

Psychologically speaking, a healthy ego is one that has a sound sense of self-worth without being overblown and adjusts to the world as it is. A healthy ego deals with the stresses of life without falling apart. In fact, a healthy ego grows through crises. A well-adjusted adult ego holds a job, takes care of their self, and has functional, balanced relationships. When thrown off balance, a well-adjusted ego eventually rebalances and will ask for help in this if necessary.

It does seem that one needs to have a somewhat healthy ego to let Spirit into their awareness, because if their self-esteem is too low, they may not feel worthy of Spirit’s Presence and guidance. A true relationship with Spirit results in an increasingly healthy ego and facilitates maturity, in fact seems to cause one to mature more quickly than they would without it.

From the perspective of the Course, a healthy ego takes responsibility for its projections of meaning and deals with them where they occur, in the mind. As one does this, one comes to realize that the world that they must adjust to is in their mind, not “out there.” The “awakening” that the Course leads to is ego’s awareness of the reality of God and acceptance of one’s place in the Atonement. One persistently addresses the “darker” side of ego and develops an increasingly healthy ego, resulting in less stressful perceptions and a sense that one always has recourse to answers to life’s dilemmas (ego’s perceptions) in Spirit. 

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If you have a question the answer to which you feel may be helpful to others, send it to Liz@acimmentor.com and indicate that you want it answered in this newsletter/blog.


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