Hi All,

     (Not sure where this belongs, move it if you deem needed)

One of the next steps in my Path, development, and sobriety is the DESTRUCTION of my Ego.  My Ego is the source of most of my unhappiness at work as well as the biggest blockage of my spiritual development.  I would like to ask you for your advice.  What methods do you find effective in the reduction and/or destruction of your Ego?

I would also welcome your recommendations of books, sites, etc on this subject, my learned friends.  Anything you can offer on the subject will be greatly appreciated.

I would advise perhaps making a list of achievable goals to help build up the EGO in a healthy manner. Rather than destroying the excessive traits if one feeds the healthy aspects of one's EGO then the unhealthy ones will be starved out. Sometimes "negative" emotions or patterns of behaviour belie a core principle in a person's life.

I'd also suggest maybe revisiting through past experiences the moments that struck you as "bad EGO" moments and try placing them into the greater perspective of what is your Life.

The EGO is a vital part of magic and while it has it's flaws is an intrical part of our awareness. Nice sound btw DN! 

Forgive me Bugs but it sounds to me that you seem to have identified two distinct EGOs rather than the one with a side facing the light and another facing the shadow. My understanding from a complete layman's perspective is that the EGO houses the larger side of the persona or personality and if it is (and it does with us all!) leads us on to less healthy pursuits in life (usually associated with wants of a self-destructive nature) then perhaps reaffirming its relationship to the rest of the psyche is more in line with aims and objectives here?

The EGO by its nature isn't and doesn't select where to go in life that is something we must own (I know this is probably surplus to your personal requirements Bugs just trying to expand on my own mindset in these matters...) so if we renew old patterns of behaviour then yes magic can help us adjust our lives to live more healthily but my own belief is that ignorance of the bad does not equate with selecting good. So while it may be more of a struggle for yourself but perhaps not destroying the EGO but learning the rationale behind it's continued patterns may provide some understanding of the "Why?" before destroying a valued and needed aspect of yourself?

Also looking at more magical reasons why work so hard to reclaim control of your life as many of us do through Responsibility and then choose to destroy the tool enabling us to do this? Its like Soul Reclaiming exercises and then banishing part of your soul because it doesn't work with the "new" you?!

Hmm have you placed this idea to members of Pagans in Recovery (PIR)? I'm going to have a look through a book on magical pathworking for a suitable meditation... 

BIG NEWS...BIG NEWS...BIG NEWS...BIG NEWS...

FINALLY a big breakthrough!  Today I was able for the first time to do shamanic journeying!  Before it was limited to visualization, meditation, etc which was SO hard for me for so long...but today I was able to actually journey up AND down the World Tree.  I saw sights and met things that were in NO way figments of my visualization.  I'd rather not go into detail, for several reasons...mostly that when I get this excited I tend to Babylon and on.

THANK YOU MY FRIENDS!

And I do consider those of you that post as real friends!  You've help to educate me and guide me in many ways.  I hope you all know I'm here for you too, whether it's my Runes or my students' knowledge of herbs or just someone to listen...I'm here for you guys.

Aww fantastic news Bugs! Well done. The book I'd spotted the Pathworking exercise in is biteen more comprehensive than originally envisioned so I'm reading through it properly before recommending something specific from it. There's a forum I just stumbled upon for Pagans in Recovery, I'm not sure what it's like but maybe it could be a good resource for posting ideas and such... pagansinrecovery.com/ I just want to reassure I'm not trying to fob you off and hope that it helps to cover the blind spots for those of us on here who can't fully relate to all aspects of your Life (wouldn't it be a dull world if we could?).

For myself I tend to work the Tree of Life system (for obvious reasons ) but with the ToL each sephiroth possesses both a Virtue and a Vice (the exception being Netzach I think?!) and the incorporation of both aspects is a crucial aspect. Funny thing about Tree metaphors is that they yield so much in them we can learn to let go of the old leaves in the reassurance the new buds will come around yet damage to the bark is something of a wound which tends to shape the tree's uniqueness.

yay!!! *shakes pom poms*... *looks at pom poms oddly, realizes they are way too girly*... *tosses pom poms in fire*