Beware of spiritual hypocrisy!

While I encourage everyone to fight their demons and realise enlightenment, this is a very personal journey. In this blogpost I will tackle 3 examples of spiritual hypocrisy that disturb me the most.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been around spirituality in some shape, way, or form. For me it started as a kid, when I went to an anthroposophical school. Between the age of 4 and 6 I learned to knit, paint, and speak French.

From age 7 to 14, we got rid of our TV and stuck to a strict diet of beans, grains and vegetables (no additives and nothing fried). I also remember that when I was younger, my parents where doing Reiki courses and even consulting Reiki masters. Somewhere in this process they stopped this, what they now call ‘spiritual nonsense’, and started going to church.

I myself have meditated and done yoga for as long as I can remember. Lately I found an even better teacher and companion, called ‘silence’. Since I’ve started being silent for two to eight hours a day I see things much clearer than ever before. It is almost like I see through the bullshit and I see the underlying destructive patterns immediately.

At the moment I’m privileged to be part of a very spiritual community. I’ve also had the privilege to coach a lot of yogis, healers and coaches over the years. I love communities of people with a high self awareness and self knowledge. But there are also things that I dislike which I feel need to be addressed.

1. Yoga: not a one-size-fits-all solution

If you practice yoga or you are a yoga teacher, please don’t act like yoga is the one and only thing that can help people to ‘fight their demons or realise enlightenment’. Because you love yoga and it has worked for you, it doesn’t mean that it is a one-size-fits-all solution. We are all different, we all have our own dharma and karma. Please respect one another for finding what might be more effective for them than yoga will ever be.

My team and I have coached thousands of people, allowing them to transform into the butterfly they were meant to be. We practice transformative coaching in a holistic way.

We work with all kind of healers, coaches and trainers. We take the time to reflect with our coachees where they are at, what it is they long for, want to get rid of or want to reach. We then design a special program for each and every one of them, which may include experiences that they have never done and if it were up to them they would never think of doing.

So please understand that we are all different and at different stages or moments in our life. That’s why an integral tailor-made approach is the way to go.

2. You’re not better than them

If you are in a spiritual community, please stop ‘showing off’ your spirituality. Don’t share your good deeds with the world, while claiming how bad others are. True spirituality means that we are all one, making it unnecessary to show off your spiritual muscles.

For those that point fingers: remember, if you point at someone, there are always three fingers pointing back at you. The same goes for me. After writing this, I will dig deep and find out why some of these experiences pushed my buttons.

A truly wise person knows that he or she knows nothing. Sharing your same story over and over, only with different people and in different forms, benefits nobody. I learned this lesson when my own coach asked me why I kept repeating my story about a destructive relationship I’d had. Why did I want to keep that story alive? That was a great insight for me, because I wasn’t even aware that I was doing it! And when I became aware, I chose to change it.

3. Don’t applaud attention seekers

When somebody frames a bad experience as a positive one, because it is part of their self-discovery, don’t applaud them for sharing this. This is just a pity party for an attention seeker – don’t fall for it. It’s exactly what they need to fill the emotional black hole that they have created.

Instead of applauding them for insights they probably had earlier on (many times), just hit them in the face with the truth. It’s better to disengage or confront them with a part of their reality they rather not look at. Any other activities are a waste of time and energy in my opinion.

When I was in the relationship that I spoke of before, I would tell everybody how I didn’t understand my boyfriend, how I was doing everything right, but he…and why won’t he this, and that. It must have been exhausting to be around me at that time! I wonder how people coped with it.

I remember that my younger sister one day said to me: “What are you doing, Shanti? It is not him, it’s you. Get you f***ing act together!” Her saying that to me in that way woke me up and literally saved my life. I am so grateful because she was the only one that didn’t let me get away with my bullshit.

You choose

So please just consider the concept of spiritual hypocrisy. Don’t discard it immediately. There might be something of value in this article for you, your situation or your relationships. But if you think it’s rubbish and you want to throw it out, be my guest. However, if something resonates with you, I would love to hear it. Take care and be well.

International Speaker | Manifestation Coach | Published Author

Shanti Silos is a Manifestation Expert who guides individuals and teams to a higher level of fulfilment, business success and community development. Shanti inspires you to connect with your inner power and discover your full potential: become who you want to be, do what you where meant to do, be your own hero.

If you want to inspire others to live a life of purpose and service, you’re at the right place. Contact Shanti to find out how you can gain maximum impact through low effort, while having fun.