Saturday, November 7.
10 am – 12 noon.
Suggested donation: $5
The ego is much discussed in psychological as well as spiritual circles. Psychology calls it the conscious self; the “I”; a person’s sense of self-esteem, self-worth, self-respect or self-importance; the most individual part of the person. As such, it is important to develop a “healthy ego,” which could be described as self perception which is neither under- nor over-inflated, seeing oneself in a positive light, neither inferior nor superior to most of humanity.
Spiritual definitions of the ego, as found in A Course in Miracles and other sources, tend to describe the ego as “the false self,” the part of us that believes it is separate from others as well as God, an illusory construct we have forged in order to emphasize our individuality in the world. As such, the ego identifies us primarily through externals, such as nationality, religious affiliation, how others see us, our job or profession, our achievements and our failures – in short, ego identity is based exclusively on superficial perspectives rather our essential spiritual nature. Carl Jung, a psychoanalyst who bridged the gap between psychology and spirituality, pointed out that knowledge of the ego-personality is often confused with self-understanding, which it is not.
In our November discussion, we will explore facets of the ego and our relationship to it. Should we seek to befriend it or is it “the enemy” of our spiritual development? Is it something to be afraid of? Do we do battle with the ego? Should it be cultivated or transcended? Please join our discussion of this intriguing topic!
What is IONS? The Institute of Noetic Sciences™founded in 1973 by Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research, education, and membership organization whose mission is supporting individual and collective transformation through consciousness research, educational outreach, and engaging a global learning community in the realization of our human potential. “Noetic” comes from the Greek word nous, which means “intuitive mind” or “inner knowing.” IONS™ conducts, sponsors, and collaborates on leading-edge research into the potentials and powers of consciousness, exploring phenomena that do not necessarily fit conventional scientific models while maintaining a commitment to scientific rigor.
The Caritas Center sponsors one of a global network of self-organizing community groups that study and discuss the work of IONS.