The Ego's New Costume

Hey rebel,

This week’s podcast is a wonderful conversation with my friend Sarah Armitage of Pure Potential.

We explore bringing the inside-out understanding into the education sector…

Hey rebel,

I have spent a lot of time over the years thinking about ‘being spiritual’.

Thousands upon thousands of hours studying spirituality.

Trying to live a ‘spiritual life’.

Trying to be the best student.

Trying to be enlightened.

I mean what would ______ (fill in your guru of choice) do?

How should ‘spiritual Sam’ show up in this moment?

What would my ‘highest self’ do?

It consumed me for a while.

And there’s nothing wrong with that.

As I see it, there’s nothing that isn’t spiritual.

It’s all included.

Including trying to be ‘spiritual’.

Including seeking like a mother fucker for something I was never missing.

It’s something I did, until I didn’t.

It was all perfect.

It had to play out that way.

It was the only way it could be.

And it made sense until I saw through it for what it is…

A form of projection and protection of the ego.

That energy had to burn itself out.

And for whatever reason, I had a lot of energy to burn.

What I now know is that…

Thinking about being spiritual is very different from simply living.

From just showing up as you are and living from the heart.

“Just being yourself”, as Syd Banks would say.

To give it all up can seem pretty scary at first.

Frightening even.

I mean, doesn’t all the spiritual shit make you special?

Hasn’t it given you meaning for all these years?

What’s left when you give that all up and just live?

For me, honestly, it was a relief.

Like shedding an extra skin I didn’t know I was wearing.

But I couldn’t see it until I could.

I had to become truly sick of it all before I was ready to be ordinary.

To come full circle and see the beauty in all of it.

All the human stuff.

All the emotions.

Every last drop of our humanity.

And then, of course, the ego tries to take this seeing and turn it into its next costume.

“Look how ordinary I am”, it says.

“Look how enlightened I am in my ordinaryness.”

“No one is as ordinary as me!”

I catch my mind doing that, too.

You have to giggle, really.

I guess this ego thing is here to stay.

And that’s okay.

I see it for what it is these days.

A new costume.

Leave a comment

With love,

Sam

PS I’m actively reflecting and pondering an exciting new group adventure for the end of the summer / Autumn 2026.

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