The Ego

Let me get one thing straight: the ego in A Course in Miracles has absolutely nothing to do with being proud of your new haircut, or talking too much at dinner.

It’s not just about selfishness, arrogance, or narcissism. It’s far sneakier than that.

According to the Course, the ego is a BELIEF, not a person, not a personality trait, not even a little devil sitting on your shoulder whispering bad ideas. It’s simply the BELIEF that you are separate from God.

Let me say that again, with a loving wink:

The ego is the idea that you separated yourself from your Source and became a little body walking around in a big scary world.

Sounds dramatic, right? That’s because it is. The ego is pure drama. A soap opera writer in your head, crafting stories about rejection, success, failure, abandonment, betrayal, spiritual greatness, or complete unworthiness…anything, as long as it keeps you distracted from one simple truth:

You are still as God created you.

Enter Chapter 11, Section V: “The Dynamics of the Ego”

This section of the Course offers us a backstage pass to the ego’s secret operations.

It tells us:

“No one can escape from illusions unless he looks at them, for not looking is the way they are protected.”

So the ego survives precisely because we don’t look at it.

We’re too busy trying to improve it, fix it, or even destroy it.

But the Course doesn’t want us to fight the ego.

It wants us to SEE through it.

To notice that it’s not even there.

Imagine you’re watching a horror movie. You jump, scream, maybe even cover your eyes. But deep down, you know it’s just a film.

That’s the ego: a movie projected by the mind, starring…YOU.

But here’s the kicker:

You’re not the actor. You’re not the script.

You’re the light in which the whole movie plays.

Can you function without the ego?

Some people ask: “But don’t we need the ego to function in the world?”

The Course gently smiles and says: You can still make your coffee, drive to work, have relationships and raise children …without BELIEVING you are a separate self doing it all alone.

Functioning in the world isn’t the problem.

Identifying with the world is. And that’s the ego’s favorite hobby: to make you believe that this tiny “you” is the whole story.

A funny little example:

Imagine your partner forgets your birthday. Ouch.

The ego says:

“See? You’re not loved. You’re unimportant. Punish him. Withdraw. Hold a silent grudge for three weeks.”

The Holy Spirit says:

“That was a mistake, not a sin. You are still whole and loved. Would you rather be right or be happy?”

See the difference?

One builds a wall.

The other opens a window.

So… what do we do?

We don’t kill the ego. We don’t shame it.

We simply watch it, gently, with the light of awareness.

Like a cloud passing through the sky.

Like a child throwing a tantrum because it forgot its true Home.

As the Course says:

“The ego is insane. In fact, that’s its defining characteristic.”

But it has no real power unless we believe in it.

Once you stop believing, it becomes…NOTHING.

So next time you hear the word ego, don’t think of a swaggering celebrity or a selfish neighbor.

Think of a paper tiger. A shadow on the wall.

And remember:

You are not the shadow.

You are the Light that makes seeing possible.

And that, my friend, is not ego.

That’s You.

With love and light,

G.