A spiritual cure-all?
2024-09-30T21:52:44+08:00 | 1 minute read | Updated at 2024-10-08T23:27:58+02:00
Self-realization is often mistaken by ‘spiritual seekers’ as the end of all personal challenges
Self-realization is often mistaken by ‘spiritual seekers’ as the end of all personal challenges, a spiritual cure-all. But it doesn’t release you from the need for self or shadow work. Thoughts and emotions still arise - more importantly; there will still be some ego identification, certainly at the beginning. Without inner work, unconscious patterns persist. They had ample time to condition you! Awakening isn’t an escape from being human.
On the other hand, focusing solely on inner work without the ability to truly understand and rest in consciousness keeps you bound to the ego. The ability to step back from the mind, disengage from the content of thoughts, and recognize the ego for what it truly is, is a more profound and essential skill to cultivate.
While these approaches can intersect, or maybe meet in the middle, and both are necessary on your journey - don’t get stuck in just optimizing the content of thoughts - make sure to gain deeper insight into the non-dual space to understand that the content of your thought are non-personal, just another neutral thing arising in consciousness.
