5 of Passions (Saturn in Leo) — Inverse
Ego is a prerequisite for all social creatures. In order to understand there is a "you," we also have to understand the concept of "me." Ego is responsible for our personal sense of identity, and it gives us the confidence to push ourselves to do difficult and scary things. But, it can also inflate our sense of self-importance, overestimate our abilities, and underestimate the skill required for a given task. It's the basis for nearly all conflict in the social realm.
Not all conflict is bad. In fact, many times we share an end goal with those with whom we are in conflict. Think of a group of people assembling modular furniture with no instructions. Each person's ego might be posturing for space. Everyone thinks their plan is the best plan. People will talk over one another and dismiss one another, but they share the common end goal of assembling the furniture.
So, the real question here is: When is conflict valuable, and what does it achieve? Our egos exist to identify and protect our values and basic sense of self. Those things are absolutely worth fighting for. But not everything meets this criteria. Save that ego energy for when the juice is worth the squeeze, and remember that when someone is challenging you, they're often just hoping to be seen and validated as an individual.
From the Turning Terrestrial Tides Tarot Deck, from PM Press.