Our Story is Ancient - man and the ego

Kiara Cemetery

41. You will burn, o’ Ego
I am here, o’ Ego,
In spite of you!
How well you disguise
Yourself to be my Heart!
How cunningly do you
Entwine your desire
With my Heart’s desire!
How weary you have
Made me to be!
But it is your mission,
And you are made blind
To my Lord and my Master
In the pursuit thereof!

But my Heart is not blind,
My Heart is not deaf,
So please do entwine
Your vine of thorns
Around my Heart,
But beware!
For there is a flame
Burning therein,
It is white and luminous
And surely, you will burn.

Oh, Ego!
You will never understand me,
As I will never fully comprehend myself,
Such knowledge being hidden
From me for my sake,
And hidden from you
For your sake.

......................................

I am informed by well situated sources that the human ego is an appalling creature - despicable, envious, ambitious, prideful, greedy, cunning, manipulative and chameleon-like in its ability to change colours to suit the cloth we are wearing at any given time - The ego can manifest itself as the priest, the clergyman, the carpentar, the student, the father, the judge, the gambler, the politician, the mother, the poet etc. The list goes on and on. There is no guise that you can put on that the human ego cannot mimic.

Compared to the human ego, the chameleon is a complete amateur at changing its looks

The ego's manifest powers are fitting when it faces its natural quarry - us. Silly, stupid and often careless, we rarely consider ourselves spiritual creatures, what more heavenly beings. But we are. Each of us connected to an ancient story originating from the time of Adam and Eve in heaven, and many infinities further back then that to the creation of the Light of the Beloved. Our story is ancient.

I am stringing this long, long parable because the only clear victory we can achieve over the ego is through the patience, sincerity and honesty contained in the humble cup of servanthood that is offered to every man, woman and child. I myself sometimes accept and sometimes reject this cup. I do this because I am stupid and often egoistic. You don't have to be like me. Indeed, you are better than me.

That is what gives me hope every day that I am alive. Don't you know that, sunshine?

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way