Is that my ego or my intuition?

Tips for knowing the difference, and making a difference

I love this time of year.  The days are getting longer, and most of the time, warmer.  Birds are migrating back, and their song brings joy to my mornings.  The snow is melting.  The pets start wanting to spend more time outdoors (my cats do not enjoy snow or temperatures below zero).  I don’t have to put on so many layers of clothes when I leave the house.

There is this effervescence in the air.  I have this deep feeling that something great is going to happen; that Nature is fully awakening and is preparing a glorious spring.  I don’t see them; I don’t hear them…  but I know the flower bulbs gracing my gardens are getting ready to grow and bloom.  I trust that the season will change.

It’s odd, isn’t it, to say “I trust the season will change”.  Of course it will; it’s been doing so every year since forever.  It’s a fact of life.  It’s not magic; it’s the way things are.

This is the same way I feel about intuition.  Of course it exists; of course it provides me with insights that are beyond physical perception.  No, it's not magic hocus-pocus.  It’s not a question of belief to me; it’s a fact.  Just like I can feel the change in the seasons through my body, mind and spirit, I can sense changes in energy fields. 

Intuition, just like knowledge, serves to inform how I live my life.  

We live in a world of polarity where things are perceived good or bad; black or white; valid or invalid.  We are looking for certainty and we hate failure and mistakes.  The world of spirit is not anchored in this duality.  The world of spirit does not necessarily favour any one aspect of the duality over an other.  It’s a holistic and balanced approach:  our experience of the moon wouldn’t be the same without its monthly cycle of shadow and light; our experience of day wouldn’t be the same without night; our experience of love wouldn’t be the same if at some point in our life we did not experience resentment, jealousy and hatred.  Shadow and light are BOTH pieces of the same puzzle.  They are both valid life experiences.  They can both help us know more about ourselves, our true desires, and our core divinity.

There is an ego-driven form of spirituality out there, and it's been there for ages, where we believe that only higher wisdom is valid and we must reject all physical sensations and material wellbeing.  We start alienating and rejecting part of ourselves for being "less than".  We judge those who are "more spiritual" and those who are "not connected".  We'd often rather floating on spiritual cloud 9 instead of being grounded in the physical world we incarnated to experience.  Is this really Spirit talking?

And therefore, when you think these thoughts and you wonder, “is this my intuition or my ego?” - allow yourself to consider for a moment that it could be both at the same time; the ego brain feeding you information about your fears, your physical safety and your immediate wellbeing; and your intuition feeding you information about the greater energies available to you at this time.  Question both, allow them to inform you, then take a well-informed decision.  Experiencing your thoughts and feelings in a holistic manner, without judgement, will make a huge difference in your life and bring you closer to inner peace and meaningful satisfaction - because you'll learn to love all pieces of you.

That being said, many want tips on identifying the voices of ego and the voices of intuition; and these guidelines are very helpful!  Here are a few things to ponder.  Ask yourself how you feel when you receive the messages, and be mindful of any other information you are perceiving.

Are you feeling…

Lower Self - Ego	Higher Self - Intuition - Divine Messages
Fearful, jealous, judgemental, insecure, greedy	Loving, confident, fulfilled, calm, secure, positive

Are you…

Lower Self - Ego	Higher Self - Intuition - Divine Messages
Focused on the future	Focused on the present moment, the next right action
Being competitive, win-lose approach	Interested in win-win approach
Impulsive	Consistent with your core values
Acting out of fear of abandonment, rejection, or guilt	Acting out of love and compassion for yourself and others
Feeling better or worse than others	Believing that you are others’ equal
Feeling betrayed, isolated, needing to build up walls of protection around you	Feeling supported and nurtured

Are you perceiving…

Lower Self - Ego	Higher Self - Intuition - Divine Messages
An immature or demanding tone	A mature and direct tone
Going from topic to topic	Consistent guidance
A dissonance with your core beliefs	An alignment with your core beliefs
A feeling of being drained of energy	Enthusiasm, energy
Verbal, emotional, physical abuse	Direct yet loving and clear direction
Lots of words, logic and rationalizations	Empowering and motivational words
Manipulation, sneakiness	A feeling of what is right and ethical
Heaviness in your heart or over your shoulders	A lightness in your heart and a smile on your face

Remember that ego’s role is to see to your physical and material immediate wellbeing, and it can inform your life and your decisions.  The key here is to allow it to INFORM you; not rule your every decision and feelings!  When you notice ego’s head popping up, ask it what it really means to tell you, and thank it for its input.  This could lead to a self-conversation like this: "Yes, thank you ego, I am feeling rather insecure about my financial health at this time.  It’s true that meditation alone is not putting money in the bank quickly enough to pay the bills on time, and it’s true that one of my core values is to be timely with paying off debts.  Now, instead of complaining and feeling jealous of others who appear to have it all, let’s find an action I can do today to give me an increased sense of stability and confidence with my finances.”

Try this; it works!  Ego feels heard and validated.  It’s like a puppy to whom you just gave a cookie and can now relax knowing that it is loved and useful.  It will stop hounding you for a moment and give you some peace as you meditate on your next right action - as long as you follow-up on your promise and TAKE that action.

Winter is to summer what shadow is to light…  and what ego is to your higher self.  Part of a whole.  Both need to be heard and honoured.  Finding this balance brings inner peace.

If you need help sorting our your perceptions and making friends with your ego, I’m here for you!  The Spiritual Development Program would be ideal in this situation, because I will mentor you, over time, to be a better listener to both your ego and your intuition.  Finding this balance does not happen over night, which is why I offer mentored programs.  Contact me to receive more information - then let your higher self guide you.

Surrounding you in Love & Light.