Image by 愚木混株 Cdd20 from Pixabay

While journeying through the corridors of metaphysical mumbo-jumbo, I have found a few things have become startlingly clear especially when it comes to the over-used dialog by practitioners and walkers of various spiritual paths.

The Universe.

The Universe is meaningless as are blanket teachings labeled as “universal.” You may have already realized this at one point in your journey. The truth is this wondrous ‘knowledge’ is more often than not hard to apply to one’s reality. Does putting an intention out to the Universe actually work?  OR are you really just making an attempt to reinstate your own confidence, which is how things really get done, with some hope for a brighter future? The Universe does not align itself around you or your wants. Get that clear.

The Verbiage.

And then there is the glorious patented verbiage. Metaphysicians will puff up their chests as they brag they are “detached.” I think what is really ‘detached’ about them is their emotions from their hearts and the brains from their heads.

They will say, “No, no, no you are confusing detachment with indifference.”

Well, I have a big news flash folks. According to wikidiff.com one of the definitions of detachment is Indifference to the concerns of others; aloofness and Absence of impartiality; objectivity. Now while this may be of use in situations such as business dealings, it is a destroyer in personal relationships.  This is similar to apathy, in that it's entirely neutral, yet it has a pessimistic leaning.  In relationships ‘detachment’ can be a ‘disconnect’. According to psycnet.apa.org – “Conflicts are inherently emotional, yet parties in conflict may choose to explicitly express indifference (detachment). It is unclear, however, whether this represents an effective strategy.” Now that is some food for thought.

Detachment comes from Buddhist philosophy. At its most basic level, Buddhism teaches that all suffering comes from becoming attached to the world - when we experience something good, we believe that is the thing which makes life good, and when it's inevitably taken from us, we believe life is no longer good.

No thanks.

I was born to feels things not live like a rock (although I have been accused of being as dumb as a box of them).  But hey – I can also be fair so here is another view of detachment. (Allow me to shake around those rocks).

Some believe detachment is a spiritual quality in which two people can grow in their souls’ light because they make a bridge together on which they can reach a common goal. This has nothing to do with physical reality but rather hearts aspiration and inner reality.

This is fine with me but not when the other person is touting detachment and using it as a weapon while trying to adopt a superior position. That’s just being selfish, lazy and the worst kind of... well I’ll leave it at that.

The Spiritual Gaslighting.

Yes, it exists. Gaslighting is an art form. Person # 1 tries to use psychological manipulation using spiritual terms or theory to sow self-doubt and confusion in the mind of Person #2. In the past this has helped give rise to dangerous cults and other factions where total brain control was needed to sustain the group’s power. On a more personal level, this form of spiritual gaslighting is powerful and dangerous. The promotion of confusion should be easy to spot but it is not because positive reinforcement is interwoven into the dialog or teachings to keep a person hooked. The perpetrators are often knowledgeable on the surface but after a while it becomes obvious that their actions don’t match their words. If you object they will tell you that you are crazy, out of loop and simply ‘misunderstand’ the wondrous things they are telling you in order to help you become a more adept being. All I can say is that if your gut is telling you something else, then run like hell. And know this – Anyone is susceptible to gaslighting of any kind. It is one of the main problems of the public at large today. A large percentage of society is being sucked in by the mind benders out there.

So now you may ask me if there is anything spiritual or metaphysical of which I approve. There is. It is discernment. I define discernment as the quality of being able to grasp and understand what is obscure. It is perception in the absence of judgment with a view to obtaining spiritual guidance and understanding. Did I use it when I wrote this? Did some Masters pop up from the void and give me a push? The only person who knows is me.

Yeah, yeah – I know - semantics and a wall of glass.

I choose not to bang my head against it anymore.