Relaxing to Ego

Ep. 45 | Miranda Macpherson, spiritual teacher, author, and leader of the Living Grace Global Sangha, received a life changing transmission of divine grace while meditating in a cave in India in 2005. Subsequently, she developed the practice of Ego Relaxation to guide others in becoming receptive to subtle forms of grace that bring the clarity we need to live the most noble and healing of lives. In this conversation, Miranda discusses questions such as “What is the cause of our being and all being? How do we recognize that grace is already our primordial ground? What limits our capacity to be here, as we are, in this moment?” And she describes how using inquiry aids us in forming a relationship with grace.

Miranda is a spirited, nondual, unabashedly feminine teacher who dares to use the word God. Hers is an inspirational path and teaching leading to the development of profound trust. Miranda describes how her own total trust developed through periods of undoing, sorting out, a period of relinquishment, and finally allowing the dissembling of all that was familiar. Not leading with our intellect is what we need to learn. As Miranda says, “What the world needs is more graceful human beings.” Recorded at the Science and Nonduality Conference, October 2019, with Dr. Roger Walsh, John Dupuy, and Douglas Prater. 

“Be nothing, do nothing. Get nothing, become nothing. Seek for nothing. Relinquish nothing. Be as you are. Rest in God.”

Note: This podcast was recorded live and includes, at times, some extraneous noises in the background. Please excuse them -- we felt the conversation was very valuable and well worth sharing with our audience. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)

Topics & Time Stamps

• What is grace? The agency of our transformation (01:50)
• The path of “gentle effort” vs ego effort (05:11)
• Humbling our sense of being the “doer” and recognizing the cause of our being—and all being (06:05)
• Using inquiry to form a relationship with grace: what is holding you now? (08:50)
• The ground of being is more than emptiness; it’s full of life, nourishing and healing (10:42)
• Recognizing the ground of grace is the beginning of ego relaxation (12:28)
• Miranda’s ego relaxation teaching practices: holistic inquiry and meditation (13:06)
• The value of human relationship for awakening (16:24)
• Fear is a force we need to address if we want to deepen—both individual and cultural fear (17:55)
• In the practice of ego relaxation, do nothing to fix or change yourself, but allow the mystical power of grace to do the transforming; all you need to do is stop concealing yourself (21:52)
• Simply letting things be is effective because it brings to light that you are not the doer (24:32)
• How to overcome the deeply ingrained message “life is not meant to be easy” (27:31)
• Miranda’s transmission of ego relaxation in a cave in India and her following “period of undoing” (28:58)
• Our egos are driven by an experience of lack—let’s relax into self-forgiveness and compassion (34:03)
• What happened with Miranda when more ordinary awareness returned? (38:09)
• The importance of including our animal humanity—the emotional, the frightened, the irrational and non-linear (42:55)
• The integration stage and the call to service (44:59)
• How does the practice of ego relaxation contribute to helping our civilization at this time of crisis? (47:19)
• Becoming open to the most subtle forms of grace (49:15)

Resources & References

• Miranda Macpherson, The Way of Grace: The Transforming Power of Ego Relaxation* 
• Miranda Macpherson, Boundless Love: Transforming Your Life with Grace and Inspiration
• Miranda Macpherson, Meditations on Boundless Love* (Sounds True audiobook)
• Miranda Macpherson, Streams of Grace (kirtan/mantra album)
• Miranda Macpherson, The Heart of Being: Mantras for Awakening (kirtan/mantra album)
• Miranda’s website: MirandaMacpherson.com
• The Living Grace Global Sangha
• Ramana Maharshi, Indian sage and liberated being, 1879-1950
• Eknath Easwaran, The Bhagavad Gita* (2nd edition)
• A Course in Miracles*, Helen Schucman and the Foundation for Inner Peace
• Malcolm Fraser, prime minister of Australia 1995-1983
• St. John of the Cross, Spanish Catholic priest, mystic, and Carmelite friar
• SengTs’an, Third Chinese Patriarch of Zen, “The Mind of Absolute Trust” from The Enlightened Heart: An Anthology of Sacred Poetry* (edited by Stephen Mitchell)

* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.

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Miranda Macpherson is known for her depth of presence and gift for guiding others into direct experience of the Sacred. She shares a holistic approach to spiritual surrender and non-dual realization based on the practice of Ego Relaxation, inspired by Sri Ramana Maharshi, A Course in Miracles, extensive study of the world’s wisdom traditions, and more recently the Diamond Approach. Miranda’s books include The Way of Grace: The Transforming Power of Ego Relaxation, Boundless Love, and Meditations on Boundless Love. She is also a kirtan musician with two mantra albums, Streams of Grace and The Heart of Being. 

Miranda brings three decades of teaching experience in what truly works to liberate unnecessary suffering and gain traction on the path of awakening. Founder of OneSpirit Interfaith Foundation in London, where she trained and ordained over 600 ministers and spiritual counselors, today Miranda leads the Living Grace Global Sangha and offers retreats internationally and online programs through the Shift Network.

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Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell