When I was little girl, at times, I was surrounded by religious people who professed to be doing everything in the name of God.

But while their words spoke of  God, they, more often than not, acted like the most judgmental, self-righteous, gossipy, think their shit don’t stink types I have ever witnessed.

Even as a little girl, the contrast was apparent. It made me question spirituality, or people claiming to be ‘spiritual’ or driven in the name of God.

Then I grew up—and I moved to Boulder.

Boulder—one of the most self-proclaimed spiritually awakened places in the United States.

Yet, I still see it constantly: people who profess to be spiritual and think they walk the talk (they do yoga, claim to be Buddhist, or “spiritual,” are vegan, or vegetarian, active and opinionated) but underneath all of this, are just as ego-driven and self-righteous as Kayne West.

Yep—you heard me.

Spirituality (in some cases) has become another guise for an imbalanced ego.

There is a well-disguised hoax happening right under your nose, in your very town, with people you probably talk to daily.

Spirituality means many things to many people, but for someone like me, spirituality is deeply connected to “something bigger than myself.”

Everyone has an ego, and although certain religions believe that you can only fully understand spirituality when you drop your ego, I often wonder how this works in a real way, given the ego is such an integral aspect of character?

When do you know if you are coming from a truly genuine spiritual place or when your spirituality is ego-driven?

Our ego in an integral aspect of our being and spirituality. You cannot remove your ego or get rid of it, that’s not how it works—spirit and ego go hand-in-hand.

The ego is a vehicle for which our spirit has individual experience. Without ego there would be no independent thought. And independent thought is necessary to experience life.

When it comes to spirituality, the key is, don’t be limited by your ego. You can’t divorce yourself from ego, but you can transcend its limitation and realize the infinite wonder of your spirit. Your ego is a vessel; you must learn to use to your advantage instead of being controlled by its motivations, like so many people are.

So, what sets the ego-driven spiritual types apart from the truly authentic spiritual types?

A lot.

Ego, like we mentioned doesn’t have to be inherently bad, but an untrained ego is a basically a con man.

It’s when you judge and push and, judge and push, yet use spirituality as a tool to make you feel better about your motivation. If you find yourself striving and striving and that inner judge is pushing and pushing even in the name of “spirituality” more than likely you have been duped into the well disguised hoax of Ego Con Man.

Instead, if you are being, allowing and accepting, you are more than likely driven by Spirit.

The biggest distinction between the two is constriction; the Ego Con Man is like a slave driver, even in the name of enlightenment, while the Ego Self is holding ground for you to experience the infinite wonder of what you already are.

The Ego Con Man uses spirituality to get what he wants—wearing the guise of the spirituality he mimics the real. But like spots on a dog, his insincerity shines through.

You can’t achieve or attain spirituality—it is simply being in what already is.

Spirituality is about uncovering freedom in who you already are; there is no destination, no place you have to go to find the answers. There is no striving, no judging, no manipulation. There is no desire for glory or fame.

Spirituality is loving everything around you for simply the sake of its beauty and pure existence.

Spirituality in itself is not a well disguised hoax, but it is if it is driven by your Ego Con Man.

How does ego and spirituality play itself out in your life?

~

I have given you some insight into spirituality and ego. I would love to hear your experiences. Please leave your comments in the box below. If you found this blog inspiring please spread the love. Share it with friends via FB, Pinterest, or Tweet it.

 

 Like elephant spirituality on Facebook.

Ed: Bryonie Wise