Journey To The Center Of Our Ego, Part 4

Shawn Tedrow

Oops! I forgot. Before we turn one page, wait a minute; anyone that dare takes this journey, do so at your own risk and expense. There is a qualifying cost to this endeavor.

We must engage ourselves in spiritual enantiodromia that Henri Ellenberger spoke of. Enantiodromia was coined by Carl Jung, meaning the superabundance of any force inevitably produces its opposite. The quality of this enantiodromia-force is an overabundance that is more than what is appropriate. Professor Lidenbrock, the main character in A Journey to the Center of the Earth, had this enantiodromia running through his body, soul, and spirit. Look to him, in the book, as an example of this required cost.

This takes a real gutsy, crazy-like commitment. Some may accuse you of chasing your own tail, and engaging in insensible non-Taoish behavior. Would I dare to suggest that we need to put assiduous courageous effort into our spiritual walk in order to realize results? Tao forbid!

This enantiodromia-effort that is required of us will inevitably produce its opposite. It is equivalent to the principal of equilibrium in the natural world, in that any extreme is opposed by the system in order to restore balance. Enantiodromia often foreshadows a rebirth of the personality.

Towards the end of this book, after enduring a life threatening raging ocean storm, then being thrown and cast up on a shore to safety, Professor Lidenbrock and his nephew Axel, realized their compass was behaving strangely. They realized that the needle of the compass was pointing the wrong way after being struck by an electric fireball that nearly destroyed the wooden raft.

The author, Michael Washburn, speaks about a condition in which the two poles of the psyche finally become a true two-in-one. It is a condition in which ego functions and nonegoic potentials, at last function harmoniously (from the book, The Ego and the Dynamic Ground). This is when the ego’s deep rooted psychological chains, and its self constructed independence, deconstructs, and integrates into accord with Tao.

Some call this ego-death. I am not in that campground of thinking. I personally believe that the ego doesn’t die, but continues on and mysteriously merges into harmony with the magnificent wonders of the Tao. I am not saying that it doesn’t seem like the ego has died. Verne’s story explains that the electric fireball “nearly destroyed” the wooden raft. In other words, the raft still existed after the storm.

I call this raging ocean storm of adversity that the Professor and Axel went through, “the dark night of the ego”. This is when the ego is stretched to its limits, and its terrifying emptiness is woefully seen.

Thomas Merton, the famous author, Trappist monk, mystic, and teacher of Taoism, spoke about the mental and emotional undercurrent that develops in such a storm, when he said, “Dread means that we cannot any longer hope in ourselves, in our wisdom, our virtue, and our fidelity. We see too clearly that all that is ‘ours’ is nothing and can completely fail us.”

This is when the mind is hanging onto very shaky ground and experiencing extreme vulnerability. It is at this horrific time when we become a conduit of receptivity.

This dread that Thomas Merton speaks of is when the ego submerges into darkness, like the sun setting into the horizon of a torrential storm, and then within time, it miraculously ascends to the dawning of a new day.

Please note; the electric fireball that struck their raft, or ball lightening, as it is scientifically termed, is an unexplained atmospheric electrical phenomenon. Scientific data on natural ball lightning are scarce owing to its infrequency and unpredictability. Given inconsistencies and the lack of reliable data, the true nature of ball lightning is still unknown presumption as its existence is based only on reported public sighting.

Besides being passionate about the subject of radical spiritual metamorphism, I also can’t help but emphatically sense, that there is a law of physics, mirrored in the realm of the spirit. I call this “The Law of the Spirit of Life”. Please don’t misconstrue the word law here. It is not meant to be a law in the sense of a command. It is meant to convey that there is a consistent nature to the energy of Tao, similar to the laws of physics.

Now that I let all of that out of the closet, let’s continue on exploring into just the beginning of this book, and check out a few snippets of thoughts, as we continue on with “The Journey to the Center of Our Ego”.

See you in about one week, again......

You can check out Shawn's other musings here.