If I have to pinpoint the beginning of my own spiritual journey, and by ‘spiritual journey’, I mean the journey into knowing myself more, through the learnings of modalities of Reiki, crystal healing, sound healing, and the likes, it probably started back in 2018. I can see my own growth from then and now. Back then, when I was also curious about Tarot card readings, I took a workshop with Master Chris Claxton (may he Rest In Peace), and at that time a friend mentioned to me about her ‘sick and tiredness’ of the spiritual community. I did not understand what she meant by it, because I was all new and starry-eyed about everything I was open to learning. She told me you’ll understand it one day. I am starting to understand what she means now. Disillusioned might be the word for it. I believe she was disillusioned by the ‘spiritual people’ talking about love and light. Yes, there are more people talking about shadow work now as well, but I get what she means now. I am getting tired of looking at the Instagram algorithm showing me all that is flashy, and ‘spiritually beautiful’ accounts showcasing what they do, and how amazing it is to have a session with them. Their marketing reels kick ass I give them that, but it is beautiful to a certain extent, and then the questioning starts to kick in. Are they for real? Is that really their real life? Are they really that spiritually evolved that nothing gets to them, that they no longer live a life of mundane challenges? And if that’s true, damn I want that life too.
Last week in my gong training with Martha Collard, we learned about the term ‘Spiritual Materialism’. The listed signs stopped me in my tracks and made me ponder, how many of us practitioners out there, are unconsciously going from living the ‘normal’ life to a ‘spiritual materialistic life’? How many of us actually know what that looks like? Having just had a major life transition moving countries, and having to adjust to a new way of life myself, I have started to wonder if spirituality lies in the mundane of the living. Because it is in these mundane moments, I have the quiet luxury to be with my thoughts to reflect on how life has evolved, and what growth actually looks like. Just for the sake of those of you who are wondering what ‘Spiritual Materialism’ looks like, here’s a list of them (excerpt from my course notes):
When I read through this list, I found myself guilty of a few of it. It was an awakening moment. One of the points in relation to sound practitioners (not in notes above), was the pursue of more fancy sound instruments. I think many sound healers around the world can relate to this, as sound healing modality becomes bigger and more well known, more sound instruments are coming out there with sounds to wow and promise transformational shifts. When in fact, sound is sound. When well delivered with the right intentions, a single bowl, or a single gong can bring about the shifts necessary for healing just as much as a whole bundle of fancy sound instruments in any sound journey. Honestly, that made me a little ashamed about my own acquisitions of sound instruments. Although I have to admit, even if I am not pursuing a career in sound healing to offer sound journeys, I may still be collecting these instruments just as a hobby, simply because they made me happy playing them. Some people collect toys, some collect stamps, coins, paintings. I collect musical instruments, and I have the skills to use them in sound journeys if I wish to, or rather, since I already have them, why not work with my sound allies, and bring about some vibrational shifts that our planet and humanity needs.
The wellness industry has been booming since Covid, and it has awakened many people into learning how to care for themselves better, which is an amazing thing, however in any industry that is booming, the pitfalls are that there will always be people going into it for the profits of it because they see where profits are, and want a piece of that wellness pie. Intentions, intentions, intentions are so important. My point in sharing about ‘Spiritual Materialism’ is hopefully to bring more awareness to every practitioner out there to take a pause and reflect upon your own journey. What are you doing whatever you are doing for? What was your original intention? Are you in anyways guilty of any of the above signs of ‘Spiritual Materialism’?
Now that we know what ‘Spiritual Materialism’ is, how can we position ourselves to prevent it from taking over our lives, and in the work that we do? Awareness. Conscious awareness is key to avoid the trap of ‘Spiritual Materialism’, because let’s admit it, we do need social media to market what we do, and we have to make it look pretty to attract new clients, but let’s not forget the real intention behind what we actually do. Sometimes healing work does not look pretty. Sometimes healing is ugly, painful, challenging, and these are often hidden behind pretty reels. Let’s not pretend that spirituality is the new fad, but honour the awakening of human kind who are truly seeking to know themselves beyond this physical life. Let’s truly connect with our hearts through the work we do, while honouring the value of our service, but keeping the awareness of ‘Spiritual Materialism’ at the back of our minds to keep us in check at all times.
