Three ego forces shape our internal landscape and influence our perception of reality: Rejection, Contraction, and Dynamic Inertia. Each of these forces is a fundamental driver of our egoic behavior, manifesting in ways that create division, tension, and endless activity within our psyche. By understanding these forces, we can unravel the complex web of our ego and move towards a more harmonious and authentic existence.
Rejection as an Ego Force
As an ego force, rejection manifests in multifaceted ways, impacting our perception of self and reality. This force is intricately tied to how we handle our internal and external experiences, leading to a cycle of conflict and division.
The Nature of Rejection
As an ego force, rejection is not merely a mental stance but a visceral reaction. When the soul denies a part of itself, it mirrors the violent physical reaction of vomiting. This intense aversion underscores our fear of rejection, prompting us to avoid it internally (from our superego) and externally (from others). The fear of such violent internal reactions compels us to avoid experience that might trigger rejection, leading to a fragmented sense of self.
Personality and Rejection
The essence of our personality is built on the foundation of desire, which inherently involves rejecting the present reality. Every preference and desire signifies a rejection of what currently exists. This perpetual state of rejection creates internal conflict, manifesting as resistance, blocks, and defenses. The personality’s default mode is to say “no” to our immediate experiences, generating a cycle of rejection that leads to further division and inner turmoil.
Origins and Impact of Rejection
Rejection often originates from our early interactions with our caregivers. Our superego, shaped by parental attitudes, internalizes these rejecting stances. For instance, if a parent rejects our anger or desires, we learn to reject these parts of ourselves. This identification with the rejecting attitudes of our environment fosters an internal critic that perpetuates self-rejection. Over time, this leads to a disconnection from our true self and a constant struggle to defend against these internal attacks.
Rejection and the Present Moment
The perpetual cycle of rejection keeps us disconnected from the present moment. Desire and hope for a different reality inherently reject the now. This rejection of the present moment sacrifices our true self for an imagined future, perpetuating a state of dissatisfaction and conflict. The ego’s nature is such that it cannot genuinely accept; it can only cease rejecting, paradoxically opening the door to acceptance.
Self-Rejection and Consciousness
Rejection extends beyond individual experiences to encompass our entire consciousness. Every act of rejecting an experience is an act of self-rejection, as our experiences are integral parts of our consciousness. By rejecting our feelings and sensations, we tear apart the fabric of our being. This constant rejection creates a fragmented self, struggling to find peace and contentment.
Breaking the Cycle of Rejection
Understanding and addressing rejection as an ego force requires recognizing its pervasive influence on our lives. By becoming aware of how rejection operates within us, we can dismantle its power. The path to wholeness involves embracing our experiences without judgment, allowing us to reconnect with our true self and find stillness in the present moment.
Contraction as an Ego Force
Building upon the concept of rejection, contraction emerges as another fundamental ego force. It is intrinsically linked to rejection and forms the foundation of our perceived individuality and separateness. Understanding contraction helps illuminate how our ego structures maintain their hold, fostering resistance and tension within our psyche and physical body.
The Nature of Contraction
Contraction is the ego’s primal state, representing the core of our sense of separateness. It is a physical and psychological phenomenon experienced as a restriction around the body, creating a boundary that delineates the self from the external world. Contraction is the minimal form of individuality, the bare essence of separateness that underpins the ego force.
Connection to Rejection
Contraction and rejection are deeply interconnected ego forces. When we experience tension or holding in our body or mind, it signifies resistance to a particular experience, perception, or truth. This resistance is a form of saying “no,” a rejection that manifests as contraction. In essence, every act of rejection tightens this sense of contraction, reinforcing our ego boundaries and the feeling of separateness.
Ego Defense Mechanisms
The ego employs contraction as a defense mechanism to resist experiences it deems threatening or undesirable. This defensive posture creates tension, often felt as a hardness or tightness within the body. This state of contraction can vary in intensity, sometimes manifesting as a subtle, almost imperceptible resistance and other times as a palpable, armor-like hardness. These contractions are the physical expressions of the ego force’s defensive stance to maintain control and avoid perceived threats.
Impact on Consciousness and Energy Flow
The continuous state of contraction hinders the natural flow of energy and consciousness. By creating barriers within our psyche, contraction separates us from the full experience of our being. This separation fosters a cycle of frustration and dissatisfaction as the ego force perpetuates a state of non-surrender and resistance. The more we reject parts of our experience, the more we contract, increasing frustration and further rejection.
Ego Identity and Contraction
Our sense of identity is closely tied to these contractions. The ego force defines itself through identification with specific states, emotions, and experiences, and the mind contracts around these identifications, solidifying the ego’s hold. Holding on creates a rigid sense of self, bound by the contractions that delineate our ego boundaries.
The Cycle of Suffering
This cycle of contraction and rejection perpetuates suffering. We create inner conflict and tension by constantly resisting the present moment and rejecting parts of our experience. This ongoing struggle keeps us from experiencing our true nature and being. The ego force’s reliance on contraction and rejection to maintain its identity leads to a life characterized by frustration and dissatisfaction.
Breaking the Cycle
Knowing how the ego force of contraction operates within us is essential for transcending it. We can understand the underlying rejection fueling these contractions by observing tension and resistance. Through practices that promote acceptance and surrender, we can gradually release these contractions, allowing the natural flow of energy and consciousness to restore our sense of wholeness and connection. Embracing the present moment without judgment or resistance paves the way for dissolving the ego boundaries and experiencing the unity of our true self.
Dynamic Inertia as an Ego Force
Dynamic inertia, the phenomenon of ceaseless activity that leads nowhere, encapsulates the relentless motion of the personality. It is characterized by constant doing without real change or progress, an endless loop where the ego force’s activities perpetuate its structures of rejection and contraction.
The Nature of Dynamic Inertia
Dynamic inertia refers to the state where the personality is always active, engaged in some form of doing, yet remains unchanged. This action-oriented state creates the illusion of movement and progress, but in reality, it is a cycle of repetitive behaviors and thoughts that maintain the status quo. The ego force thrives on this perpetual motion, reinforcing its sense of identity and separateness.
Connection to Rejection and Contraction
Dynamic inertia is deeply interwoven with the ego forces of rejection and contraction. As discussed earlier, rejection is the ego force’s mechanism of saying “no” to certain parts of our experience. This act of rejection creates internal conflict, which manifests as contraction—a physical and psychological tightening that delineates the ego force boundaries. Together, these ego forces drive the ego into a state of dynamic inertia.
The ego’s constant activity is a form of resistance to the present moment, rejecting what is. By continually seeking something different or better, the ego perpetuates a state of dissatisfaction and unrest. This desire for change and improvement, rooted in rejection, fuels the cycle of dynamic inertia. The more we reject our current state, the more we act to escape it, thus reinforcing the cycle.
Ego Activity and Inertia
Ego activity is inherently reactive. It is driven by the need to defend, control, and manipulate our experiences to align with the ego’s desires and aversions. This reactivity keeps the ego force in a state of constant motion, always responding to external and internal stimuli in a way that maintains its structures of rejection and contraction. As a result, ego activity becomes synonymous with dynamic inertia—a ceaseless loop of actions that prevent genuine change and growth.
Reactivity and Resistance
Reactivity, the ego force’s habitual response to stimuli, is a key component of dynamic inertia. When we react, we do so from a place of contraction and rejection, trying to manage our experiences rather than accepting them. This reactivity reinforces the ego force boundaries and perpetuates its sense of separateness. Each reaction is an attempt to control and resist, creating further tension and contraction within the psyche.
The Cycle of Ego Activity
The cycle of ego activity—rejection, contraction, and dynamic inertia—traps us in a loop of perpetual doing. Rejection leads to contraction, which then fuels reactive behaviors and endless activity. This cycle prevents us from experiencing true change or transformation, as the ego force’s actions always aim to maintain its existing structures.
Dynamic inertia is thus a manifestation of the ego force’s refusal to be present with what is. By continually engaging in activity, the ego avoids facing the discomfort of its rejections and contractions. This avoidance keeps us stuck in a cycle of superficial change, where we might alter the surface of our lives but never address the underlying patterns that drive our behavior.
Breaking the Cycle
We must recognize and address the ego forces of rejection and contraction that sustain it to break free from dynamic inertia. This involves cultivating awareness of our reactive patterns and how we resist the present moment. By embracing acceptance and surrender
Our next article will explore the cycle of ego activity, its relationship to the three ego forces we discussed in this article, and how this cycle is related to the five sacred impulses and creation.