How To Tell If You Are Faking Spirituality

The Rise of Spiritual Narcissism and Pseudo Spirituality

I have recently noticed a rise in spiritual narcissism, in both spiritual leaders and spiritual seekers, engaging in what is known as pseudo spirituality.

This is a very tricky subject where those on the spiritual path (or claim to be) use spiritual practices and concepts such as mindfulness training, for example, to bypass (also known as spiritual bypassing) their soul lessons or doing any real inner work. They talk a good talk but are not truly walking the real spiritual path and clearly avoid doing any sincere self-reflection or deep shadow work.

In fact, they avoid dealing with their emotional issues at all cost and live in a “higher vibration” delusion.

This is the shadow of spirituality or pseudo – spirituality. Those “blinded by the light” say all the right things and yet are not in integrity with themselves or their spiritual values, oblivious to the fact that they are using spirituality to feed their own wounded egos – and this is spiritual narcissism.

Signs of spiritual by-passing:

Not being grounded in reality
Living in ‘airy-fairy’ land
Magical thinking
Compartmentalizing spiritual values
Claiming to be in a higher vibration or more spiritual than everyone else
Chasing the light rather than embracing the dark (emotional trauma, looking at your narcissistic traits, shadow work)
Suppressing or denying anger and other “negative emotions” saying it is “lower vibrations” or beneath them
Equate compassion and forgiveness with accepting other people’s behaviours that are hurting their soul
“Reflecting” and thinking that they can “think” themselves out of their issues rather than processing the emotions and embodying the lessons (intellectualization)
Not caring about the soul’s temple aka “the body”
Condemning everyone else’s shadow professing they have embraced theirs, in other words, a sense of superiority and blindness to their own covert shadow behaviour and traits
Thinking that wealth and money are not spiritual
Overemphasizing the positive (toxic positivity)
Praying to God and the Angels and not taking any action
Extremely judgmental about everything thinking they’re not
Using meditation or spirituality like a drug, to feel better and get a quick fix but not doing the REAL inner work

I could go on… but I think you get the picture.

So if you’ve been thinking that true spirituality and the healing journey is all about being overly compassionate and forgiving without any understanding of healthy boundaries but more about burning sage, connecting with fairies, thinking positive and seeing the number 11:11 everywhere you go, then you are very much mistaken.

It’s ok if you have, I did it too in the beginning of my spiritual journey because that’s what I was taught.

Real spiritual development is an inside job, it’s actually about developing in love. That’s why they say the spiritual journey is within.

There is a trend to associate spirituality with bliss, oneness, inner peace and all the “light” things..

I can tell you one thing:

You will not evolve or be able to heal anything if you do not do the inner “dirty” work!

And.. I don’t mean just “thinking” about it. Analyzing an issue does nothing unless you process the emotions in your body.

Using meditation practices to try to transcend the issue is not the answer either.

When you spiritually bypass or try to transcend the issue, you’re not integrating the life lesson or wisdom of the experience into your being.

And so you keep yourself stuck, repeating the same old patterns and facing the same issues over and over again and wonder why nothing is changing…

It takes real courage to face your fears, humility to look at your shame, and strength to embrace your deepest emotional wounds. You have to feel it and process your emotional pain in your body so that you can truly integrate and embody the lesson into your being.

The spiritual path is really not easy and that’s why it’s truly the road less traveled.

You have to walk through the fire.

And befriend the dark.

So I know this is not for everyone, it’s for the spiritual warriors.

It’s for those brave souls who are seeking to connect with the depths of their heart.

If you’re on the path, I bow to you.

This journey is infinite.

And as long as we are here on Earth we’ll have lessons to learn so you can’t be in a hurry.

There is no “get enlightened quick” route.

Your life is the spiritual path.

Your challenges and obstacles are the way so you may as well embrace it.

I invite you to look deeper, to breathe, to feel and embody whatever is going on in your life.

One thing I learned along my healing journey over and over again is that the only way out is through.

So have courage, look everything in the eye fearlessly.

See the reflection of what you are experiencing in your immediate reality internally and come to peace with what is.

And only then can you take the next step on your path.

P.S. If you’re struggling to walk the path, sacred to get burnt in the fire of self-discovery or fear losing yourself in the dark, allow me to guide you. Click here to know more about my intuitive coaching and emotional healing services.

All techniques and information I share are considered coaching, self-help or complementary therapies. I am not a licensed psychologist, psychiatrist or medical doctor, I have a degree in Health Sciences in Complementary Therapies. Everything I write and talk about comes mainly from my own experience in healing myself and the tools, techniques, and resources I learned throughout my own inner journey.

Follow me on social media: