The ego which is our collection of ideas about ourselves as individual human physical beings has been under severe attack, for a while now as we continue our journey of awakening to our deeper truth.   This is for good reason, and a primary approach of transpersonal hypnotherapy is to help  soften our allegiance to the egoic identity and awaken to the true or inner self, thereby releasing problem states.

However,  while attaching to our ideas of ourself is the fundamental cause of our problem states, I argue here that having an idea of self is not in itself a bad thing.  I have been recently discovering this for myself, when I recognised that I had been harbouring a very vigilant sub-personality that actively and unceasingly policed myself and others at anything that could be seen as ego inflating or self-aggrandizing thought and behaviour.  While this sounds like a healthy sub-personality, this was in fact a sub-part that has often kept me from stepping up to be more and not fully allowing the soul to shine in all its wonderful colours, and furthermore this supposedly well-meaning part would require that I play judge or feel competitive with others who did allow themselves to shine without apology. 

Hence the inspiration to write this post which reflects a more embracing and balanced perspective, which is to recognise that having an ego and a sense of self is not the problem, we wouldn’t do very much or go anywhere without the healthy sense of self.  The problem is when we allow ourselves to be run by the imbalanced ego mind.

A healthy relationship to the ego is necessary, desirable and very helpful not just to our very physical existence, but also has a vital role to play on our awakening journey.  While we want to constantly change, soften and refine how we relate to the egoic thinking process, I do not believe that the goal is to get rid of the ego, which is in fact an impossibility, or to purify it out of existence or disown it.  A healthy balanced Ego is in fact necessary and helpful in several respects, including:

·         The healthy ego infact provides us the charge, desire, urgings and even ambition to change, to make things better, to grow and to move toward what we want, and to be more of the self.  It can greatly facilitate our drive towards what we prefer.  When we attempt to run with no ego or with too much humility can on the other hand often lead to issues with confidence and self worth. 

·         When the ego or personal identity is rightly functioning and balanced it becomes the very vehicle for expressing the nobility and gifts of the soul

·         Even the imbalanced ego has a helpful function, in alerting us to our inner state and to the fact that we have moved away from balance.  We would do well in this regard to pay attention to what the ego is pointing us to whether this is defensiveness or fear or other feeling states, without being pulled in to drama or acting out on it's impulses.

The journey is, I sense, about finding the right balance between egotism (ie self-importance and false pride is self) and humility.  True power is off course expressed through humility and in recognising the outer universe as merely symbolic of the inner world.  In this journey a healthy refined ego can be an aspect of our embodiment also in service to the soul, allowing a more fuller expression of the gentle flowing river of spirit.

It is off course ever in our best interest to cultivate states of alert awareness, and of deep listening to our inner voices and emotional states, so we do not allow ourselves to be run by or carried away by this part of the mind, particularly to situations and thoughts of us being either the aggrieved victim, or as being specially gifted or specially great.  When we do come across these states we can relate to the ego mind as we would to a little child, reassuring it with love and the knowing that everything is well.

Beyond this awareness, I think it is also healthy to acknowledge that the ego serves an important function as a part of our physical embodiment.  When in balance and properly functioning, we can allow it to be a vehicle so that we may express as our Higher Selves and bring forward our gifts, and talents to serve the higher good.

In the context of awakening we want to soften our addiction to thinking and identification in terms of the personal self or ego.  As we continue to attend to the work of purifying and dis-identifying or detaching from an idea of personal self as identity, a healthy egoic strength now allows us to be more of who we are, and to enhance the journey of the soul.

This post discuss the very conducive energies of this year to engaging your creative side, and how this is an ideal time to act on and bring forward your highest visions and your heart’s dreaming.  

Since the beginning of February, 2014 we have entered in to the Year of the Green Horse (within the cycle of chinese astrology). You may have already noticed that the energies of this year are a lot more supportive for engaging your vision and passion and allowing your big projects and creative ideas to unfold. This is so different from the sense of constriction and challenge that marked our day to day experience in the years immediately preceding this one. A client and friend who is contemplating a significant change shared this with me last week..

“I feel so positive about the prospect of a move. It feels like a cloud is lifting. I sense there is great energy behind it all and I sense the universe is encouraging me to embrace change and move on to the next adventure.”

What big adventure do you sense you are being called to give your energy and passion to at this time? We have in a sense passed the point of having to push against strong walls of resistance, and now is a great time for committing to and taking action. What is your pet project? Is there a passion or a vision for change that have you been secretly harbouring? If you have been holding yourself back in any way, I invite you to visit these dreams and give them space to unfold, to act on them as you are being guided to do and to embrace the changes that this will likely call for you to make.

The drive to engage our biggest passions and vision will inevitably see us being faced with challenges as well. Even with the energy of the Green Horse behind us, there is a lot still left for us to do and be mindful about! Some of the specific challenges include:

- Ensuring we put in place appropriate structures and boundaries that support what we desire to create and to see manifested in our realities.



- Working with our natural rhythms in deciding when we move in to outward action ie when energy and inspiration is flowing, and being mindful of natural down times and ebbs in energy when we are better attending to self care, and doing things that are nourishing or just plain simply fun.



- As we move toward and reach higher with our visions, we are inevitably faced with a lot of uncertainty. Tuning in to intuition and confidently acting on your intuitive guidance is how we can best relate to uncertainty. As we take action on what we are intuitively guided to do, we begin to see more of the bigger picture as well as how we can get there, and the next steps we can take will appear.




- Being in right relationship to the moment, so we are not engaging in busy action that gets us nowhere. When we do find ourselves pushing in a direction that is not working, it is a helpful reminder to exercise more self love and compassion. This is an opportunity to get silent so you are able to listen in to your inner voice again, as well as remembering to stay balanced, grounded and aligned with the Heart and the energies of the Higher Self.

- Making sure we reach out for support and help from others who are able to help us take our next steps. Making big changes is a always a co-creative and a collaborative process, and we are all in this together! 

The big vision I am referring to here is not merely about a change in external circumstances, though it may likely include that, as much as it is about expressing and bringing to life more of your innate talents, passions, gifts and skills, of expressing more of who you already are. When you pursue this vision and your hearts calling, it will not only bring you joy, but also allow you to make a difference to others on the planet. Your dream or vision may be something simple that you are already doing and want to give more attention to, such as indulging your favourite hobby, or signing up to a rock climbing or an art or pottery class, or it could be something completely life altering and a decision that you are going to finally go forward and take the next step with your dream business or change your career, or move to a new city, or return to nature.

As you reach for the sky, call up your vision, fuel your plans with creativity, find a fresh path and pace yourself well. Higher guidance is with us every step of the way.