Map of the Soul

I never took Psychology in high school or college… I deliberately took Human Growth and Development instead. My reasoning? I’d rather scare myself out of having children than self-diagnosing myself with a mental illness.

But I’m beginning to think I took the wrong class.

Instead, maybe I should have taken Psychology, because of Carl Jung’s “Map of the Soul”: his ideas of Persona, Shadow, and Ego.

As a quick refresher course for those who have taken Psychology (and a run-through for those who haven’t), Persona is the “mask” we wear in public to conceal our true selves in order to show a certain image about us. If you’ve been with my team since the beginning, you might remember that my candidate speech was about hiding who I truly was. Shadow is the dark side of our personalities that is our source of creative and destructive energies and is comprised of everything we have repressed about ourselves.

But I’m here today to talk about the one I find most fascinating and applicable to my own life: Ego.

According to Carl Jung, the Ego is largely responsible for feelings of identity represents the conscious mind as it comprises the thoughts, memories, and emotions a person is aware of. In essence, the Ego is our true self.

Every day we are reminded by our pasts. Willingly or not, our Ego take us on a trip down memory lane, where we revisit our past struggles, the times we thought about giving up, the times when we were full of insecurities and self-doubt, the times that are ingrained in our memories like a scar.

Very often during those times, our Ego torments us by things we have done in our past and makes us doubt that all the decisions we have made that got us to where we are today were the right ones.

Here’s a definite answer to the raging of the world (and the Ego): there’s only one unchanging me and there’s only one unchanging you.

Everything you are doing is choices by your fate. Refocus your sight on your goals and look ahead because the future is brighter. (If you’re struggling with your goals, here’s Ashley’s Blog from last week to help you get started: https://www.ksffa.org/news/3-2-1-happy-new-year/) You may have to “let go” on your way to the future and trust yourself.

I have accepted myself for who I was, who I am, and who I will be.

I have found the answers to myself and am now confident in myself.

I trust you will do the same.

It was hard and sad to go through, but I’ve gotten to know myself very well. The “Map of my Soul” is my Persona, my Shadow, and my Ego, but most importantly, it’s mine.

Discovering who I am is my ultimate dream in life.

Happily lost at times,

Rachel Sebesta

Kansas FFA Vice President