I’ve chosen to highlight some of the teachings in the book, “The Wisdom of Dr. David R. Hawkins” this month and this Sunday’s topic is “Moving from Ego to Service.” I’ve written and spoken about the ego many times. Hawkins’ describes it as our “animal nature.” It’s neither good nor bad. It primarily separates the individual, nudging and telling us we must fight and scrap for what we need.
Hawkins’ writes: “Spiritual work is really about overcoming selfishness, self-centeredness, and egocentricity in all of its various disguises. What are the various disguises? Well, the compulsion to have, to own, to be successful, to win, and all the things that we know as egocentricity.” He goes on to say, “The ego is impressed by popularity, wanting to be right, vanity and pridefulness. Give up the vanity of wanting to be right.” Richard Rohr, the Franciscan Catholic Priest, also writes about the compulsion of the ego being driven into most of us during our first half of life. Here we are concentrating on career, making money and getting ahead, raising children, etc. Once we have done all those things as we come to the second half of life many of us look around and think there’s got to be something more. Here is where a spiritually minded individual seeks to elevate their consciousness from the animal instinct to seeking a higher level of beingness rather than doingness.
Once one steps on the path of intentionally elevating their consciousness, the world and all that’s in it including human, animals, nature, etc. becomes holy. One sees the intrinsic beauty to be found everywhere. It’s a matter of opening our hearts to accepting and loving ourselves just as we are and then making the decision to be loving and kind toward all of life. Taking the spiritual path is not guaranteed to be an easy road. Just remember Jesus’ teachings such as “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” He’s telling us to step the ego aside.
Say with me: “I am ready to consciously step my ego aside – at least recognize it – and move into seeing the holiness and beauty of everything around me – including me!”
—Rev. Gay Beauregard, Alpine Church of Spiritual Living