From the Ego and the Soul

Throughout our lives, as we search for happiness and fulfillment, we may ask ourselves who we really are. To answer this question, we must first explore the following:

What is the ego? And what is the soul? 

To put it simply, one could say that the soul is feeling and the ego is thinking.

The soul speaks to us through our heart, and the ego through the brain.

So we come into the world in a body, and with these two aspects. But why do we eventually ask ourselves how we can even perceive our soul? 

Why do we have to search for our soul, the higher self, when our brain constantly demonstrates its presence? It chatters nonstop in the form of our thoughts, without us even asking for it!

The soul, on the other hand, does not speak in words. Or have you ever heard your heart say, “You’re happy right now” or “You’re in love” or “You think that flower over there is beautiful!” No, because it is purely felt. A knowledge not based on what has been learned. Its cues are subtle in nature. And it is also not as loud as our thoughts.

So here we are in the world. Curious and delighted by so many things. We explore our surroundings and are wide-eyed with wonder as we experience a flower with all our senses. What it looks like, how it smells, how it feels… The soul is completely in its element here.

We may also learn that it’s not a good idea to eat the flower. And this is where our brain comes into play. It stores every one of our experiences. Which makes sense, and that’s exactly what it’s there for. So we don’t poison ourselves by eating everything we find beautiful. 

That’s why the brain is so clear in its warning. It makes it clear: “Warning, danger!” And now it does something else. Our control center is able to release hormones that make us feel. After all, it’s a matter of life and death! So we get scared. With everything that goes with it, and all within milliseconds.

Let’s say we encounter a bear. The loving soul wants to pet and cuddle it. But the brain is faster. We get scared. Flight mode is activated, and afterward we’re surprised that we can run so fast.

So far, so good. The brain, aka the ego, has learned that if we eat certain flowers, we feel sick. So now it will sound the alarm every time we’re in a similar situation.

The same thing happens when we learn that if we don’t behave as expected, our parents will scold us or even punish us. 

People get angry with us if we’re too loud, interrupt adults, don’t finish our plate, or don’t do what we’re told. 

Not feeling like doing something was rarely an acceptable reason. We learn that our feelings aren’t that important. 

So what does our ego do, which above all wants to protect us and ensure our survival? It begins to suppress the impulses of the soul, the heart, our feelings. 

You could say it’s a matter of life and death when we risk not belonging somewhere. Belonging to a community was, long ago, actually essential for survival—even as an adult. 

And that is why the ego takes these drastic measures. 

It’s important to understand this! Because demonizing the ego from the get-go doesn’t make sense. It’s part of us. We are it! But we are also our soul. It’s about bringing both into harmony.