One day, one of master Nasrudin's students asked him: "Mulla, who has the most difficult task in the world? Is it the one who conquers an empire? Or the one who has the power to do so, but is able to restrain himself? Or the one who prevents another from doing so?"
Nasrudin smiled and said: "well, all of those are important, but I know of a task that is much more difficult than all the ones you mentioned!"
"And what is that Mulla?"
"Teaching others to see things as they truly are!"
As past readers, you know that all of the articles on the stonyhill.com web site, and the goal of the Stonyhill Newsletter, are all designed to help people see things as they truly are; to intentionally pay attention to the energy they are manifesting in the world and thereby grow in self-awareness; the only path to attaining authentic spiritual growth.
All of us have made problematic choices and decisions in life that have led us into worlds that we could never have imagined visiting. I recently made one of those choices and now it's time to pay attention to the consequences of that choice. After years of writing articles on the importance of maturing and healing the wounded primitive ego of our inner-child, I decided it was time to write a book on the subject.
I chose the title Primitive Ego Psychology - Our Life Journey Toward Wholeness, Healing, Happiness, and Authentic Spiritual Growth. And that was about the point in the writing process where my inner-child decided that writing a book was simply too much work…... "it's time to take a break and go on vacation", "it will never be published anyway", "even if it is, nobody will want to read it", ………...
The simple reality is "it is a lot of work". Getting organized to write a book is much more challenging than simply writing a short article. And the possibility of not getting published is high. To say that I began feeling a bit overwhelmed is definitely an understatement. I would much prefer to have gone fishing or spent time practicing the octave mandolin, but unfortunately, after thirty years of analytic training and experience as a therapist developing and using the insights of primitive ego theory in my practice, writing a book on the subject had become something that a determined and somewhat tenacious part of me just has to do. So I rolled my sleeves and got to work.
It wasn't long before I came to the realization that spending (think wasting) time getting "organized" to "start writing" is a lot easier than actually writing. I quickly learned the importance of discipline and started putting more realistic limits on how much research I really needed to do. As I began the shift from research to writing however, I soon discovered that writing a book while publishing an e-Newsletter on primitive ego consciousness and authentic spiritual growth every two weeks while traveling around the country and volunteer hosting in various State Parks is not a very healthy or sustainable life style. Something had to give.
Since both projects are important to me, I decided it would make sense to combine them. So instead of writing a separate article for the Stonyhill Newsletter every two weeks, articles that my wife often reminds me tend to get overly long and involved for an e-newsletter because I try to include too much detailed information about primitive ego theory in them, I will simply draw on some of the material I am currently working on for the book and use it as a short Newsletter article every other week. It will not only reduce my writing work load, it will also give readers of the Stonyhill Newsletter an on-going inside look at the book as it I write it……..an opportunity to look over my shoulder as the book unfolds.
It's my hope that more closely linking the newsletter and the book will offer Newsletter subscribers increased clarity on
a) the importance of primitive ego theory,
b) the urgent need for increased evolutionary growth of both our individual and collective consciousness,
c) enabling the evolutionary goal of authentic spiritual growth through increased self-awareness,
d) healing the developmental wounds of the unconscious inner-child,
e) insights regarding the residue collected in our unconscious shadow,
f) how we create a false self,
g) the ability to fully embrace the deep wisdom that we have always possessed,
h) the ability to forgive ourselves and others,
i) the ability to manifest true unconditional love and compassion,
j) the ability to do no harm to ourselves, to others, or the earth we live on, and most importantly,
k) learning the skills required to live happy and productive lives.
As we develop the ability to pay increasing attention to the energy we manifest in the world we are bound to discover that some of our energy is great……. and some of it will need significantly more work and attention. It will be a bit humbling at times, but that is how we grow and evolve……. :-))
The decision to write a book on the evolution of our species consciousness and authentic spiritual growth has required that I do a better job of illustrating my thoughts and ideas on the evolution and maturation of our primitive ego consciousness. So I plan to increase the use of stories and illustrate the Newsletter articles with developmental models and psychological insights developed for workshops and seminars offered at Stonyhill over the last two decades on the subjects of Happiness and Creative Relationships.
Growth toward an enlightened consciousness and unconditional compassion is a journey toward authenticity that is best shared in community and unfolds one step at a time.
If you're confused or don't understand what I'm writing about, it is almost certain that others are struggling with the same material. So don't hesitate to give me feedback…...positive or negative. I look forward to your continued comments and suggestions as the book progresses knowing that your feedback will ultimately help me write a better book.
It's my sincere hope that our journey together over the coming months is helpful and enables you better master some of the inner-child insights and skills required to manifest true unconditional compassion and achieve a more authentic life of true happiness.
Recommended Books For Healing and Spiritual Growth
At the request of many Newsletter readers over the last year, I am going to begin listing one book in each issue of the Newsletter that I have read over the years to develop the ideas and insights I now refer to as Primitive Ego Psychology. The books will focus on the concepts of authentic spiritual growth, growth in self-awareness, and the skills required to manifest true unconditional love and compassion. I will present only titles that I believe are above average books on these subjects.
Each of these books will have a link that takes you directly to a store where you can purchase the the book. If you decide to purchase the book for your own library, I would appreciate it if you could use the "purchase" link provided so Stonyhill gets the small commission paid for the referral. The commission will help to cover some of the expenses involved in maintaining the Stonyhill website and the Stonyhill Newsletter. Your support will be greatly appreciated!
This weeks book is titled
The Vortex: Where the Law of Attraction Assembles All Cooperative Relationships by New York Times best selling authors Esther and Jerry Hicks. I have included this book in the bibliography because it is rich in spiritual truths that are part of Primitive Ego Psychology and the Primitive Ego Theory of Human Social and Spiritual Development.
The book uses a somewhat "new age" spiritual language that I would not normally be drawn to, but the content is excellent and right on target for readers who are looking for specific spiritual insights similar to those found in my writing on Primitive Ego Psychology. It's a book that I believe would be helpful in your own awakening, spiritual growth and inner-child healing. Hope you enjoy it.