Pseudo spirituality

The goal of spirituality has always been the same since the beginning of time, and alchemists described it best. The simple goal of spirituality and/or religion is to bridge the gap between earthly and heavenly realms or between man and God. Laws, morals, and values all go beyond the physical. They are metaphysical and imply a spiritual nature, as they refer to ideals that transcend nature or even call for us to act contrary to it. They also shape our behavior in significant ways. In fact, we all have a spiritual identity, including the many different cultures around the world, as it is not necessarily endowed to us through nature or genetics.

In ancient times, we looked up to the stars for the key to our own mystery, which is more than natural and reasonable if you ask me. Gold, often symbolizing the divine, was seen as a way to connect the physical with the celestial. Man, as in humankind evolved or descended as for some on this little blue planet without a proper handbook and had to make sense of its purpose and destiny while also meeting its primary need for survival.

We can’t deny that there is a spiritual crisis happening, especially in the West. While many paths can lead to this union of heaven and earth or self-actualization, a more fitting term for our times, there are also many paths that can waste our time and lead to spiritual bypassing and cyclical neuroticism, a term I came up with as I was writing these words. While funny to some, it’s quite sad actually, as these outdated, superficial, and fabricated ideologies are passed on to the next generations, hindering true growth in our society as a whole.

Probably the clearest red flag you may want to watch out for is those new-age self-proclaimed Gurus or yogis, etc. Anyone who claims to be some sort of superior and divine being or God descended from another realm or planet, or anything absurd like that, my advice is to run. Run, and run fast.

Before heaven, know Earth

There have been very intelligent and spiritually evolved humans, way showers, 33rd-degree masons, philosophers, etc., who, through discipline and absolute dedication, mastered the art of meeting with God, or these heavenly realms, so to speak. And if there’s one thing worth noting in these people, whether in their teachings or in the way they speak, it’s their humility and core understanding of how to be more human, first and foremost. If I want to meet God, I must learn how to be more human. If I don’t understand who I am or what I am, then I am neither here nor there.

There have also been spiritual leaders who have left a lot of texts and material for us to study, but discernment is crucial as some of these teachings, do not serve me nor you in anyway whatsoever but are completely fabricated by their imagination. Our imagination is indeed the key to our evolution as humankind, including scientific discoveries, but it is also true that many teachings left behind are pure entertainment and completely fabricated without sound logic, reason, or the necessary scientific validation behind them.

There is no fast track to spiritual enlightenment or to meeting with God. God is always there and is in no hurry. The Lord Himself told me that. A little humor there, but jokes aside, it’s not about how fast you get there, but rather how you show up. Spiritual growth is not a competitive endeavor. If you were able to meet with God today, how would you show up, and for what anyway? Would you show up full of unresolved emotional issues, anger, confusion, resentment, etc.? Take a good minute to think about it or feel it through.

Spiritual bypassing | The hidden danger

Spiritual bypassing was discovered by a clinical psychologist, and it is used as a defensive maneuver to avoid facing ourselves and the real issues that lie within us. I can speak from experience, as for many years, I was heavily dedicated to so many different religious, metaphysical, and spiritual studies that never truly helped me engage in real vulnerability, or help connect with myself, but they sure helped me do one thing and do it very well. And that is to escape myself furthermore while subconsciously trying to solve those same psychological issues by depending on other people. And that my friend is a recipe for disaster.

Fool’s gold vs. True gold | Escaping the illusion

The best thing we can do when feeling overwhelmed by life and the things that happen to us is to simply accept that we don’t always have the answers we seek, and that is okay. When we take a journey somewhere, we know where we’re heading, but we can’t make sense of everything happening around us, at least not until we’ve arrived.

In fact, this reminds me of dream interpretation, which I’ve always found very fascinating. I have a few dream journals from years ago, and when I read them now, I can make total sense of everything that happened in those strange dreams, despite the confusion and overwhelming feelings I had while first experiencing them. Just like dreams, life and spirituality, often don’t make sense when you’re in the middle of them. But clarity comes with time, distance, and real integration.

So what is truth? Essentially, truth is the thing in its absolute nature, both matter and energy. Truth is that which is, regardless of seeming or appearing. It’s its nature, essence, substance, origin, and purpose. A recurring theme we find in all spiritual teachings is to be able to rise above illusion and beyond appearances and overcome any prejudice or self-deceit that clouds our judgment and impairs our reason. And ultimately free ourselves from any addiction or obsession with what is not true and that which we have not yet learned to recognize as false.

This journey of uncovering truth and seeing beyond appearances is exactly what the ancient alchemists, yogis, and mystics dedicated their whole lives to. In fact, the symbol of gold has always represented the pursuit of purity, enlightenment, or divine essence. Purity, not in a moral context per se, but purity from our own self-perceptions and distortions.

Gold, the metal of the Sun

Gold is considered the metal of the Sun, both in alchemy and in ancient cultures like Egypt. Why the Sun? Because the Sun, with all its brilliance, is the source of light, clarity, and life. It sees all, nourishes everything, and hides nothing. To align with the Sun spiritually means to seek that which is real, and burn away illusions. It means to stand in the light of truth. Gold reflects that light because it’s incorruptible, it doesn’t tarnish and carries a glow that speaks of something rarefied and divine.

In ancient Egypt, Gold was not just a precious metal, it was sacred. It was used in temples, tombs, and sacred texts because it represented the eternal and the incorruptible. It was believed to connect the earthly with the divine, just like the goal of spiritual practice.

In alchemy, the making of gold was more about turning the dense and heavy parts of ourselves, like fear, ego, and shadow aspects into something balanced, radiant, noble, and whole. Gold was the final stage, a state of being.

So when we talk about truth, we’re not talking about fool’s gold, which can be found on the outside or only looks shiny on the outside but is hollow underneath. We’re talking about the gold of the being, that part of ourselves that has gone through major stages of transmutation and refinement, and the unshakable knowing that comes from facing ourselves, burning through illusion and denial, and living from the light within.