You think you’re so enlightened. You meditate for hours, post spiritual quotes on social media, and constantly talk about your latest self-discovery. But here’s the thing – your spirituality has become more about inflating your ego than bettering yourself. You’re not as “woke” as you think. What you have is a case of spiritual narcissism, and it’s time to take a hard look at your holier-than-thou attitude.
What Is Spiritual Narcissism?
Spiritual narcissism is when your spiritual growth becomes more about feeding your ego than actually helping you become a kinder, more compassionate person.
We all need to take care of ourselves first before we can help anyone else. “Putting on your own oxygen mask before assisting others” – the old cliché. But there’s a very fine line between focusing on your own growth and just being totally self-absorbed.
Some people get so wrapped up in all their meditation or yoga – they lose sight of the people around them. Their friend is struggling with some dark thoughts and they don’t even notice. They’ve got their rose-colored glasses on and think they’ve got all the answers. But they’re really just feeding their own ego at that point.
Your “spiritual journey” isn’t just about you. Check in on the people close to you too. Make sure you’re growing your compassion for others, not just pampering your own pride. That’s the difference between true self-work and just spiritual narcissism.
Signs of Spiritual Narcissism To Watch Out For
You Constantly Judge Others’ Spiritual Journeys
You believe your path is the “right” or “best” way and look down on those who don’t follow the same practices. Everyone’s spiritual journey is different, so avoid comparing yourself to others. Focus on accepting people as they are. Their journey is theirs, just like yours is yours.
You Brag About Your Spiritual Achievements
You tend to mention how long you’ve been meditating each day or the big retreats you’ve gone on often. You’re trying to act all high and mighty. Real spiritual progress is about being humble, not acting arrogant. We’re all just out here trying to learn and better ourselves, and there’s no need to one-up people or make them feel small.
You Feel Entitled To Special Treatment
Sometimes, when people have powerful spiritual experiences, they start to feel really proud of themselves and think they deserve special treatment. But true spirituality is about helping others, not getting praise for yourself. When someone goes through an awakening, they usually become more humble and keep things to themselves. Your growth is personal – you don’t need to tell everyone what you’re going through.
You Lack Empathy And Compassion
Spiritual narcissists look down on people who are having a hard time, or made a mistake, as not being “spiritual enough.” But most of the great teachers tell us it’s all about having compassion for everyone. Instead of deciding who’s enlightened, we should try putting ourselves in other people’s shoes. No one’s perfect, and we all need help now and then.
Lack of Humility
When someone starts thinking they’ve got some special connection to higher truths or powers that makes them better than everyone else, that’s a big red flag if I’ve ever seen one. Real spiritual growth is all about developing empathy and staying grounded, not putting on airs. I’d be careful about people, especially social media gurus online, who act like they’re above it all or holier than you.
Inflexibility
We’re all on different paths in life. Some people get so caught up in their own spiritual journey that they forget others might be somewhere else. If you find yourself being super judgemental of friends and family just because they don’t believe what you believe or live up to your standards of “pure”, you might be a bit full of yourself!
True spirituality is all about love and acceptance. It’s not about cutting people out of your life or looking down on them just because they see things differently than you. We all walk our own road in this world. The most important thing is that we try to understand each other and get along, even when we disagree.
Craving Admiration
Spiritual narcissists are always going on about enlightenment and finding your higher purpose, but really they just need people kissing their b*tt all the time. Their whole sense of self is wrapped up in how many people think they’re the greatest thing since sliced bread. If someone acts like they can’t function without a ton of praise and attention, that’s a red flag.
Lack of Boundaries
A spiritually narcissistic blurs the lines between themselves or even their followers in an unhealthy way. They might share intimate details of their personal lives or make unreasonable demands on people’s time and money. They think the rules don’t apply to them and that they can do whatever they want. Some even use sex or drugs as an “excuse”, saying it helps their spiritual growth. But we all know that’s not okay.
Ego Is The World’s Enemy
We all get trapped in our own egos sometimes. Even when we’re trying to grow spiritually, it’s tempting to make everything about us. But really, spirituality is all about connection – connecting with something bigger than ourselves and connecting with each other, too. Maybe we should all take a step back now and then to check that what we’re doing is bringing people together instead of dividing us. Stay humble, stay curious, and keep your heart open. Often, the deepest truths are actually the most straightforward.
