Psalm 2 (KJV)
Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying,
3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
7 I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
10 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
The Ego Rages
The heathen, which symbolizes the ego, rages against the coming of the Self (God) as the supreme authority in a person’s psyche and his or her life.
“The early experiences of the Self, the superordinant authority within the psyche, are an offense to the ego. The willful ego, therefore, when it encounters such an experience, rages against being subordinated” (The Sacred Psyche: A Psychological Approach to the Psalms by Edward F. Edinger, p.32).
An Illusory Reign
The ego wants to break its” bands” and “cords” from God’s direction and maintain its own illusory reign. But if the ego persists in its stubborn way, God will crush it. “Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” This is why it is important for the ego to be a vessel for the divine—a God-oriented ego.
Fear and Trembling
Develop a God-oriented ego, and “Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling” because “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31, KJV). Kierkegaard’s book Fear and Trembling aptly illustrates this point. By the way, the title is from “. . . work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12, KJV).
Salvation through Defeat
Does this mean as a trader you should experience the market with fear and trembling? Yes and no. Yes, because your experience of the market and being in the market can be orchestrated by God. If you don’t have a God-oriented ego, your ego may need to be crushed. This could mean losses . . . defeat. Which could paradoxically lead to your salvation. Jung said, “. . . the experience of the self is always a defeat for the ego” (Collected Works: Vol. 14, Par. 778).
The God-Oriented Ego
If you do have a God-oriented ego, you already have proper respect for the divine and don’t need the fear. By the way, having a God-oriented ego won’t automatically make you a winning trader. You still need knowledge, skill, practice and experience. But you won’t have to experience defeat because of Self-sabotage.