What Is Spiritual Ego?

Spiritual ego is something that I notice in myself, something I am aware of in me and in others.  A spiritual ego can be a by-product of a spiritual journey or an awakening.  This article discusses what it is and how you can stop it from causing you issues.

Ego is our sense of self, the ‘I’ and the ‘me’ that we carry round with us all day.  The ego is the identity that we give ourselves, we see it as part of our individuality and of ‘us’.  This illusion of self can be a dangerous trap to fall in to, and many do, and it can be the source of much suffering.  Recognising the ego is just as important as the ego itself, this will allow you to rise away from it and observe it. 

Individuality is transient, temporary, we all eventually die.  The ego that we build for ourselves, that which represents us in life, is just a part of the eternal you.   This is important to remember. 

Spiritual ego is built on top of our normal ego, it is something that can be added from a sense of spiritual oneupmanship or spiritual materialism.  Spiritual ego can make us feel powerful and in control, indeed this what the ego wants.  Its aim is to surround you in an imaginary bubble of self worth and grandeur, to protect you from all manner of darkness which it believes will harm you. 

When a person’s idea of themselves is ruled by the belief they are a ‘spiritual person’ this is the spiritual ego. 

1. Building your life around spiritualism and repeatedly telling people you are a ‘spiritual person’. 

2. Taking lots of photos and videos of yourself to put on social media to show everyone how spiritual you are. 

3. Looking down on less ‘awakened’ people who you think have lower energy than you and judging them. 

4. Speaking, acting or dressing like a ‘spiritual person’ you might have seen or heard about, imitating them. 

5. Using spiritual language or words to someone even though you know they don’t understand the terminology.

6. Holding yourself in higher regard than others because you are ‘further along the spiritual path’ than them.

7. In the worst cases believing you are the reincarnation of a God, deity or figure from a religious or spiritual practice.

8. Personally, I recognised my spiritual ego resulting in my long hair. 

I’m sure there are more, feel free to share them in the comment section.

Inner work is key to recognising spiritual ego when it arises and working to stop it.  The human condition is one that includes ego, it will always be with us, but there are steps that we can take to limit its effect on us:

1. Daily meditation and the exploration of the inner self will help you notice when ego is stepping in.

2.  Ask others to tell you when they see spiritual ego in you.

3. Ask yourself what areas of your life do you feel superior to others in.

4. Find a teacher or guru to help guide you.  This can include watching videos or reading blogs like this one to help.  I personally have learnt so much from online content. 

5. Stop worrying about how many followers you have on social media.  I too have social media but it isn’t based around numbers of likes and follows.

6. Don’t eliminate your divinity.  You are divine with or without a transient spiritual ego. 

7.  Ask yourself how I would feel if I saw spiritual ego in others.

“You are divine.  Your ego is with you for now, a transient backpacker that you will drop off at the next stop on your journey”

Realiser was born from a dream to be in a realised state, a state of awaken.  To be able to see the most obvious things having missed them for so many years.  Subsequently I wanted to create something to serve as an example of how it could be.  If only we might spend the time loving that we spend hating.  Above all spending the time to be kind to others for no reason.  You get the idea.  I will travel around doing what I can and would love for you to join me.  Follow my path here…