It has come to my attention that the true meaning of “spirituality” is becoming lost in translation; that contemporary trends and commercialization of all things deemed “spiritual” is essentially misrepresentative and misleading.
Spirituality is not a trend and nor should it be.
Spirituality has NOTHING to do with your meditation or yoga practice, (or those pants) the mantras you chant, your particular beliefs, how comfortable you are giving and receiving hugs, nor the duration and depth eye gazing with a new acquaintance…Nor does spirituality equivocate participation in a medicine ceremony or having visionary experiences, psychedelic or otherwise induced.
None of these things are inherently spiritual, and association with them does not necessarily convey spiritual personhood.
The spiritual experience is that of recognizing/remembering one’s Self as a Spirit-Being, One with and Source of All. Spirituality is a commitment to remembering Who You Are; and to laying waste to the rest.
Spirituality is not necessarily pretty or even peaceful, for that matter. Because Truth is not always comfortable and if you think that you can sit in lotus and meditate your problems away, your about to be disappointed… (Of course, it is our mindset that is sometimes “problematic” and meditation can assist us in cutting through the crap).
But foremost, spirituality involves a deep dive into the realms of shadow (your own unconscious). Inevitably, this sometimes involves a dive into the unconscious of the collective mind too, of which we are a part.
There’s no easy way out, only through.
It is radical, consuming and destructive at times because the self that we uphold ourselves to be while identified with whatever system of belief (or a trend, for that matter) we choose can no longer be when truly dedicated to finding out Who You Are. This brings into focus the subject of the present entry: Spirituality, Meditation & Self-Medication. Spirituality has been defined here and addressed in former blogs, so, on to the others.
In “Mindfulness as Practice" I outlined the difference between the Self as the observer and the “self” as identified with the mind-content. The practical applications of a meditation practice are outlined with regards to the entry-level mindfulness practitioner. But to anyone engaged in self-knowledge practices, regardless of expertise, mindfulness is an invaluable tool from which broader experiences flower.
Meditation is an asset and ally in parting with what is not actually “You”.
But meditation can become a crutch too, and in worst case scenarios, a force for self-deception. Intentional self-deception is precisely what I am referring to through the term “self-medication”.
Self-medication is the act and addiction to the comforts (by-products) of a "spiritual practice", whilst conveniently ignoring the discomforts that arise from truly navigating the self.
Ever come across someone in your life that feels out of integrity with what they practice or preach? To all appearances, they may present themselves as a "spiritual” individual, they may have learned the lingo, express their particular interests with vigour and wear an air of Samadhi about them...Though vibrationally, something is sensed to not line up.
The practice has not truly transformed the person.
Nor are the practices being used for the transformation of the person’s lower aspects.
The practice has become another layer in the fabric of illusion, embellishing the personality instead of cleansing it.
True meditative practice seeks to tame, clarify and re-contextualize the ego; not glorify it.
This is the problem with contemporary trends in “spirituality”. They run the risk of being out of integrity with their true purpose: Really knowing One’s Self as a Spiritual Being.
It’s the difference between “having” a spiritual experience and being a spiritual experience (which You already Are!)
So, whereas meditation can be used as a genuine light in the dark of the unconscious, it too can reinforce the darkness, the ego, the unconscious mind. (See "Who Are You, Really?")
Inner peace is not everything. Peace feels good; it tames the anxious mind, it pacifies, and yes, a sense of it can be cultivated through a meditation practice, but what good does it serve that through the pursuit of peace, true knowledge has been disregarded?
Is ignorance bliss?
The time of self-extrication is over.
We need action on the planet.
We need people who are committed to waking up and setting an example.
We need YOU to be engaged in life, to use tools at your disposal to get deeper into it, to get into mastery of it, not to further remove yourself from it.
Genuine peace emerges of genuine self-knowledge; through amending the demons (the unhealed aspects of yourself) within you, through the recognition and remembrance of your Light. But do not mistake a temporary feeling of calm and well-being following a sit-down or a yoga class to be a spiritual state or even the goal of so-called spiritual practices.
Falling into the embellished ego-trap (let's call it that) is the running risk and peril of ever believing that one has “arrived”.
And to reinforce the introduction, engaging in a "spiritual practice" (if it can accurately be called that) does not imply arrival or solution. A tool, yes. But to use the tool accurately, it must be directed inwards, to indicate & eradicate all which is not You; to use it otherwise to glorify the self and generally avoid the Self the imagined self is akin to a heavyweight at your ankle in deep water- we can drown.(Note, the difference between self as the ego/false self and the Self, the Spirit-Based Being that I Am/You Are).
Currently, we are experiencing a “fashionable” merging of Eastern and Indigenous philosophies/practices in the West. And as far as I can see, this has become a profitable industry for some while displacing others, selling experiences, pseudo-promises and paraphernalia all of which can be used to cater to self-medication.
This is not vastly different to institutionalized religion of past- which is not to say that all religious practices are necessarily doing a disservice to the individual, just like that fact that not all plant medicine ceremonies are propagating a growing monopoly of otherwise potent medicine and Indigenous cultural heritage. But it is a strong possibility that we have reflexively substituted one system of belief/practice for another in our quest for meaning, purpose and making sense of our existence.
The illusions woven by institutionalized religions have expired, but in the wake of an awakening (illuminated) humanity, the potential for darkness (deception) is growing too.
We are seeking answers, but so far as we continue to seek beyond ourselves, we shall be prone to error.
We must be extremely discerning about our allegiances.
Are you praying to yet another false god?
Recognition of One's Self as The Absolute is the only aim of true spiritual practice. And Who I am lies Within, so inverting our attention is the only way forward on the path of Illumination.
Awakening and illuminating the self so that the Self may shine through is a sobering experience and does not necessarily come with rainbows or presented in a pretty box.
But let’s be brave and break from self-medication. Let’s check ourselves: Why am I engaged in my yoga practice? My meditation practice? Do I need to sit in another plant medicine ceremony? Or one at all?
Remember, it’s not the practices that need to change, only our relationship to it (if in need of correction).
Are we using them to grow or are we using them to placate?
Waking up means not to further indulge the dream or the comforts of being asleep: It demands the right use and relationship to the tools before us so that we make awaken within the dream, to own our self-mastery and the recognition of Reality as it’s reflection.