{"id":99,"date":"2025-11-22T00:57:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-22T00:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/singingfromthecenter.com\/?p=99"},"modified":"2026-01-20T17:49:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T17:49:11","slug":"spirit-vs-ego-the-old-battle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/singingfromthecenter.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/22\/spirit-vs-ego-the-old-battle\/","title":{"rendered":"Spirit Vs. Ego, the Old Battle"},"content":{"rendered":"

Spirit<\/span><\/p>\n

Spirit is the real you. \u00a0Spirit is joy, self love, personal power, presence, all the good stuff. \u00a0Look at baby. \u00a0Pure spirit. \u00a0They just are. \u00a0Deep down, this is the essence of you.<\/p>\n

Ego is fear, judgement, blame, future thinking, all the negative stuff.<\/p>\n

Every human on the planet fights the good fight between ego and spirit let\u2019s face it, we\u2019re all in this together…although it can be blimmin exhausting at times:)<\/span><\/p>\n

The fight is particularly strong when we\u2019re singing a song. \u00a0At its best, singing ‘s all about freely expressing our emotions, letting go and surrendering. \u00a0But getting to be a true “gentle warrior’ can be extremely challenging:)<\/p>\n

I had a student who was an actor. \u00a0She said that acting wasn’t a problem for her. \u00a0It was like putting on a jacket. She was herself, but also being someone else. \u00a0But singing terrified her, \u00a0because there’s no safety net.<\/p>\n

So true. \u00a0Singing is often the egos’ worst nightmare, so it puts up all kinds of barriers. Hence, stage fright.<\/p>\n

The ego’s tricks<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here are some of the ego tricks I\u2019ve noticed in myself, my students and general life lessons; and following that some suggestions on how to deal with that in performance, plus some tricks of how to access spirit and not lose the plot while singing.<\/p>\n

Meditation<\/strong><\/p>\n

To start with, there’s a short meditation in Level 2 that connects you with spirit (link at the bottom of the page), and here’s a meditation you can do that connects first with the ego\u2019s clamor, and then with spirit, to show an easy way to recognize between the two, and to choose spirit:<\/p>\n

Meditation<\/strong><\/p>\n

Take a deep breath in and take your attention down to the center of the heart on the out breath. Let go and observe your breath. Try to just be. Observe your thoughts, let them come and go, without judgment or control. Now observe your emotions. Notice the good ones, and notice the clamor. Where it\u2019s situated in the body, if you sense where the root of the emotion is.<\/p>\n

Let it all just be<\/strong><\/p>\n

Then take another deep breath and take your attention down to the center of the heart. There\u2019s an alchemical spark glowing in the very center, go to the center of the center of the spark, a place of deep peace and silence, beyond time and space.<\/p>\n

Breathe in your own essence, knowing that this is you. Breath in peace, silence, power and contentment, and breath out the clamoring emotions until you feel a balance, then come back to consciousness keeping the attention in the heart.<\/p>\n

It’s easy<\/strong><\/p>\n

The ego often tells us that it takes sixty years in a cave to connect to spirit, and yet it can be done so quickly.<\/p>\n

Other stuff the ego tells us<\/strong><\/p>\n

That we need it, that it needs to be in charge. No we don\u2019t and it doesn\u2019t. It gives TERRIBLE advice and always leads us into complicated thought patterns and negative thoughts, dragging us out of the here and now, obsessing the past and future, clogging up our energy.<\/p>\n

“I\u2019m not here”. \u00a0This is a good one. It most often hides in plain site, and when some negative thought pattern creates a negative action we get “move along, nothing to see here, we always do this\u2019”. \u00a0So we create huge worlds within to cope with these illusions, thinking it\u2019s the same world for everyone.<\/p>\n

The ego tells us it\u2019s never going to get any better.<\/p>\n

That it\u2019s not worth the effort.<\/p>\n

That no-one\u2019s to be trusted, least of all you.<\/p>\n

That we have to control everything then we\u2019 ll be safe<\/p>\n

That there\u2019s something intrinsically wrong with us<\/p>\n

That \u2018”god”\u2019 gives us life and then kills us off so the Universe can\u2019t really be trusted either or just has a cruel sense of humor.<\/p>\n

That when you take everything away, life is ordinary, and mundane, and about dealing with mundane things. \u00a0Where\u2019s the fun in that? So the ego creates huge stories and dramas so we don\u2019t have to deal with the silence within. \u00a0It\u2019s war. \u00a0The ego doesn\u2019t want us to connect with our spirit, it would lose the war then. \u00a0It lives in the head and strives to keep us there by believing that thoughts are our totality:)<\/p>\n

It also tells us that our Universe expands with thoughts, but we have thousands a day, all inspired by feelings. The ego tells us not to trust our feelings, and to keep living in the head, whereas it\u2019s our feelings, guided by our intuition, that really point the way, as in “being in control” is an illusion.<\/p>\n

We need the ego<\/strong><\/p>\n

But, although it can be an evil genius, we should also forgive it. \u00a0It’s just trying to keep us safe so it’s<\/em> safe. \u00a0And we’re all hurt kids in some shape or form, are we not, so it\u2019s just doing its best to help us deal and heal (I mentioned I felt the ego is an evil genius to a dear, wise and wonderful friend recently who said \u201cNo, it\u2019s like a puppy. You just have to retrain it. It wants the best for you it just doesn\u2019t know how \u201c. \u00a0With hindsight, I think this is a truer version of the ego\u2019s tricks:).<\/span><\/p>\n

And we need the ego. \u00a0In its purest form it’s the “flight or fight” instinct, situated in the amygdala at the back of the brain. \u00a0If we see a tiger, hide. \u00a0In its purest form, the ego is our personal secretary, making sure we get to the meeting in time, call that person, remember the important things. \u00a0Our personal computer, if you will:)<\/p>\n

When singing , this translates as the ego working with your spirit, one step ahead. \u00a0\u201cBreath coming up, small sip coming up, keep the emotions even keel here; big chorus now building up to the big emotion, remember to relax, open the diaphragm and belly for a huge breath, remember not to over-breathe, connect to the emotion, COMMIT and LET GO!<\/p>\n

If we keep at it, \u201cNo ego, it\u2019s not that, it\u2019s THIS\u201d, slowly it will<\/em> get the message:)<\/p>\n

Spirit<\/strong><\/p>\n

Spirit, or source energy, is our true self, our higher self, and the ego is our little self, the “story of me\u2019”.<\/p>\n

Spirit is often held hostage by the ego, often without us realizing it.<\/p>\n

Aldo, spirit has a few base homes, most notably in the head “the third eye” and the heart. \u00a0If we stay in the head, the battle continues, and the ego is harder to deal with. \u00a0Which is why taking the attention down to the heart can be a powerful release. \u00a0Especially since the heart is the center of our true power:)<\/p>\n

Stage fright is spirit being held hostage, fear literally freezing us up, without us knowing what to do about it.<\/p>\n

What spirit knows<\/strong><\/p>\n

Spirit knows that we\u2019re all the same, and that all it has to do is let go and have fun. \u00a0Spirit knows it\u2019s safe and is like a joyful child, just letting its energy flow and letting life, and the song, happen.<\/p>\n

Spirit doesn\u2019t care about others judgments, and sees the good in everyone.<\/p>\n

Spirit also knows to not take anything personally, and to not hold on so tight.<\/p>\n

Spirit knows its job is to raise the energy of the room, to enjoy that experience, and then to move on to the next thing. TV perhaps, or a good meal ? Or both?:)<\/p>\n

Spirit doesn\u2019t take it all so seriously.<\/p>\n

Spirit lives in the here and now, where there is no past or future. Child like, joyful.<\/p>\n

How this relates to singing<\/strong><\/p>\n

Spirit lets its energy flow. \u00a0Spirit know it\u2019s singing first of all for itself, because it feels good, and the diaphragm needs some healthy exercise now and then, the stress of everyday life and the egos fears often pulling it this way and that.<\/p>\n

Spirit shares spirit with an audience, who share it back. \u00a0The singer Nancy Wilson describing the energy of a good gig: “You\u2019re going to the audience “you you you\u2019” and they\u2019re going back “you you you” and it sets up a wonderful loop of affirming energy.<\/p>\n

From the egos perspective, it always drops the ball “you you you” to being “me me me!” \u00a0A lot of singing is learning to get out if our own way, and forgiving ourselves when we don\u2019t.<\/p>\n

When we train ourselves to come from the place of peace and the silence within, it\u2019ll be reflected in our performance. \u00a0We relax, the audience relaxes and trusts us, we trust ourselves, and everyone has a good time. Plus you make better decisions because you\u2019re not second-guessing and, everything flowing much more naturally.<\/p>\n

The best way to explain the process of change that\u2019s also relevant to changing habits when singing is to paraphrase Wayne Dyer: \u00a0“you\u2019re walking down a path, you fall in the hole. Next day, same thing, but you get out quicker. Soon you see the hole, you fall in, can\u2019t help yourself, but get out pretty quickly. Then you see the hole and walk round it. Then you walk down a different street”.<\/p>\n

The path of learning to sing<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is also the path of learning to sing, on all levels. We\u2019re slowly learning to let go and trust, the ego eventually trusting spirit to light the way, not<\/em> the ego taking over and ruining everything.<\/p>\n

And to know that\u2019s a process and to forgive our mistakes and celebrate our victories, most importantly:)<\/p>\n

Meditation link: link to level 2 meditation\u00a0<\/p>\n

Related articles:<\/p>\n

Dealing with stage fright<\/p>\n

The chakras<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Spirit Spirit is the real you. \u00a0Spirit is joy, self love, personal power, presence, all the good stuff. \u00a0Look at baby. \u00a0Pure spirit. \u00a0They just are. \u00a0Deep down, this is the essence of you. Ego is fear, judgement, blame, future thinking, all the negative stuff. Every human on the planet fights the good fight between ego and spirit let\u2019s face it, we\u2019re all in this together…although it can be blimmin exhausting at times:) The fight is particularly strong when we\u2019re singing a song. \u00a0At its best, singing ‘s all about freely expressing our emotions, letting go and surrendering. \u00a0But getting to be a true “gentle warrior’ can be extremely challenging:) I had a student who was an actor. \u00a0She said that acting wasn’t a problem for her. \u00a0It was like putting on a jacket. She was herself, but also being someone else. \u00a0But singing terrified her, \u00a0because there’s no safety net. So true. \u00a0Singing is often the egos’ worst nightmare, so it puts up all kinds of barriers. Hence, stage fright. The ego’s tricks Here are some of the ego tricks I\u2019ve noticed in myself, my students and general life lessons; and following that some suggestions on how to deal with that in performance, plus some tricks of how to access spirit and not lose the plot while singing. Meditation To start with, there’s a short meditation in Level 2 that connects you with spirit (link at the bottom of the page), and here’s a meditation you can do that connects first with the ego\u2019s clamor, and then with spirit, to show an easy way to recognize between the two, and to choose spirit: Meditation Take a deep breath in and take your attention down to the center of the heart on the out breath. Let go and observe your breath. Try to just be. Observe your thoughts, let them come and go, without judgment or control. Now observe your emotions. Notice the good ones, and notice the clamor. Where it\u2019s situated in the body, if you sense where the root of the emotion is. Let it all just be Then take another deep breath and take your attention down to the center of the heart. There\u2019s an alchemical spark glowing in the very center, go to the center of the center of the spark, a place of deep peace and silence, beyond time and space. Breathe in your own essence, knowing that this is you. Breath in peace, silence, power and contentment, and breath out the clamoring emotions until you feel a balance, then come back to consciousness keeping the attention in the heart. It’s easy The ego often tells us that it takes sixty years in a cave to connect to spirit, and yet it can be done so quickly. Other stuff the ego tells us That we need it, that it needs to be in charge. No we don\u2019t and it doesn\u2019t. It gives TERRIBLE advice and always leads us into complicated thought patterns and negative thoughts, dragging us out of the here and now, obsessing the past and future, clogging up our energy. “I\u2019m not here”. \u00a0This is a good one. It most often hides in plain site, and when some negative thought pattern creates a negative action we get “move along, nothing to see here, we always do this\u2019”. \u00a0So we create huge worlds within to cope with these illusions, thinking it\u2019s the same world for everyone. The ego tells us it\u2019s never going to get any better. That it\u2019s not worth the effort. That no-one\u2019s to be trusted, least of all you. That we have to control everything then we\u2019 ll be safe That there\u2019s something intrinsically wrong with us That \u2018”god”\u2019 gives us life and then kills us off so the Universe can\u2019t really be trusted either or just has a cruel sense of humor. That when you take everything away, life is ordinary, and mundane, and about dealing with mundane things. \u00a0Where\u2019s the fun in that? So the ego creates huge stories and dramas so we don\u2019t have to deal with the silence within. \u00a0It\u2019s war. \u00a0The ego doesn\u2019t want us to connect with our spirit, it would lose the war then. \u00a0It lives in the head and strives to keep us there by believing that thoughts are our totality:) It also tells us that our Universe expands with thoughts, but we have thousands a day, all inspired by feelings. The ego tells us not to trust our feelings, and to keep living in the head, whereas it\u2019s our feelings, guided by our intuition, that really point the way, as in “being in control” is an illusion. We need the ego But, although it can be an evil genius, we should also forgive it. \u00a0It’s just trying to keep us safe so it’s safe. \u00a0And we’re all hurt kids in some shape or form, are we not, so it\u2019s just doing its best to help us deal and heal (I mentioned I felt the ego is an evil genius to a dear, wise and wonderful friend recently who said \u201cNo, it\u2019s like a puppy. You just have to retrain it. It wants the best for you it just doesn\u2019t know how \u201c. \u00a0With hindsight, I think this is a truer version of the ego\u2019s tricks:). And we need the ego. \u00a0In its purest form it’s the “flight or fight” instinct, situated in the amygdala at the back of the brain. \u00a0If we see a tiger, hide. \u00a0In its purest form, the ego is our personal secretary, making sure we get to the meeting in time, call that person, remember the important things. \u00a0Our personal computer, if you will:) When singing , this translates as the ego working with your spirit, one step ahead. \u00a0\u201cBreath coming up, small sip coming up, keep the emotions even keel here; big chorus now building up to the big emotion, remember to relax, open the diaphragm and belly for a huge breath, remember not to over-breathe, connect to the emotion, COMMIT and LET GO! If we keep at it, \u201cNo ego, it\u2019s not that, it\u2019s THIS\u201d, slowly it will get the message:) Spirit Spirit, or source energy, is our true self, our higher self, and the ego is our little self, the “story of me\u2019”. Spirit is often held hostage by the ego, often without us realizing it. Aldo, spirit has a few base homes, most notably in the head “the third eye” and the heart. \u00a0If we stay in the head, the battle continues, and the ego is harder to deal with. \u00a0Which is why taking the attention down to the heart can be a powerful release. \u00a0Especially since the heart is the center of our true power:) Stage fright is spirit being held hostage, fear literally freezing us up, without us knowing what to do about it. What spirit knows Spirit knows that we\u2019re all the same, and that all it has to do is let go and have fun. \u00a0Spirit knows it\u2019s safe and is like a joyful child, just letting its energy flow and letting life, and the song, happen. Spirit doesn\u2019t care about others judgments, and sees the good in everyone. Spirit also knows to not take anything personally, and to not hold on so tight. Spirit knows its job is to raise the energy of the room, to enjoy that experience, and then to move on to the next thing. TV perhaps, or a good meal ? Or both?:) Spirit doesn\u2019t take it all so seriously. Spirit lives in the here and now, where there is no past or future. Child like, joyful. How this relates to singing Spirit lets its energy flow. \u00a0Spirit know it\u2019s singing first of all for itself, because it feels good, and the diaphragm needs some healthy exercise now and then, the stress of everyday life and the egos fears often pulling it this way and that. Spirit shares spirit with an audience, who share it back. \u00a0The singer Nancy Wilson describing the energy of a good gig: “You\u2019re going to the audience “you you you\u2019” and they\u2019re going back “you you you” and it sets up a wonderful loop of affirming energy. From the egos perspective, it always drops the ball “you you you” to being “me me me!” \u00a0A lot of singing is learning to get out if our own way, and forgiving ourselves when we don\u2019t. When we train ourselves to come from the place of peace and the silence within, it\u2019ll be reflected in our performance. \u00a0We relax, the audience relaxes and trusts us, we trust ourselves, and everyone has a good time. Plus you make better decisions because you\u2019re not second-guessing and, everything flowing much more naturally. The best way to explain the process of change that\u2019s also relevant to changing habits when singing is to paraphrase Wayne Dyer: \u00a0“you\u2019re walking down a path, you fall in the hole. Next day, same thing, but you get out quicker. Soon you see the hole, you fall in, can\u2019t help yourself, but get out pretty quickly. Then you see the hole and walk round it. Then you walk down a different street”. The path of learning to sing This is also the path of learning to sing, on all levels. We\u2019re slowly learning to let go and trust, the ego eventually trusting spirit to light the way, not the ego taking over and ruining everything. And to know that\u2019s a process and to forgive our mistakes and celebrate our victories, most importantly:) Meditation link: link to level 2 meditation\u00a0 Related articles: Dealing with stage fright The chakras<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,20,23,21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-99","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","category-learn-to-sing","category-level-2","category-performing"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/singingfromthecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/singingfromthecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/singingfromthecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/singingfromthecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/singingfromthecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/singingfromthecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":316,"href":"https:\/\/singingfromthecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99\/revisions\/316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/singingfromthecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/singingfromthecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/singingfromthecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}