Concept of The Principle

We should just accept that it is part of the scheme of the Universe that when our spirit comes into this physical format of the world, we take on the ego consciousness of the world, thereby developing an individualized ego self with which we identify. It's natural and not to bemoan, for it is by way of the limited perspective of the ego self that we come by the harsh lessons of life that, in the end, bring us to awareness. Awareness of what? Awareness of, and rediscovery of our infinite, eternal nature. Upon that rediscovery, we are then to release identity with the ego self and re-identify with our True Infinite Eternal Self.

Again, in the fewest words: It's all about identity! From there it is simply a matter of practicing awareness to break the habit of identity with the false (ego) self. And that too is not difficult or complicated. I cannot emphasize this enough. It has been said in other places, particularly as a tenet of A Course In Miracles, that all complexity is of the ego. It is the ego that leads one to pursue all kinds of complicated systems and methodologies with difficult rituals and religious like practices. The ego loves to distract us with this stuff as a strategy to deter us from dropping identity with it. The ego's very life depends upon our identity with it. I suggest that you always let complexity in the area of spirituality serve as a warning sign. Beware the ego enticing you to complicated schools and distracting methodologies.

All one has to do is to begin with this Principle. There is only One Mind, only one thing in the Universe -- Mind -- Universal Subconscious Mind -- of which everything is a part. All of the expressions of the One Mind are what the whole is. It is only ego consciousness that has given the illusion of "separate from". As part of the whole each of us has the characteristics of the whole. So when you feel a need, in this re-identity mode, you know that the One Mind, in providing for you, is doing nothing more than providing to itself. Just having this mind set helps to relieve a very common problem that most of us have. That is that in separation we have felt unworthy and undeserving. And as part of those feelings, we are not freely allowing the Universe to provide. This re-identity focus brings us back to allowing and expecting the fulfillment of our needs, because our needs are one and the same as the needs of the One. It is no longer a matter of wondering if we have done enough to please a separate God that He would deign to provide for our needs.

In this understanding, it is preposterous to even think that The Whole / The One / The Universe would withhold from itself. In fact, I personally have come to bypass all of this stuff of what I desire as well as all of the affirmation "work". Instead, I go directly to asking the Universe for what I need, and to provide it in the way that will serve the best interests of all concerned. Then I know that I can trust that it will be done, because in providing for me, the Universe is providing for itself. There are other simple elements of practice, but that is a subject for another time.

Conclusion

It may seem that in this Part of the series we have taken a side excursion from the main subject, the openness - closedness of consciousness. But it is a necessary diversion that will enlighten the articles to follow.

That said, let me end this Part with a story that many of you may identify with as you consider this issue of moving from complexity to simplicity. I know from experience that many eog's are likely fully enraged and screaming bloody murder about now at my assertion that complexity is of the ego. That's fine; it's expected. That's what egos are about after all; drama and reaction is what they do. A big part of re-identity practice is to begin to just objectively observe our ego reactions. Just let it settle down a bit. This story is intended to assist with that.

Not long ago, I was having a phone conversation with a friend. We were chatting as she was in her kitchen doing preparations for a zucchini lasagna she had planned for dinner. At some point during the conversation, I was telling her how I had come to this conclusion that in the end, it’s all real simple (referring to the overall life goal of coming to the state of peace, ease and creativity where life flows, and problems seem to diminish).

“It’s simply a matter of identity”, I said. “Since the source of all problems is ego, it is a matter of dropping identity with ego, and re-identifying with our Infinite, Eternal Self. Just forget about all of the other stuff. It’s unnecessary. In fact, it’s only distracting – just what ego does.”

Before I could hardly finish the statement, she was chomping at the bit to break in. “Oh William, I have to disagree with that. What you are saying takes mastery. Only a master can do that.”

“But wait a minute", I said.

“You have to be a master to do what you are saying”, she persisted.

“But hold on;", I broke in, "maybe it’s the concept of "mastery" that is the problem. That word has the connotation of being a very difficult state to attain, something that can only be done by the most highly spiritually evolved souls, something that comes only through a lifetime of dedicated study. But who is it that ever established that connotation of the word? Who is to say that it isn’t just our interpretation of the word -- in deed, our ego's interpretation -- that associates “mastery” with difficult, and that that interpretation is erroneous? Consider that mastery actually means nothing more than coming to the very simple truth that it’s all about identity”.

“Ohh, I don’t know about that”, she said skeptically.

“Well, why, in any event, does it take the kind of mastery you envision to do the very simple thing of deciding to begin dis-identifying from ego, and re-identifying with our True Self?” It’s simply a decision after all. You made a decision to make zucchini lasagna for dinner this evening. Then you set about to do it. Did it take your kind of mastery to make that decision?”

“Ummm, I don’t …”

And I continued, "To me, the word mastery sounds like a great one for the ego to throw at you. Convincing us that it’s all so complicated that we will never be able to attain a state of peace, is one of its greatest strategies.” Then imitating ego, I said, ‘I know how I can stop her in her tracks; I’ll throw the word mastery at her; that’ll keep her at bay for a very long time’".

My friend chuckled and still skeptical, said, “Oh I get it; I see what you’re doing. I have to think about that … Oh, gotta go and get this lasagna going; Mark (her husband) just came into the kitchen”.

And that was the end of that conversation, but not the end of the story. About an hour and a half later, the phone rang, and it was this friend calling back. When I answered, she said, “I just wanted to thank you for that conversation. You know, I thought about it and I see what you were saying, and I was wrong about that [i.e., having to be a master]”.

What she meant was that after thinking about it she decided that she had had an erroneous presumption of the word master, and had fallen for the ego’s deception that only "that kind of master" could make the choice to change identity from false self to True self. Ego is the only master in this thinking -- the master deceiver. Falling for such deceptions is a huge problem, and a tragic one.

Personally, I would prefer the word "master" be discarded from any discussions on spirituality, or at a minimum, not applied to those who engage in identity transition. Why? Because the very word is separative; it purports the idea that only a very few special people -- a class called master -- can even consider doing what we are here to do. As evidenced by my friend's take on the word (which is the dominant one), it suggests that all others have only the merest shadow of a chance of attaining the peace and ease of True Self identity. But that just flies in the face of the scheme of the Universe. The Truth is that it only takes awakening to the concept of identity transition, and then a decision to begin doing it.

End of Part 6; go to Part 7