Pitfalls on the Spiritual Path
I have been on the spiritual path for almost twenty years and it has been a lot like Simon Says! You take one leap forward and two baby steps backward and one giant step forward, etc. But these are a few of the hazards I have encountered on my journey. I share my experiences with the hope that you do not have to go there do that one like I did or if you do find yourself in that space you are aware of the pattern so you can extricate yourself from it as soon as possible.
Ego/Arrogance: When I began on the spiritual path, I really did not have any role models. Most of my family and friends were on a more traditional path. Over the years, more and more people have woken up and there are a lot more energetic role models now than there were then and this is a good thing. But a year or two into my journey, I began to realize that I was very different. It felt like I was wired or configured differently on the inside than most people and for several months it really went to my head. Although I did not change my outer behavior so much for a while I felt quite superior on the inside to most people. And then I realized that if I really was that if I was so evolved why on the world did I was I stuck living on Earth. This thought pulled me down to the ground in an instant. Today, I view everyone I encounter as a spiritual teacher. This is one of the few things I have done in this life that I am embarrassed about.
Preoccupation with Past Lives: When I first learned about past lives, I was quite intrigued about it and I spent a month meditating on insights from past lives. And then I realized that what happened in the past only really mattered to me to the extent that it impacted my current incarnation. I realized that it was a distraction from focusing on stuff that was going on all around me in the NOW which I needed to do. So I let go of my preoccupation with the past in general and focused my awareness on the now. I was so happy when Eckhardt Tolle wrote the book about The Power of the Now because for the first time, many people realized how silly it is to live in the past or the future or to get distracted out of a compulsive need to learn about their past lives. Laughing out loud: I have had the pleasure of meeting several people who claimed that they were Mary Magdalene in a prior life…
Giving Your Power Away to Healers, Psychics, Channels, Gurus: In the New Age movement, I have known several people who rant and rave about the horrors of mass consciousness and world religions and the Western approach to medicine and how terrible it is that people give away their power so much to society at large, ministers and doctors. And the next day I see them giving away their power to psychics, channels and alternative healing. All I have to say about this is BE YOUR OWN HEALER and BE YOUR OWN GURU. I cringe when people refer to me as a spiritual master and quite a few of my clients have tried to give their power away to me. But you know I really have quite enough power of my own, I really don’t need or want anyone else’s!
Discernment: One of the main reasons why I blog and tweet so much is that I really don’t want to write a book with lots of words (healing art books are a very different thing). But if I ever do write a book, it may very well be about the importance of discernment. Discernment begins by honoring your inner guidance and wake up calls and being very careful before you DO anything to always ask “Is this aligned with my highest good?”
Empathy: It was such a revelation to me fourteen years ago when I realized that the reason I would get upset and angry at work was because one of my co-workers was on an emotional roller coaster and I was taking on her stuff. I had no idea up to then how sensitive I was to energy and that I could be influenced so strongly by the pain and emotional trauma of another person. And over the years, my empathy has grown by leaps and bounds and I have to find new ways to clear stuff out as it arises before I get overwhelmed. And over the years I increasingly take on some of the planetary energies as well so it can be quite intense at times. Thankfully I have been able to download some very powerful tools, like the Universal Clearing Profile, to assist me. I feel that we all are impacted energetically by the energy of others and most of us take on some of other people’s stuff (especially healers, light workers and star-seeds). It is very important for all of us to find ways to go through life without taking on other people’s issues because when we do this, we not only take on more stuff for ourselves but it also does not help the other person at all.
Saving and Rescuing Others: As a healer, I always want for people around me to be as well and whole as possible. One of the biggest temptations I face is that I often want to dash in and save others (especially family, friends and clients) rather than viewing them as great masters who have all that they need within to heal themselves. Every time I attempt to save someone, I get hammered by my soul. It is one of the most challenging spiritual lessons for me and although I do this less often now, every now and then I have a weak moment where I get suckered into the past patterns. So this is a lesson that I am still learning..
About Bill Austin
Reiki Master Bill Austin is a spiritual healer, teacher, artist, writer and visionary living in St Petersburg, FL. He is the founder of several energy healing modalities and he specializes in distant healing, spiritual growth videos, healing art and healer training. He provides numerous free healing resources and a powerful line of energy healing products. Please follow Bill on Twitter!
