The Unsavoury Side of Spirituality
It's not the "Dark side" because reality is non-dual. Black/white, or good/evil polarities give people the wrong idea about what's out there that isn't all cupcakes with sprinkles and gossamer wings. Maybe this side is the "woo-woo, ooga-booga side" of spirituality. It's certainly not for the faint of heart.
Let's look at some of the unsavoury things that must be discussed to achieve a balanced, holistic spiritual life.
You'll definitely want some back up in this territory. I can certainly accompany you as you dive into these realms for yourself. Please ask if you wish for a teaching, like the story of Persephone, or a healing workshop, such as a Shadow Encounter, or a way to communicate and build relationships with the ancestors, gods or spirits of the Earth, night time, primordial waters or underworld.
Sphynx paths and Self Knowledge Journeys
Although not all dismal and dreary, these ways known to ancient traditions and modern carry some heavy weight to them. In my experience, finding the true inner essence of oneself requires a lot of observation of the external realm of one's world, even that which intersects with the internal on a visceral level. I have been inspired by T. Thorn Coyle's podcasts and work in that regard, following from Elphias Levi. Sometimes the hard realities are the ones we cannot be mirroring easily because we project. Knowing thyself includes a walk out of ego in order to turn around and immerse once again, like any travel in the mundane.
Shadow Work
Your shadow is the part of you that has the worst reputation. It's all the insults you hurl at yourself, all the bad choices you make, all the nasty things you say behind people's backs, all your bad habits, and everything you try to cover up about yourself because it's unacceptable. Shadow work involves encountering and assimilating this part of ourselves. Unlike exorcising demons, we can't get rid of our own Shadow, it's fully part of us, and the more you push it away, the bigger and stronger it gets. It's not pretty, but it's necessary before you can move beyond the idealistic, puritanical illusion of spirituality and into the meat of it. We must learn to feed our Shadows.
Madness Road
This road is different for different people. Some have a mental health diagnosis, others refuse labels or simply cope well with their personal experiences and have no need to involve the psychiatric or pharmaceutical world in their lives. Some claim to be shamanic practitioners, who have endured a Shaman Sickness or near death experience. Others are various stripes of pagans or heathens, or claim another tradition or lineage. For me, it is simply put, a healer's path. I had to come to know madness intimately in order to understand it, have compassion for it, and find ways through it. My journey through madness has brought me a level of spiritual wellness I could never have attained without the paranormal experiences and life altering circumstances. I give some credit here to Raven Kaldera who has inspired some of the pathwalking involved.
I have been walking the madness road since 2010,
I have been forged as a spiritual warrior, fighting battles on internal ground.
It was a trial by endurance, my initiation. It has been a test of will, test of might, test of wit, test of foolhardiness, test of ethics, test of faith, and on and on and on.
I have learned perseverance and resilience.
I have learned to let go of shame, and accept consequences at face value
I have learned to face the fears of vulnerability and exposure,
I have learned to be prepared for the worst, but to deal with situations only if and when they arise.
I have learned much more.
I have learned to be human.
Suffering to Learn
According to Hesiod, "Only fools need suffer to learn" but in many pagan and magical paths, there is the idea that the spiritual openness and vulnerability required of a postulant or neophyte, demands that one be willing to suffer to learn. In Buddhist teachings, we all suffer, it's the human condition, and we can transcend it by following the Buddha's path to Nirvana. Without suffering, there would be no reason for aspiring toward enlightenment. Suffering can motivate us, but if we don't deal with our past traumas in a way that is healthy and manageable, we get stuck in suffering and cease to make spiritual progress. You can learn to stop avoiding the challenges and obstacles in your way, and how to push through any discomfort and keep going.
Dabbling in "The Occult"
The Occult is not a cult. It is a body of information such as ancient and/or obscure texts and esoteric teachings about wisdom and magic. It is the insights of the ages, and the fundamentals of practicing the lore. Dabbling in wisdom is dangerous because you might change, grow, learn something, and come into your personal power.
Spiritual Crises
Sometimes referred to as a Spiritual Emergency, this can take the form of a Shaman Sickness, Kundalini Syndrome, or look a lot like a nervous breakdown that affects the spirit and soul of a person. This can manifest as an identity crisis, mid-life crisis, psychotic break, suicidal ideation, or radical shift in the behaviours and thoughts that make us recognizable to others in our lives. Sometimes characterized by a major, significant shift in appearance, dietary habits, areas of study, social circles, or other facets of self, these are symptoms of a much deeper issue that requires challenging self-work to recover from.
Demons by other names
We all have "our personal demons", our baggage, our regrets, our scars, our mistakes, our intergenerational traumas, our guilt for hurting others, our addictions and bad habits, our grudges or hate, our anger and sadness, our grief, and our shame for experiences we have gone through. When we allow these and other issues to pilot us, we fall prey to the power of the demons. Facing our issues and naming the demons is how we begin to resolve these powerful influences on our spirits. I thank many elders for pointing these out, pagan and indigenous.
Underworld Journeys
We sometimes have to think about the emotional realms, the intuitive realms, the soul home, and what lies below. Our dream world, the afterlife, and places of healing and initiation. It helps to be able to travel to these destinations, in order to do the self-growth work and healing we need to do for ourselves and our loved ones. But also, the realms outside of consensus reality have much to offer us in terms of wisdom, camaraderie, and psychic development.
Ancestor Work
Many shy away from working with the dead, visiting cemeteries only once or twice a year at most. But those who have moved on still play a role in our lives, sometimes, and we can call upon them to guide us, give us wisdom and insight, and to thank and praise them for the inheritances and legacies they have left behind for us. Sometimes they are restless and need to be appeased so that we can stop playing out their historical dramas in our lives and finally do the work we are meant to do here. I honour the wisdom of John Lockley in his Sangoma way of dream asking, going directly to the ancestral to introduce oneself and speak through dream and vision.
Deities of the 'Dark'
When I see this, I think of Crone and Death Goddesses, Gods of the Hunt and War, Powers of Chaos and Destruction, and Spirit beings with a streak of Mischief or Wanderlust. But it's not just this, it is so much more. These powerful archetypes work in us and through us, whether we take the insight of myths and folklore, or not. These beings speak to us across time to tell us about ourselves, to reveal what is hidden, to whisper mysteries and secrets in our ears, and to bring us blessings of silence, stillness, and peace at the new moon, or the personal power of freedom and choice at the crossroads. The better we can build relationships with these fearsome and mighty beings, the more likely we are to be prepared when we encounter them and their lessons.
Shielding
Sometimes we need to shield from energy vampires, psychic attacks, the overwhelming energy of a place or person, or some other abrasive influence that has a harmful impact on us. Learning techniques to ground, shield, sample energy, and cleanse or purify ourselves are essential before we progress into deeper spiritual work, especially if we are doing healing work with others or find ourselves in unfavourable circumstances and need energetic, mental and emotional protection.
Past Life Regressions
Where memories of other lifetimes show you insight into who you are today. Whether really your actual experience in another lifetime or an important story that your soul is expressing to you and identifying with, a past life regression can explain to you why you are bumping up against the blocks on your path and the plateaus you face on your journey. It can help you resolve issues that you carry with you. It can give you compassion for yourself and others, or other healing aspects.
Soul Fragment Retrieval
Regarding pieces of yourself that you have lost to trauma, heartbreak, abuse, shocking events, devastating circumstances, oppression, or other life experiences that left you feeling empty inside, or wanting to feel whole. By working to retrieve these aspects of ourselves that we loved and lost, we can recover, forgive ourselves, and move on from the damage that has been inflicted on us by ourselves and others.
Recapitulations
In this technique, you write down or tell someone about all the challenges you overcame, all the accomplishments you made, all the goals you met, but also each of the disappointments, mistakes, failures, and regrets you have for the past year. You then burn up that piece of paper in a fireplace, or find a way to symbolically cleanse yourself of those attachments.
Dark Night of the Soul
Many seekers experience the long night as part of their journey. It is a time for the tearing down of everything you believe and think about your identity as a spiritual person and what is meaningful to you. Once your framework and ego have been stripped down to the bare bones, it is much easier for you to let in the light, but it takes a long, difficult process of letting go and rebuilding. This happens in different ways for different people, but the essence of it is, that life takes a turn for the worse and it seems unbearable, and you are ready to give up on your growth and spiritual goals, because they begin to seem pointless and your beliefs artificial, until finally you reach some peace at the end of despair and things begin to make sense with a new clarity.
Taboos Around Psychoactive Medicines and Journeying
There are legally binding reasons why folks should not use substances recreationally in our country and neighboring regions. Some folks have religions in which it is part of the ceremonial celebration of rites to imbibe or consume something medicinal which may have psychoactive effects. This is no different from the effects of other medicinal chemicals such as those found in pharmaceuticals, if you take into account that all substances we use as varying kinds of medicines originate from plants and minerals and the natural world, or their synthetic analogs. When used with a journey guide or elder who has experience, or in a community where this is done regularly or for specific purposes, there is medicine to even the tiniest exposure to something as inert-seeming as chocolate (if taken as whole, raw cacao beans for instance)
I will not discuss most sources, methods or means but am available to talk and connect you to resources/contacts if you have other questions specifically about harm reduction theory, and applying it within your personal practice.
However, it is very important to be educated as much as possible about everything to do with any medicine that is not prescribed by a physician, or legally allowed to be possessed or consumed or exchanged in our culture in the West. I have prepared a document outlining Harm Reduction principles that I have been educated about over the years through my work with folks who do journey. These apply to altered states of consciousness regardless of whether they arise from deep meditative states, from activities including yogic postures or physical movements of the body for spiritual purposes, sacred sexuality, deep study or automatic writing practices that change one's perceptions or channel via the mind other wisdoms, and so on.
This is specifically intended to address concerns that arise when folks without experience need to be prepared for journeys that they are choosing of their own volition to take, regardless of legal precautions such as documentation in Schedules that prevent us from participating in these medicinal or consciousness-expanding practices, or the connectivity that unfolds therefrom. Please exercise much caution, preparation, education, and all things harm-reduction in your personal practice, and experimentation, because positive experiences of the Divine, however you perceive or know that, do happen for folks through these healing works. See the image for more inspiration around how to navigate your journey well.
Let's look at some of the unsavoury things that must be discussed to achieve a balanced, holistic spiritual life.
You'll definitely want some back up in this territory. I can certainly accompany you as you dive into these realms for yourself. Please ask if you wish for a teaching, like the story of Persephone, or a healing workshop, such as a Shadow Encounter, or a way to communicate and build relationships with the ancestors, gods or spirits of the Earth, night time, primordial waters or underworld.
Sphynx paths and Self Knowledge Journeys
Although not all dismal and dreary, these ways known to ancient traditions and modern carry some heavy weight to them. In my experience, finding the true inner essence of oneself requires a lot of observation of the external realm of one's world, even that which intersects with the internal on a visceral level. I have been inspired by T. Thorn Coyle's podcasts and work in that regard, following from Elphias Levi. Sometimes the hard realities are the ones we cannot be mirroring easily because we project. Knowing thyself includes a walk out of ego in order to turn around and immerse once again, like any travel in the mundane.
Shadow Work
Your shadow is the part of you that has the worst reputation. It's all the insults you hurl at yourself, all the bad choices you make, all the nasty things you say behind people's backs, all your bad habits, and everything you try to cover up about yourself because it's unacceptable. Shadow work involves encountering and assimilating this part of ourselves. Unlike exorcising demons, we can't get rid of our own Shadow, it's fully part of us, and the more you push it away, the bigger and stronger it gets. It's not pretty, but it's necessary before you can move beyond the idealistic, puritanical illusion of spirituality and into the meat of it. We must learn to feed our Shadows.
Madness Road
This road is different for different people. Some have a mental health diagnosis, others refuse labels or simply cope well with their personal experiences and have no need to involve the psychiatric or pharmaceutical world in their lives. Some claim to be shamanic practitioners, who have endured a Shaman Sickness or near death experience. Others are various stripes of pagans or heathens, or claim another tradition or lineage. For me, it is simply put, a healer's path. I had to come to know madness intimately in order to understand it, have compassion for it, and find ways through it. My journey through madness has brought me a level of spiritual wellness I could never have attained without the paranormal experiences and life altering circumstances. I give some credit here to Raven Kaldera who has inspired some of the pathwalking involved.
I have been walking the madness road since 2010,
I have been forged as a spiritual warrior, fighting battles on internal ground.
It was a trial by endurance, my initiation. It has been a test of will, test of might, test of wit, test of foolhardiness, test of ethics, test of faith, and on and on and on.
I have learned perseverance and resilience.
I have learned to let go of shame, and accept consequences at face value
I have learned to face the fears of vulnerability and exposure,
I have learned to be prepared for the worst, but to deal with situations only if and when they arise.
I have learned much more.
I have learned to be human.
Suffering to Learn
According to Hesiod, "Only fools need suffer to learn" but in many pagan and magical paths, there is the idea that the spiritual openness and vulnerability required of a postulant or neophyte, demands that one be willing to suffer to learn. In Buddhist teachings, we all suffer, it's the human condition, and we can transcend it by following the Buddha's path to Nirvana. Without suffering, there would be no reason for aspiring toward enlightenment. Suffering can motivate us, but if we don't deal with our past traumas in a way that is healthy and manageable, we get stuck in suffering and cease to make spiritual progress. You can learn to stop avoiding the challenges and obstacles in your way, and how to push through any discomfort and keep going.
Dabbling in "The Occult"
The Occult is not a cult. It is a body of information such as ancient and/or obscure texts and esoteric teachings about wisdom and magic. It is the insights of the ages, and the fundamentals of practicing the lore. Dabbling in wisdom is dangerous because you might change, grow, learn something, and come into your personal power.
Spiritual Crises
Sometimes referred to as a Spiritual Emergency, this can take the form of a Shaman Sickness, Kundalini Syndrome, or look a lot like a nervous breakdown that affects the spirit and soul of a person. This can manifest as an identity crisis, mid-life crisis, psychotic break, suicidal ideation, or radical shift in the behaviours and thoughts that make us recognizable to others in our lives. Sometimes characterized by a major, significant shift in appearance, dietary habits, areas of study, social circles, or other facets of self, these are symptoms of a much deeper issue that requires challenging self-work to recover from.
Demons by other names
We all have "our personal demons", our baggage, our regrets, our scars, our mistakes, our intergenerational traumas, our guilt for hurting others, our addictions and bad habits, our grudges or hate, our anger and sadness, our grief, and our shame for experiences we have gone through. When we allow these and other issues to pilot us, we fall prey to the power of the demons. Facing our issues and naming the demons is how we begin to resolve these powerful influences on our spirits. I thank many elders for pointing these out, pagan and indigenous.
Underworld Journeys
We sometimes have to think about the emotional realms, the intuitive realms, the soul home, and what lies below. Our dream world, the afterlife, and places of healing and initiation. It helps to be able to travel to these destinations, in order to do the self-growth work and healing we need to do for ourselves and our loved ones. But also, the realms outside of consensus reality have much to offer us in terms of wisdom, camaraderie, and psychic development.
Ancestor Work
Many shy away from working with the dead, visiting cemeteries only once or twice a year at most. But those who have moved on still play a role in our lives, sometimes, and we can call upon them to guide us, give us wisdom and insight, and to thank and praise them for the inheritances and legacies they have left behind for us. Sometimes they are restless and need to be appeased so that we can stop playing out their historical dramas in our lives and finally do the work we are meant to do here. I honour the wisdom of John Lockley in his Sangoma way of dream asking, going directly to the ancestral to introduce oneself and speak through dream and vision.
Deities of the 'Dark'
When I see this, I think of Crone and Death Goddesses, Gods of the Hunt and War, Powers of Chaos and Destruction, and Spirit beings with a streak of Mischief or Wanderlust. But it's not just this, it is so much more. These powerful archetypes work in us and through us, whether we take the insight of myths and folklore, or not. These beings speak to us across time to tell us about ourselves, to reveal what is hidden, to whisper mysteries and secrets in our ears, and to bring us blessings of silence, stillness, and peace at the new moon, or the personal power of freedom and choice at the crossroads. The better we can build relationships with these fearsome and mighty beings, the more likely we are to be prepared when we encounter them and their lessons.
Shielding
Sometimes we need to shield from energy vampires, psychic attacks, the overwhelming energy of a place or person, or some other abrasive influence that has a harmful impact on us. Learning techniques to ground, shield, sample energy, and cleanse or purify ourselves are essential before we progress into deeper spiritual work, especially if we are doing healing work with others or find ourselves in unfavourable circumstances and need energetic, mental and emotional protection.
Past Life Regressions
Where memories of other lifetimes show you insight into who you are today. Whether really your actual experience in another lifetime or an important story that your soul is expressing to you and identifying with, a past life regression can explain to you why you are bumping up against the blocks on your path and the plateaus you face on your journey. It can help you resolve issues that you carry with you. It can give you compassion for yourself and others, or other healing aspects.
Soul Fragment Retrieval
Regarding pieces of yourself that you have lost to trauma, heartbreak, abuse, shocking events, devastating circumstances, oppression, or other life experiences that left you feeling empty inside, or wanting to feel whole. By working to retrieve these aspects of ourselves that we loved and lost, we can recover, forgive ourselves, and move on from the damage that has been inflicted on us by ourselves and others.
Recapitulations
In this technique, you write down or tell someone about all the challenges you overcame, all the accomplishments you made, all the goals you met, but also each of the disappointments, mistakes, failures, and regrets you have for the past year. You then burn up that piece of paper in a fireplace, or find a way to symbolically cleanse yourself of those attachments.
Dark Night of the Soul
Many seekers experience the long night as part of their journey. It is a time for the tearing down of everything you believe and think about your identity as a spiritual person and what is meaningful to you. Once your framework and ego have been stripped down to the bare bones, it is much easier for you to let in the light, but it takes a long, difficult process of letting go and rebuilding. This happens in different ways for different people, but the essence of it is, that life takes a turn for the worse and it seems unbearable, and you are ready to give up on your growth and spiritual goals, because they begin to seem pointless and your beliefs artificial, until finally you reach some peace at the end of despair and things begin to make sense with a new clarity.
Taboos Around Psychoactive Medicines and Journeying
There are legally binding reasons why folks should not use substances recreationally in our country and neighboring regions. Some folks have religions in which it is part of the ceremonial celebration of rites to imbibe or consume something medicinal which may have psychoactive effects. This is no different from the effects of other medicinal chemicals such as those found in pharmaceuticals, if you take into account that all substances we use as varying kinds of medicines originate from plants and minerals and the natural world, or their synthetic analogs. When used with a journey guide or elder who has experience, or in a community where this is done regularly or for specific purposes, there is medicine to even the tiniest exposure to something as inert-seeming as chocolate (if taken as whole, raw cacao beans for instance)
I will not discuss most sources, methods or means but am available to talk and connect you to resources/contacts if you have other questions specifically about harm reduction theory, and applying it within your personal practice.
However, it is very important to be educated as much as possible about everything to do with any medicine that is not prescribed by a physician, or legally allowed to be possessed or consumed or exchanged in our culture in the West. I have prepared a document outlining Harm Reduction principles that I have been educated about over the years through my work with folks who do journey. These apply to altered states of consciousness regardless of whether they arise from deep meditative states, from activities including yogic postures or physical movements of the body for spiritual purposes, sacred sexuality, deep study or automatic writing practices that change one's perceptions or channel via the mind other wisdoms, and so on.
This is specifically intended to address concerns that arise when folks without experience need to be prepared for journeys that they are choosing of their own volition to take, regardless of legal precautions such as documentation in Schedules that prevent us from participating in these medicinal or consciousness-expanding practices, or the connectivity that unfolds therefrom. Please exercise much caution, preparation, education, and all things harm-reduction in your personal practice, and experimentation, because positive experiences of the Divine, however you perceive or know that, do happen for folks through these healing works. See the image for more inspiration around how to navigate your journey well.
Jacki Moss, Spiritual Consultant. Voice Mail: (705) 209-9848 or E-mail: [email protected]