"Every individual has an ego in place, even those of the animal kingdom. The Ego is an aspect of the Self. Somewhere along the way, Humanity came to believe in ego as strength. In reality, it is not. In reality it is fear...".

-- The Master Teachers

With these words from the Master Teachers, I began studying the Ego, and its effect on our quality of life. The Ego serves a valuable purpose. But it is an aspect within each of us that is both misunderstood and misused. It is the sentinel of Self; a watchdog to protect us from those who would harm and take advantage of us. It directs us to seek what we need for survival. The Ego is also a great motivator, charging us into action. As we encounter negative situations or people, this negativity may be notifying us that it is time to do what we have not done. Perhaps even something that we have agreed with God to do, as God's Will. Thus, negativity forces us into action and the Ego is alerted. But once this watchdog of the Self is provoked, the Higher Self must then take over. After this watchdog has alerted us to possible situations of concern or action, it is up to us to put it at bay and take back control of our choices. Only by acting from the Higher Self, can we be aligned with God's Will.

Once the Ego has been aroused, it is up to us to use only our spiritual Higher Self capabilities in deciding how to react to its influence. Just as any owner of a watchdog should not unleash his animal upon another, we must never unleash our ego upon another. To do so is harmful to ourselves and others, even the Earth. The Ego must never be used for vengeance, domination, or the degradation of others. If you respond to the actions of another person's ego with your own ego, you will end up in a 'barking' match or perhaps even a 'dog fight' to determine who is the better 'dog'. By the way, an interesting bit of trivia: 'fleas', ants and other insects are attracted to Ego.

I once asked the Master Teachers to explain to me how we can identify the Ego in action. They instructed me to consider the ways of a baby, as it demands attention from its mother and father. Listen as it says 'Please, please, pay attention to me!'. It believes that others are only there to fill its needs and wants. It has little or no consideration for the needs or wants of others. Notice how it may begin to cry and scream, perhaps even to having a temper tantrum as its fears of not being satisfied grow. It is the same for Ego. How many times have you witnessed yourself or someone around you acting in just the same way? What were the consequences of these actions?

When you hear someone saying: 'What about ME?', realize that they are acting from ego. This is common in those individuals who perhaps did not get the proper nurturing or attention when they where a child. This also happens with those sharing within a large family. When you hear yourself or others acting in this way realize where it is coming from. It is Ego, the fears of the lower self; the baby child of Self.

Many difficulties within relationships are the blockages and barriers that result from the clash of the egos of those involved. When you find yourself around someone who is acting from their ego, it has an irritating effect upon you. You will also notice a feeling of relief when you are no longer being exposed to their ego. If you notice that others around you are acting irritated, perhaps it is because you are acting from your ego.

The ego always tries to present itself as being 'better' or 'right'. This characteristic of ego may lead others to judge you as acting from ego, when in reality you are simply stating truth. This happens when their ego recognizes that you are correct and they are not. This realization causes their ego to quickly judge you as being in ego, so that they may not be judged by anyone else, including themselves.

Ego is very judgmental. When a person is in ego, and they are judging others, they are also secretly judging themselves. Ego is very adept at judging others for those judgments it is making about itself!

When someone is allowing their ego to decide and act for them, they are stepping into the Darkness and that of the lower physical self capabilities that dwell there. Beware of this! The Ego can be very dangerous and deceiving. Any time you allow your ego to get in the way of communication and cooperation there will be difficulty. When you judge another, in a negative fashion, you are in ego. When you are trying to prove that you are better than someone else, you are in ego. When you, or someone else finds it necessary to be Right and everyone else Wrong, it is a struggle with ego. When this happens, the better person is actually the one who can say, "I'm sorry, I was wrong".

As I considered the Master Teachers words, I began to feel this was almost overwhelming, so I asked them what is the best way to properly deal with ego from those we love. The Master Teachers then told me when someone you love is in the Darkness of ego or self-doubt, they may become defensive when questioned about it. They probably will not admit that they are acting from ego. If you know something to say to them, that would please them, then say it. Perhaps this will shake them from the state they are in. Then ask them to tell you if they think they are acting positively or negatively. What state do they think they are in? In a loving way, tell them about the negative state that you are seeing them in. Remind them that you love them. Remind them to clear themselves. Remind them that because you love them, they are pulling you into their negative state as well. Tell them, that it is because you love them, that it is important to change their state. Then take them into your arms, even if you do not feel like being near them and silently forgive them for being so stubborn in their ego. By telling them in this way, the love and light shared with them will help to bring about a change. If it is said in this loving way it should make them think twice. But, if instead you tell them that they are in a negative state and are pulling you into it and that 'it is not fair to you', they will take off and leave. If you should respond in this negative way, you must realize that they have pulled you into your own ego. For it is your ego that is now saying 'What about ME?'

At this point, I remembered the many opinions I had heard which expressed that a strong ego was something to be developed which would then make us stronger. As I explained my confusion from this, they explained: Many people exhibiting ego believe that they are acting out of self love. This is not true. It is self love when you lovingly protect and care for yourself, by yourself, without taking advantage of others. But the ego rarely does this. Ego believes that it can demand self gratification from others, without concern for their needs and wants. Ego dictates that others should take care of its needs and wants before taking care of their own needs and wants. Ego believes that others should value its beliefs and opinions above anyone else's. When others do not agree with this, Ego calls them insensitive and uncaring. Ego believes that it has little responsibility for the needs of Self, except to demand those needs from others. Fortunately, not everyone exhibits their ego, to these extremes. The key to how much ego a person exhibits, is the amount of fear and self-doubt that they have within them.

Ego is the fortress that protects the fears within each of you. Any time you exhibit your ego, you are exhibiting your fears, for all to see. When you are impatient, you are afraid of missing something. When you spread negative gossip about another, you are attempting to make yourself 'better' than them. This happens whenever you are not feeling your own self worth. In a classic example, ego begins judgment of someone with 'Did you hear what so and so did?' Ego will then end their judgment of someone with 'I would never do such a thing!'. The result is that ego is 'better' and someone is 'lesser'.

As the Master Teachers shared all this with me, I thought of how many times a day this is done in our daily conversations. Just as I realized this they exclaimed: Remember, those who judge others will also BE judged by others!

By now, I was realizing how deeply ingrained into society the abuse of Ego has become. So I asked the Master Teachers to give me a solution that I might share with others. As you read this precious Truth, I ask you to apply it to your own life. I have found their wisdom to truly be the antidote for ego.

The antidote for Ego:

"Because ego is fear, the best way to handle ego, is unconditional love. This is because the opposite of fear is love. So when you find yourself dealing with the fears of your own ego, do something loving for someone else. When you give unconditional love, it is always returned to you. It is impossible to be afraid when you have adequate love for yourself and belief in your abilities to provide for yourself.

When working to clear yourself of ego, be aware of what you say and how you come across to others. Be aware of your thoughts as well as your actions. Are you more concerned with your own selfish wants than the needs of others? Do not be concerned with that of Self. Instead ask yourself, 'what would God want?' When you are aligned with the will of God, ego can not get in the way. To help someone out of their ego remind them of this. For then it is not that they are serving Self, it is that they are serving Him."

-- The Master Teachers

In closing, let me reiterate that before humanity can conquer the Ego, we must first conquer our own fears. To conquer our fears we must first love ourselves as God loves us; unconditionally. Only Love can conquer Fear. So we must first realize that God wants us to be happy. We must first realize that to follow God's will is to follow the path of happiness, self love and self respect. Following God's will is the greatest gift of love that we can give to ourself. No one outside of our own Self can completely tell us what this is. Christ taught that God is within and to know God we must go within ourself. So to know God's Will we must go within and listen for Him to reveal it to us. When we love ourself in this way, we will conquer the fears within us that the ego protects and magnifies. We will eventually discover that indulging in ego is self destructive and only causes us to love ourself less as we see the effect our ego has upon our loved ones.

God is Love. And in this Love we are all One and there is no one who is 'better', there is no one who is 'lessor'. So if the Ego is fear; the opposite of Love, what are we doing, what are we becoming when we indulge in ego?

Indulging in ego is easy, but it has a devastating cost. For not only does our ego seperate us from the ones we love, it is the ultimate expression that we have chosen to separate ourselves from God as well.

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