Is God is the Alter Ego?

[Maguru]

I've just had the thought that "God is the alter ego!" I haven't seen it from this perspective before but in retrospect I've seen it and experienced it.

I studied Joyce Meyer for a while. She appears to have this connection with God and she describes her conversations with him. What I noticed was how much God was like Joyce. He held her views, ideals, codes of conduct and even her sense of humour. They are remarkably similar.

I wouldn't usually expose this much of myself but it supports the theory. I know that I created a god in my head. He spoke to me too. At the time I didn't think that I had created him. I was indoctrined from a very young age and believed I had found god. It felt great. I didn't feel alone any more. I felt I had support but after a little while I realized I couldn't make a move without 'him' breathing down my neck.

It didn't take me long before I began disagreeing and throwing in the towel. His expectations were far too high for a mere mortal. Doh! They were my own expectations and god, I was hard on myself. I see the truth of it now.

I think the god everyone believes in is their shadow, or the part of self they do not claim as their own. An alter ego. Beautiful! I've made the devil mine now. He's much more fun and doesn't judge me at all.

[MillenniumMike]

Lots of theorists worked on the idea of God being self created. Freud talks about the super ego.

George Herbert Mead works on the idea of I and Me and other ideas along the lines of symbolic interactionalism.

God could be the manifestation of what you have been told is right and wrong by society.

An interesting note: When you pray or meditate a little node on the left hemisphere of your brain actually starts firing off, and this little node only does that when you pray or meditate.

[Eric Roosevelt]

I think different people mean different things when they refer to God. Sure, for some God may be some kind of alter ego. Some use God as described to them by their religious leaders or holy texts as a reference point for what they're allowed and not allowed to do. For others, God may simply be a feeling of awe.

[Maguru]

Originally Posted by MillenniumMike

Lots of theorists worked on the idea of God being self created. Freud talks about the super ego.
George Herbert Mead works on the idea of I and Me and other ideas along the lines of symbolic interactionalism.

God could be the manifestation of what you have been told is right and wrong by society.

An interesting note: When you pray or meditate a little node on the left hemisphere of your brain actually starts firing off, and this little node only does that when you pray or meditate.

I didn't know that, thanks. What does the firing little node indicate to you?

I just think that 'however' you see god is revealing the self. God has a unique persona according to each person because we are unique. For me personally, God was loving, kind and funny but had imposssibly high expectations of me. I truly believed it for a while. It was very real until I recognized myself and my indoctrination of god. Everything I knew and believed of god had been put there by outside forces from childhood.

In using my 'god' as my mirror, I was able to release myself from the impossible high standards that I couldn't keep and was killing me in trying. I was also able to know myself and accept myself without harsh judgement.

I might add that it has been a lot more difficult to extracate myself from those beliefs than it was to put them there but in doing so has opened up a whole new perspective of myself and on life. It has been truly liberating and empowering.

[Maguru]

Originally Posted by Eric Roosevelt

I think different people mean different things when they refer to God. Sure, for some God may be some kind of alter ego. Some use God as described to them by their religious leaders or holy texts as a reference point for what they're allowed and not allowed to do. For others, God may simply be a feeling of awe.

Yes, I think so too. Why is that?
I believe it's because 'god' is our own unique reflection at some level. There is nothing you can think, feel or believe about god (or anyone else for that matter) that isn't within you. If self awareness and growth is a personal goal, then sparring with god is a great place to start.

[zeitgeist]

Dear Maguru, what you observed about Joyce Meyer sounds right, I am sure the same could be said about Neal Walsh's Conversations with God. Actually, I had once an amazing conversation with "God" about an issue that I struggled with a lot. Needless to say, I got amazing answers that were really helpful. Still, I never repeated this session because I just can't tell what exactly comes from the higher institution and what comes from my tainted personality. In the end there is only one way to experience the Source, be completely still and see what happens.

Zeitgeist

[GuideMySpirit]

It seems to be that the person who she was talking to was her Higher Self, and that is why it was so closely related. God is not in someones head, God IS, there is no description because he is all. We live in a space/time that is why it's so difficult for us to understand this concept, we live in a world that seems seperate, so we naturally look outside ourselves with our limited brains and words to describe something that is all.

This is why I can Eistein had the problem on the theory of everything I don't think the purpose in entirety is to 'prove' God because there is no reason for that, it's to achieve the state of being connected to God on an individual level. If we had proof of him we wouldn't be learning/teaching and progressing. It's the same reason of why there are opposites for everything in life, hot, cold, high, low...

We choose to look at perceive God in as many ways as we like, but as religion showed the world most evidently in our age, that all is the same story being told in a different language by a different person.

There is a allegory know: Four blind men were walking in a jungle and all fell into a hole. Inside this whole was a dead elephant. They all feel inside and began to figure out what was there that was so big and so much greater then them. One touched the tusk and said, it's a bull. The other touched the tail and said it's a lion..and so on they created their own stories. But all in all they were looking at the same thing in different angles and parts of the hole. *whole*

So this is the way we have to look at God, and who we communicate with, God is all and expresses Itself in all ways, and all your guides, angels, and guardians are just expressions of Itself.

[Maguru]

Originally Posted by zeitgeist

Dear Maguru, what you observed about Joyce Meyer sounds right, I am sure the same could be said about Neal Walsh's Conversations with God.

I believe so too. At one time I was actually jealous of Neal Walsh's relationship with god. But yes, I believe his god is his alter ego and a clever one at that, even ingenius.

Actually, I had once an amazing conversation with "God" about an issue that I struggled with a lot. Needless to say, I got amazing answers that were really helpful. Still, I never repeated this session because I just can't tell what exactly comes from the higher institution and what comes from my tainted personality.

Can't you trust your feelings?

In the end there is only one way to experience the Source, be completely still and see what happens.

Zeitgeist

If there is a source then I think we must be experiencing source at all times, in every way. I cannot envisage a 'separate' source in any way, shape or form.

[Maguru]

Originally Posted by GuideMySpirit

It seems to be that the person who she was talking to was her Higher Self, and that is why it was so closely related.

What is the difference between 'higher self' and god?

God is not in someones head, God IS, there is no description because he is all. We live in a space/time that is why it's so difficult for us to understand this concept, we live in a world that seems seperate, so we naturally look outside ourselves with our limited brains and words to describe something that is all.

The OP was intended to look at the 'perceptions' of god that are within the mind. Even those who do not believe in a god have a perception of what god is not. I think it's possible that the perceptions (be they positive or negative) that each individual holds of god is their own Alter Ego.

This is why I can Eistein had the problem on the theory of everything I don't think the purpose in entirety is to 'prove' God because there is no reason for that, it's to achieve the state of being connected to God on an individual level. If we had proof of him we wouldn't be learning/teaching and progressing. It's the same reason of why there are opposites for everything in life, hot, cold, high, low...

We choose to look at perceive God in as many ways as we like, but as religion showed the world most evidently in our age, that all is the same story being told in a different language by a different person.

There is a allegory know: Four blind men were walking in a jungle and all fell into a hole. Inside this whole was a dead elephant. They all feel inside and began to figure out what was there that was so big and so much greater then them. One touched the tusk and said, it's a bull. The other touched the tail and said it's a lion..and so on they created their own stories.

I understand this from a perspective of separateness but from the 'whole' perspective we must be included.

So this is the way we have to look at God, and who we communicate with, God is all and expresses Itself in all ways, and all your guides, angels, and guardians are just expressions of Itself.

Do you see yourself as a unique expression of god also?

[zeitgeist]

Originally Posted by Maguru

Can't you trust your feelings?

If there is a source then I think we must be experiencing source at all times, in every way. I cannot envisage a 'separate' source in any way, shape or form.

Dear Maguru, I now live my life exactly that way, i.e. always looking for the insights of the Source. I absolutely trust my feelings, and try to discover these subtle messages in my interactions with others and my daily life experiences. I just try not having mental conversations with myself as Neal Walsh seemed to have experienced it. When it comes to your mind, the ego is always lurking somewhere in the background, and he happens to be a pretty clever fellow.

Zeitgeist

[andrew112]

I think God might be the super ego.

[Maguru]

I use the term 'we' because it's rolls easier but of course I know I can only speak for myself. However, through personal experience, I think the perception of god is the reflection of our egos. If this is shown to be true then neither ego or god can exist as we perceive them.

The ego is a theoretical construct so we know ego does not exist, so can god exist as we perceive through our egos? I would have to say no. I don't think this would prove the non-existence of god, but would show that god does not exist as we perceive.

I perceived god as portrayed through the christian religion. My belief was so strong and so ingrained that my ego grew through my relationship with god. I saw myself like Jesus (without the power) and I was a willing servant until I was cruxified. In laymen's terms I would say my ego began to fracture. The strangest thing though was, as my ego-human-self began to disintegrate, another even bigger ego was emerging.

This will sound ridiculous because it does to me now, but I believed I was the female to god's maleness. I began to believe that I was equal to god and that I would be the 1st amongst equals to bring god-power into the human experience. Amazing dream. I really wanted it to be true. Really tried to make it true. I would say now that I was on the edge of a precipice. This was the beginning of an almighty fight with god, which was a fight with myself, which is whole other story.

The point I am trying to make is from very personal experiences and it is : "that my perception of god and jesus were a reflection of my egoic self and therefore, as it was showing me who I was not, it was my alter ego, which was also me." The concept of my ego self helped, and still is helping me, to be who I am.

Thank gawd it's all in the past. The simplest truth that I received from this adventure was "you cannot TRY to be anything. You either are or are not."

I would be most interested in anyone's response, although I admit to being a little afraid of posting it but please don't pull any punches. Regards