Why the Egyptian mystics hated the ego
-The Egyptians mystics considered the ego to be the personal enemy.
-It is an obstacle one must learn to transcend in order to truly experience the divine or the god within.
-Transcendence from pride, lust, greed, jealousy, arrogance, anger, envy, is all necessary and must be purged out of the consciousness if one is to expand to greater godhood.
-Once you identify the vices holding you back you can begin taking the steps to evolve the ego.
-The vices are countered by the virtues which help you to remain firm and strong in your will to evolve
Instead of feeding the ego the Egyptian mystics chose humility as a way to evolve spiritually. Humility was practiced without exception buy those who wished to aspire to the level of mystic. The mystic must consider himself a servant in all aspects of life. Despite how rich or educated they were they could be found begging on the street corners, assisting the poor, serving water, cleaning rooms. These where all required and considered the duty of the mystic in training. Having a serving spirit was the key. This allowed the mystic to unite with the divine energies and break through the main obstacle of the ego. Good manners and suppression of bodily influences are considered by the mystics to be the twin pillars and a supreme way to combat the ego and rise to higher levels of consciousness. Good manners should be cultivated and they come through the daily learning and practicing of small acts of humility. You have to see yourself as a mirror and work through the traumas that happened in your life. This is the process of growth. The ego avoids these traumas out of fear of loosing the false identity it created. Which is why to the Egyptian mystics it was considered useless and one biggest obstacle in the way of transcendence of consciousness. To feed into ego was to surrender all control. To reject your vices and love your virtues was the ultimate purifier. To the mystics vices can really hold you back and stunt your growth on a spiritual level. Envy, ignorance, un-charitableness, laziness, over-confidence, arrogance, evasiveness, indifference, & gluttony are just some of the vices they felt challenged with and battled on a spiritual level. All for the purpose of leaving the ego behind and enjoy a fuller life richly connected to the divine. Battling the ego is only half the other half is cultivation of the necessary virtues. This includes being able to recognize your faults, self correction, patience, humility, hunger for knowledge and servant hood. Transcending the ego according to the Egyptian mystics is rooted in the basis of the rejection of the solid world of materialism. You might find that ironic due to how flashy there presented in modern culture but again we are speaking about the mystics. Who in many ways were considered the richest of all. Interested mainly in the spirituality, inner alchemy, and communion with the gods of self. In order to achieve that you must loose your attachment to material or at least be willing to numb the desire for it. Being wealthy doesn't mean you are less spiritual but as long as that is your center focus than you will never truly transcend the ego and move onto higher levels of consciousness. To the mystics mind body and spirit was only the first part. Its not about whether you are wealthy but whether you put the pursuit for wealth over the growth of your spirit. The mystics were very rich and often highly respected by the whole society because of the knowledge they possessed. They were the ones even the Pharaoh himself would often go to for advice and guidance. Because they transcended the mind in such a way they enjoyed wealth in all realms including the spirit. They had an understanding of humanity which made them a valuable asset. We battle constantly between being virtuous, holy, and pure. Often falling into the trap of our own carnal desires. I'm not saying giving into your senses is wrong but according to the Egyptian mystics balance is the key. Mastery over the senses is the goal. Bringing them under your control and using them to connect deeper with the truth of who you are as an energy. The ego keeps you in this world bound by the senses and gratified only but what you can see and calculate. But to transcend the ego is to have your eyes opened in an other world. The spiritual world where energy, ecstasy, and knowledge are yours for the taking.