Healing Metaphysics Home > Archive> Anchoring The Spirit

Article By Michael Finn
Copyright Michael Finn

Seems many folk these days, especially in the wake of many 'new age' influences, regard the term, 'spiritual' as referring to elements of our experiences and so on, which exist in some separate, 'other-than-me', non-corporeal form or domain, unattached to the physical realm somehow.

Its like one has to become spiritual through some special effort, rather than it being a birth right .As such 'spiritual' is often represented as some exotic or unusual state needing to be reached, experienced, or 'grown' towards, but somehow divorced or dislocated from everyday activity or life. Many people espousing the 'personal growth' campaigns, just never seem to get there. I suspect that this is actually related to their intrinsic feeling of unworthiness and the thing that doesn't 'grow' is true self-esteem.

Whereas meditation, prayer or austerities may be viewed as 'spiritual', pregnancy, gardening and childcare seem to have a whole different emphasis. Yet, one of the peak experiences in my life is, for example, a hug from/with my child (no matter how old he/she may be!). I feel the moment so deeply, that it is definitely a spiritual experience.

Basically such an orientation creates a 'holy grail' effect, whereby spiritual salvation and absolute personal growth etc, (i.e., I have finally made it), are always just out of reach. So too then, is true happiness, as it is synonymous with 'becoming complete'.

The term 'spiritual', infers it's opposite, and by doing so, creates a polarity i.e., the 'non-spiritual'. Similarly, and commonly, (in new age parlance), my so-called 'higher-self' presumes a 'lower-self'. I've observed many clients, thus aligned and identified, refer to their lower selves as problematic, usual suspects, somehow debased and unworthy:- a seeming repository for the likes of guilt and other unwarranted guests.

I would regard this 'lower self', as it were, as my primal, instinctual and organic drives; dedicated to self preservation; alias, the seedbed of my creative impulses, self expression, confidence and personal power.

Such attitudes in reference to the spiritual accentuate the way in which people spend their lives deferring primarily to 'others' to solve their problems, be there to save them, to support them and so on.

This expectation slows down one's necessary journey into 'self-responsibility', to a stand still. As long as I look outside my ordinary life for answers, for wisdom, for spiritual guidance, for forgiveness, for redemptive qualities, I shall not evolve far in consciousness. Deference to outer 'others', perpetuates the so-called growth of which we hear so much.

Healing Metaphysics Home > Archive> Anchoring The Spirit