Ego and Spirit as Siblings

Sting famously said that we are spirits in the material world. This concept was first relayed into popular culture by George Harrison, who spent the majority of his adult life examininig the dicotomies and challenges inherent to this fact. But did we just land here out of fate, or did we come here with a purpose in mind? Did we in fact choose to be here at this time? If so, as George also asked, what the @#!* are we doing here? Did we come here to experience some great truth, or to witness an enigmatic change or transformation? We've been deposited here on Mother Earth, and we are, in this incarnation, a part of her. We are physically born of her, made up of the her elements. We breathe her air...we eat her food and drink her water...we are immersed in her atmosphere and her magnetic field...in fact, her blood runs through our veins. As we are indeed one with her, then her fate is our own. Whatever changes which are in store for her are ours as well. In order to survive, we are given our ego, which is our physical mind. This ego serves to enable us to navigate through this physical realm and relate to our surroundings. Yet so many of us allow our egos...our personalities, to rule our spirits, burying our true nature so deeply within us that most have lost sight of who they really are. In some ways, this separation from our spiritual nature constitutes the lesson, or the challenge, that we are meant to meet and master. Some say we are meant to regain our spirituality by destroying the ego. Others who more correctly understand this see that the ego must merge with the spirit. In this way, we are able to use BOTH to positively effect change and assist ourselves and, more importantly, others, in the succesful completion of the course of growth in which we are enrolled. This balancing of ego and spirit is also needed as our Mother Earth encounters the changes to come. As she evolves and grows, we can move forward with her, guiding those who seek truth, so that they may be included, and not left behind.
From my perspective, there really does exist two expressions of each person…that which is spirit and that which is physical. Our spirits are eternal, and, I believe, are actually a part of that spirit which is God. As spiritual beings, we are all his children, as Jesus stated many times when He referred to Him as Our Father. Our physical bodies are merely the vessels we are required to inhabit during our time here in the physical realm. This realm…this Universe…this Earth…was all created by God (Genesis 1:1) and was deemed “good” by Him from the very beginning. That which God created is blessed, I believe, and as God created all things in heaven and earth, then it follows that all things (yes…ALL) are blessed. That statement, I realize, is problematic, but perhaps that is a discussion best suited for another time :). Note that God created this good earth, and then us, from this good earth. Scripture teaches us that we were created directly from the dust of this earth. Surely our earth is blessed if He used it to make us from it. It then follows that since our bodies are made from the earth, then our bodies ARE of this Earth, as well as of God. In order for us to thrive here, in His divine wisdom, as is described in Genesis also, he gave the Earth all the things we need to survive. The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and even the magnetic field we are all immersed in…are all essential to our survival. As physical beings, God is our Father and this wonderful planet we inhabit and depend upon for our very survival, is our Mother. She nurtures us in the most caring of ways, using those tools given her by our Father. I believe this is His divine plan, and serves as the example we need to give our own children the love and nurturing they need. God, as the Father, is the provider. He has brought home everything we need to physically thrive, and given it to Earth, our Mother, to use to care for us.
Our personalities...our physical minds become so wrapped up in our cares and concerns here on earth in this life, that we lose sight of the very reason we are here in the first place. Many Christians believe that our main purpose here is to be confronted with good and evil, so that we may be given the choice of whether to follow “good” and accept God and His son Jesus, or to wallow in the evils of this world and thus be damned. I believe that, while surely true, this view is overly simplistic and misses the point almost entirely. While it is true that we are given these choices and must inevitably end up growing or faltering, “graduating” or “failing”, as it were, there really can be only one reason that explains and encompasses all aspects of faith. Life in this physical world can be described as “school” for our souls. The ultimate goal, as Jesus tried VERY hard to explain, is to learn unconditional love for ALL those we encounter, ALL creatures great and small…ALL of creation. We are meant to become “Christ-like”, attaining the same level of selfless love and forgiveness He possesses. This is no simple task; in fact, it is absolutely the most difficult thing to achieve that there is. It requires patience and understanding beyond measure. It demands that we actually FORGIVE and LOVE even those who hate us and who treat us horribly. Imagine actually LOVING and TRULY FORGIVING those people you’ve met in your life that have treated you like dirt. Most people don’t realize how extensive this requirement is. It isn’t nearly enough to say you’ve given up holding a grudge against someone, or saying that even though you’ll never forget what they did to you, you forgive them. You have to actually reach the point where you love them and cherish them as a child of God as much as you do your own self…where your forgiveness toward them is so complete that nothing they could ever do to you would diminish the love you hold for them even a little. Your forgiveness must be so encompassing that it envelopes them and covers them even BEFORE they wrong you. You must love them as you would your own Mother, Brother, or even your own child. More to the point, you must love and forgive everyone just as God loves and forgives you. So how on earth do we live up to that? Lots of prayer, obviously. And constant practice, by monitoring and correcting our thoughts each moment.
One method we can utilize is to use the mind God gave us…not to wallow in the mire of this world, but to use it as God intended us to. Our physical mind, if aligned with our spirit, can be the tool needed to positively affect all those we encounter, if our spirit is in a state of seeking the consciousness of Christ. So, we all need our spiritual side to become closer to God and His love. As we strengthen spiritually, our minds (egos) will become more akin to our spiritual nature, and we can positively effect God’s will in ours and others lives.