Inner Focus

Soul versus Ego

 

A story told from the soul perspective is “the story beneath the ego story, the one with the thread of truth running through it..."

~ Parker Palmer

 

So, what is the ego story? It's the one that we tell that makes us look good, enforcing the protective shell around us, the one that hides our vulnerability to others. Of course we need a sure sense of self, which is a little about ego strength, but when the ego overtakes us and suffocates our true selves, our souls are in danger of retreating.

 

Our egos often get in the way of our relationships. When we fear the diminishment of ourselves, our honor, our pride...that is our ego talking. It's not that having an ego is bad, but when it becomes the primary way we interact with others, or the primary way that we hope to connect with a Higher Being, it becomes a barrier to an authentic relationship.  

 

One of the challenges of trying to lead a more spiritually pure existence is paying attention to the inner voice more, the one that rings true with authenticity. If we continually ignore this part of ourselves, it becomes buried under a pile of rationalizations.

 

In contrast, our ego-voice is the one that shouts at us from the moment we get up, asking for attention. It takes training to recognize the voice for what it is, a petulant child who constantly seeks needs to be met, seeks honor and recognition. 

 

The midrash says that Torah was given to us in the desert because it represents the untamed wilderness, where openness is the state of being, and that unless we too, become open and free with no boundaries (ego fortifications) we will not be ready to receive its treasures.

 

To create a connection with God, we need to escape our preconceived notions. As Avraham did, we need to leave our former place of comfort and go into uncharted territory. We need to remove the filters of ego and self which will only serve to hold us within the boundaries of our experiences. We need to become “Ownerless” in order to be open to God. 

 

~ Adapted from The Jewish View of Spirituality. Haber and Sedley.

 

Thank you for reading Inner Focus, my hope is that you will be refreshed and renewed, and bring more spirituality into your life.

May it be so, keyn y'hi ratzon. 

 

Wishing you a glorious day and the ability to make this day better than yesterday, 

B'vrachot (with blessings), 

Ruth 

 

Reheat that cup of coffee, browse through, and please, feel free to share your feedback about anything on your mind.  

Inner Moments

 

I'm enjoying the lusciousness of strawberry season, and for this next exercise, I'd like you to experience this fruit (or any fruit like it- raspberries, cherries, blueberries, or even grapes) in a different way. Go and get about 5 pieces of the same fruit and bring them next to you.   

 

Begin by looking at each fruit carefully, taking each one in your hand, and noticing the shape.......and then the color.....the weight, the density, the way it reflects the light. You can put them all back down.  

Now, we're coming to the interesting part. You're going to eat all of them, so you can say the appropriate blessing here:

Baruch Atah Adonai---Eloheynu Melech Haolam, Borei P'ri Haetz /or Borei P'ri HaAdamah. Blessed are You, The One, Our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who brings forth fruit from the tree /ground. 

 

Now, take just one, put it in your mouth and slowly and fully realizing its taste.  

Note to yourself that this how this fruit tastes. Now, eat the next one. Is there a difference in taste? How different? Isn't that amazing??? There is a different taste. Again, the next one. Different in taste? And the next, until you've eaten them all. Note how each individual berry has its own subtle taste, yet tastes like its namesake. Each one may have received the sun a little differently, was positioned differently, grew in a different spot...countless ways that made that berry taste just a little different than the one before. Think about the miracle of food, of sustenance. Think about the uniqueness of each living thing.  

 

Baruch Atah Adonai---Eloheynu Melech haolam, borei nefashot rabot

v’chesronan---al kol ma she’barata l’hachavot bahem nefesh kol chai

baruch chei ha’olamim.

 

Blessed are You, God---Our God, Sovereign of the Universe,

Creator of numerous living beings and their needs---for all the things you have created with which to sustain the soul of every living being. Blessed are You, Life of the Worlds.

 

~exercise and translation by Ruth Schapira

Our tradition tells us in so many ways that we need to cultivate a relationship with God. What does that mean for you? Read more about spiritual guidance by clicking below.  

 
Learn More

If you haven't had a chance to listen to a meditation on "The Trait of Envy", why not do that now? It's on Apple podcasts.  You can also listen on Spotify or Anchor. 

 
Listen here
267 . 225 . 6136
This email was created with Wix.‌ Discover More