Do you know your two egos?

The most important purpose we have on this earth is to become aware of our two egos. Much of the information about them is confusing. Calling the second ego an “ego” causes the greatest confusion. The second ego is the Higher Self, the I Am.

We experience both egos when we say “I”. As Rudolf Steiner says in his first lecture on the Gospel of St John,

“for “I” must be spoken within us: to everyone else we are “you.” This in itself shows us that our ego-being is distinct from all else that is in or around us.” Then he says, “within this ego another, a higher one, is born, as the child is born of the mother.”

We might ask if this second ego replaces the first ego. This is not the case; our task is to manage both of them. As Steiner explains,

“a second I that can say “you” to the first one in the same way that the I itself says “you” to the outer world and to its own body — that looks upon this first I from above, as it were.”

This means that we must learn to be aware of which ego is working within us at any given time. One place to start might be to have a conversation with ourselves from the perspective of each ego. If, for instance, we become angry, can we pause long enough to establish which ego is angry – are we having an reactive outburst of anger, or is it so-called ‘righteous anger’ rising up within us.

Distinguishing between these two egos is ongoing, and any assistance we can get will be helpful. Steiner continues to explain.

“[The second ego] is linked with the imperishable, just as the first ego is bound up with the perishable, the temporal; and by means of rebirth this higher ego can behold a spiritual world just as the lower ego does perceive the physical world through eyes and ears.”

As we work with our two egos we reach a point where we experience the presence of Christ – in this world and in us. “This means that just as a rebirth can occur for the individual in his development, so a rebirth for all humanity came about through Christ Jesus. Quotes from The Gospel of St John by Rudolf Steiner

Image: Guardian Angel and the Soul