Much of the confusion of the modern age is predicated on a faulty structure of consciousness: that of fragmentation rather than the synthesized vision of the truth. A lack of wisdom leads to a dualistic perspective of the world, where one is continually trying to seek good and elude evil as a form of self-preservation, not understanding the true eternal nature of the self that is beyond opinions, facts and emotions.
One such false dialectic I have noticed lately playing out in the culture is that between the “new age” and the system critical attitude of so-called “social justice warriors.” The latter is often critiquing the former. And criticism perhaps should be directed at materialistic spirituality and all the hedonism it touts: retreats, endless “self-love,” doing juice cleanses, having gratitude for the things you own but never going the step further to ask how you can be of service to others. On the other end of the spectrum, the politically conscious warrior is disgusted by the emptiness of new age platitudes and instead declares herself to be a rationalist, dedicated to dismantling an oppressive system and discounting the magic and mystery of life as a fairy tale.
I recently read an article by a woman who had been involved in a hedonistic new age circle. The piece detailed how she was renouncing her faith altogether after becoming disillusioned by the superficiality and what she termed “privilege” of its practitioners. There was some truth in what she wrote, such as the way that mainstream spirituality has made people all the more narcissistic and ungrounded and thus unable to realistically deal with the problems of humanity, staying perpetually in some false childhood without the maturity of the true adult.
Yet this writer had completely broken away from any spiritual quest in favor of playing a role in social justice movements. Everyone has their own path to walk, so it is never to judge, but merely to observe a dynamic of misunderstanding where one false identity fails and propels a person into retreating into another reactive identity, giving up on the true discovery of knowledge. This quest for the deeper spiritual mysteries of life is sometimes called gnosis, and is something quite distinct from what most know today to be spirituality.
Gnosis is forsaken whenever one stays in a structure of reality as dictated by their unintegrated, partial viewpoint— rather than surrendering to the higher intelligence of life, to be guided into the mysterious truth. This superficiality is evident in the way new-agers believe themselves to be solely in the light, in that which feels good, without considering the full picture of the situation on Earth, such as the darkness and parasitism of the current political-economic order. And it is also apparent in the way the social justice warrior fails to see that there is light in all beings, and to have compassion for those who have fallen into the dark rather than cast them as malevolent oppressors.
The rejection of gnosis is also on display in the huge trend (as seen on Youtube testimonial videos) of New Age practitioners having an unpleasant or frightening experience with the shadow and suddenly and radically taking up evangelical Christianity (or some other orthodox religion), and then declaring themselves as “saved” from the trickery of Satan, the forces of evil.
This quick-switch of identity, from one extreme to another, indicates that the individual has not come to any balanced, synthesized understanding of life but is instead being swayed by the mind and the emotions of the lower self. It also shows a lack of maturity, as maturity means an individual has learned to manage the full spectrum of experiences, of both light and shadow, without becoming consumed by either.
It is the nature of the lower mind to always go back and forth on an issue, not having the consciousness of synthesis that helps one remain centered in their heart rather than stuck in either side of the polarity, in unintegrated light or dark. Synthesized awareness is that of the trinity, meaning that one can see both sides of the issue and can bring the inclusive space where the polarity can interact through harmony rather than through conflict.
“She who is centered in the Tao can go where she wishes, without danger.
She perceives the universal harmony, even amid great pain, because she has found peace in her heart.” - Tao Te Ching
When we recognize we are involved in false practices, meaning anything which inflates the ego and closes us off to the true process of soul growth, it is not to then renounce ourselves and desperately seek out a counteracting measure, treating ourselves as the sinner needing salvation, whether it be through religion or political correctness. There are no saviors or external forces who can reacquaint us with the spark of our spirit, whether it be an idolized guru or an idealized social crusade. This is a leftover dynamic from the patriarchal religious orders which have imprinted the masses with the idea that we need something outside of ourselves— an authoritative God— to be whole and capable beings.
The search for salvation constitutes a self-negation, for rather than trying to have understanding and compassion for ourselves and our prior choices— even if those choices came from a place of egotism or pain— we instead take on the role of the domineering God (which is a false image projected by humans, not descended from the heavens) and try to balance the “problem” by veering to the other side of the duality. We do this without having comprehended the deeper desires of our soul that made us act unconsciously in the first place.
The true sense of balance comes from integration of polarity and a sense of confidence in our real being, as children of God, neither inflating (like the New Age does) or negating (like religion does) our divine essence. The balanced way allows our decisions to come from a place of grounded wisdom rather than erratic fear.
The great philosopher Manly P. Hall speaks deeply on this issue in his Wisdom lecture series, where he discusses how human culture has devolved into completely valuing mundane information pertaining to the maintenance of the status quo over wisdom, which is knowledge of an eternal nature.
Wisdom is not something that can be contained through scriptural doctrine or law books; it evolves just as the nature does. Wisdom is that which was fiercely guarded by the Ancients, as they knew that true knowledge is what guides one to evolve as a soul and contribute to the greatness of human life. Yet most institutions— schools, corporations, religions— are designed to preserve the established order and profit off of sentient life, without ever questioning who they are, where they are going, and for what purpose.
Confusion occurs whenever we mistake spirituality for healing, fun, safety, or acceptance from others. It may include these things in some way, but in its deeper essence, spirituality should always entail the search for meaning, for truth— which is not conditioned by current cultural norms of what is good or enjoyable. Much will have to be surrendered— perhaps, for a period of time, the outward participation in society altogether— in order to glean and feel the larger reality and our role within it.
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