The Polar Egoic Structures and Their Influence Upon The Path To Enlightenment In Men and Women

By Eowyn OR
First published in ORB 209, Summer 2258

In our journey towards enlightenment, the biggest battle we face is control of the ego. Note that I say “control” and not annihilation. There has been an erroneous drive in spiritual conditioning through blatantly- and at times, deliberately manipulative and irresponsible psychological language- to suggest ego annihilation is necessary for evolution; this has caused great harm to those seeking enlightenment. The mind and ego are incredible forces within our intelligence and mental activity is the centre of consciousness: every thought creates a new centre of identification and what we describe as the ego is actually a flow of conscious or semi-conscious events, which can operate in a relatively integrated way. Thus, it is an instrument for survival and relating to Midgarth- the material realm and the most immediate linear and cyclical timezones of Midgarth’s eternal now. Those wanting in these fundamental abilities often lack effective boundaries in behaviour that harms both themselves and others; at worst, they can be found strapped up in strait jackets! Indeed, political correctness is just such a psychological tool for disabling this essential function of the ego and the ensuing widespread cultural neurosis is testament to what happens when such healthy aspects of the ego are messed with.

Now, when enlightenment occurs, the presence in our beings becomes the centre and there is a feeling that all thoughts and events are like witnessing a stage upon which the actors are coming and going; they apparently do not affect the central stillness of being, which is the presence. Hence, the popular conclusion is that there is only central witnessing, a conclusion, which fails to grasp the dynamics of human consciousness; for although there is witnessing of thoughts, the intelligence using them represents the parallel centre of relative consciousness- the “me.” So we can speak of two centres as manifested beings- the witnessing consciousness (a constant flow of presence) and the moving self-conscious centre of our personality. Hence the thoughts that are being witnessed are simultaneously an indivisible part of “me” and it is “me” who is thinking them. Even in an enlightened being whose thoughts have a different quality, they still remain as a function of consciousness and as a functional self-relating centre that is interpreted as “me.” The “absolute me” and “relative me” are one; being and self-conscious expression are one. Consciousness is a rich blend of intuitive knowing, feeling, checking and attention to our surroundings; the quality of self-referral in this movement of intelligence is what we call the ego. Of course, personality without presence is ignorance; but presence without the personality is like the tree without fruit, the sun without rays or a flower without fragrance: they are an organic whole. Indeed, this parallel syndrome of aspects, which includes personality, ego, willpower, self-hood (manifesting as rational thought, memory and understanding) are one of the six gifts of the gods present in the human gestalt: they are Honir’s gifts to us and this part is carried within our litr to Hel at death and thereafter is born again into Midgarth, although the memory of previous lives may have been taken from us.
Of course, the journey towards enlightenment means that this complex of egoic aspects must not be elevated above our highest gift of Ond, but rather, they must be used in right measure in the service of Ond. Thus, the healthy checking of the ego complex’s input to our perception of the world is crucial to all evolutionary advancement- that is, vigilance and harnessing through will to the higher good, not annihilation. Now, as we saw earlier, a fundamental and essential aspect of the ego complex is as a fully functional tool for survival. This is a primal self-structure within the psyche that was established millions of years ago and which has ensured our survival as a species; unfortunately, the flip-side is that this self-same survival aspect also acts as a barrier to enlightenment because it is biologically based. Hence, its manifestation is fundamentally different in men and women: oestrogen perceives the world in a very different light to testosterone. Testosterone confers physical strength and the ability to not only defend oneself, but also to attack and win. Indeed, in humans and animals alike, male physical prowess has meant access to more opportunities for procreation and in itself, is a tool for “survival of the fittest.” Meanwhile, in being generally weaker in terms of innate physical strength, women were physically more vulnerable to both outside attack and being overpowered by men of their own tribe. Hence, they had to develop alternative ways to protect themselves and these were twofold. Firstly, they had to create a space within where they could retreat and not be reached: attackers could have their body but not their soul- essential for their continued emotional equilibrium under dire circumstances and for being able to maintain the responsibility of nurturing offspring. Secondly, women learnt to metaphorically “shapeshift”- to manipulate and control through sexual power so as to both attract a man and to then enlist his continued protection; or alternatively, to cleverly talk themselves out of danger.

Another structure within the psyche is the four drives we all possess: agency and communion (metaphorically speaking, horizontal drives); and eros and agape (metaphorically speaking, vertical drives). Due to a combination of biological, political and cultural forces, men tend to emphasise the eros (sexual drive, libido, self preservation) and agency (the means of exerting power and influence) characteristics- a “looking outwards” flow of energy; women tend to emphasise the agape (spiritual, selfless love) and communion (sharing of thoughts, feelings etc) characteristics- a “looking inwards” flow of energy. Obviously, we are talking here about the predominating energy expressions of males and females as they manifest in the Midgarth realm, not individual variation. As an evolutionary tool, these male traits fostered protection of the tribe and the ability to hunt successfully whilst the female’s traits made them supersensitive to every little twitch and need of a child and bonding within the tribe. Thus, women evolved as stronger communicators with a generally wider emotional repertoire and a tendency towards empathy; men evolved with emphasis on power and strength- the “doing” side of life- and a more objective view of life; hence, men are generally more comfortable with the idea of transcendence as espoused in spiritual teachings on enlightenment than women. Now, as complements in the first million years of evolution, these different ego traits were essential for the success of the whole tribe. However, they also inculcated a basic perception in women- whether manifesting consciously or unconsciously- that they need a man to survive. Indeed, young girls quickly become very aware of the way their appearance, a certain smile or a particular mannerism will win them approval from the men in their lives; and patriarchy has been instrumental in creating this continued perception of dependence in women. Today, we see this dependence on acceptability to others manifesting in girls as undue pre-occupation with appearance, extreme efforts to control weight, low self-esteem, holding onto dysfunctional relationships and so much more.

Interestingly, whilst women’s fundamental survival tool of basing their sense of self on relationship to others means they are often masters of relationship- caring for families, supporting friends and so forth, it also means that for very primal reasons, they often consciously and unconsciously compete with one another and find mutual trust difficult. Hence, any woman that appears to transgress these primal laws of female relationship may well be condemned by the group; for example, one who is perceived as something of a “free spirit,’ who perhaps engages with books and is on an obvious personal quest for enlightenment in preference to actively engaging in social chatter may well be viewed with very real suspicion. In a small town mindset, local women- even nowadays- are known to regard such women as some kind of wanton seductress, an outsider- even a witch! And indeed it takes a strong woman to stand her ground against such collective threat to her very survival in that location; for she has to be fundamentally comfortable within her own skin and not dependent upon the constant approval of others.

Evolution from basically agrarian communities, through the Industrial Revolution and into the Information Age brings with it a thrust away from collective survival concerns requiring the original egoic structure- focusing on tribal survival alone- to one that embraces the understanding of oneself as a global and even cosmic citizen. In and of itself, this is good- providing of course, sight is not lost of the fundamental basics that comprise the founding principles of life. Unfortunately, a two thousand year old agenda has relentlessly honed the precept that society’s capitalist activity and not the natural physical world are the baseline for our existence.(1) Simultaneously, the natural evolution and fundamental nature of women has been suppressed and distorted through the noxious machinations of the monotheistic desert creeds; in particular, via the lie of original sin, which dichotomises women’s nature into the “good” self-sacrificing, nurturing mother and the “bad” self-centred, barren wanton woman.(2) Physically, this attitude has manifested as a deep chasm within the collective psyche over the value assigned on the one hand, to the ovulating, childbearing woman and on the other, to the taboos surrounding the menstruating woman and the particular psychological and psychic states each pole brings. The initial and authentic stirrings of feminism were the natural drive to escape this repressive, misogynistic confinement of every single woman’s sphere of power into the interests of childrearing alone; for as we have seen, this is not a route suited- or even available- to every woman.(3) Feminism was originally a natural impulse in accordance with the forces of time, social and cultural advancement and the evolution into a self-actualised individual. However, the basic disablement of a healthy ego structure in both sexes via the poison of “original sin” (with its innate denigration of the feminine- man against nature and man ruling woman), prepared the way for an insidious and potentially devastating feat of social engineering by the global elite. Women were encouraged- through the 20th century feminist movement and economic changes that no longer respected the family- to shift their fundamental sense of priority to that of industrial capitalism, to be financially independent of a man and so to no longer need his power to protect her or her children; indeed, to see wanting a man and family as feminine weakness. Blaming men for the treatment of women through the structure of patriarchy (that in reality, was set by the same ruling elite) became central. These engineered economic and social parameters pushed many women into adopting the mentality of a man in order to survive in a material culture and to put family life second. Meanwhile, those aspects of the female ego structure that formerly so successfully helped maintain family and tribal cohesion have been cleverly subverted, distorted and redirected into a tool that extends the gifts of communion and agape (obviously potentially vital elements to global citizenship) to include an indiscriminate embracing of all creeds, races and sexual orientations into their close personal relationships. And behind it sits the cynically destructive agenda to destroy all races and cultural barriers, thus allowing unfettered control and economic gain for a select few elite. Hence, whilst feminism has undoubtedly brought many real gains for women in some social and economic spheres, many are cosmetic because they are materially based and have metaphorically speaking thrown the baby out with the bathwater instead of taking the middle way that builds evolution onto a solid structure; for these material gains actively ignore the evolutionary needs of most women’s ego structure and any corresponding suitable spiritual direction has been extremely sparse. In many ways then, women are presented with a more difficult journey towards enlightenment than men: society needs women to redress this deficit in a balanced way.

It is thus easy to see why the concept of annihilation of the ego arose. Historically speaking, women’s access to the higher esoteric teachings has been limited if not completely denied; at worst, incarnation as a woman allegedly meant there was no chance for enlightenment. Hence, many of the spiritual works have been written by men who are generally more comfortable with a transcendental view of liberation. Naturally, they tend to reflect their own experiences as rooted in the male egoic structure. Meanwhile, in being left to the physical and relational aspects of community life, transcendence without relationship was alien to most women’s experience of life. Simultaneously, women have had comparatively little time or means afforded to them throughout history to truly analyse their own experiences of the ego and to write about it, if indeed, some female experiences could be effectively portrayed through the written medium. Hence, we are left with a one-sided male understanding of ego manifestations that in itself, hampers women’s journey to enlightenment because it is so unnatural to them. Historically then, factors that included a basic lack of practise due to survival concerns with little opportunity for spiritual schooling (other than convents), the manipulated denigration of the feminine nature and subversion of the indigenous goddesses through the insidious poison in the folk soul of the desert creed philosophy have all taken their toll on the female quest for enlightenment..

At this point, it is probably pertinent to ask what “The Fall” of man really refers to because this is the crux of ego disablement in the collective psyche, which hampers the evolution of women and through them, men also. The source is the Genesis biblical story: when Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden, the vengeful Christian god cursed Eve into a life of subservience to Adam and pain in childbirth because she “disobeyed him,” choosing instead to accept the serpent’s wisdom that she should eat from the “forbidden” Tree of Knowledge. Thus, the erroneous paradigm of “the battle of the sexes” was born with its innate denigration of the feminine. Now, although this is a Christian myth, it has nevertheless deeply poisoned the folk soul. Further, the notion of some sort of “fall” of mankind is common to the psyche of all humanity and it is likely Christianity tapped into this pre-existent knowledge thus enabling their poison to embed more deeply. Basically, “the fall” alludes to the descent of consciousness into matter. The serpent is a complex symbol but in a nutshell, the meaning here is twofold. Firstly, it is symbolic of the activation of the kundalini life-force energies rising through the chakras, which brings enlightenment. Secondly, as the ouroboros, it symbolises the life/death/rebirth cycle: the conscious (male) has to go through the subconscious (female) to reach godhead i.e. we have to travel through Hel to reach Asgard- we die so we can be reborn and continue our journey through many lifetimes towards enlightenment (i.e. wholeness). Ancient mythologies speak of consciousness (Orlog) seeking to know itself; so in some mysterious way, it became split into male and female components; then matter appeared, which became a container for consciousness so that consciousness could reflect upon itself and know itself better. Of course, our mythology explains this well. Odin is the essence of divinity in all life-forms whilst Frigga is his counterpart, the universal, immaculate mother from whom all the energic causes of life (the gods and goddesses) emerge or descend- the archetypal mother and comfort of the hearth. She is the etheric energies, which connect all the galaxies of the universe and all lifeforms in Midgarth- the cohesive energy that holds the matter via which divinity can express itself through the great cycles and ages- the bearer of the pure, virgin light of inspiration, bright Berkana. Idun is the soul of the earth and guardian of the apples of immortality, which she serves to the gods at specific times; she is also the impelling emotional energies of the ambient world. Could it be that the serpent showed Eve not only the nature of free will (by giving her the opportunity to choose to eat the apple), but also, through eating the apple, she knew the secret of liberation from the life/death/rebirth cycle that the vengeful Christian god wanted to trap humanity in? So he cast the illusion that they had been expelled from the garden of Eden (Eden is synonymous with Odin); but the truth in fact is that we have never left it quite simply because we are integral to it; we have merely forgotten the reality. Then he instilled the terror of death within humanity, which mutates the ego structure from an entity that serves the godforces into a self-serving, fear-based (but ultimately empty) centre of activity closed off from the higher self.

Now let us consider Freya, the intelligence that informs and infills the solar system. She is the inner sensual, divining energy, the fecund intelligence, which knows through experience and thus, enriches life with meaning: she is the joy, vibrancy and ecstasy of the natural world. Her necklace is “Brisingamen: brising- fire, specifically the fire of enlightenment; men- jewel,”(4) which hints at her special interest in the wellbeing of humanity. The archetypal manifestation of Freya’s energies is as defender of the tribe with gifts in seidr magic, which even Odin could not know without her teaching him because they involve the use of the feminine egoic structure. These abilities of Freya’s- amongst other things- make allusion to the cohesive, empathic, agape nature of feminine energy (as opposed to the male individualistic, agentic eros nature of male energy) and so the ability to feel and intuit information that is often less accessible to the male psyche. Of course, as a practitioner of the female mysteries, Freya also knows how to navigate and utilise the gifts that the constant cycling between the female poles of ovulatory and menstrual awareness confers upon women- another reason why the desert creeds so feared women since it is a repository for deep, intuitive knowing, psychic awareness and prophecy when navigated effectively. As a goddess of love and war, she is interested in fidelitous polar relationship between men and women, the compassionate guardian of the true expression of eros and agency, communion and agape both within and between a man and a woman; for whilst we all have elements of both, our gender (i.e. our particular nature in Midgarth) will tend to mediate one half of divine experience (male or female) over the other. In proper fidelitous polar relationship between a man and a woman (and where the chemistry is advantageous to both partners),(5) the male and female energies will be catalysed in each other and there will be deepening awareness. Indeed, it is one possible- and powerful- path to enlightenment. At another level, the different components of the human gestalt and our soul parts have predominantly male or female characteristics. Thus, as Vanadis, Queen of the Disir, Freya cares for the “feminine” parts after death, whilst Odin is responsible for the “masculine” parts. The Disir are those ancient and wise female energies, which hold us to the sacred ways of our ancestors and keep us properly connected with the earth and wights. Hence, we can now also see why as warriors, Odin’s strength is in the offensive, whilst Freya’s is in the defensive: their methods mirror the male and female egoic structures respectively. Our mythology is thus a vast repository of wisdom that helps us map possible paths to enlightenment and what we might expect on the way. Each of the gods and goddesses is an energy principle, Odin and Frigga being the parents of all. At the most immediate level, the gods and goddesses are personifications and archetypes of fundamental energies that pervade the cosmic and Midgarth realms. As archetypal characters, they not only embody the principle’s manifestation in Midgarth, but teach us about the various manifestations of the male and female egoic structures and moreover, show just how to keep them in service of our highest will and godforce within. Men and women will find they gravitate to particular deities within the pantheon; this is completely natural because those deities may well have similar characteristics to themselves; and so we learn through their mirror how to play the game of life skillfully with the tools at our disposal.

In summary then, I hope this article has highlighted several crucial points about the egoic structures of men and women:

1/ A healthy ego structure is absolutely vital on our path to enlightenment; we do not seek to annihilate the ego, as has been dangerously propagated by irresponsible psychological language. Nevertheless, it
must always be controlled and put to the service of the higher will and godforce within.

2/ Males and females have fundamentally different egoic structures- a structure whose foremost concern is our survival in Midgarth. That of women has been deliberately subverted, distorted and negated by
the desert creeds to feed a misogynistic elite agenda and so to poison the folk soul.

3/ For social and cultural reasons, reference to the ego has been predominantly described by men from a male perspective. Many women find the principles alien to their own experience of life and so
appropriate guidance for them is fundamentally lacking.

4/ Our gods and goddesses and their respective mythologies can show us how to put our respective egoic structures to the service of the godforce within and so illuminate our path to enlightenment.

Women can start healing their path to enlightenment by firstly mending the dichotomy within their psyche between the two poles of the menstrual cycle. Some menopausal women are discovering this naturally since the menopause ultimately brings integration of the poles within the self; but all women can practise it. Women must also realise they have to nurture their own wellbeing as well as others and not to suffer the inculcated guilt about making space for such: the spirit in Midgarth needs a healthy structure through which to manifest and support others. It is no coincidence that far more women than men suffer from exhaustion-related illnesses as a backlash of the relentless drive to be “Superwoman”- caring for family, friends, holding down jobs and neglecting themselves in the process. This of course does not mean they should negate their feminine gifts that give cohesiveness to communities and loving, fulfilling relationships with family and friends; these qualities are needed more than ever in today’s alien environment. Rather, they- like men- must learn to use their attributes in a higher way than that which they have repeated for far too long- as a tool of control and base survival; they must rebuild true self-esteem and refuse to remain in dysfunctional, abusive relationships that so many women find themselves in because they subconsciously believe they need a relationship with a man- regardless of cost- to survive. It is imperative they build an identity that is independent of the need for approval and acceptance by others since contrary to what it might seem, this action will serve to enhance their feminine gifts to the community. Women need to honour, respect and trust the fact that there are many manifestations of female energy; so childbearing and child-free women alike have precious gifts to offer the community and with this understanding, they must learn to support one another wholeheartedly instead of falling foul of the desert creed poison that seeks to destroy the vitally supportive, cohesive power of women. Building trust demands that fidelity be held in highest regard by men and women alike; for much of women’s distrust of one another stems from the common cultural disregard for its sanctity. Women also need to learn to express the experience of their journey more fully, whether in art, music, literature or spiritual schools of thought and to look to the goddesses and powerful role models from history for guidance. One such example is Queen Elizabeth 1st. She saw that the dichotomous prison of Midgarth as moulded by the global elite fashions victims from the vulnerable and wrongly sets man against woman to foster the illusion of power and change over time; but that the reality is that it merely maintains stasis for a select few as each melds into its opposite in an eternal and futile prison of monoplanistic duality. She also understood how these self-same dynamics are complements- that in their sacred alchemy, they can be directed to birth a powerful state at one in godhood; and she understood and utilised the power of her feminine energies to inspire reverence for life and patriotism in the folk. In an age when women generally had little power, she was a true revolutionary: these realisations and a shrewd understanding of politics enabled her to quickly raise England from squalor to emergence as the world’s strongest naval power; her reign remains one of the most constructive periods in English history.

Our folk- male and female alike- have suffered injury on the path to enlightenment from an elite whose machinations are to keep us all enmeshed within a materialist mindset and forever chained to the wheel of suffering. By keeping us focused upon basic material needs and appealing to the lower manifestations of the polar ego structures, (which have a deep ancestral fear and terror of death and annihilation transplanted into them by the desert creeds), we lack practise in understanding how to harness the ego in the service of our higher will and to become self-actualised human beings. Further, the agenda has set men and women against one another and it is absolutely crucial this rift is fully healed if we are to attain the Odinic consciousness. Thus, Odinist men and women must enter into compassionate dialogue about their respective experiences on the path to enlightenment in a spirit of mutual respect, cooperation and courage; for both must risk appearing vulnerable (which the egoic structure recoils from); for it is only through surrender that we open to higher awareness: the love of Freya will gently guide and protect the honest heart. In reality, this act is not as threatening as it might seem because whilst the behavioural manifestations differ, the central egoic concerns are very similar: the desire to protect, control and survive. This article necessarily highlights some issues around the female side of the equation because I simply cannot write for a man- or even all women; our folk need men to write about the male side and more women to write about the female side. Odinism’s advance requires as much work on the inner planes from both sexes as on the outer if we are to effectively fight and purge the hydrae of the great agenda. German New Medicine(6) shows how powerful the ego complex is at manifesting physical illness because it usually- and inappropriately- perceives psychological conflict as biological threats to its physical survival. Therefore we need to update the programming in our psyche so that our ego structures operate more healthily for us and our successors in the present yet simultaneously, without destroying the positive survival elements on which we depend and which maintain a powerful root in our ancestors and Mother Jorth. We do this by putting Natural Law back at the centre of our journey and making our home in nature- being integral to the roar of the river instead of alienated from it. For our evolution depends upon experiencing the sacred in everything, immanence and transcendence at one in Odin.

Hail the High Ones!
Hail the Revolution!
Hail the Rite!
Sig Wunjo Wunjo Sig

FOOT NOTES

1 Midgarth 911
By Eowyn OR
ORB 206 Autumn 2257

2 Attracting Women to the Rite
By Eowyn OR
ORB 206 Autumn 2257

3 Menstruation: Template of the Sacred Cyclical
By Eowyn OR
Part 1 ORB 197 Summer 2255
Part 2 ORB 198 Autumn 2255

4 The Masks of Odin
By Elsa-Brita Titchenell

5 Polar Alchemy: The Magic of Life
By Eowyn OR
ORB 199 Yuletide 2255

6 German New Medicine. Website: http://germannewmedicine.ca/documents/welcome.html

OTHER RESOURCES

1 Death of the Ego: a Buddhist View. Website: http://www.purifymind.com/DeathEgo.htm

2 What is Enlightenment?
Issue 37 July -September 2007
www.wie.org

3 Odinic Mythology 1
Circle of Ostara

4 Death: The Path to Vibrant Life
By Eowyn OR
ORB 207 Yuletide 2257