The Elephant & the Boy — A Little Story About Ego & Soul
“The human Soul will only find its Light, when the Ego gives its permission.”
– C.C. Campbell
I’m not entirely sure about the above quote…but it’s sure got me thinking!
How about you?
I was telling a friend the other day about my current fascination about learning how to tell the difference between ego and soul. In my experience, sometimes it is crystal clear whether it is my soul communicating to me (or trying to) or whether it’s my ego. Other times, I’m not so sure.
My friend — who is very knowledgeable on spiritual matters and helps people tap into the wisdom and guidance of their higher selves — proceeded to tell me a story that I found very useful. It goes a little something like this (with my own added embellishments):
Once there was a boy and his elephant. The boy used to love to ride his majestic elephant around town…and did so with grace, ease and the gentlest of touch. The boy was small. The elephant was massive and exponentially stronger than the boy. Both boy and elephant were very intelligent, determined, and resourceful — just in different ways.
Our ego is like the elephant: big and strong and can do pretty much whatever it wants to, once it sets its mind to it. But that’s not always a good thing.
Our soul, in contrast, is like the boy. When all is going well, and the boy is treating the elephant with kindness and respect — including ensuring all the elephant’s needs are met in healthy ways — the elephant will gladly do what the boy wants it to do and go where the boy wants it to go.
But make no mistake: the mighty elephant, like our ego, can wreak havoc. A frightened, angry, and out-of-control elephant on the loose can cause an awful lot of damage — to itself and others — if it’s needs are not being met.
Because here’s the thing: both boy and elephant have a purpose. Likewise, both boy and elephant have needs that must be met.
The boy — our soul — knows what it is here to do in this life, and why, and is perfectly capable of gently but firmly guiding the elephant — our ego — in the right direction, day in and day out. A healthy elephant knows how strong and mighty it is — and doesn’t need to smash through the local china shop to demonstrate its strength to others (including the other mighty elephants).
Without an elephant, the boy would find it very difficult to navigate his way about town and all the other elephants roaming about. Same with us: our ego is an integral component of our human experience. Without an ego, we would…