One key difference between phase one of the spiritual path (the search) and phase two (purification) is that in phase one, although you are guided by spiritual intuition, you may not recognize it yet. In phase one, you are typically identified with the ego as yourself, and you may not recognize it as the ego at all. It is simply “me” and “my thoughts.”
In order to move from phase one to phase two, you need to recognize the difference between ego and spiritual intuition. You also need the clarity to decide that you don’t want ego as your authority anymore. (Reference Days 119 & 120.)
Why is that necessary?
Because phase two is purifying one’s self of ego (the false), and that can’t happen without recognizing ego as ego and choosing to let it go.
Today’s reading does a good job of teaching the difference between ego’s authority and authority that comes from spiritual intuition. Here are a few examples based on the reading:
Examples of reasoning that comes from ego as authority:
You feel stress at work as you attempt to complete a project with an impending deadline. You are afraid of your boss’ reaction if the project isn’t completed on time. (Fear of attack, driven by a sense of unworthiness)
You want to be alone, and a friend asks you out to lunch. You do not want to go, but you are afraid your friend will get upset or think badly of you, so you accept the invitation anyway. (Fear, driven by a sense of guilt)
You are invited to speak at a gathering of a local organization that shares an interest with you. You are terrified that if you get up in front of the group, they will discover you do not know as much about the topic of interest as they do. You turn down the invitation to speak. (Fear of attack, driven by a sense of unworthiness)
Examples of reasoning that comes from spiritual intuition as authority:
You are working on a project at work, and there are some challenges with it that you do not know how to resolve. You aren’t sure the project will be completed on time. You work with others to try to resolve the obstacles while feeling curious about what will happen. (Peace, acceptance, purpose of One)
You want to be alone, and a friend asks you out to lunch. You notice there is no attraction to going to lunch, and there is a strong attraction to being alone. You politely turn down your friend’s invitation. (An action of now taken in faith and trust)
You are invited to speak at a gathering of a local organization that shares an interest with you. You have no idea what you will say when the time comes, but you feel the invitation must be in the best interest of the whole. You accept the invitation and trust that what to say will be given. (Purpose of One, trusting your worth and the Hands you are in)
As you read the characteristics of the ego and the characteristics of the Holy Spirit in today’s reading, pause and look at specific examples from your own experience. It might be helpful to write the characteristics along with some examples in your journal.
Today’s reading also encourages us to discover what drives us by asking why. In other words, it asks us to practice root cause inquiry. Through root cause inquiry, we discover the underlying motivation and authority.
Previously, you learned to use root cause inquiry to uncover the cause of an upset. A different form of root cause inquiry can be used to discover underlying motivations. For example:
Why am I still attending AA meetings?
Am I afraid that I will drink again if I quit going?
Am I afraid of what others in the group will think of me if I quit going?
Am I afraid of what they will say behind my back?
Do I enjoy the meetings?
Do I enjoy being a sponsor?
Do I feel guilty about letting go of sponsoring others?
Etcetera.
By taking the time to look at why we do (or don’t do) things, we can discover when we are driven by ego and when we are guided by intuition. Once that discovery is made, as today’s reading says:
Then you can make your choice as you choose, knowing what it is that you do.
In other words, then we have clarity regarding the underlying motivation and authority, and we can choose what we want knowing which authority we are choosing.
Note: The next tip will be available tomorrow morning after 3:50am ET at this link.
