Few words are totally adequate when writing about mysticism. These essays say that you must discard your ego and abandon your individuality to realize the divine. What does that mean and is it possible? There may be better verbs, but let us just examine these three. It may provide the basis for our better understanding.
The ego is a concept you began to develop shortly after birth. As you matured, you molded it, fed it, nurtured it, and watched it grow. Gradually, it had begun to control much of your life. Whenever you had sought to live without it, it whined, it begged, it connived, and it refused to be left behind. Many parents and pet owners will clearly recognize that situation. The sense of I, me and my ignores the soul.
The ego became your personal identity, even if you did frequently suspect that it was shallow, corrupt and manipulative. It had often provided you with good feelings of confidence, direction and worth. Unfortunately, it had sometimes showed its insecurities, confusion and ineffectiveness, too. You cannot live life fully with it and you cannot live without it; you can discard it, occasionally.
Discard is a term used in card games when you reject one card to, hopefully, replace it with a better one. In this living game, you do not always have to play with the cards you were dealt with at birth. In mysticism, as in poker, you do not throw the ego card away, you simply place it face down on this life’s table so the divine can deal you a spirit card (not tarot). Put aside that Joker to accept an Ace, or at least a trump card in this hand today. Lose the ego to win the soul.
Your individuality is that sense of uniqueness which distinguishes you from another person: your physical appearance, personality, accomplishments, and other distinct characteristics. It is usually a positive influence, still can cause isolation from other people. Some persons do suppress their own individuality by dressing, talking and behaving like those they admire. Unlike the ego, you can live with it or without it, depending on your current inclination to do so.
Abandon is surrender of control or possession and, often, the knowledge that thing which is abandoned was left to the mercy of someone else. This strict usage is quite appropriate for mysticism. First, we acknowledge that we are not truly in control and can never “possess” this life, but are interdependent on all of existence. Second, we give up the free will of our individualism to allow the divine will to guide our life from separation to union with All.
Devotees of mysticism can accept, intellectually, the absolute unity of all existence and ultimate oneness with the divine. Most other people either doubt these concepts or reject them altogether. Suddenly, consciously being in the One can transform some of the aspirants into confirmed mystics or shock a few non-believers into amazement. Each of them may emerge from that direct awareness enlightened; it might just result in their ego inflation or neurosis.
Realize is defined both to comprehend correctly or become aware completely and to make real or to actualize something. In incorrect usage, it could also mean attainment or achievement. The unity of existence and oneness with the divine are a present condition of all life; they are not something to be either attained or achieved, yet are usually unrealized by most people. True mystics, frequently, are correctly aware and do really actualize<