Unmasking the Ego
The Illusion of Waiting to Feel Ready
Have you ever found yourself stuck in a cycle of waiting to feel a certain way before taking action? Waiting to feel confident before making a big decision, or waiting to feel motivated before starting a new project? It’s a common experience, but one that keeps many of us stuck, searching for an elusive sense of "rightness" or permission that never seems to come.
What if I told you that this very act of waiting is a subtle trap set by the ego? Imagine this: the same force that makes you feel lazy, anxious, or unprepared is also the one you're waiting for to grant you the motivation or confidence to move forward. It’s like being threatened by a criminal and then asking the police for protection, only to realize the police officer is the same criminal in disguise. The ego plays both roles—the source of your discomfort and the supposed savior you turn to for relief.
Playing Both Sides
This realization opens up a deeper understanding of how the ego operates. The ego thrives on maintaining its control by keeping us dependent on it. When you wait to feel a certain way, you’re giving the ego power over your decisions, allowing it to dictate the terms of your freedom. But what if the ego, in all its forms—the doubts, the fears, the hesitations—is simply a part of the mind’s own game? A game designed to keep you stuck in an endless loop of needing its approval?
When you apply this theory to many of the major historical stories and spiritual teachings, you begin to see them from a completely new perspective, revealing deeper insights into the nature of the human mind and the ego.
Adam & Eve: A Tale of the Ego’s Duality
Consider the story of Adam and Eve from the Bible. Traditionally, this story is understood as a tale of temptation and disobedience, with God representing divine authority and the snake symbolizing evil or deceit. However, if we reinterpret the story with the idea that both “God” and the “snake” represent different facets of the ego, a new perspective emerges.
In this view, the “God” who commands Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree is not the ultimate divine force but an aspect of the ego that represents authority, control, and order. The “snake” who tempts them to eat from the tree symbolizes another facet of the ego—desire, curiosity, and rebellion. Both are playing their parts in the same story, creating a conflict that keeps Adam and Eve trapped in a dualistic mindset.
If we see both God and the snake as parts of the ego, we can understand the story as a reflection of the inner struggle within every human being. The true “God” or divine presence is not a character in the story but the awareness that witnesses the entire drama—the pure consciousness that observes the ego's play without getting caught up in it.
Beyond the Ego’s Game
So, who is the true “God” in these stories? If both the authority figure and the challenger, the guide and the doubter, are manifestations of the ego, then the true divine presence is the awareness that stands beyond them. It is the silent witness that observes both the God commanding obedience and the snake tempting with desire. It is the space in which both Krishna and Arjuna’s inner battles unfold. It is the pure consciousness that sees both Prometheus’ rebellion and Zeus’ punishment without identifying with either.
This awareness is our true self, the aspect of us that is unconditioned, whole, and beyond all dualities. When we stop waiting for the ego to grant us permission to act or feel a certain way, we begin to tap into this deeper awareness. We realize that we don’t need to wait for the “right” feeling or the “perfect” moment. We can move forward from a place of presence, knowing that the source of our discomfort is also the source that tries to give us permission—and that both are simply facets of the same egoic illusion.
Breaking Free
By recognizing this, we reclaim our freedom. We see that the only way to truly move forward is to act from the awareness that is beyond the ego, beyond the need for permission or the illusion of control. We step into our true selves—the silent observer, the infinite consciousness that watches the play of life without getting caught in its web.
So, the next time you find yourself waiting to feel a certain way before taking action, remember: you are the awareness that sees both the resistance and the permission-seeking as part of the same game. And you don’t have to play by those rules anymore.
