Book excerpt: The words of Sai Baba, "God equals man minus ego," are echoed by Dr. Joshua David Stone in his seminal work, Soul Psychology. A veteran transpersonal psychologist and family counselor, Dr. Stone teaches us how our entire understanding of ourselves and others is completely changed when we integrate our soul into the way we live our lives. Based on eighteen years of Dr. Stone's practice, this book is not a psychological approach to spirituality. It is rather a spiritual approach to the psychology of everyday living. At the heart of Soul Psychology is emotional healing through the dismantling of the "negative ego," a psychological cancer that prevents us from acting in accordance with our soul's true nature and purpose. This negative energy drives us to find our security outside of ourselves; whereas the only true security is one that is grounded in having a right relationship with self and a right relationship with the Divine. To guide us onto this path of spiritual ascension, Soul Psychology offers a stimulating new viewpoint that expands the boundaries of traditional spiritual practice, providing a wealth of accessible and powerful meditations and exercises, including - The six-step process for healing and spiritualizing emotions - The spiritual science of the seven rays and the twenty-two chakras - Methods for clearing negative psychic energies that inhibit soul growth - The one hundred most common pitfalls and traps on the spiritual path