So much gets lost in translation into English. Thank you for being an archeologist of words and a miner of meaning. Doesn’t sound like there’s a consensus on ego let alone consciousness. Jung’s definitions, are the ones most closely recognized as familiar by my egoic conditioning and upbringing. The Buddhist resonates most. Enough of the angry old men lol- what did the wise women say? I’m more inclined to believe in something born from that cloak of meaning. Looking forward to part three. 🙏❤️
And finally, after everyone of us has sorted out their own mine-most-messy-matters, what a relief to find that "all are one is all" ~ as the Symbiocene would indeed suggest.
Thank you Veronika, for such a captivating and thought-provoking post. Through my Jungian lens, I’m reminded of how Jung saw the ego as a bridge between our conscious and unconscious worlds.
“Neither Freud nor Jung used the word ego in their writings.” Thank you for this gem. I did read this years ago but had completely forgotten the story of translation behind it.
Your wordcast reflections weave connections beautifully, illuminating how the ego shapes our path toward self-discovery and wholeness. It’s a deep exploration here that artfully traces the evolution of the ego across philosophy, psychology and spirituality ... like threads in an intricate tapestry.
A truly inspiring read! I'm already looking forward to part three.
Thank you Deborah, again for adding your lens! What I found most intriguing in this little wordcast series is how when we read just one author talking about 'the ego' we readily take on board their perspective. (and of course ego as a bridge between conscious and unconscious is a most intriguing interpretation) Then you look at the bigger picture from the perspective of the word 'ego' itself/herself/himself ~ a Latin word representing none less than me, myself and I ~ and place a range of perspectives from different eras, countries, cultures, and disciplines side by side ~ "like threads in an intricate tapestry" ~ this 'ego' themselves begins to shapeshift... 💗🙏 🦉🦇 🐉 🦅
Thanks, Veronika! I love how you’ve shown the ego as something alive and ever-changing, shaped by culture and time. It’s got me thinking about how language and self-discovery are so intertwined - I can’t wait to see where you take us next!
Yes! Isn't it interesting? By diving into the life stories of words themselves we can discover that the linguistic theory that 'language is our symbiont' has very practical and concrete consequences...
"the act of doubting ~ became for Descartes the ‘bedrock of every individual’s existence’." I've been thinking about this a great deal over these past three months - that 'doubt' is a prerequisite for hope. And also... for true intellectual rigor. Such a great post, Veronika. You just want to roll around in these ideas like a happy dog. :)
wouldn't it be great if the whole lot of Cartesian thinkers, movers and shakers had taken this on board? The 'all important act of doubting' is also a prerequisite for change, transformation, renewal...
What a treat to read your wordcast. For someone who is not learn-ed in these schools of thought around ego, thank you. I smile as I read, it appears that our collective human understanding of ego is a collaboration of minds — ego + collaboration, can it be? 🤣
Jung’s definition of the ego resonates and it is the Buddhist teachings of what the ‘healthy ego’ realises that pretty much reflects what my trajectory has been over the last decade or so.
Not sure where my ‘understanding’ fits in — I accept that ego is attached to the soul’s human experience and primarily attached to the fear response, particularly in the belief that one human life is all we are — then the focus on self-preservation and attainment predominates thought and action, and this being central to how western society shapes and controls us.
‘Knowing’ we are an eternal and expansive soul directs us to what you highlight as central to the Buddhism’s teaching — “which guides humans to take responsibility for their actions. An effective Dharma practice encourages the healing of an either inflated or deflated ego/ sense of self.”
And so my inner work continues. As always, thank you for offer. So much to explore. 🙏💜😊
Thank you Simone! I think you picked up an important thread there with 'healthy ego' (which I'll get to in part 3).
To me as a translator it is particularly interesting that a word, originally a pronoun, received such a 'high profile status' as a noun, after some translator decided to translate 'I' with 'ego'...
I don't think any philosophers or psychologists (or spiritual teachers) have written about any other pronouns until the gender discussion (he/ she/ they etc.) came along. 💙 🙏 ✨
Yes, l found it interesting, your point that neither Freud or Jung used ‘ego’, though given l am not read, it is sitting with me atm. My own ego is learning to defer to her soul, as she accepts she is a loved and necessary aspect, that’s how l related to the notion of a ‘healthy ego’ .. choosing the soul’s perspective of empathy and compassion. 💜🙏🏼
absolutely, "she is a loved and necessary aspect", that's how I understand her too. In Synchronosophy the Self and Ego emerged, playing a perfectly useful role ~ I suppose I better mention that in Part 3 of this little wordcast series 🤔💭
Dear Veronica, I have read this incredible essay twice and still I am unable to form a coherent response, not least because I have never considered the word ego in any other way than that of which we have in common use now - here lies the vast ocean of your knowledge of language compared to my tiny puddle - that being the egoist, one who thinks highly of self with or without reason... it seems from your eloquently written findings I have much to learn. Thank you for expanding my world, for leading me into the realms of a greater understanding of this beautiful language we use daily and its origins. 🙏🏼💛✨
Thank you Susie for expanding mine! Inviting me to follow you, from the tangle of wordwebs crowding around in my head, into the fresh air blowing through the undergrowth and overstories of nature's delights 💚🙏 🍃 🪶
I did not know that about The Statue of Responsibility! And I love that there is one place where all the definitions of EGO coexist. It's a rather mindboggling concept, one that I find endlessly fascinating. I've probably told you this before, but if not... If you ask a person in the West to point to themselves, they point to their heart, but if you ask a person in SE Asia to point to themselves, they point to their head.
That's one of the perks of writing on substack. 😉 I only found out about the Statue of Responsibility (first that Viktor Frankl had suggested one, and later that there is already a place allocated for it by some good people in Utah!) through writing wordcasts and researching words. I think I discovered this when researching the word 'freedom' and somehow it found its way into this post... why not? words have a mind and life of their own.
Yes, I remember having that conversation, but thanks for reminding me, Lani. So interesting. If you'd asked me I would have thought it's the other way round, that the Westerners live more in their heads...
Love! Thank you for taking the time to write this, Veronika! I really appreciate the depth of historical and philosophical exploration into the concept of ego and the hard work you put into it. One of my favorite articles that I wrote is about the development of ego, including a spiritual perspective, and I must say, it helped me a lot to structure my understanding of what the ego is.
Your piece provide such a rich analysis of how the term evolved, and I especially enjoyed the plurality of connections. You are a great diver into complex ideas and unique in giving words perspective. Looking forward to more insights in the next part. Awesome job!
Thank you Katerina! I just looked at your piece about the ego again:
"The ego is neither negative nor positive, but rather a sense of self that allows us to operate in the world." ~ Yes!! 🖐️
Isn't it interesting how different the information we can extract even from one single word by looking through different lenses? Yours through the lens of psychology and spirituality, mine through language... but in the end I would say the same. Writing this piece helped me a lot to deepen my understanding of ego too. 💗🙏
💗🙏Yes, Veronika, we see everything through our own unique experiences, realities, and skills, and we look at the same things differently. That’s why complementarity is such a great human trait—we get to learn so much more because of the nature of our diversity.
Thank you for stopping by again and read my post🙏.
Reading your piece has added layers to my knowledge, and now I feel richer for it. Full moon Greetings!
Thanks for the link. Slightly curious that I found the work of an earlier Hartman when I was looking for the development of the Ego concept in Freud's work.
Poetry and dreaming is not all trauma but we engage with a wider world via metaphor, sometimes coincident with insight, perhaps sufficiently at times party to repair, the ravelled sleeve. Tikkun Olan.
Philosophically speaking, the origins, understanding and release of "Ego" may not be settled. However you want to define this notion of Self Above All Else (Ego Über Alles?), there is ample evidence of it on display in the world right now.
On learning of this, I am in favor of Victor Frankl's proposition that we need a Statue of Responsibility (Responsibleness?) as a counterpoint to the Statue of Liberty. I wonder whether we shouldn't erect it in front of the White House right next to the Tesla showroom there.
I have posted about this on my Substack, Releasing Memory (https://remembertheworld.substack.com/p/declaration-of-responsibility-and), but it bears reminding that we have drafted a Declaration of Responsibility and Interdependence that could serve to evolve the U.S. Declaration of Independence.
Please check it out and, if you feel so compelled, please read, sign and share at The Declaration: https://thedeclaration.org/
This is going to take some time for me to think about. I remember JM Greer when he was the Archdruid (and self-described Asperger's fairly 'normalised' by a lifetime's cultivation), developing his thesis on 'magic' and 'reality' starting with Schopenhauer's assumption that the 'Will' was the only certain experience we could know. Inevitably I paraphrase and shorten his thought.
Your care with translation is very valuable. I turned just now to Gilchrist's latest opus... checking his index of topics and his index of names. I'm not sure he gets his coverage as usefully as you have.
Personal story, our youngest as a toddler called for a while her much older sister, 'Meea', we presumed from the often iterated 'Come to me!'.
I think the trouble with anthropocentric writing is the hankering for 'theories of everything', trying to nail down 'ultimate truths', to gain some semblance of certainty and construct a frame to fit all and everyone forever.
To me the, conceptual shift into the Symbiocene ~ looking at human life and the experience of it through a symbiocentric lens ~ is infinitely more useful and freeing. In this spirit I resonate deeply with your youngest as a toddler, beginning to figure out and communicate with the world from her perspective... thank you for sharing this
I very much agree about anthropocentric writing, especially in 'science'. I think McGilchrist - sorry about my earlier typo - has some valuable discussions, but at first dip he seems short on discussion of the wider creature world, and subjects such as instinct and even the universal requirement for sleep and the considerable activity of brains during sleep. Many creatures seem to be able to sleep with one attentive eye open, even perhaps rest one half of a brain at a time.
I will hang in with Symbiocene. 👍
I guess my recently getting the MoT paperback 2 vol. for £45 on a half price deal is still worth having, even if i guess it is going to look a bit dated as a review of 'evidence' as time goes on. But that will not matter to me.😊
Thanks so much for this series Veronika!
So much gets lost in translation into English. Thank you for being an archeologist of words and a miner of meaning. Doesn’t sound like there’s a consensus on ego let alone consciousness. Jung’s definitions, are the ones most closely recognized as familiar by my egoic conditioning and upbringing. The Buddhist resonates most. Enough of the angry old men lol- what did the wise women say? I’m more inclined to believe in something born from that cloak of meaning. Looking forward to part three. 🙏❤️
Thank you Jamie! Indeed, what did the wise women say??
That's a tough question to answer. 🤔💭
Given that the word 'ego' and its associations are a relatively young invention by angry old men... 😰
But my mind is buzzing with some ideas already... see you in part three 🫶 🖐️ if not before 🙏 ✨
Self, ego’s echo?
I’s illusion? Me’s mirage?
Mine, Matter mess most.
...
We’s woke whole wisdom?
Symbiocene may suggest
all are one is all.
What a great synopsis, Marisol! 💚🙏 🧚🏽 🍃 🪶
Especially this "Mine, Matter mess most"
And finally, after everyone of us has sorted out their own mine-most-messy-matters, what a relief to find that "all are one is all" ~ as the Symbiocene would indeed suggest.
Thank you Veronika, for such a captivating and thought-provoking post. Through my Jungian lens, I’m reminded of how Jung saw the ego as a bridge between our conscious and unconscious worlds.
“Neither Freud nor Jung used the word ego in their writings.” Thank you for this gem. I did read this years ago but had completely forgotten the story of translation behind it.
Your wordcast reflections weave connections beautifully, illuminating how the ego shapes our path toward self-discovery and wholeness. It’s a deep exploration here that artfully traces the evolution of the ego across philosophy, psychology and spirituality ... like threads in an intricate tapestry.
A truly inspiring read! I'm already looking forward to part three.
Thank you Deborah, again for adding your lens! What I found most intriguing in this little wordcast series is how when we read just one author talking about 'the ego' we readily take on board their perspective. (and of course ego as a bridge between conscious and unconscious is a most intriguing interpretation) Then you look at the bigger picture from the perspective of the word 'ego' itself/herself/himself ~ a Latin word representing none less than me, myself and I ~ and place a range of perspectives from different eras, countries, cultures, and disciplines side by side ~ "like threads in an intricate tapestry" ~ this 'ego' themselves begins to shapeshift... 💗🙏 🦉🦇 🐉 🦅
This is why I love your newsletter Veronika, as I now have Jamie's words and wisdom, "what did the wise women say?" going round on a loop! 🦉💗
Thanks, Veronika! I love how you’ve shown the ego as something alive and ever-changing, shaped by culture and time. It’s got me thinking about how language and self-discovery are so intertwined - I can’t wait to see where you take us next!
Yes! Isn't it interesting? By diving into the life stories of words themselves we can discover that the linguistic theory that 'language is our symbiont' has very practical and concrete consequences...
"the act of doubting ~ became for Descartes the ‘bedrock of every individual’s existence’." I've been thinking about this a great deal over these past three months - that 'doubt' is a prerequisite for hope. And also... for true intellectual rigor. Such a great post, Veronika. You just want to roll around in these ideas like a happy dog. :)
☀️ 🙏 🐕 😅 💛
wouldn't it be great if the whole lot of Cartesian thinkers, movers and shakers had taken this on board? The 'all important act of doubting' is also a prerequisite for change, transformation, renewal...
A profound essay -- and that is an understatement! Thank you. You are simply a joy to read.
Thank you so much Mary✨ 💗🙏 your feedback means a lot xx
Hi Veronika,
What a treat to read your wordcast. For someone who is not learn-ed in these schools of thought around ego, thank you. I smile as I read, it appears that our collective human understanding of ego is a collaboration of minds — ego + collaboration, can it be? 🤣
Jung’s definition of the ego resonates and it is the Buddhist teachings of what the ‘healthy ego’ realises that pretty much reflects what my trajectory has been over the last decade or so.
Not sure where my ‘understanding’ fits in — I accept that ego is attached to the soul’s human experience and primarily attached to the fear response, particularly in the belief that one human life is all we are — then the focus on self-preservation and attainment predominates thought and action, and this being central to how western society shapes and controls us.
‘Knowing’ we are an eternal and expansive soul directs us to what you highlight as central to the Buddhism’s teaching — “which guides humans to take responsibility for their actions. An effective Dharma practice encourages the healing of an either inflated or deflated ego/ sense of self.”
And so my inner work continues. As always, thank you for offer. So much to explore. 🙏💜😊
Thank you Simone! I think you picked up an important thread there with 'healthy ego' (which I'll get to in part 3).
To me as a translator it is particularly interesting that a word, originally a pronoun, received such a 'high profile status' as a noun, after some translator decided to translate 'I' with 'ego'...
I don't think any philosophers or psychologists (or spiritual teachers) have written about any other pronouns until the gender discussion (he/ she/ they etc.) came along. 💙 🙏 ✨
Yes, l found it interesting, your point that neither Freud or Jung used ‘ego’, though given l am not read, it is sitting with me atm. My own ego is learning to defer to her soul, as she accepts she is a loved and necessary aspect, that’s how l related to the notion of a ‘healthy ego’ .. choosing the soul’s perspective of empathy and compassion. 💜🙏🏼
absolutely, "she is a loved and necessary aspect", that's how I understand her too. In Synchronosophy the Self and Ego emerged, playing a perfectly useful role ~ I suppose I better mention that in Part 3 of this little wordcast series 🤔💭
💜🙌😊 … looking forward to it 🙏🏼
🌬️✨🪕✨🎷
☘️🐚☘️
Thank you Geraldine 💗🙏
Dear Veronica, I have read this incredible essay twice and still I am unable to form a coherent response, not least because I have never considered the word ego in any other way than that of which we have in common use now - here lies the vast ocean of your knowledge of language compared to my tiny puddle - that being the egoist, one who thinks highly of self with or without reason... it seems from your eloquently written findings I have much to learn. Thank you for expanding my world, for leading me into the realms of a greater understanding of this beautiful language we use daily and its origins. 🙏🏼💛✨
Thank you Susie for expanding mine! Inviting me to follow you, from the tangle of wordwebs crowding around in my head, into the fresh air blowing through the undergrowth and overstories of nature's delights 💚🙏 🍃 🪶
I did not know that about The Statue of Responsibility! And I love that there is one place where all the definitions of EGO coexist. It's a rather mindboggling concept, one that I find endlessly fascinating. I've probably told you this before, but if not... If you ask a person in the West to point to themselves, they point to their heart, but if you ask a person in SE Asia to point to themselves, they point to their head.
That's one of the perks of writing on substack. 😉 I only found out about the Statue of Responsibility (first that Viktor Frankl had suggested one, and later that there is already a place allocated for it by some good people in Utah!) through writing wordcasts and researching words. I think I discovered this when researching the word 'freedom' and somehow it found its way into this post... why not? words have a mind and life of their own.
Yes, I remember having that conversation, but thanks for reminding me, Lani. So interesting. If you'd asked me I would have thought it's the other way round, that the Westerners live more in their heads...
This is stupendous.
Thank you so very much, Kara 💗🙏
Love! Thank you for taking the time to write this, Veronika! I really appreciate the depth of historical and philosophical exploration into the concept of ego and the hard work you put into it. One of my favorite articles that I wrote is about the development of ego, including a spiritual perspective, and I must say, it helped me a lot to structure my understanding of what the ego is.
Your piece provide such a rich analysis of how the term evolved, and I especially enjoyed the plurality of connections. You are a great diver into complex ideas and unique in giving words perspective. Looking forward to more insights in the next part. Awesome job!
Thank you Katerina! I just looked at your piece about the ego again:
"The ego is neither negative nor positive, but rather a sense of self that allows us to operate in the world." ~ Yes!! 🖐️
Isn't it interesting how different the information we can extract even from one single word by looking through different lenses? Yours through the lens of psychology and spirituality, mine through language... but in the end I would say the same. Writing this piece helped me a lot to deepen my understanding of ego too. 💗🙏
💗🙏Yes, Veronika, we see everything through our own unique experiences, realities, and skills, and we look at the same things differently. That’s why complementarity is such a great human trait—we get to learn so much more because of the nature of our diversity.
Thank you for stopping by again and read my post🙏.
Reading your piece has added layers to my knowledge, and now I feel richer for it. Full moon Greetings!
Thanks for the link. Slightly curious that I found the work of an earlier Hartman when I was looking for the development of the Ego concept in Freud's work.
Poetry and dreaming is not all trauma but we engage with a wider world via metaphor, sometimes coincident with insight, perhaps sufficiently at times party to repair, the ravelled sleeve. Tikkun Olan.
Philosophically speaking, the origins, understanding and release of "Ego" may not be settled. However you want to define this notion of Self Above All Else (Ego Über Alles?), there is ample evidence of it on display in the world right now.
On learning of this, I am in favor of Victor Frankl's proposition that we need a Statue of Responsibility (Responsibleness?) as a counterpoint to the Statue of Liberty. I wonder whether we shouldn't erect it in front of the White House right next to the Tesla showroom there.
I have posted about this on my Substack, Releasing Memory (https://remembertheworld.substack.com/p/declaration-of-responsibility-and), but it bears reminding that we have drafted a Declaration of Responsibility and Interdependence that could serve to evolve the U.S. Declaration of Independence.
Please check it out and, if you feel so compelled, please read, sign and share at The Declaration: https://thedeclaration.org/
Yes, Frankl called it 'responsibleness' (I assume he had his reasons)
A Declaration of Responsibility and Interdependence sounds like a brilliant idea! Thank you for the link, Robin 💙 🙏
This is going to take some time for me to think about. I remember JM Greer when he was the Archdruid (and self-described Asperger's fairly 'normalised' by a lifetime's cultivation), developing his thesis on 'magic' and 'reality' starting with Schopenhauer's assumption that the 'Will' was the only certain experience we could know. Inevitably I paraphrase and shorten his thought.
Your care with translation is very valuable. I turned just now to Gilchrist's latest opus... checking his index of topics and his index of names. I'm not sure he gets his coverage as usefully as you have.
Personal story, our youngest as a toddler called for a while her much older sister, 'Meea', we presumed from the often iterated 'Come to me!'.
Thank you Philip for such insightful feedback 💗🙏
I think the trouble with anthropocentric writing is the hankering for 'theories of everything', trying to nail down 'ultimate truths', to gain some semblance of certainty and construct a frame to fit all and everyone forever.
To me the, conceptual shift into the Symbiocene ~ looking at human life and the experience of it through a symbiocentric lens ~ is infinitely more useful and freeing. In this spirit I resonate deeply with your youngest as a toddler, beginning to figure out and communicate with the world from her perspective... thank you for sharing this
I very much agree about anthropocentric writing, especially in 'science'. I think McGilchrist - sorry about my earlier typo - has some valuable discussions, but at first dip he seems short on discussion of the wider creature world, and subjects such as instinct and even the universal requirement for sleep and the considerable activity of brains during sleep. Many creatures seem to be able to sleep with one attentive eye open, even perhaps rest one half of a brain at a time.
I will hang in with Symbiocene. 👍
I guess my recently getting the MoT paperback 2 vol. for £45 on a half price deal is still worth having, even if i guess it is going to look a bit dated as a review of 'evidence' as time goes on. But that will not matter to me.😊
I'm not up to date with McGilchrist's work. I'm sure it's fascinating, but brain research is not my focus (maybe I'll get round to it some day)...
For the role of sleep and 'dreaming as nighttime therapy' I think it's interesting to look at the work of Ernest Hartmann https://bpsi.org/the-nature-and-functions-of-dreaming/
Thank you so much for sharing! 💙 🙏 ✨