The Alter Ego Approach to Prayer
An effective technique for the development of enlightened prayer is to revert to the childlike practice of conversing with an alter ego. Dialogue must begin somewhere and if an individual does not know God intimately, he or she must imagine him. Why not as an alter ego? After all, the Adjuster is the essence of the emerging self.
So many people are afraid to invent an alter ego and prefer rote prayers learned from organized religion. And there are others who seem to believe that their alter-egos are actual celestial beings acting as personal guides and teachers. Although neither approach, in itself, is what the authors mean by using the alter ego approach to prayer, both have some merit: 1.)It is better to pray than not pray at all; 2.) it is better to attempt fellowship with the personhood of Deity than not attempt it at all; and, 3.) it is better to utilize creative imagination than not use it at all.
However, despite these positive attributes, both types of prayer will eventually stagnate if not allowed to evolve into higher forms of dialogue using the creative imagination guided by growing insight into the true nature of God. Sooner or later, the imagined alter-ego must evolve to divine status evoking feelings of reverence, humility and profound respect. Over time, these feelings evolve into true affection, devotion and loyalty.
Does this mean that the imagined alter ego represents the true character of God? Of course not. The alter-ego approach is meant to evolve and it presumes an inner desire for reality as the underlying motive for the prayer. Inventing a character for the alter ego may begin like inventing a character for a best-selling novel, but if allowed to grow in spiritual channels, the character, instead of being invented by the human intellect, will begin to reveal itself as something beyond the human intellect. That place beyond is the heart of the soul, the holy altar of God, the dwelling place of the Adjuster.
But how is this psychologically sound? How does talking to an imaginary alter-ego make one more sane? Conversations between the intellect of the individual and an alter ego generally concern issues of everyday life which are perplexing and challenging. Prayer as a dialogue with the alter ego encourages the mind to look inward for solutions to those problems.
Most of the time, answers to prayers are already present and collecting themselves in the subconscious reservoir of experience and are ripe for utilization. Other times, it is possible for the praying personality to receive divine inspiration or illumination from a superhuman source. Either way, the mind has a companion, a helpful and friendly presence which greatly diminishes the fear, confusion and desperation of being alone and without aid.
Eventually, if the attitude is favorable, the mind will come to recognize the superhuman source of its illumination and realize that it has been conversing with the living God. Such a realization is a jubilee! a personal consciousness of the divine nature discovered in the superconscious.
