🔼: [[Protector Strategies 🛡️]], [[🛡 Presence-ing]], [[🛡️ Performing]] [[💡 The Shadow]] ###### 🛡️ Spiritual Materialism If we join [[⭐ Spirituality]] or [[🕯️ Meditation 🧘|Meditation]] circles, we might start wearing beads, speaking phrases (ie 'namaste'), putting up prayer hands, changing our hair, taking on new names, getting tattoos, or joining a spiritual tradition — all to symbolically represent and integrate our beliefs in our lives. This can foster a sense of [[⭐️ Community]] and serve as a reminder of our [[⭐ Values]] or to practice, and those are all lovely things. Spiritual Materialism refers to a kind of [[🛡 Presence-ing]] mask that [[💡 Protector Parts|Protector Parts]] wear to cover themselves in these circles by doing those things [[🛡️ Performing|🛡️ performatively]]. We may believe, even unconsciously, that having [[💡 Parts|Parts]] who are prideful or ambitious, or who want money or fame or recognition, are all "bad" or shameful – but [[🔑 shame creates the Shadow]]. Spiritual Materialism is about having [[💡 Parts|Parts]] who feel this way while pretending not to in order to avoid [[🛡️ Criticizing]] parts who think these are bad or at least socially unacceptable things. It's a way to play the game while pretending not to We can notice this in subtle ways: - Taking pride in humility or having a part who [[🛡️ Criticizing|🛡️ criticizes]] others for being proud of themselves - Finding protection in speaking with [[☀️ Vulnerability|Vulnerability]] and think lesser of people who are more guarded. - Thinking highly of ourselves for being aware of our flaws and use it to raise our status and earn admiration - Putting on the air of being above our vices or worldly things when there are [[💡 Parts|Parts]] of us who aren’t - a [[💡 Parts|Part]] feigning humility to bolster other parts' sense of self-worth Some of us may have profound spiritual experiences in meditation or elsewhere. We may have noticed profound insights come to the surface in an almost self-evident kind of way, or we may have a mystical experience during a psychedelic journey. Those too can become a kind of idol, a story we tell in order to become 'a somebody' in spiritual circles. While they may criticize people who are openly ambitious, we have [[💡 Protector Parts|Protector Parts]] who hide those feelings, even from us. And so not only do we have [[💡 Parts|Parts]] with those exact same thoughts and feelings, we aren't being [[💡 Authenticity|authentic]] by owning that. Ironically, this is antithetical to most spiritual practice. This is why talking about our experiences in spirituality and meditation practice is discouraged in some communities — as a safeguard against Spiritual Materialism. That isn’t to say these experiences aren’t significant and shouldn't be talked about, because they are significant and talking about them can help others. I might even suggest these kinds of experiences are going to be necessary in order to change the direction [[The Modern World]] is moving in. This is something that can happen when spiritual truths are more intellectual learnings than embodied knowings. It's a common blindspot even in respected spiritual teachers, and is not something to be ashamed of — [[🔑 there are no bad Parts]]. Though being aware of them can help us make contact with them and to be more [[💡 Authenticity|authentic]].