Navigating uncomfortable spiritual ideas and teachers
One of my favourite podcasts is Conspirituality, which I listen to on a regular basis. On the podcast, they critique cults and where spirituality intersects with conspiracies and far-right politics. Surprisingly, in America, at least, so many spiritual people seem to lean very far to the right. You would imagine them to be more sensible and towards the centre, but no.
The podcast hosts would find what I do pretty questionable, too. However, I like listening to it to understand what is being promoted within the industry that I work in.
And gosh, people do promote some odd thoughts and ideas. Iām all for free speech and creating conversations, so go for it, but what I find troublesome is that these conversations seem to be often one-sided, not questioned on the spot and contributing to more moral panic, not less.
Moreover, where it begins to become difficult for me is when they start to weave into their teachings negative suggestions about the rights of LGBT people, women's rights, their right to choose, people of colour and seemingly all other minorities.
The trend they cover is less common in the UK; however, it is rife in America.
So, if you are on a spiritual quest and navigating this quagmire of spiritual teachers, pay serious attention to what they are saying on all kinds of platforms and whether this will lead to more liberation for all people or just a chosen few from a particular group of people.
My teacher has always asked me to question everything she says, and that has always been a very positive experience for me.
Fundamentally, to me, spirituality is a journey inwards, resulting in knowing that we are all a part of a greater whole, whatever that may be in your mind. The greater whole, for me, is an energetic force that has no shape or gender and moves and animates all of us. It's the exact same force for everyone. We only experience each other as separate because of our senses, yet even so, we are all one in the end. The external is the internal, and vice versa.
Spirituality is about that inner journey, returning to your soul without the influence of earthly thoughts and feelings, channelling that into the world, and living from that place.
So much of the rest is made up of cosmic drama humans conjure up to make it sound more interesting when, in fact, if you take away the layers of cosmic drama, you reach real depth. And that is profoundly interesting. Trust me.
š I love sharing my thoughts, feelings and ideas with you, and I hope you find them useful. I would greatly appreciate your supporting me with a paid subscription.
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