Ego
(Lat.). “Self”; The consciousness in man “I am I”—or the feeling of “I-am-ship”. Esoteric philosophy takes the existence of two Egos in man, the mortal or personal, and the Higher, the Divine and the Impersonal, calling the former “personality”, and the latter “Individuality”. (TG)
Thus the highest or fundamental principle, which contains potentiality and synthesis of all the others, is the fiery energy of life or spirit, which is spread throughout the entire Cosmos. For its focus it requires the sixth principle, or Buddhi (often called ‘the spiritual soul’ as distinct from the human-animal soul). Thus the monad is formed, which is the primary, unconscious, incarnated Ego. Then follows the fifth principle—the Manas, self-consciousness, ‘the Thinker’ (higher intelligence). These three principles form the higher triad, or the conscious, immortal Ego. In Devachan, this Ego survives after the dissolution of the other principles which form man’s earthly personality or, as the Easterners would put it, man’s lower ego, or self.
(LHR I, p 472)
Thus, the personal or lower ego, or human soul, consists of five principles; whereas the spirit, or higher Ego, the true individuality, or spiritual soul, forms a triad of the seventh, sixth, and fifth principles. (LHR I, p 473)
The Monad corresponds to the idea of spirit. But when it is spoken of as spirituality and the spirit in life, in manifestation, it is always meant as the highest Ego. (LHR I, p 428)
see also Individuality
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