A major Source

A major source of the ego's off-balanced state is its lack of discrimination between the body and the Thoughts of God.

Thoughts of God are unacceptable to the ego, because they clearly point to the nonexistence of the ego itself.

The ego therefore either distorts them or refuses to accept them.

It cannot, however, make them cease to be. It therefore tries to conceal not only "unacceptable" body impulses, but also the Thoughts of God, because both are threatening to it.

Being concerned primarily with its own preservation in the face of threat, the ego perceives them as the same.

By perceiving them as the same, the ego attempts to save itself from being swept away, as it would surely be in the presence of knowledge.