cont’d..

Psychological Factors

"The correct way to wholeness is made up of fateful detours and wrong turnings."

Carl. G. Jung

Throughout history meditation has played a fundamental role in religious and spiritual traditions of whatever ilk or creed. Timeworn paths for entering inner space have been researched and recorded but until relatively recently, most (if not all) left an important component missing.

Within the last century, inner guides, such as Carl. G. Jung, have explored disturbances related to our ego that have the effect of propelling our awareness externally to the detriment of balancing the journey within. Psychology in general now acknowledges the ego not as something to be despised and annihilated, as many spiritual traditions have led us to believe, but as a centre which holds disparate aspects of our nature together in order that we can function as a unified and balanced whole.

In other words, it’s imbalances within the ego that are the cause of psychological problems, not the ego itself. These discoveries have brought about a vital acknowledgement of the importance of a healthy ego. They have also brought to light necessary processes that need to be honoured as the first stage of retreating inwardly. Attempting to bypass this initial layer will only leave us feeling stuck halfway and the residue, – at the mercy of our own psychological ‘quirks.’

Spiritual/Psychological Imbalances

"If you had not been so evil, God would have not sent me to punish you."

Genghis Khan (after slaughtering over a million men, women and children.)

You may have known or heard of a spiritual teacher who has a profound presence and/or knowledge only to later find that incongruity gets acted out, shattering hope of finding a truly sincere and honest person, one who is actually able to practice what they preach. This can occur in the form of the guide sexually manipulating their students or one who keeps their devotees in a state of dependency, so they continue to need and therefore serve the guide.

In other words, if the teacher has only focused on their spirituality, without humanely understanding any psychological imbalances they may have, it can imbue them with a seductive and controlling fanaticism that ultimately devastates those, who, for whatever reason, find themselves at their teacher’s mercy. It can also create an atmosphere of confusion, rivalry, jealously and secrecy amongst group members who follow the teacher.