A Death Blow to Egoic Arrogance:
Four Muses to Stimulate Inner Awakening

Introduction

A death blow to egoic arrogance is an idea whose time has arrived. And what’s great is it is an inside job. The following four muses – if we pay attention — can stimulate our inner Awakening, day in and day out, eventually bringing stillness within and our Inner Self to life.

Each of these muses contain vast wisdom and power and are beautiful mirrors of who we are. By bringing our attention and integrating these deeper into our lives, we open up the possibility for profound inner transformation.

Let’s take a look.

1. Love

There is nothing wrong with duality as long as it does not create conflict. Multiplicity and variety without strife is joy. In pure consciousness there is light. For warmth, contact is needed. Above the unity of being is the union of love. Love is the meaning and purpose of duality. Nisargadatta Maharaj

Unconditional Love is the foundation of all existence. It is the energy that creates and sustains us. From an evolutionary perspective, Love is what motivates us to survive and thrive.

When we feel loved, we also feel safe and secure. We are more likely to take risks and explore new terrain when held in Love’s warmth.

We can intend to see through the eyes of Love. Each time we align with Love, we deal a death blow to egoic arrogance.

2. Gratitude

Gratitude is the abiding recognition and appreciation of all the gifts and blessings in our lives (even the ones that carry pain). It is an acknowledgment that we are fortunate to be alive.

Gratitude allows us to see the world through a lens of abundance instead of scarcity. It shifts our focus from what we lack to what we have.

When it comes to Gratitude, we can know one thing for sure. If we are ever feeling out of sorts and “want to get back to the Garden,” this muse is the doorway to success. All we have to do is center and start practicing gratitude moment by moment.

Larry and I once took an entire year to work with author Angeles Arriel’s Living in Gratitude: A Journey That Will Change Your Life. We loved it.

Gratitude is also a form of self-love. When we are grateful for the good in our lives, we also acknowledge our intrinsic goodness. We recognize that we deserve to have blessings show up in our lives and learn from those things that appear otherwise.

3. Forgiveness

Forgiveness is releasing resentment and anger towards someone who has harmed us. It does not mean condoning bad behavior but letting go of the bitterness and hatred that can poison our hearts.

Often, when we hold onto resentment and anger, we are holding onto a version of ourselves stuck in the past. Forgiveness allows us to let go of this old version of ourselves and move forward into the present.

If you want to mine the depths of this muse, you can rely on Desmond Tutu, who, with his daughter, Mpho Tutu, wrote the Book of Forgiving. This one will grab your heart with its mind-boggling stories of betrayals and forgiveness.

Recently, a dear friend sent me a great article on the Hawaiian path of forgiveness.

Forgiveness is also a way of honoring our journey. We all make mistakes, and we all have moments of weakness. Forgiving ourselves for our mistakes is a significant step in awakening to pure Consciousness.

It allows us to see our common humanity and strikes a death blow to egoic arrogance every time we forgive and stop judging ourselves and others.

4. Humility

Humility is recognizing that we are not as separate or special as we may think. We are a small part of a vast and intricate web of life. Seeing ourselves this way can help us let go of the ego’s need to be in control.

Another word for Humility is flexibility, the willingness to see if we have an issue or problem and how we might be a part of it. This muse allows us to be more open to others and the world around us.

If there is a problem in our community, it’s our problem, too, and so on. To be flexible enough to self-reflect and see how small our human mindset is in the totality of life is a death blow to egoic arrogance. We truly have nothing to lose but pain, in the Humility, to surrender to things “as they are.”

Michael Sayer’s “The Surrender Experiment” is a great read and go-to for more on this muse.

Conclusion

When we bring our attention to Love, Gratitude, Forgiveness, and Humility, we can see how waking up is an inside job. It is something that we each have the power to do.

We’ve seen that we can use the four muses to stimulate awakening. By contemplating deeper levels of their attributes and how to apply them, we can create a solid yet relaxed foundation from which to flow. We can expect a more conscious and awakened life as a sweet result while giving a death blow to egoic arrogance.

Please share your insights, etc., in the comments as moved. And share this blog with those it may serve. Thank you. Have a blessed week!