Most people think of compassion as something soft, passive, or even slightly patronizing—feeling sorry for someone, offering pity, or performing a kind gesture. It’s frequently associated with being a “do-gooder,” someone who helps others but remains fundamentally unchanged themselves. However, in the teachings of Royal Way founder and master teacher Michael Gottlieb, compassion isn’t merely an emotion or virtue, but a gateway into higher consciousness.

Anyone who visits Royal Way Ranch is immediately struck by the beauty of the setting. Its backdrop is the soaring peaks of the San Bernardino Mountains. Its immediate surroundings are the rugged beauty of the Mojave Desert, abundant with Joshua trees, yucca, sage, and seasonal wildflowers. Its expansive views take in the vastness of the desert and sharp outlines of the Granite Mountains.

In the simplest terms, ego is a person’s mind-made sense of self or self-importance. It is that voice in our heads that tells us negative things. We develop our sense of self over time from our background, upbringing, experiences, choices, etc. This is the person we create with all its complexities, and we present this “me” to the world.