What exactly is the "ego"?

Can the observer truly be separated from the observed? They seem inextricably linked, much like two sides of the same coin.

True freedom begins when you realize you aren't actually the "thinker."

The very second you start observing that inner monologue—watching the thinker rather than being him—you trigger a higher level of consciousness.

That’s when it clicks: beyond those fleeting thoughts lies this vast, expansive realm of intelligence, where a single thought is really just a tiny, microscopic ripple of that greater force.

The Power of Now — Eckhart Tolle

None of us are ever going to truly grasp where we came from... maybe my own consciousness is just too limited, and I get that... but are the people out there actually trying to find their purpose even aware that their perception is being throttled by the general unconsciousness of the society we were born into?

Don't get me wrong... I'm out here trying to figure out my own purpose, and anyone else doing the same is making progress in raising awareness for themselves and everyone else... it builds understanding and peace between people... it creates this new, higher level of awareness that can only benefit humanity.

We've lost our way here... or maybe it's just me who's lost his way. 🙂The whole story about what the "self" actually is... we aren't going to uncover that here, in this state of the collective. All we can really do is guess.

My take is this: I "train" every single day to raise my consciousness, and through how I act, I try to lift the awareness of the people around me... all so that one day, the collective reaches a higher level of awareness... and once that happens, there might actually be a chance for the collective to realize its true purpose.

I guess I've lost my way too. 🙂)))

Ethan Johnson said:In my book, we’re basically just the observer—it’s just that most people are walking around totally oblivious to it.
I can tell you one thing for sure, what we aren't🙂: We aren't our clothes, our cars, the house we live in, or any of that stuff we go out and buy.
We aren't our nationality, we aren't our hometowns, we aren't even our names, and we definitely aren't our bodies.
I mean, think about it—your body is constantly shifting. Every single second we're aging, so in 5 or 10 years, we’ll have
totally different cells, different blood, maybe some wrinkles, or we might lose our hair... It's a big deal;
we aren't our emotions either! Just like the body, emotions are fleeting and they can actually be
managed—if we're actually aware of them. Same goes for our
thoughts. If the observer stays "awake" and self-aware, if you really get to know your emotions,
they might still sting, but not enough to make you feel like you *are* those feelings.

Society loves to slap labels and definitions on everything. But that’s not who we are. We shouldn't get caught up in those labels, because that’s where the suffering starts.
We need to realize who we truly are without getting tangled up in our emotions. You have to recognize them, but don't let them become part of you.

Hey man, does that mean you don't even exist at all? 😛

How do you handle your sense of self when you're dreaming? ...
(And I mean healthy, sweet dreams, not those LSD-induced ones... like Ethan Johnson's 🙂)

My take:

I am whoever I choose to be.

Lisa Morales4 said:Hey man, does that mean you don't even exist at all? 😛

How do you handle your sense of self when you're dreaming? ...
(And I mean healthy, sweet dreams, not those LSD-induced ones... like Ethan Johnson's 🙂)

My take:

I am whoever I choose to be.

you say: I am... but who are you? 🙂

whatever I want to be.... look, you can't be anything other than your true self, because if you aren't, then it isn't really you. if you just build this fake illusion of who you think you should be, it won't bring any satisfaction... not to you and not to anyone else. it's just not natural. it creates friction, which leads to unrest for everyone involved.

just look at the wars, the killing, the constant human dissatisfaction with themselves and others...
that tells you everything you need to know. people have just convinced themselves they are someone... 🙂

wanderinggull35, listen...

don't get caught up in trying to be something specific, just be

be the person you want to see in everyone else
be the change you want to see in the world

hunter-gatherer

Lisa Morales4 said:wanderinggull35, listen...

don't get caught up in trying to be something specific, just be

be the person you want to see in everyone else
be the change you want to see in the world

I'm with her on this one.

Lisa Morales4 said:wanderinggull35, listen...

don't get caught up in trying to be something specific, just be

be the person you want to see in everyone else
be the change you want to see in the world

You had me for a second there, then you lost me.😁

Nah, you didn't—those are just your desires. They shift constantly, fade out, or totally morph from one day to the next. People spend way too much time living in these illusions society builds for them. Honestly? You're just as lost as I am.
We really need to get to know who we actually are.

Ethan Johnson said:I'm with her on this one.

You had me for a second there, then you lost me.😁

Nah, you didn't—those are just your desires. They shift constantly, fade out, or totally morph from one day to the next. People spend way too much time living in these illusions society builds for them. Honestly? You're just as lost as I am.
We really need to get to know who we actually are.

Okay, maybe we drifted a little off course.

how about ...
I am what you do for me.
I am who I am because of who you are.
You are what I do for you.
You are who you are because of who I am.
I am yours.
You are mine.

😛

Lisa Morales4 said:wanderinggull35, listen...

don't get caught up in trying to be something specific, just be

be the person you want to see in everyone else
be the change you want to see in the world

haha.. you're a smart one... 🙂

I guess I am the change I want to see in the world...

but I'm not going to limit myself to that... because that might actually get in the way of my own progress and how the world changes...

you obviously misunderstood me, which is probably why you wrote this..

stay happy! 🙂

wanderinggull35 said:haha.. you're a smart one... 🙂

I guess I am the change I want to see in the world...

but I'm not going to limit myself to that... because that might actually get in the way of my own progress and how the world changes...

you obviously misunderstood me, which is probably why you wrote this..

stay happy! 🙂

It's easy enough if it's just me misunderstanding youla
but the real challenge is making sure everyone else gets the right idea🙂

Take care👍

Look, here’s the truth: your soul—that "organ" you use to actually perceive spiritual reality—isn't some finished product just sitting there waiting for you. You don't just dig up some buried "Higher Self" and suddenly everything becomes sunshine and rainbows. That's a total illusion. We aren't born with a full-blown soul; we only have this tiny little seed, a mere blueprint that requires massive effort and constant work to grow into a complete being. Basically, you don't *have* a soul yet; you just have the potential for one. You have to build that soul yourself from the ground up.

Brian Foster3 said:Look, here’s the truth: your soul—that "organ" you use to actually perceive spiritual reality—isn't some finished product just sitting there waiting for you. You don't just dig up some buried "Higher Self" and suddenly everything becomes sunshine and rainbows. That's a total illusion. We aren't born with a full-blown soul; we only have this tiny little seed, a mere blueprint that requires massive effort and constant work to grow into a complete being. Basically, you don't *have* a soul yet; you just have the potential for one. You have to build that soul yourself from the ground up.

So you're saying there isn't some higher self just waiting out there. But what about the Tree of Life in the Kabbalah? It maps out different densities, right? If the human body resides in the 3rd density, isn't it possible that a Higher Self exists within the 4th, 5th, or 6th? Could it be that through disciplined effort, we gradually uncover these higher versions of ourselves—essentially bridging the gap to them—and that is how we actually achieve spiritual progress?

Terry Kim3 said:So you're saying there isn't some higher self just waiting out there. But what about the Tree of Life in the Kabbalah? It maps out different densities, right? If the human body resides in the 3rd density, isn't it possible that a Higher Self exists within the 4th, 5th, or 6th? Could it be that through disciplined effort, we gradually uncover these higher versions of ourselves—essentially bridging the gap to them—and that is how we actually achieve spiritual progress?

Look, you don't just "find" the Tree of Life—you have to build it inside yourself from the ground up. It doesn't even exist until you put in the work to construct it. Once you finally do, that entire structure becomes your actual soul, acting like a spiritual sensory organ that lets you actually live in a spiritual reality. And yeah, obviously there are stages to building this thing. When you manage to construct those first ten basic sephirot, that stage is known as Ibur, basically "conception." At that point, your soul is nothing more than a spiritual newborn; it’s totally incapable of taking any real spiritual action on its own, so it just sits there "nursing" everything it needs for growth from a higher level—like a mother—just like a baby does in the physical world. It can perceive the spiritual realm, sure, but it's basically just chilling in the womb at that stage.

Brian Foster3 said:Look, you don't just "find" the Tree of Life—you have to build it inside yourself from the ground up. It doesn't even exist until you put in the work to construct it. Once you finally do, that entire structure becomes your actual soul, acting like a spiritual sensory organ that lets you actually live in a spiritual reality. And yeah, obviously there are stages to building this thing. When you manage to construct those first ten basic sephirot, that stage is known as Ibur, basically "conception." At that point, your soul is nothing more than a spiritual newborn; it’s totally incapable of taking any real spiritual action on its own, so it just sits there "nursing" everything it needs for growth from a higher level—like a mother—just like a baby does in the physical world. It can perceive the spiritual realm, sure, but it's basically just chilling in the womb at that stage.

So, how would I even begin to gauge where I stand in this process?
Is this entire path of construction exclusive to the Kabbalah, or is it a universal journey available to everyone?
And what kind of "spiritual actions" are we even talking about here?

I consider myself a spiritual person—spirituality is something I'm deeply invested in, and I'm constantly trying to work on myself and improve—but I honestly have no idea how far I've come or if I'm even on the right track.

Terry Kim3 said:So, how would I even begin to gauge where I stand in this process?
Is this entire path of construction exclusive to the Kabbalah, or is it a universal journey available to everyone?
And what kind of "spiritual actions" are we even talking about here?

I consider myself a spiritual person—spirituality is something I'm deeply invested in, and I'm constantly trying to work on myself and improve—but I honestly have no idea how far I've come or if I'm even on the right track.

Look, if you aren't directly perceiving the spiritual, you haven't even hit the baseline; you're still just stuck in the material world.

The Kabbalah is a universal, singular method for achieving spirituality, and you can't just mix and match it with other methods like some buffet. It's universal because it doesn't care about your race, your gender, your age, or what religion you were born into—none of that matters. The only prerequisite for studying the Kabbalah is a genuine hunger for spiritual insight or a deep need to find the actual meaning of your life.

As for "spiritual actions," those are actions taken within the spiritual realm. You can't explain that to someone who hasn't experienced direct spiritual perception yet; that realization comes later. 🙂 First, you have to achieve that perception, and if you're doing things the right way and actually giving it your all, that alone takes years.

It’s just human nature for people who *want* to be spiritual to go around thinking they already are. 🙂
But let's be real: a truly spiritual person is only someone who possesses direct spiritual perception and has actually managed to flip their qualities from being selfish and ego-driven to being altruistic and spiritual. That fundamental shift in your own character is exactly what makes spiritual perception possible. So, if you aren't perceiving the spiritual, it means you haven't successfully swapped out a single egoistic trait for an altruistic one yet.

Regarding whether you're on the right track or where you currently sit, I'd suggest going back to the beginning of the KabbalahINFO thread. I think you might stumble upon some answers to those internal questions you're wrestling with there.

Best,

Brian Foster3 said:Look, here’s the truth: your soul—that "organ" you use to actually perceive spiritual reality—isn't some finished product just sitting there waiting for you. You don't just dig up some buried "Higher Self" and suddenly everything becomes sunshine and rainbows. That's a total illusion. We aren't born with a full-blown soul; we only have this tiny little seed, a mere blueprint that requires massive effort and constant work to grow into a complete being. Basically, you don't *have* a soul yet; you just have the potential for one. You have to build that soul yourself from the ground up.

🤔 how is there no Higher Self? 😕

doesn't the soul consist of three parts:
- the animalistic part tied to instincts and physical desires (presumably the first dimension)
- the middle soul, the "spirit," which holds moral values and the ability to distinguish good from evil
- the higher soul, the "super-spirit," through which a person achieves immortality

That third part is also implanted at birth, enabling us to recognize the existence of God, who, by the way, is neither male nor female. God is infinite, eternal, without end (I’ve always loved those concentric circles used to symbolize infinity)

The soul is intuitive knowing 👍

In the Zohar, a book of Jewish mysticism (which shares a lot of common ground with Gnosticism), there are 52 chapters dedicated to the part of the soul that grants us awareness of the divine force, as well as the higher part where we can achieve deep unity with God.

It's interesting:
Ehyeh means "I am"

Yah represents the masculine: wisdom (active potential)
Yahweh represents the feminine: the passive potential joined with the Crown to create a trinity (the masculine part, the feminine part, and the crown)

Similarly, Kabbalah suggests there is an additional supplemental soul gained during the Sabbath (if one observes it)

If you yawned, close your mouth... I'm familiar with Kabbalah within the context of Renaissance Catholicism and its interpretations of the Book of Daniel.

Kabbalah is a theological philosophy containing elements of Hermetic-Egyptian teachings.
It serves as a supplement to Judaism and Christianity.
It is incredibly intellectually dense because it accumulates the thoughts of so many Platonists, Pythagoreans, and other great minds.

So, I'm curious, what does this "New Age Kabbalah" mean to you?

Are you referring to the New Age disciplineless practiced by Madonna and other Hollywood types who wear those Kabbalistic bracelets, walk around in Ugg boots, and sport T-shirts that say "Addicted to Kabbalah"?🤷

Or do you see it as a traditional discipline within your own faith?😕

Aw,
may God's power be with you.👍

Ethan Johnson said:Anyone here actually self-aware enough to have a sense of their own "Self"? I’d love to hear a few thoughts from you guys. Once you start digging into your "Self," this weird phenomenon happens where the "Self" starts observing "itself." We basically have to step into the shoes of the thinker—but can the thinker actually know who they are? It's kind of like asking if a knife can cut itself, right?

This whole thing actually popped up from that other thread about "being what you are." But here, I really want to figure out if we can even talk about our "Self" in any meaningful way. Are we just a collection of our thoughts—those random ideas floating through our heads? Probably not, since thoughts just drift in and out whenever they feel like it. So, are we our bodies? Nah, because our bodies are constantly shifting, cells are swapping out, and we're all just getting older. So... what the hell is the "Self" actually?

The general trend in many American schools has been to hunt for some form of an "absolute," which is nothing more than pure metaphysical speculation. If we aren't something subject to change, time, or pain, then people assume there must be an immutable essence—a "true self," a Great I, or a *svabhava*—that remains eternal and absolute.

However...

If everything in existence is in flux, then an unchanging essence cannot exist. One could attempt to shunt this concept into another realm, claiming it exists elsewhere under different laws of consciousness, but that is simply unverified hearsay. People will find comfort in such delusions if they must. If *svabhava* exists, it must belong to an existing entity, meaning it would have to be conditional and dependent on other things. Yet, by definition, *svabhava* is unconditional and absolute; it doesn't depend on anything else, which renders it non-existent.

Based on the logic above regarding organic detachment ("I am not this body") and the dynamics of daily life ("I am not these thoughts"), I see why someone might feel compelled to "work on themselves" for the rest of their lives. Unless this focus is strictly about non-attachment, it places the individual in direct conflict with the world—a perfect recipe for suffering.

The dichotomy between the observer (subject) and the observed (object) is an illusion. Ignorance lies in trying to take sides within that illusion.

jademarlin26, if you aren't working on yourself, you're basically just an amoeba at this point
that’s not really a big deal
even an amoeba can become something more 🙂

Self-work isn't just about your own ego; it's about honoring the Absolute that you're actually a part of 🙂
it's all for the sake of Unity
but look, if someone hasn't reached that realization yet—seeing themselves within the Absolute (within Unity)—then they're just stuck focusing inward on themselves
and that's okay too

I am an integral part, a single fragment, of an eternal force
and that force is no illusion

force is energy
and energy is indestructible
you can store it, accumulate it, or manifest it, or you can transfer it

energy is eternal
I was born from the eternal
It's up to me whether I choose to nurture that spark and grow it into a flame
or if I'll just smother it until it's gone

I am The Flame and the Keeper

I am The Keeper

Lisa Morales4 said:🤔 how is there no Higher Self? 😕

doesn't the soul consist of three parts:
- the animalistic part tied to instincts and physical desires (presumably the first dimension)
- the middle soul, the "spirit," which holds moral values and the ability to distinguish good from evil
- the higher soul, the "super-spirit," through which a person achieves immortality

That third part is also implanted at birth, enabling us to recognize the existence of God, who, by the way, is neither male nor female. God is infinite, eternal, without end (I’ve always loved those concentric circles used to symbolize infinity)

The soul is intuitive knowing 👍

In the Zohar, a book of Jewish mysticism (which shares a lot of common ground with Gnosticism), there are 52 chapters dedicated to the part of the soul that grants us awareness of the divine force, as well as the higher part where we can achieve deep unity with God.

It's interesting:
Ehyeh means "I am"

Yah represents the masculine: wisdom (active potential)
Yahweh represents the feminine: the passive potential joined with the Crown to create a trinity (the masculine part, the feminine part, and the crown)

Similarly, Kabbalah suggests there is an additional supplemental soul gained during the Sabbath (if one observes it)

If you yawned, close your mouth... I'm familiar with Kabbalah within the context of Renaissance Catholicism and its interpretations of the Book of Daniel.

Kabbalah is a theological philosophy containing elements of Hermetic-Egyptian teachings.
It serves as a supplement to Judaism and Christianity.
It is incredibly intellectually dense because it accumulates the thoughts of so many Platonists, Pythagoreans, and other great minds.

So, I'm curious, what does this "New Age Kabbalah" mean to you?

Are you referring to the New Age disciplineless practiced by Madonna and other Hollywood types who wear those Kabbalistic bracelets, walk around in Ugg boots, and sport T-shirts that say "Addicted to Kabbalah"?🤷

Or do you see it as a traditional discipline within your own faith?😕

Aw,
may God's power be with you.👍

That’s just an arbitrary way to split it up! Like I’ve said before, a higher self exists only as a seed that every single person has to consciously cultivate through hard work and real effort to turn it into an actualized higher self. It isn't just sitting there waiting to be discovered so it can suddenly take over the driver's seat; you have to develop it through total spiritual realization, otherwise, it’s just not going to happen.

that third part is also implanted at birth, and it enables a person to realize the existence of God who, by the way, is neither male nor female—God is infinite, eternal, without end (I love those concentric circles that symbolize that infinity)

Like I said, it's a seed... a germ. Developing that seed into a complete soul is entirely up to the individual, and honestly, that is the primary reason we are even here.

the soul is intuitive knowledge 👍

In the book of Jewish mysticism (which is incredibly close to Gnosticism), the Zohar, in 52 chapters, goes into the part of the soul that gives us awareness of the divine force, as well as the higher part of the soul where we can achieve great unity with God.

Yeah, once we build it ourselves through work and discipline.

if you're yawning, shut your mouth... I'm familiar with Kabbalism within Renaissance Catholicism regarding the interpretation of the Book of Daniel

Kabbalism is a theological philosophy with elements of Hermetic-Egyptian teachings
a supplement to Judaism and Christianity
it's extremely intellectually dense because of all those Platonist and Pythagorean ideas whose thoughts are accumulated there.

That isn't the original Kabbalah; it's just someone's imagination of what Kabbalah is supposed to be. That’s 99.99% of the "Kabbalisms" out there today.

so, now, it's not clear to me what New Age Kabbalism is to you?

Is it the New Age disciplineless practiced by Madonna and other Hollywood types who wear those Kabbalistic Zoroastrian bracelets, walking around in Ugg boots and wearing t-shirts that say "addicted to Kabbalah"?🤷

Honestly, most of what people talk about falls into that 99.99% bucket of total misconceptions regarding Kabbalah—it's just some nonsense people peddle to sell a fake version of paradise. All those shallow "Kabbalah-lite" movements are really just stepping stones to prepare someone for the actual, original Kabbalah, because anyone truly hungry for spiritual depth will eventually realize these vulgar caricatures leave them feeling empty, which only drives that hunger even harder... it's a pattern you see playing out globally every single day.

As for those selfish types who get all puffed up and satisfied with their brand-new "spirituality," they’ll just stay coddled in their own delusions as long as it serves them, until they finally hit a wall and realize they're starving.

or is this actually just a traditional discipline within your own faith😕

Look, Kabbalah isn't a religion or a belief system; it's a scientific method for perceiving spiritual realms and God. Period. There aren't any religious elements involved, and there's zero magic or mysticism in it either.

awy
may the power of God be with you👍

It always is. 🙂 Just like it is with me, it's true for everyone. 🙂

All the best! 😍