My husband and I are huge superhero fans and have seen nearly all of the DC and Marvel Comics releases in the past three years. We came late to the Guardians of the Galaxy party and missed the theater debuts of both films. We did, however, purchase both via Amazon fire and actually watched the sequel before we saw the original movie. We were so impressed by the raw humor of the extraterrestrial misfits, the stunning special effects and amazing music mix that Guardians has become our newest superhero obsession. You gotta love the references to David Hasselhoff’s Knight Rider, Cheers, Pac-Man, Sony walkman and ’70’s and ’80’s hit tunes. My husband’s all-time favorite Guardian is Rocket the Raccoon, and mine is Groot, especially the adorable baby Groot in the film sequel. We’ve seen each movie several times and have watched our favorite segments multiple times on YouTube, and I must say that my favorite Guardians is Volume Two.

I am particularly drawn to the sequel because Star Lord, Peter Quill, discovers his long lost father and, at first, desires a relationship with him. Peter lost his mother to a brain tumor when he was a young boy and lacked a stable parental role model, save for Yondu, who refused to turn Peter over to his father and thus raised him amongst thieves and smugglers. His father’s name is Ego, and Ego is an immortal being from the heavens who used his consciousness to manipulate matter in order to form his very own Planet Ego. Ego assumed human form so he could travel the universe. He fell in love with Peter’s mother, fathered Peter and then abandoned them so he could discover his purpose. Quill eventually ascertains that Ego impregnated countless women, killed his own offspring when they failed to live up to his expectations and gave Peter’s mother the brain tumor that killed her because she posed an unnecessary distraction to Ego. It is at this point that Quill and his Guardian family commit to destroying Planet Ego so they can once again save the universe.

This storyline resonates with me so much because we all have a heartfelt desire to know our heavenly Father, in much the same way that Peter Quill wished to know his celestial father, Ego. Our relationship with the Divine is our ticket to immortality – an eternity of unconditional love and joyful bliss. Wayne Dyer often said that we are “spiritual beings having a human experience” and that before we are born to the earth plane, we choose our earthly experiences for the development of our souls. When our journey is fulfilled, we shed our human forms and join the Heavenly realm once again. Dr. Dyer cautioned about keeping the ego in check. He claimed that the word ego was an acronym for Edging-God-Out and that the “outer illusion was a preoccupation of the ego.” The outer illusion he so often referred to was the notion that “we are what we have or what we do… Our true self is eternal. It is the God force within us. The way of our higher self is to reflect our inner reality rather than the outer illusion.”

Throughout the course of Guardians, Volume 2, the extraterrestrial misfits discover some profound hidden truths. Rocket and Yondu share a special moment of bonding when after witnessing Rocket’s antics, Yondu declares that the two are one and the same – “I know who you are, boy, because you’re me.” Rocket answers him by saying, “What kind of a pair are we?” to which Yondu responds, “The kind that’s about to go fight a planet (Ego) I reckon.” Rocket builds an atomic bomb, which the Guardians must place near Ego’s brain in order to completely destroy him. The only hero tiny enough to fit into the “brain space” is Groot. Groot saved the Guardians in the first film as well when he shielded them all from harm by wrapping his mighty tree branches around them. Rocket was devastated with Groot’s intention to sacrifice himself in the first movie, but Groot did it because he said, “We are Groot.” They were all one! Groot manages to set the bomb and rejoins Rocket who wishes to go back to the ship with Yondu. Yondu, however, bids them farewell because he intends to rescue Quill. Yondu says to Rocket, “I ain’t done nothing right my whole damned life, Rat, You need to give me this.” Rocket gives him only one protective suit, and they both realize that only one person will be returning alive. Yondu demonstrates there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for a friend.

Peter Quill is also enlightened during this second film. Yondu urges him to get out of his head and into his heart. When Quill fights Ego, Yondu reminds him that, “I don’t use my head to fly the arrow, boy, I use my heart.” Following his heart allows Peter to triumph over Ego. The Divine resides in our hearts, and the inner-workings of the heart trump the outer-workings of the ego. Following one’s heart requires a leap of faith, and faith and ego cannot co-exist. Doreen Virtue says that faith is an acronym for Forwarding All Issues To Heaven. There is no ego in the realm of spirit. Yondu sacrifices himself by giving Quill the only protective suit he has, and Quill quickly realizes Yondu is the father he has been searching for his entire life. Quill remarks, “Sometimes that thing you’ve been searching for your whole life is right there by your side all along.” Yondu was not Peter’s father, but he proved he was his daddy. The journey to enlightenment is not easy, but the path of love illuminates the way. We are drawn to another by our vibrational match, and we find what we are looking for when we tune into a similar frequency or vibration. Rumi once said that “lovers don’t meet somewhere, they’re in each other all along.”

Like the Guardians of the Galaxy, we, too, battle our egos every day. Ego is just an illusion dreamed up by our minds to keep us constantly searching or in a state of turmoil. Only love can bring peace to our galaxies. Our outer circumstances are a reflection of our inner lives. Only love is real, and our hearts know the way. In the words of Wayne Dyer, “You can either be a host to God or a hostage to your ego.” Like Groot, I hope you pick the right button and blow up Planet Ego!