The Ego, Soul, and the Atman
A Journey from Separation to Unity
The ego (or ego-mind) is a part of ourselves formed in childhood by identifying with the projections of others.
Others projected onto us — pure Consciousness — that we were “somebody,” an object. An object that was “good” or “bad” for certain “reasons.” Over time, we started to believe in and identify with these projections: “Yes, I really am unworthy of love because my body doesn’t look ‘good,’” for example.
The ego, that part of our intelligent energy which becomes identified with an object, is concerned only with survival and “becoming someone,” because deep down it knows it is not truly real — it lacks Being.
All objects are bound by time and space. They are finite, and will eventually come to an end. When Consciousness becomes identified with being an object, it can never truly rest, because on some level it knows that death is coming, that time is running out.
This object-identified consciousness — the ego — is inherently problematic because it is identified with limitation and, therefore, with lack.
Since it lacks true Being, it is constantly searching for safety and validation in the external world. But no matter what it finds, it can never be enough to make up for this metaphysical deficiency.
In its attempts to secure this safety and validation, it continually tries to manage the external world, often moving away from its authentic expression in the process.
From Ego to Soul
The transition from ego to soul begins when we start to heal the emotionally charged projections we’ve come to identify with — by allowing them to dissolve in the unconditional love of the heart.
As we release our identification with these projections, we reclaim more and more of our free will. We are no longer unconsciously driven by hidden egoic forces.
With this disidentification, the soul begins to live more authentically and starts to manifest its dreamlife naturally.
From Soul to Atman
Soul-identified consciousness is more stable than ego-identified consciousness, because it knows that while all things come and go, it — and its unconditional love — always remains.
However, because the soul is still identified as a subject, it still experiences itself as limited and separate from the rest of Being.
Naturally, the soul begins to gravitate toward the Atman — the real Self — the Self that is nobody in particular and therefore One with all.
The Atman, which is Pure Spirit, is realized when even the subtle identification with being a subject is surrendered by focusing intently on the totality of one’s consciousness itself. This initiates a movement of Kundalini Shakti — divine energy — that begins to illuminate the vessel from within.
As we remain connected to the Atman, Shakti gradually takes hold of the vessel, and Unity Consciousness begins to awaken.
There is no longer a “doer.” Everything begins to happen spontaneously, according to the Divine Will of the Self.
When one becomes naturally and permanently anchored in this state, it is called Enlightenment. It is not reserved for the few — it is available to all, because it is our natural, blissful state.
