I have been participating as a tutor in a Ruhi Book 5 study circle for over a month now. The book, Releasing the Power of Junior Youth, is a study in who we would want to be as youth/what kind of youth we would want the junior youth we are serving as animators to become, who the junior youth are and some ways of accompanying them to release their spiritual powers, powers that are inherent to all of humanity. One vital aspect of spiritual empowerment is to learn to control one’s insistent self.
During the study circle, one participant and I thoroughly enjoyed the imagery of the insistent self as a mole that keeps popping up and that we must continually whack down. But however much that image still makes me smile, and however much I relate to it (seeing the years I have been trying to whack my ego in place!), I have come to realize that perhaps one of the reasons for my inability to better control my ego is exactly because of this idea: that only violently the ego can be put in its place.
But perhaps a better image can be found in the Harry Potter series. What if the ego is like the three headed dog, rearing its heads and blocking us from our very own Chamber? If we learn to play the music of God’s Word, translating It into action, the dogs will be put to sleep and we will be successful in attaining that innermost Chamber, in which we will find God shining within us.
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Ego as scary dogs? I dont wanna face it. ahha!
Lol! Don’t worry Jeyna, we can learn to play the harp and put that thing to sleep 😉
Hello there! I really liked this post! I would like to hear more about the insistent self! Appreciate it!
I miss Harry Potter.
i love this… being gentle works. like the passing brook that eventually erodes the rock.
Jay, thank you for your enthusiasm! I already have quite a few posts on the blog about the insistent self – I would love to hear thoughts from people like you, which will help spur a reflection that will be the basis of a post 🙂
Peter, me, too!
Rachel: I love your metaphor! And it makes it a lot easier to be serene and accept the fact that I have a lot of work to do, rather than to be angry and mentally or emotionally violent!
[…] embark on a life-long, eighty-something year long semi violent struggle with our insistent self, whacking it down like a mole. To have the strength to carry on for long periods of time with a joyful attitude, as, for example, […]
I do not even know how I ended up here, but I thought this post was great. I do not know who you are but definitely you’re going to a famous blogger if you are not already 😉 Cheers!
Thank you for the warm wishes, Elnora, they are much appreciated!