The ‘me’ we think we are, is not who we are. It’s a mistaken identity that we’ll call the ego.

This world is really focused on getting and having. Think about it. As you read this article you most likely feel that you still have some unmet needs. They may be in finances, love, family, career or spiritual development. We all want to get and have, and what we’re accustomed to doing is using our own will to decide exactly what we need and how to get it. But we can’t possibly experience consistent abundance until we’re prepared to take a good look at the cause of all scarcity and pain. It’s not until we discover and undo the original cause that we can truly give or receive.




The ‘me’ we think we are, is not who we are. It’s a mistaken identity that we’ll call the ego. The shocking news is that this identity has no capacity to either give or to receive. Yet we spend our entire lives searching for love and happiness or resisting what we judge as painful. Our existence is spent in pursuit of love, wealth, health, security, status and even spiritual awakening. The ego doesn’t have a clue what’s in our own best interests or anyone else’s. It has no idea of what we need including what will give us true fulfillment but we continue to choose to listen to its voice. So the ego, or the ‘I’, is a ‘will’ that is apart from God. Fear and not love constitutes the basis for all its desires and actions although this is mostly hidden from our awareness until we decide to question it. And the reason that we experience adversity and scarcity is because the ego has a mantra which is ‘seek and do not find’. Sure, you may find the love of your life or the financial security you wanted but eventually the ego must sabotage it and usually does so unconsciously, making it appear as if you’re the victim.



The unconscious ego is at work in nearly every decision we make. So, if we’re trying to give or receive through this uninvestigated self then all we’re really doing is acting from an unconscious denial in the form of a conscious request. And then we wonder why we experience inconsistent peace and suffering. Who we are beneath this self we think of as me, is infinitely greater than our wildest imaginings. We cannot consistently experience



Who we really are and therefore the Real world, until we undo the one block to It’s presence. And that’s the ego. Divine providence is Who you are! And the idea of there being any lack or suffering in your life is directly caused by your unconscious beliefs and values. The ego with all its personal and collective beliefs is an illusion seeming real and it’s not until you question this illusion that you’ll be able to experience the Divine Providence that you are.



Most of what we create and value here at the level of form (ego) is unconsciously born from fear. Even our love for partners, children and parents is motivated by a need for approval, validation, acceptance, comfort, etc. It’s all based on lack or scarcity. We really don’t know what real love is. We think we know based on the personal and collective ego’s fear-based perception. We know nothing in truth. And we won’t know anything until we’re prepared to let Spirit in to undo all our mistaken beliefs. It can be quite a ride but in the end it’s the only ride in this universe worth taking.



Our Original State



Our original state before the separation was one of Divine providence. Created from and within infinite loving Oneness, we had no needs, no scarcity and no suffering. In fact we still remain in a state of Divine providence; it’s just that we’re dreaming that we made a will that is apart from God complete with time, space and separate bodies; a dream of birth and death, of pain and conflict and constant change. But God is infinite and unchanging love with no opposite. Fear being the opposite of love cannot exist except in a dream, the one we’re having now.



And it’s not about making this dream work or trying to fix the dream. This is a trap that we often fall into especially along the spiritual path. With all good intent we try to spiritualize this dream by introducing spiritual concepts to make it seem like a happier and more loving dream. While that’s ok it still doesn’t address the core question that we all face; just ‘who’ is directing all this? The answer is the spiritual ego of course. We cannot truly love, or receive through the ego. Remember, any form or feeling of scarcity, whether it be in love, purpose or finances, comes from the ego and not Spirit. The time has come for us to wake-up from the dream.



The Spiritual journey is not about acquiring more knowledge, abilities or skills. It’s about unlearning all we think we are and know. The perception we have of ourselves, others and the world we live in comes from one source and this one only; the ego. Now the ego, being a will apart from God, projects this entire reality, right down to the separate bodies we appear to inhabit. It makes sure our attention is always turned outward to get all its needs met. It will never let us know that it caused this dream by projecting it outward making it appear that we’re the victims of the world we see. It wants us to believe that we’re all separate and that the world is being done to us and not by us. For example if someone offends you the ego will take offense convinced that another caused you suffering. It won’t let you see that whoever upset you is simply mirroring your own denied unconscious guilt and is a projection coming from your own mind. We’re all one. There’s only ever one of us in this dream so the quicker we forgive error in another, the faster we undo the mass of unconscious guilt we harbor within. Whatever you give to a seeming other you give to yourself. There’s only one Holy Self of which we are all part and there’s only one ego appearing as many.



Awakening to Divine Providence



Awakening is undoing the block to the awareness of Loves’ presence. And in relinquishing our mistaken identity we come to develop increasing trust in Divine Will. In fact we’re beginning to remember that we are Divine Will and that the egos’ will only delivers pain. We forgive, we question every belief and value and we find that what we valued previously all arose from fear and not love at all. We willingly relinquish anything that’s valueless and we learn through experiencing this that nothing at all was sacrificed. Indeed we lost nothing yet gained an increasing experience of peace and security. Love begins to be known. And we learn that the ego’s insatiable need to have, to become and to avoid was all a giant cover-up to obscure the love that we are and always have been. We discover that real love can only be known and received through extending (giving) it. What we give, we receive. We learn to extend/give despite feeling unloving, tired, frustrated, angry, lost or depressed. True extension involves forgiveness, allowing, surrender, authenticity and unconditional acceptance. We see seeming adversity in a new light, one that’s free of the ego’s fear, denial and avoidance. Seeing now that all change is helpful, we embrace the principle that Divine providence acts out in all ways even in those people or situations that press our buttons. We see that love is indiscriminant and ever increasing as we embrace the value of forgiveness.



And what a contrast to the ego’s idea of love! It has it all upside down. The ego believes that we need to ‘get’ love, happiness, wealth or security. No amount of ‘getting’ or ‘seeking’ will ever increase our sense of worthiness or security. It’s only in giving what we most believe we need that we learn we always had it. Love can never be lost and it can never diminish. This is what we live to experience.



And for those of us who feel fear at the thought of losing their ego? You’ll be relieved to hear that not all the ego need be annihilated. A thread remains, however this thread is gladly abdicated to the Universal Inspirations Will. We recognize that we no longer wish to cling to a will that operates apart from God and we happily relinquish control and suffering. A Course in Miracles calls this time of awakened consciousness, The Happy Dream. And it doesn’t end here; it’s only just beginning!