Is it a Soul Prompt or Ego Impulse?

We received a question from a person taking our free Life Purpose e-minicourse:

“I’ve just finished reading Key 1 – ‘Be Aware of Your Soul’s Promptings’ and I’m a little confused. How would I be able to distinguish between a soul prompted ‘urge’ or ‘nudging’ and the everyday simply being impulsive.  Can you help me with this and I thank-you for your time.”

Much of the answer comes from experience. To echo poet Rainer Maria Rilke, if you keep asking the questions, one day you will live the answers.

Let’s set out a few guidelines on determining the soul’s energy from the ego’s, to distinguish between soul promptings and egoic impulses.

START WITH SOUL CENTERING

We first suggest you do some kind of regular soul connecting (we do soul-centering).  This is more than  just an interesting meditative exercise.

The idea is to connect with your soul’s energy. Then continue that energy into your moment-to-moment life.  By practicing soul-centering, it will naturally carry over into your daily life.

EGO DRIVES

First, let’s note that there is a definite place for our positive ego. It provides us a certain level of stability and functionality.

The challenge spiritually comes from our egos wanting us to be comfortable regardless of how it affects others.  Focusing too much on safety, security and sensory pleasure can lead to being compulsive and desiring instant gratification.  The ego doing things for immediate gains.

The ego tends to create separation, acting from fear.  It focuses exclusively on “me,” not us.  When it does focus on “we,” it’s more from a fearful, programmatic sense of belonging to a group.

The ego may do good, but not necessarily for very virtuous reasons.  It acts virtuously from “shoulds,”  more because the group (family, church, race) told me to do it.

SPIRITUAL DRIVES

The soul seeks unity, striving for a deeper understanding of truth.  Unlike the wounded ego, it relates things to the whole.  The soul knows your life purpose.  It can provide guidance in fulfilling it, if you enlist its help.

The soul helps you overcome fears, not follow them the way the ego would do. The soul helps you act from genuine love and compassion.

As you evolve, the ego aligns with the soul.  It becomes a “positive ego,” not a selfish, reactive entity. Its viewpoint broadens to include others and sense the big picture.

AN EXAMPLE OF HOW THE SOUL AND EGO LOOKS AT THINGS

Let’s say you come across a great offer for a product, one that will help your business. Your ego might react fearfully, saying things like:

• “I must buy this product immediately or else I’ll fail.”
• Or “I can’t afford this product and it’s probably a rip-off.”
• Or “I’ll never do anything with it anyway; I’m too afraid and overwhelmed already.”

The soul would evaluate the offer and calmly respond.  It might prompt you with the following feeling or message:

• “That’s not the right offer now.”
• Or “This feels right; take advantage of the opportunity now.”

You can distinguish the ego impulses from the soul’s promptings by the energy as well as the words.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The more you become familiar with your soul from regular soul centering and aligning with its energy, the easier it is to recognize soul promptings.

Another key point: by following your soul’s promptings, you grow and have wonderful opportunities realized. Your ego eventually works with your soul, rather than against it if you follow your soul in a way that doesn’t make your ego go crazy. Perhaps you’ll save some money, for example, before going full-time into your holistic business.

Let us know how you view soul promptings.

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