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| Theseus victor of the Minotaur |
'I am a good person'
One of the defense mechanisms that ego uses in order to blind our perception and keep us under its control is the notion 'I am a good person'.Know that 'I am a good person' or ' I am a bad person' is the ego's play that keeps you entrapped in the ego mode.
As long as we see ourselves as a 'good person' we cannot make a real progress in spirituality, because we are unwilling to see what really happens in us. But if you are willing realize the Truth you cannot avoid see the 'reality' of untruth, viz. the ego as it is.
You have to see behind the mask of personality through which the ego plays the 'good person'. You have to see and accept that in your subconscious there are of all sorts of inhuman psychological entities.
There is nothing to fear yet you need courage to see all these ugly egos that make you a marionette of their will and obscure you realize your true nature which is eternal peace, freedom and bliss.
Courage is needed to see that you are neither a 'good person' as you thought you were, nor these ugly creatures that you carry in your psych.
Ego doesn't like and fears to see itself; thus you must observe yourself from a place beyond the ego.
Know that you are Consciousness beyond body, mind and ego. You are unattached by what happens in them. You are the light that illuminates them.
Find this silent space within you and rest in it. Be aware of this silent space and be established in it. Don't let all your attention identify with objects, thoughts and emotions; keep a 'part' of your attention always focused in the silence within. This is your anchor that can help you not to be lost in the ego's play. Resting in the silence within, you can watch the play of ego and dissolve it by proper means.
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| Theseus and Ariadne |
This is symbolized somehow in the myth of Theseus and the thread of Ariadne.
Theseus had to slay the Minotaur. The Minotaur was imprisoned inside the labyrinth (maze) - a confusing, complex building constructed by Daedalus. Once somebody entered the labyrinth, it was impossible for him to leave and he was devoured by the monster. Ariadne therefore gave Theseus a spool of thread that he let unwind through the labyrinth so that he wouldn't lose his path. Theseus managed to kill the Minotaur and, using this thread, to get out of the labyrinth and to finally escape from Crete.
The labyrinth and the Minotaur represent our lower self, the low nature or shadow, the aggregation of fears, passions and suppressed and undesirable aspects of our character, the ego with its different subconscious levels.
Theseus had to slay the Minotaur. The Minotaur was imprisoned inside the labyrinth (maze) - a confusing, complex building constructed by Daedalus. Once somebody entered the labyrinth, it was impossible for him to leave and he was devoured by the monster. Ariadne therefore gave Theseus a spool of thread that he let unwind through the labyrinth so that he wouldn't lose his path. Theseus managed to kill the Minotaur and, using this thread, to get out of the labyrinth and to finally escape from Crete.
The labyrinth and the Minotaur represent our lower self, the low nature or shadow, the aggregation of fears, passions and suppressed and undesirable aspects of our character, the ego with its different subconscious levels.
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| Theeus kills the Minotaur |
We are the hero Thesesus that has to slay the ego (Minotaur) and Ariadne represents a reflection of our Soul or the light of awareness. The thread represents our connection with the light of awareness. We are connected with our soul when we are aware of the silent space of awareness within; this is what we call Self-awareness or Self-remembrance.
We cannot avoid identification with the egoic expressions if we are not consciously connected with the silent space within. This is our origin and our final destination. In reality we never are separate from it; we only are unaware of it.
We cannot eliminate the ego if we don´t observe the ego, if we don´t perceive the ego as something different from us; but it is impossible to observe it, to see it as something that is not part of our nature if we constantly identify with the ego and its innumerable expressions through the mind, heart, body and prana.
Thus constant Self-remembrance is necessary in order not to identify with the ego´s expressions and be lost in its illusions. Do your best not to fall in forgetfulness due to carelessness and inattention. Find your own way to keep constantly the current of Self-awareness, this is a sine qua non in the path of liberation.
Moreover, discrimination, dispassion, courage, determination, faith, patience, perseverance are also the necessary virtues in order to slay the multi-face ego.
Be a dynamo of courage and spiritual strength, be a worker of light. The light always triumphs and dispels the darkness of ignorance.