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The Subtle Traps of Spiritual Pride
As we evolve beyond the acceptable and approved norms of our society and class, risking criticism, mockery and outright rejection every step of the way, we collect various wounds along the path, those slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, and we learn to deflect the blows, even as we come to recognize the old wounds they reactivate. We become careful as to what we say and to whom. Many are uncomfortable with such maverick adventuring, suspecting that maybe bantering with ghosts, flying through the clouds and intimately connecting with the departed, is more injurious than beneficial to the soul and might even be dangerous to one’s stability and mental health. Others will quote that biblical maxim about ‘testing the spirits that they be of god’, often with the insinuation that the entire enterprise is fraught with deception and sinfulness. This atmosphere of excessive caution conflicts with the actual courage and inner conviction that it takes to consciously explore the hidden depths of spirit and its many inhabitants. And in doing so we are often poised between accepting the gifts of more elevated spirits and passing our own along to those more blighted by ignorance than ourselves, and so spiritual discernment soon becomes an active part of our skills. To say our intuition is constantly sharpened is no exaggeration.
In polishing those skills, whether consciously in lucidity or unconsciously in snapshots of ‘dream’ recall the next day, we come to see our abilities as real and ready to be stretched beyond what we assumed was within our powers. We acquire an insight into our perceived limitations, seeing the holes we plugged up with our doubts and just how they can be turned into opening doors.
And once through those doors another world of experience becomes viable. Activities you thought the preserve of guides, teachers and the seemingly angelic move slowly towards a new norm.
When not overwhelmed in astonishment with these new gifts one can sometimes slip into the unconscious superiority of spiritual pride. One is more evolved than many one meets, one ‘gets’ the illusions they are operating under, one sees through their cherished personas – the self-pitying victim, the fearful braggart, the pious believer, the smooth operator, the angry resentor, the seductive temptress, the cool dude, – and one can tamper with their fantasies and create the change in consciousness one senses bubbling below the surface. And in so doing one can feel ever so clever, something of a champion, the one eyed man in the kingdom of the blind. Even the epithet ‘in service to humanity’ can induce a shiver of pride. The pride of the pious to be sure, but still pride.
Such developments can create yet another persona for yourself, one that will require destruction later on, if one even sees it for what it is. The best defense I have found is usually self-mocking chuckles, the kind one can share with friends after a drink or two. You know, those apprentice mystics who see the mad glittery chaos of it all, the millions of souls all spoiling for some kind of struggle that will make sense of the multi-dimensional maze. Those who wish to be chess players and not chess pieces. And those who have given up trying to tell the difference.
Gordon Phinn's practice includes regressions (past and LBL), life readings, spirit guidance, and distance healing.
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August 25, 2021 @ 11:06 am
I love this Gordon! Once you become a wave in the sea of tranquility and bliss, you don’t fit in anywhere in the world where you once did. But, it’s a beautiful thing. You wouldn’t want to fit in where you once did as you are no longer that person. I am moving away from the Puget Sound in Washington that is so overwhelming with people, noise and collective energy to a little town on the Oregon Coast as I have to be where I can be alone with God and nature. I have been called to this place for 25 years and now, I have to answer the call. We experience so many people coming in and out of our lives when we are forever increasing our vibration … I have no desire to stop the growth and expansion, I love what I know and who we are. For those who have hitched onto my wagon, because they knew I knew the way, they remain with me wherever I go. Blessings Gordon.
September 8, 2021 @ 9:47 am
Here in Eastern Canada I am, and have been for fifty years, but i have herad mnay good words about Puget Sound and the Oregan coastline (and the islands). I gather it rains, but I grew i up in rainy Scotland, so I know the green is the gift. Yes, we shall grow together regardless of geography. …. “Alone with god and nature”.
August 25, 2021 @ 4:31 pm
Gordon, thank you for your thought-provoking article on Spiritual Pride. Look around, and you’ll see a new guru arriving daily, touting their way as the only path to enlightenment. If you don’t subscribe to their methods, then you have not “seen the light.”
The awakening of humanity starts at the individual level. The best place to receive guidance is from within. Using your heart to seek truth can coax the wolves out from the sheep’s clothing.
Beware of false prophets. Know that spiritual pride can be an indicator of a spiritual crisis, just waiting to surface. Use your heart to engage spiritual discernment, to keep you balanced.
Don’t seek answers “out there,” seek truth and wisdom from within.
September 8, 2021 @ 9:49 am
Thanks Candice, and yes, agreed. On my business card it says “the guru without all the bullshit”. That’s a joke but it’s a serious one!
September 8, 2021 @ 3:51 pm
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