Dodging the Spiritual Potholes of Life
Spiritual Discernment, Part 2
“The slipperiness of the spiritual path cannot be underestimated; its pitfalls are as numerous as the steps that can be taken, and all of us fall into them. Still, the more we know about the road, the more able we are to avoid its potholes.”
Mariana Caplan
Even the sincerest seeker faces spiritual potholes, or obstacles, at certain points in life. At best, these result in confused, immature understandings. At worst, they are dangerous. When these hurdles confront those of us dedicated to a healthy, growing spiritual life, wise discernment is required. We need a solid grasp of the road that lies before us (as the quote above suggests) to be able to navigate it safely and effectively.
Mariana Caplan, author of the quote (and who I referenced in my previous post), would agree. She describes several of these obstacles in her book, Eyes Wide Open: Cultivating Discernment on the Spiritual Path. Within her text, she refers to these as “spiritually transmitted diseases”. These have significant relevance to our exploration of spiritual discernment. The diseases (aka potholes or obstacles) not only have the potential to infect individuals, but also entire groups and subcultures. In Eyes Wide Open, Caplan describes ten of the most common that are likely to cross our paths.
Spiritual Potholes (aka “Spiritually Transmitted Diseases”)
The first she calls Fast-Food Spirituality. This occurs when little is expected from the adherent of a spiritual teacher, movement, or popular text. Caplan says that, not surprisingly, in a culture that rewards instant gratification, many expect rapid relief from suffering, to swiftly obtain enlightenment, etc. They want the fruits of a strong spirituality without the sustained commitment and effort that is necessary to attain it. Instead, a quick fix is expected from simply moving in the orbit of who or what is currently the focus of admiration or devotion.
What Caplan describes as Faux Spirituality is a bit like playing dress-up. It surfaces in the tendency to speak, dress, and behave according to one’s images of how a spiritual person would present themselves. Spiritual truths and practices may be appropriated (usurped) without real understanding and appreciation of the contexts and traditions from where they originate. There may also be an assumption that one has accessed mystical wisdom without the corresponding knowledge and spiritual work required for authentic integration and internal transformation.
Confused Motivations can present another potential obstacle. We don’t always know our “why” for seeking spiritual growth. Our central motivation may well be genuine, but it may be mixed with lesser aims such as wanting to be loved, wishing to belong, desiring to fill an internal sense of emptiness, needing to “be special”, etc. These are often unconscious psychological forces at play. When these lesser motivations are not met, disillusionment can surface, or blame may be lobbed at others or God. Often there is a lack of understanding that failures are simply part of the path rather than the mature realization that spiritual progression is not linear.
The next obstacle, Identifying with Spiritual Experiences, is one related to ego inflation. Someone who has a mystical or nondual type of experience is usually profoundly affected, its impact felt for a significant period of time. Having an experience, however, is not the same as wisely integrating it into one’s life. Instead of aiming for integration, a person may, instead, overidentify with the spiritual experience itself. This overidentification is perhaps more of a risk for those who perceive themselves to be “enlightened” or who serve as a spiritual teacher in some capacity. For those individuals, the effects are often longer lasting. Caplan states, “Eventually we discover that mystical experiences are, in essence, simply experiences.”
The Spiritualized Ego is an affliction that results when a person’s personality becomes intensely embedded with spiritual concepts and ideas. This often leads to the development of a person who deflects spiritual assistance, guidance, or constructive feedback. A spiritualized ego can manifest in subtle or magnified ways; and rather than fostering growth, an ego in this condition actually stunts healthy spiritual development. Some who wrestle with this obstacle find that their spirituality produces a shield (in the form of concepts, ideals, and practices) that protects the bearer from authenticity and vulnerability, especially within romantic relationships,
A Mass Production of Spiritual Teachers is yet another situation we will likely encounter. Be aware of trendy spirituality that popularizes certain traditions and, as a result, produces a plethora of teachers and leaders whose view of their spiritual attainment far exceeds reality. Caplan cautions that in both the East and the West, there is an abundance of mediocre teachers who gain a following of sincere aspirants, while simultaneously providing less than optimal instruction. She adds, however, that an instructor’s actual teaching is not always what’s most detrimental. A teacher’s misrepresentation of their level of spiritual mastery might very well surface as the primary issue instead.
When someone exudes a sense of Spiritual Pride, they often carry the notion within themselves that they have “arrived” (spiritually speaking). A feeling of spiritual superiority often takes hold. The person may exhibit aloofness, for example, or attempt to intrusively insert their knowledge into conversations. In these cases, the practitioner has often spent years of concerted effort to attain a respectable degree of spiritual wisdom. The problem begins when this fact is used as justification to halt further growth. A desire exists to rest in the triumphs of the journey thus far rather than stay open to greater depths of exploration. This may be one of the more difficult conditions to overcome.
Whether you regard this next condition as a problem is going to largely depend on your spiritual paradigm. Caplan poses that a mistaken belief afflicting the majority of people in the world is the view that spirituality is all about “me”. This view, she states, creates a condition called the Survival of Ego Based on the Illusion of Separation. Caplan tells us that most people spend the entirety of their lives under a misconception that the “I” is who we are as individuals. Almost all human beings identify with this “I” instead of recognizing the interconnectedness that undergirds Reality. A number of spiritual traditions would regard an identification with the “small self” as a fallacy.
Group Mind is synonymous with groupthink, cult mentality, or what has been termed ashram disease. It is potentially treacherous and often contains many aspects of psychological codependence. Infected individuals and groups reject persons, attitudes, and circumstances that do not conform to the frequently unwritten rules of the larger body. In some situations, the effects of this are not obviously dangerous. In others, they are deadly (think Jonestown and Heaven’s Gate, for example). The draw for followers is often a sense of belonging and the comfort of identifying with a group or charismatic leader.
A final affliction, The Chosen-People Complex, is similar to Group Mind, with an added dash of Spiritual Pride thrown into the mix. This condition is pervasive among spiritual groups, according to Chaplan. She states that this condition often stems from an unconscious disposition of powerlessness, of feeling unloved, and of not mattering. Given that, teachers and students may counter this outlook with a belief that their path is above all others (rather than regarding it as simply the right one for them). Also common to this is when people attempt to bolster their sense of self-worth through an association with a powerful and enlightened teacher. The flawed logic is that this link somehow makes them more powerful and enlightened themselves, a phenomenon also known as the “cult of personality”.
More Info from the Expert
Some of the above spiritual conditions or “diseases” are passed from teacher to student. Certain teachers may be found to be outright corrupt. Others, however, may simply be too immature in their knowledge and psychological development to be an effective conduit for students. In cases like these, attempts to instruct may well stretch beyond a teacher’s actual levels of understanding. There may also exist a limited interest or ability on the part of the teacher to practice wise discernment as concepts, practices, and perspectives are imparted to the student.
Caplan makes an important point when she says that a person’s longevity on the spiritual path creates no guarantee of a well-developed ability to discern the presence of these spiritual obstacles in oneself or within the groups and subcultures with which they identify. It often takes decades for a person to reach a level of spiritual maturity that makes them well-equipped in this regard. In particular, diseases created by a person’s limited, egoic perspective of themselves are often the most challenging to detect.
Final Thoughts
The last two conditions that Caplan explains are, in my mind, two of the most threatening. We will therefore explore Group Think and The Chosen-People Complex more deeply in subsequent posts.
When first learning about this list of “spiritually transmitted diseases”, I realized that I had experienced, witnessed, and/or been impacted (directly and indirectly) by several of them. I know, firsthand, how difficult many of these can be to address. I have an inkling of the challenges and destruction left in the aftermath of their wakes.
That is why I consider the topic of spiritual discernment to be so critical, particularly for religiously unaffiliated, spiritually independent people. They will largely be leaning on themselves to make these important judgements.
My hope, however, is that we all learn to recognize these obstacles within ourselves and to commit to a process of self-correction whenever necessary.
May wise discernment be yours.
In deep appreciation,
Anna