As you begin to awaken to your sense of spirituality, it is easy to let yourself be guided by all the misinformation posted online and in bookstores. As we begin to work through our own thought programs and personal belief systems, some additional belief systems can take hold and act like viruses inside of us.
These viruses are really just false beliefs and spiritual myths that can prevent us from living fully and authentically.
Discover 3 of the most common myths about spirituality:
Table of Contents
1. Spirituality is a belief system:
Spirituality has nothing to do with subscribing to a new set of thoughts in your head. When people move from one worldview or religion to another, it usually takes the form of a change in the belief system and the adoption of a new ideology.
The biggest spiritual myth number one is that spirituality is just another belief system that we have to adopt. Sometimes we end up confusing spirituality with some sort of New Age belief system instead of a skill set, a way of interacting with thought and emotion, and a relationship with the present moment.
Instead of presence, emotional mastery, communication, self-realization and self-awareness, things like crystals, channeling, divination, and astrology receive the most attention. There is nothing wrong with these things, but does spirituality consist of investing your belief in a new field? Or is it about self-discovery and the search for wisdom?
All the gurus, mystics, masters and teachers who have inspired us through the ages have never taught us anything that we have to believe in. They taught us things that we could discover and experience through reflection, meditation, and introspection. Spirituality is not a belief system or a religious ideology. It is a way of life.
Recommended: 7 Realities that Everyone Must Face in Their Spiritual Journey.
2. Spirituality is a job or routine:
Spirituality should not be a heavy task on your shoulder. Unfortunately, we are sometimes taught that spiritual practice comes with a kilometer-long to-do list.
Meditate, reflect, do yoga, keep a journal, keep quiet, climb up, stay grounded, become enlightened, reach the consciousness of Christ, etc. Sometimes it can be overwhelming if we view spirituality as a kind of practice or state of mind that we have achieved.
Spirituality is about coming back to your natural state, and you do it by being nothing and being effortless. The more you lose beliefs, expectations, intentions, and desires, the more authentic you become.
Spirituality is not something you do. To rest in the present moment, to be silent and to free oneself from attachment and desire do not require any effort or work. All we really need is for us to relax in our natural state. It is not a task, a job or a list of things.
3. To live spiritually means to live happily:
Living spiritually does not mean living happily. In fact, for the first time, you can become extremely unhappy when you start to see your own shadows and demons boiling in you. The more you meditate, the more you see.
The more honest you become with yourself, the more you realize you have room to grow. Spirituality is about the collapse of untruths, and this can be a very uncomfortable process.
When you start to awaken spiritually, you will also become much more sensitive to the negative emotions and energies around you. You begin to see what is wrong with society, humanity and the world in general. Sometimes being spiritual means being sad, disappointed, disgusted and angry.
Indeed, spirituality encourages us to face darkness, to interact with it and to learn from it. There is no room for apathy, ignorance or arrogance.
It’s not always butterflies and rainbows. It is ultimately about experiencing the whole range of human emotions and learning from each of them. It all comes back to Love at the end, but only after the trip has fulfilled its purpose by teaching us what we need to know.
Contrary to what we hear about spirituality, it has nothing to do with what we believe in our heads, it is not exhausting work, and it is not about living in a state of pure bliss. It’s about living fully and honestly. It is ultimately about self-control and self-realization, and it can never happen without a little pain and suffering.
If you are confused, uncomfortable and going through a period of struggle, then you may be on the right track.
Recommended: 7 Reasons Why Your Spiritual Awakening Has Suddenly Stopped.
