4 Critical Stages Leading To Our True Self

The Four Lives of the Ego

In 1923, Freud introduced terms to describe the synergy between the conscious and unconscious: 'id,' 'ego,' and 'super-ego.' The “id” (fully unconscious) encloses the thoughts and emotions that are repressed by consciousness; the “ego” (mostly conscious) deals with external reality; and the “super ego” (partly conscious) is the conscience or the internal moral judge.

The conscious ego is a belief system, which you have moulded based on your past experiences. This identifies you within your own mind as being the real you. The ego creates boundaries in your life that gives you the illusion of what is right or wrong.

Therefore the first question one must ask oneself is, “What is your philosophy?” Your concept of what is right and wrong will be built on the foundation of that single question. Without the clarity of that answer there will always be an unidentified doubt in your mind when making critical decisions in your personal and professional life.

Most people believe that the truth lies in the outside world, and the environment you exist within. The people in your life, work and culture are all outside forces that create part of this environment. The truth however, will always lie within you. It is the lack of awareness of that truth that will lead you to rely on the illusions of your environment.

Your conscious ego is what gives you the illusion of truth; it becomes your philosophy. When your ego is bruised or threatened, you defend it. By defending your ego you strengthen this very illusion, taking you further away from your true self.

Once you have found the courage to be true to yourself, you will never have to defend, as there is no illusion to defend.

“A person with integrity expects to be believed
and when they are not,
they let time prove them right.”

The Four lives of the Ego:

The illusionist: Their number one concern is themselves. They have perfected the art of an illusionist. In doing so they have become blind to the needs and wants of others.

No matter what level of success is created in the outer world, there will always be a sense of emptiness within as the true self vibrates to escape the inner prison of the illusion that has been created.

The opportunist: During this part of the journey, we look to let the illusionist out of the prison as long as we feel it is safe to do so. We see an opportunity to be kind and give towards others with one main stipulation: we give as long as our needs are fulfilled.

The Crave: When we enter the third stage the ego starts to crave more of your true self. In turn we find the courage to be more concerned about others’ desires and less about ourselves. At this part of the journey, others needs and desires come first, our own needs become secondary.

The Enlightenment: Here is where the true self has not necessarily broken out of the prison of our illusion but has actually been let free. In all other stages our true self has been trying to break free. In order to walk this part of our journey we have to let our true self free consciously. Here is where we entirely forget about ourselves in doing kind deeds for others. Our ultimate happiness that we so long for lies within this part of our life’s journey.

The critical point not to lose sight of is the fact that we have complete control of our conscious ego. This control can only be gained by consciously becoming aware of our environment and the reasons behind our thoughts and actions.

Awareness Always Precedes Effective Change.