Wisdom often concerns balancing out two or more opposing forces, or principles. Whilst it is true that truth is not always found directly between two opposing views, it often is. The vastness of life is such that we often have to balance out two legitimate (sometimes equally so) principles or attributes in order to function in a truly healthy way. The human species as a whole certainly has a long way to go in this regard, and I for one am no exception.
It certainly may seem that the attributes of faith and reason, devotion and skepticism run diametrically opposite to each other. To have faith implies an insistence on holding firm to a belief in something that is not always immanent, often in the face of what appears to be opposing forces that seek to refute or ridicule such beliefs. Reason on the other hand speaks to the ability of human beings to question what we think, say and do, and to expect uniformity, consistency and natural order in human beliefs and behaviour.
Spiritual devotion is an intense love and faith towards the Divine, often with the sacrifice of much earthly human desire, and is often inconceivable to those who do not share similar spiritual (and/or religious) aspirations. Alternatively, extreme skepticism towards all things spiritual, religious and paranormal involves not merely a strong suspicion towards all such claims, but often a belief that all such claims result from either fraud and/or deception, misunderstandings, hallucinations or some form of mental illness.
Hence, we often have a case whereby it seems as if religious believers and spiritual aspirants live in one universe, and in which paranormal skeptics, scientists and natural philosophers live in another. Of course, this cannot be the case. However, it certainly is true that life exists in such a way as to allow different people to have very different experiences. I would suggest that whether one is a believer in spirituality or not, and regardless of culture, religion or philosophical persuasion, that this is beyond dispute[i]. Certainly it is true that life allows us to perceive it in very different ways, despite the reasonable assumption that there is a common reality that we all exist within.
A close family friend (who is Christian) once expressed her observation that followers of all faiths have experiences that appear to validate their beliefs. I largely agree with this statement, though I have a different idea as to the mechanism of how this is so (and likewise atheists/naturalists will also have a different idea as to the mechanisms that allow this). If one is a Naturalist[ii] then one can certainly experience life in such a way as to believe that only the material universe and the laws that govern it exist, and our experience of consciousness is simply an epiphenomena emerging from the electro-chemical processes inside our brains (and bodies).
Certainly, there is no shortage of research revealing more and more of the vast mystery of the workings of our physical universe, including ourselves. One can certainly interpret spiritual and paranormal claims in such a way as to see them all as merely psychological phenomena. Furthermore, within the fields of religions and spirituality there are no shortages of examples of fraud, madness and sheer stupidity (for lack of a polite way to say this). Hence, whilst I am certainly a fully convinced believer in the objective nature of spirituality, I do have a degree of sympathy for the naturalistic view (though I also am happy to express the ways in which I disagree with it).
On the opposite side, life exists in such a way as to also give religious and spiritual believers experiences that appear to validate their sacred beliefs. Growing up in a large Christian extended family, it was only natural to interpret life as a whole from the lens of Christianity, and I certainly heard countless stories and testimonies from others to further support this. Now that I adhere to a more universal perspective I have (what appear to me to be) incredibly profound spiritual experiences, which also coincide directly with the things I believe in.
Whilst I long ago left Christianity behind, I also have a certain degree of sympathy for the Christian view, as I do for most religious, spiritual and philosophical views (though again, I also feel it is appropriate to speak out about the ways in which I believe many such views deviate from what is true and good). This raises a very serious question (which I am not going to try and really answer here today):
How then do we reconcile such a situation, whereby different people are having such different experiences of life?
Of course, a large part of human experience is universal, regardless of what filter one is applying to life (or whether perhaps one is seeing life clearly in the absence of such filters?). Human biology, family, work, our experiences through the sense of taste, smell, touch, hearing and feeling and their interactions with the external world are part of the experience of us all, regardless of our philosophical persuasion. Again obviously, race, gender, nationality, education and our relative level of wealth or poverty again give very different experiences of life to different people. However, the point I am making here is that two people may grow up in the same family, in the same place and with the same opportunities in life, but yet have very different experiences of life due to their spiritual/philosophical view.
Typically, spiritual/religious faith involves the belief in a greater reality, or bigger picture to that which we see around us. That is, many different religious views involve the belief in spiritual realms that are invisible to the perception of most beings. Likewise, religion often involves belief in a grander scheme whereby some form of divine justice operates to right the wrongs of this life, to reward those who get it right, and (to different degrees) bring justice or punishment to those who do not.
Hence, faith often involves the denial of the absolute importance of the immanent physical world, and I would argue that this can have both positive and negative expressions. For example, a positive expression can be maintaining a positive attitude when surrounded by negativity, offering compassion and forgiveness in the face of anger and hatred. So, believing in the higher reality of love and compassion even in the face of its opposite can be a positive expression of faith. However, it is often the case that someone has a positive experience through a particular religious faith, or in association with a specific text, practice or teacher, and then by association takes everything that they teach as correct.
As a result, we often then also take on faith in things that have explicitly negative connotations, often to the point of madness. Religious faith can resist all reasonable objections, maintaining ground in the face of clear evidence and logic that refutes it. Hence, I say that the field of religion is a minefield, or as I often say, like a poison apple; something which looks sweet and healthy (and in its pure form actually is), but is frequently tainted by its opposite. Hence, the negative pole of faith is the refusal to acknowledge the deep flaws in a religion or sect, religious text or a spiritual teacher.
One example I like to give of the positive and negative poles of a particular attribute relates to self-confidence versus humility. Many people might think of self-confidence and humility as being mutually exclusive, but I personally think of them as a balanced pair. Both however have a positive and negative expression. The positive expression of self-confidence involves feeling good about oneself, have belief in ones own abilities, being able to forgive oneself for your mistakes and so forth. The negative pole however is feeling superior to others, thinking you are better than everyone else, putting others down to try and make yourself bigger etc. So, there is a positive expression, and there is the negative, egoic expression.
Likewise, the same is true of humility. The positive expression of humility involves recognising how much each of us relies upon the grace of life as a whole for our very existence (i.e. the earth, air, water, food, sunshine etc.), and how much we depend on other people. That is, even if we attempt to be self-reliant (which very few people actually do), then we are still dependent upon the hard work of those that came before us, and nearly all of us depend on the hard work and intelligence of others for the services we use on a daily basis. Positive humility is recognising the vastness of life, and thinking of others as well as (and sometimes before) ourselves. In a true spiritual context, humility should involve recognition of the vast cosmic intelligence, power and boundless love of God, and the fickleness of the human ego.
Alternatively, the negative expression involves seeing oneself as inferior to others, being unable to let go of guilt and fear, and (often religiously motivated) ideas about the sacredness of suffering[iii]. In religious contexts, humility and self-sacrifice can become sacred dogmas, as people (of various faiths, cultures and traditions) can see themselves as wretched sinners trembling in fear of divine wrath. So, obviously what I personally encourage is for all of us to seek to display the positive expressions of both self-confidence and humility, in balance. That is, we should love ourselves absolutely, forgive ourselves for our past mistakes and learn from them, and believe in our own worthiness and inherent goodness. Likewise, we should also seek to forgive and love all others, offering service to others in a way that suits our natural tendencies and skill-set. Finally, we should cultivate an attitude of gratitude and appreciation towards life, acknowledging the grace that maintains the vast infinitude of creation (including our own individual expression).
Anyways, back to the point at hand here, I see faith and reason, devotion and scepticism as balanced pairs that all have positive and negative expressions. That is, they are not necessarily mutually exclusive, but rather we need both pairs to be in balance to be healthy and whole. Human beings however generally have a long way to go in achieving such balance (and I of course am no exception). What generally happens is that we say: “Ok, I am going to have faith”, and then we abandon reason altogether. We say: “I am going to be devoted to my spiritual teacher”, and then make excuses when they abuse their power and commit gross misdeeds.
Likewise, when we recognise a negative expression of a particular attribute, rather than finding a balanced, positive expression, we frequently go way too far in the opposite direction. That is, in responding to an imbalance in one area we typically create a new imbalance on the opposite side of the spectrum. Again, this is not merely behaviour limited to the religious and philosophical sphere, but rather this is simply common human behaviour, found in practically every field of life.
One might argue then that the complete rejection of faith and devotion for the absolute reliance upon reason and skepticism is also an imbalance. However, I am not going to go in this direction today; rather I will discuss that train of thought another day[iv]. I am not writing today to try and convince those without any faith to take some up. Rather, I am writing to encourage my fellow brothers and sisters that have some form of religious or spiritual belief to really consider to what degree we give space to reason and healthy skepticism, in harmony with our faith and devotion.
This is not merely a problem for one part of the spiritual-religious spectrum or one particular faith or sect, but rather as I see it, this is a problem that is found throughout the wide range of spiritual beliefs. This issue affects Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains, of conservative and liberal persuasions, and also those who consider themselves “spiritual not religious”, what we might call the New Age movement[v].
Please excuse the repetition, but again, we can see both positive and negative expressions of faith and reason, devotion and scepticism in both the individual lives of many people, and in the wider world at large. Faith often motivates people to overcome vast obstacles and summon tremendous inner strength and resolve. It can provide extraordinary healing and summon the strength to forgive and let go of deep traumas. It often drives people to serve others selflessly, and seek towards the upliftment of the greater whole rather than seek personal success.
However, the logic of spiritual faith and devotion can seem so different from the logic of the material world. Hence, integrating it with the needs of our external universal is a tricky thing. It is so often the case that faith and devotion appear to run contrary to logic and reason, so much so that those that possess a keen sense of reason are often bewildered at the complete lack of reason expressed by those with the fires of faith burning in their hearts. Faith so often brings about madness, and even for those of us that believe in the reality of spirituality, often it can be hard to differentiate between cases whereby faith is driving someone to bring in a higher law into our world, and cases whereby someone is simply lost in their own delusions.
We spiritual (and religious) believers have a lot to learn from those who have either abandoned spirituality and religion altogether, or have at least put it aside. Vast advancements in all fields of outward human endeavour have been made largely through the assumption of sole material causes, and certainly vast human progress will continue to be made in science and technology through gaining deeper and deeper understanding of the laws that govern the material cosmos. Certainly, it is without doubt that those of us living in modern, first world nations are greatly blessed by relative material abundance thanks to the endeavours of those that have focussed solely upon working with the forces of the physical world.
Likewise, significance social advances have been made through laying aside specific religious foundations for ethics, and in the seeking of a universal, humanistic ethical foundation. Major breakthroughs in culture at large have emerged largely from those who have rejected traditional religious values. Even when naturalism/atheism may appear to be so clearly ideologically opposed against spirituality, I think perhaps we need to learn from our brothers and sisters who do not share our faith, and we should strive to break down the walls of animosity between us, feeling sympathy for their views. May I suggest that we also extend a degree of the same generosity to religious believers that maintain views that seem so clearly irrational to us. Obviously, I am not suggesting we let such things go unquestioned. However, I am simply suggesting an understanding of why they believe as they do, and an acceptance of how this life can appear to give evidence of contrary views about its origin and means of functioning.
It is a difficult point that “leaving the mind aside”[vi] is both an essential element of true spiritual progress, but also the most dangerous feature of the interaction between spirituality and outer life. To find spiritual peace one must become still and silent, and let go of mental concepts and conditioning to experience the vastness of cosmic existence, infinite consciousness and supreme bliss (Sat-Chit-Ananda). Having found such extraordinary peace, it is only natural to want to surrender completely to it and melt into ecstasy (and this is my own personal experience).
However, it is because in religion (and spirituality) that we seek to transcend our normal human nature and the outward world that we are familiar with to experience something beyond, we often throw our reasoning faculties out the door at the same time. We need to be able to maintain an intuitive sense of logic, reason, morality and practicality, even whilst we discover the true Self that is beyond the mind. “Leaving the mind outside” should not preclude the use of the mind in appropriate ways. Whilst perhaps specific isolated practices of meditation can involve the dropping altogether of ones physical and psychological awareness, one should ideally be able to retain an awareness of the Self whilst still engaging with the psychological, energetic and physical aspects of life, and treating all in a manner that is appropriate to their needs. Higher spiritual ideals should indeed filter through into physical life, however they should not be at odds with the highest ideals of our outward life.
I haven’t always understood the intense devotion of some spiritual seekers, but I do now. I used to stand there in church as a child during praise and worship watching all the other people around me blissing out, entering into deep states of spiritual ecstasy, but nothing happened with me. I would try and sing with my heart, but I didn’t feel anything. It always felt a little awkward and contrived. And yet now when I hear devotional music of various faiths and traditions I feel bliss[vii], to the point that it is sometimes almost overwhelming.
I now understand the intense devotion towards a spiritual leader or teacher that is such a contentious thing in the realms of spirituality and religion, as I feel it myself for my own teacher (Mooji). When somebody opens the doors to your soul in a profound way, you naturally feel the most inexpressible gratitude and love towards them, as well as a feeling that you owe them a debt that could never be repaid. I certainly understand that countless other beings have felt similar (or identical) things to what I feel now. And yet, this can also be very dangerous territory.
We human beings tend to wish that everything was simple, black and white, but life is simply not like that. We would like to be able to find one teacher who could tell us the whole truth about absolutely everything, but even in the case of those who are genuinely inspired by a Grand Cosmic Mind, this is still not the case. We wish that we could trust those who possess genuine spiritual realisation and power to be perfect, exemplary personalities, to live flawless lives, above and beyond the idiosyncrasies of human personality. And yet, this is very rarely the case.
Horrendous abuses have taken place whereby devoted spiritual aspirants have placed all their faith in a teacher, text or institution, and they will unfortunately continue to do so. This is true in Christianity, and it is certainly true in Hinduism. Yoga culture is unfortunately rife with sexual abuse, whereby powerful and charismatic gurus have taken advantage of the vulnerability of their devotees. In milder cases this has simply involved the guru having consensual sexual relations with large numbers of students, whilst more extreme cases have involved full-blown institutionalised sexual abuse and rape, including minors. So many of the big names of the Yoga world have been implicated in this, and the lineage through which I myself learned hatha yoga (Satyananda yoga) has emerged as one of the very worst examples of this[viii].
The complexities of life in this world are such that beings that engage in long-term spiritual disciples may indeed gain genuine spiritual attainments, and yet may also be quite sick, depraved and perverted in their outward expression. Obviously I would argue that such perversions do indeed limit the degree to which such people progress spiritually. Such beings could never be thought to be enlightened. And yet, so vast is the world of Spirit, that even a relatively low level of spiritual attainment can seem like enlightenment by comparison with the heaviness that so many people accept as normality.
Just to clarify, what I mean is that somebody can attain incredible feelings of lightness and peace through a long-term disciple of various yogic techniques (most notably meditation), of which others may genuinely sense as a presence surrounding them, and yet they may also posses severe personality aberrations simultaneously. The mental-emotional states that so many of us accept as simply normal are so low by comparison to the heights of spiritual bliss, that any partial attainment along the way (even if it is simultaneously unbalanced by personality disorders and aberrant behaviour) can still appear to shine like gold (even though it is in truth, fools gold).
It would seem simpler to us humans if upon the degeneration into perversion that such spiritual leaders would lose all of their transcendent light, but yet it is not so. It would seem far simpler if divine beings could appear and chastise such people for their abuses, or appear to warn potential devotees of the mess to follow. Although I do hear cases of people claiming they were warned of situations like these through clairvoyance, as a whole, no such divine interventions occur.
I would like to think that perfect love, perfect faith and perfect devotion would be enough for the human life, but unfortunately I don’t think this is so. Certainly, absolute love, faith and devotion can be wonderful things, when held in balance by a healthy external life. However, in the realms of spirituality they are not enough by themselves to bring about wholeness. Many a seeker has held absolute devotion to their teacher, and suffered horrendous abuses (of various sorts) as a result. Many a seeker has had perfect faith in a Supreme Being, and also accepted irrational and unhealthy beliefs. Many seekers have had intense love for the Divine, and have yet also accepted in hate, fear and bigotry as part of the package.
It would be nice and simple if a yogi in an ashram could simply enter meditation and have higher beings come to them and tell them that their guru was a pervert and they had to leave immediately. However, the reality is that whilst yogis do indeed have legitimate spiritual experiences (as do seekers through other paths and practices), much of what is experienced is a projection of the human mind. It would be nice and simple if a Christian in an Evangelical church could have a vision of Jesus thanking them for their perfect love and faith in God, and explaining to them that much of what is taught in the church is not actually true, and the Bible isn’t a particularly great spiritual text. Again however, this is not how it works. Rather, Christians have (somewhat genuine) spiritual experiences, which likewise work through the projections of the mind (both individual and collective).
This world is designed in such a way as that we can indeed experience unspeakable love and peace through prayer, worship, meditation, ritual, reading spiritual books and various other means; however these do not in and of themselves produce complete wholeness. They can certainly take us to a place of wholeness and perfection, but to bring that wholeness and purity into our complete, outward expression requires clarity, logic, reason, practicality, strength and resilience etc., that doesn’t necessarily develop by itself through such spiritual practices.
Certainly it is true that the deeper one goes in their spiritual practice, the more it overflows into their outward life. Meditation should influence ones state of being through daily life, rather than simply involve blissing out (or tripping out) for a period of time whilst shutting off the world. Rather, meditation must ultimately lead towards presence (or mindfulness) during all hours of the day. Likewise, devotion and worship should leave a divine love bubbling in the heart during even the most (seemingly) mundane or challenging of life’s experiences. However, I think the reality is that such spiritual pursuits ultimately need to be balanced with a down-to-earth approach to life, whereby we consider the needs of our immediate environment, rather than completely dismissing it as irrelevant and inferior to the spiritual dimension of reality (and I too have certainly been guilty of this).
As well as specifically seeking to cultivate love, we also need to specifically cultivate strength. That is, we cannot assume that simply cultivating love will necessarily by itself also produce strength as well (though it can happen in some cases). We cannot assume that simply cultivating stillness and allowing intuition to blossom will necessarily, by itself, also bring about the development of logic, reason and pragmatism. I think abundant evidence shows that human beings can become very advanced in one aspect of their life, and incredibly deficient in another at the same time.
Many people succeed in the outward expression of their life, and yet are desperately unhappy inwardly. Many people attain power, fame, wealth and possessions, are surrounded by friends and family, and yet feel (psychological) emptiness[ix], pain, anxiety, depression, confusion, shame, guilt, anger, fear etc. Many people cultivate logic and reason, and yet have no experience of divine peace, intuition and the vastness of Spirit.
There is a tendency amongst our species to focus on one part of our being at a time, either diminishing or completely denying the other aspects of ourselves. That is, we can completely focus on our body and material needs (and desires), to the loss of our psychological and spiritual lives, and there are abundant examples of this. Likewise, we can focus completely on our psychological lives, to the loss of our physical and spiritual needs, and again there are countless examples of this. Again, we can focus solely on our spiritual lives and neglect our outward expression, even whilst making genuine progress on the spiritual path. Again, there are so many examples of this (and again, I certainly have been guilty of this).
May I suggest that we spiritual seekers accept and love the wholeness of our being. We are Spirit, we have a mental existence, an energetic existence and a physical body. Whilst we are incarnate here on this planet, all of these have their importance, and require attention at different times and in different ways. We did not simply come to earth to work out how to leave it. We were not born just to work out which god to worship so that we could be saved and make it to heaven (and escape the horrors of hell) after death. We were born to live, and find ways to allow the higher realities of Spirit to express in a world that appears to us to operate by very different laws[x]. Part of living a spiritual life in a physical body is finding balance and compromise between the different aspects of our being.
My main point is this:
The complexities of this world allow many people to attain temporary success in one area of life (material wealth, power, psychic and/or spiritual attainment etc.), even whilst possessing major moral failings in other areas of their life. I would suggest that there exists a bigger picture in which the injustices of this life can be repaired; hence it can certainly seem to us that justice fails in this world. We are allowed to make severe mistakes, and suffer the ultimate penalties for them (and unfortunately, we can also make other, innocent people also suffer the results of our errors).
Hence, we spiritual aspirants must maintain decent levels of reason, whereby we refuse to accept abusive behaviour under the excuse that spiritually advanced beings are subject to higher laws than those of this world. We must weed out such excuses and expect spiritual leaders to practice what they preach. We must keep a healthy degree of skepticism up our sleeve, even when we feel the heart opening in intense love and devotion. Even when we leave the mind outside and experience spiritual ecstasy, we must keep an intuitive sense of right and wrong, logic and practicality.
Nevertheless, faith and devotion can be the most wonderful wisdom, if founded on the right foundation (that is, not blind faith, but faith based on true spiritual experience), and kept in check by openness, and a progressiveness that acknowledges the constant evolution of human culture. Spiritual devotion can bring the highest satisfaction, even culminating in continuous ecstasy (and I myself have now been blessed with this experience). In a world full of suffering, what an unspeakable blessing to experience continuous happiness, unchanging bliss, effortless stillness and inner silence. And yet, I understand that this may sound like a fantasy or delusion to many, as it seems so far removed from the reality of so many (and of course, it is so far removed from how much of my own life was experienced).
Life can be heaven or hell, and somehow, even in the midst of experiencing the challenges of life, or even harrowing circumstances, there is the possibility of simultaneously experiencing unspeakable, overwhelming peace and joy inwardly. I hope that others too find what I have found (and I know that many others already have), and I would like to be of service to those who are seeking, but have not yet come to the direct experience of divinity within and without.
Peace
[i] I would point out that perhaps some people might still disagree here. Many times I have heard conservative Christians claim that atheists and those that follow other faiths secretly know that Christianity is true, but refuse to follow it due to not wanting to give up their sinful natures (in fact, I believe a rather well known Christian apologist – which I won’t name today – has made this claim in written form). I could offer a response to this, but won’t do so today. Rather, I would just say that I don’t consider this to be a particularly reasonable claim to make. One could easily reverse the claim and see what response one gets. It’s not an approach that is likely to lead to any improvement of relationships between those holding different views, and is unlikely to improve understanding on any side.
[ii] That is, someone who subscribes to Metaphysical Naturalism. I generally prefer the term to Atheist, as there are some people who don’t believe in a single Supreme Being, who yet believe in the supernatural in some way or form (including those – such as Philosophical Satanists – who consider themselves Naturalists but yet think that Naturalism allows for psychic forces to operate within the laws of material science).
[iii] Please note, I do recognise that obviously some form of physical suffering is practically unavoidable in physical life, and great lessons can be learned from these experiences. What I am speaking of here is that many people create a self-image based upon suffering.
[iv] Just in case anyone was unsure about my general position on the topic, I am a firm believer in the supernatural, but I have some sympathy for naturalists in that I recognise many legitimate flaws in human expressions of religion and spirituality. I do not believe that naturalists are condemned, or desperately need to be saved, or anything like that. Obviously, mankind has benefitted enormously from natural science, and we will continue to do so. However, spirituality also offers something which is truly priceless; unchanging, causeless joy, peace and bliss, something which I have been graced with in recent times.
In future works I will argue that many people have confused and conflated methodological naturalism with metaphysical naturalism, and in this way, metaphysical naturalism has kind of piggybacked in the back door along with the scientific achievements of the past few centuries. I will argue that science and spirituality are not at odds, and that there is plenty of real evidence for the objective reality of spirituality. I will indeed argue that there are many ways in which naturalists exhibit their own philosophical bias to ignore or refuse to accept the natural consequences and implications of available evidence, through the same egoic biases that affect followers of religion or political ideologies.
[v] Just for the record, I don’t really see anything specifically wrong in this, and I certainly have my own hand in this movement myself (thought the New Age movement is not without it’s flaws as well). I will write specifically in defense of this “spiritual not religious” definition in the future.
[vi] This expression has been around in spiritual circles for many years. I first heard it at a local meditation group, and raised my objection that it can be a very dangerous thing in the realms of religion. However, it is also the foundation of a guided meditation from my teacher – Mooji – called “The Invitation to Freedom”, which has absolutely changed my life. Prior to discovering the Invitation I had certainly had many profound spiritual experiences, and had also tasted presence in daily life for brief periods. However, I had been going up and down, up and down, back and forth for many, many years, wrestling with my mind (and often losing). The Invitation to Freedom has brought me unspeakable bliss, and brought about true lasting stillness that stays with me through the day, throughout all activities and circumstances. Hence, I now also understand how wonderful “leaving the mind outside” can be.
[vii] In case anyone was interested, I now find some Christian worship songs do touch my heart. I’m not saying you are going to find me in a Christian church anytime soon in order to participate in their praise and worship. However, I feel the same peace when hearing a few particular Christian songs that I do when I hear Hindu bhajans and Sikh kirtans. I have long accepted that many Christians have legitimate spiritual experiences through their faith. Now I can feel it tangibly in their practice just as in my own.
[viii] Satyananda yoga has two major ashrams in Australia, one in Rockland, Victoria (near Daylesford, approx. 2-3 hours from where I live), and another in Mangrove Creek, NSW, which was brought before the Royal Commision into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The tales that emerged from the Royal Commision were horrendous. And yet, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the yoga ashram was driven by demonic power, or that many that went there did not gain genuine spiritual benefits.
[ix] To be differentiated from a spiritual emptiness, which is a feeling of absolute vastness, infinite space and beingness. Psychological emptiness on the other hand is a complete lack of love, a complete lack of peace. Spiritual emptiness is a complete letting go of all that is not love, and a dissolving into love.
[x] Though I perhaps would argue that spiritual powers do indeed operate in this world, only that they are not immediately apparent as they are in higher dimensions.
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