Tag: ego

Don’t Shoot the Ego Messenger

“How to get rid of ego as dictator and turn it into messenger and servant and scout, to be in your service, is the trick.”
― Joseph Campbell

 

Aleister Crowley in his Liber III vel Jugorum wrote of a whole regiment designed to control the thoughts and train the ego. It involved razor blades and self-flagellation and while it may be effective may be considered a bit much for some people. Still the ego tends to be tricky. Even when we don’t believe that it controls us it can be the most manipulative and passive aggressive of servants. Also, the more we worry and obsess about whether our egos are controlling us or not, the more we can be sure that they are.
Perhaps it is better to just have awareness. Witness our thoughts and witness our actions and emotions and then try to have awareness of who it is that is doing the witnessing. This does not mean that to stop doing things volitionally. It does mean that we can be mindful of our actions and see where that leads us.
Blessings, G

 

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Unexpected Roadside AppearanceUnexpected Roadside Appearance by G A Rosenberg

 

Love's Strange MirrorLove’s Strange Mirror by G A Rosenberg

Quote of the Day – June 20 2012

“A single ego is an absurdly narrow vantage from which to view this–this experience.”
— From the movie Waking Life

I could quote from the Verve and say I’m a million different people from one day to the next but that is a hopeless exaggeration . Still it seems easier and easier to switch hats especially when something is bothering me and view it from a different vantage point.
I’ll give you an example. Lately I’ve taken for me an unnaturally large interest in politics. It’s very easy to look at what’s going on in the world today and become angry and frustrated. I did and several other emotions besides. However when I step back and look at everything as part of a whole that beyond time and space shines like an infinite jewel than everything I see today is part of a large unified beautiful whole. Things will play out as they will play out and things may shift but it is all complete. It helps
That’s not to say that we shouldn’t do what we can to make the world a better place. While that ‘lofty’ balance definitely lends perspective, it does squat for the development of compassion. Nor are those the only two possible perspectives. Indeed it is helpful to shift gears and look at things from the ‘reality tunnel’ or point of view that is radically opposed to your own or one (or a few) in the middle. Little by little the more I have done this the more relative reality seems to me.
Blessings, G

 

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Abstract Lovers by G A Rosenberg

Purple Torch Mandala by G A Rosenberg

Quote of the Day – November 28 2011

“The ego is nothing other than the focus of conscious attention.
–Alan Watts

and what we focus our attention on prospers so may haps the ego has function after all. It must otherwise why would we have it? Have been thinking a lot about subjective reality. When we communicate what do we communicate to each other? We communicate our own subjective reality, no more no less. By sharing our experiences, thoughts, senses with others, we both increase our understanding and elicit theirs with the end result being that we gain greater understanding into whatever parts of reality we share. The better our communication, the more accurate our view of objective reality may become. Perhaps why honesty becomes so highly valued. A liar can fuck with other’s reality to the extent that they let themselves believe him
Namaste, GAR

Two versions of the picture tonight with vastly different colour schemes

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Soup’s On by G A Rosenberg

Soup’s On (Gold-Green Variation) by G A Rosenberg

Legends and Stories-Br’er Rabbit and the Tar Baby

This article start another occasional series on this blog. One in which I intend to either tell or reprint an old tale or legend. It seems to me that many of the old stories that I grew up with are being forgotten and anyway i have of keeping them alive I will. Especially if it illustrates a point.

I just spent two hours combing articles that would explain to me why this story might or might not be racist. Was it a story told by slaves in the American South prior to The War Between the States. From what I understand yes. Were the story later collected by a white man and presented to the populace as told by a kindly old former slave named Uncle Remus. The answer once again would be yes. However, I also would answer yes to whether or not the character that people hearing the story  was smarter and wiser than any other character in the story.

On top of that I can’t think of a better analogy for the way many people deal with questions of ego and negativity than this story. If any of you find it reprehensible that I tell this story, my apologies.

Br’er Rabbit and the Tar Baby

(adopted from a story by Joel Chandler Harris, itself adopted from African American folktales)

Br’er Rabbit was always playing tricks on the other animals and getting them to do what he wanted and Br’er Fox had had enough. He decided he was going to teach that rabbit a lesson if it was the last thing he did.

Br’er Fox finally came up with a plan. He got some tar and he mixed it with turpentine and he put it into the shape of a baby. He stuck clothes and a hat on it and put it right in Br’er Rabbit’s path.

A little while later Br’er Rabbit came hopping along.

Seeing a strange on his path. Br’er Rabbit said “Hey, what’s up?” The stranger did not reply

Trying again, Br’er Rabbit said “Nice weather, we’re having.” Still no answer

“Well ya don’t have to be so rude, if you don’t want to talk, fine, just move aside so I can pass”

Still no answer

Getting impatient and angry Br’er Rabbit pushed the tar baby, only to find his hands wer stuck.

He couldn’t move

“Let me go, let me go, or I’ll give you such a kick” and he did.

His foot got stuck too.

Br’er Fox came out from behind the bush. He was laughing fit to bust a gut. “Now what do we have here, you seem stuck.”

Br’er Rabbit looked a bit scared as he knew that Br’er Fox had quite a few scores to settle with him.

“Hey Br’er Fox, I don’t suppose you’d help me out of here”

“Are you kidding? The only thing I’ll help you to is an early grave.”

“OK I understand, but do it with your gun or pluck my fur out or something. Just please… please… don’t….”

“Don’t what?” Br’er Fox said, a mite suspicious but wondering just how good his revenge might be

“Please whatever you do don’t toss me into the briar p-p-patch!”, Br’er Rabbit shuddered and with his eyes he pleaded.

“Why would I do that?”

“No, No, you couldn’t be so cruel! you wouldn’t, to heave me into the briar patch, that I’m so afraid of stuck to this monstrosity where I’d starve”

Br’er Fox smiled and laughed an evil laugh”

“Heh heh heh, OK into the briar patch you go” He picked up Br’er Rabbit, Tar Baby and all and heaved him into the Briar Patch

Br’er Rabbit screamed and it was music to Br’er Fox’s ears. The music hit a jarring note a few moments later when the screaming turned to laughter.

Br’er Rabbit said as he ran past, “Thank you kindly, Br’er Fox, I was born and bred in the briar patch, born and bred and know it to be the perfect place to get stuff unstuck from you”

Br’er Fox just beat his head again the ground.

Whenever people start talking to me about killing off their egos or not dealing with their egos, ego bad, materialism bad, gotta get rid of it, I get reminded of this story. It seems to me that the things in ourselves that we fight against the most become our own personal tar babies, the more we strike out at them and try to kill them off, the more we attach ourselves to them in a negative way.
It is only when we focus on other things that we are able to free ourselves.

Stray Thought: I think it is a reasonable bet that Bugs Bunny has some common origins with Br’er Rabbit. I wonder how many of this contemporary Warner Brothers and Disney cartoons do also?