Why, in so many Greek myths, are gods having intimate relationships with mortals? Even the Christian narrative has Mary, a mortal human, impregnated by an immortal Holy Spirit!

The human significance of these heavenly stories is their reflection of the  mortal and immortal duality of all human beings.

Human individuals are born as twins, each with a mortal body as host to its companion immortal soul. The great world myths and religions offer hints and milestones to traverse this multidimensional adventure of life.

This twinship phenomenon extends further into the soul level itself. Most humans are born with a blank slate, unaware of their immortal or royal history in infinity. This is a constant motif in world mythology: the unknowing prince or princess raised by adoptive humble countryfolk. Many a myth charts the journey of that innocent child to discover and assume its royal birthright.

This is the fate of the human ego as well, the part of the soul which believes itself to be mortal. Born in a blank slate of amnesia, it assumes the identity of its family and its internalized socialization from its milieu. This is Clark Kent before he discovers he is Superman.

Severed from the knowing of its immortal heritage and powers, the ego remains in a realistic state of inadequacy as it struggles to master the ways of the world, seeking to become an adult and assume responsibility for its life.

Ego identifies itself with its mortal body, a being subject to time and space that is young, becomes old, and dies. As the active decision-making  center, the ego is the masculine/animus center of the soul.

Meanwhile, the Google part of the soul, the subconscious mind, houses both the deeper knowledge of the soul’s journey through infinity as well as links to all knowledge. Furthermore, the subconscious runs all the workings of the physical body and has great ability to manifest anything.

However, as powerful as the subconscious is, it lacks the consciousness and free will of the ego. It relies on suggestions or inherent programs to take action. The subconscious is the receptive feminine/anima center of the soul.

The High Self is the part of the soul that retains the connection to its immortal being and is largely responsible for arranging the true mission behind the ego’s purpose in this life.

Incarnation into time/space is a chosen opportunity to master a karmic challenge that accrues to the overall soul’s greater evolution. The ego is assigned the task of this karma, and it submits to temporary amnesia as it enters human form to allow the mission to unfold: to master being an ordinary human, a being who is going to die.

The ego protects itself by splitting off and disowning its unacceptable parts, casting them into its shadow. The shadow houses undigested traumas, as well as powerful emotions and instinctual impulses. The shadow also retains an almost visceral sense of its royal roots, which fester as deep entitlement and grandiosity.

Sometimes the ego, in its deep sense of inferiority, can become possessed by its shadow’s entitlement, resulting in a narcissistic grandiosity, also known as ego inflation. As well, the ego may be subject to the shadow’s frustrated state of limitation, due to its alienation from its royal roots, resulting in hopelessness and deflation. Both inflation and deflation trace their roots to divine heritage through over- or under-identification with royalty.

The primary challenge for every ego is to discover and master its real reason for being in this life. Generally this can be ascertained by the central motif it most struggles with in the groundhog day cycles of its daily life.

The most powerful weapons for the ego, as it embarks upon the hero’s journey of mastery, are innocence and truth. By disidentifying with both inflation or deflation, the ego is able to face, master, and integrate its shadow.

The ego must embark upon this night sea journey into its shadow by recapitulating its life thus far lived, descending into the underworld of its shadowland to retrieve its lost soul parts. During the journey, the subconscious, which houses the ego’s shadow, opens its treasure trove of gifts and challenges as the ego ventures into the mythic inner witches’ abode in the forest of self, or the trickster’s labyrinth of dead ends, as it unravels the deeper truths of itself.

Tackling its deepest issues with humility, the ego can suggest positive affirmations to itself, which the subconscious may then go on to manifest. Support is also given from the High Self portion of the soul, which provides guidance through synchronicities that enable the ego to discover its own spiritual nature, which it can then freely choose to align with.

As the ego fulfills its true mission for this life, the High Self and the subconscious deepen the ego’s knowledge of its immortal roots and abilities, opening the door to deeper exploration of its coexistent life on subtler levels of being.

Ultimately, when the mortal twin’s body dies, the immortal energy body that has housed ego, subconscious, and High Self consolidates and continues its fantastic journey of soul into infinity.

In awe and gratitude for the journey,
Chuck