“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience;
we are spiritual beings having a human experience.”
– Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
True, but this is easier said than done. Here’s why. The soul carries a positive polarity. The Earth, and the ego (including the physical, mental, emotional, unconscious, and imaginative areas of consciousness) carries a negative polarity. This means that the electrical fields of our earthly identity function in opposition to the awakening and evolution of the soul. That’s why it takes consistent, intentional effort to elevate the consciousness above the ego to engage in spiritual awakening.
These two opposing energetic orientations within our consciousness don’t refer to moral good or bad, but to the directional flow of energy and awareness of what are commonly referred to as the soul and the ego. So, getting them to dance together is tricky business!
The soul and the ego are like the two poles of a magnet. Each carries an opposite charge that gives rise to the movement of energy and awareness through our lives. What is commonly thought of as spiritual awakening is not about silencing the ego but taming it to move as one under the guidance of the soul. Both are vital to our well-being.
As suggested in the above quote, the soul is our true, continuous self experiencing a human life through its relationship with our earthly identity. The ego’s purpose is to define and protect our individuality. It helps us navigate the physical world by setting boundaries between self and other and ensuring survival. It focuses on self-preservation, control, and distinction. Without the ego, there would be no sense of “I” to experience life at all.
Here is a comparison of the dynamics of the polarities of the soul and the ego:
Aspect Soul (Positive Polarity) Ego (Negative Polarity)
Direction Expanding Contracting
Energy Radiating Absorbing
Focus Unity Separation
Motivation Love/Service Fear/Control
Function Transcendence Survival
Goal Connection Definition
Together, these two polarities generate the current of human experience. This is what sustains the tension that allows us to grow, evolve, and remember who we truly are.
When the ego serves the soul, life flows in harmony. The goal is not to erase the ego, but to illuminate it with the soul’s light in such a way that it transforms contraction into conscious co-creation.