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“Feelings of superiority always stem from an illusion.”

Marty Rubin

Narcissism seems to be everywhere lately and so it only makes sense that it has found its way into the Spiritual world.

I like to address issues that I see arise in our community because it’s a way to open dialogue and allow people the opportunity to grow, and change.

Isn’t that the point of our journeys anyways? To become better versions of ourselves?

How is that possible if we do not grow? If we do not face all facets of our being?

Everybody has an ego, and the ones who deny theirs are the ones I trust the least.

I prefer someone so in touch with their ego that they come off as a narcissistic, passive aggressive douchebag than deal with someone who says they have no ego at all.

And, the irony of this is that for a long, long time I was afraid to feed my own ego and so I would deny its existence in a sense; I knew it was there, I knew I had one, I just preferred to avoid that part of my Soul.

It bit me in the ass.

Hard.

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Our ego must be fed to be kept in line; it cannot be denied, and it cannot be overindulged.

I believe, personally, when we are talking about ego, it epitomizes the term “everything in moderation”.

Ego must be dosed out in moderation, and in desperate times only; especially for Spiritual people because overfeeding our ego can lead to a variety of unsavory traits, the most notorious being Spiritual Elitism.

Spiritual Elitism is the idea that your Spiritual Philosophy and experience(s) make you more enlightened than your counterparts. Spiritual Elitists (SE’s for this article) believe that they are better than another person because they know more, have studied more, have seen more, etc.

Therefore, we have so many fake gurus out there; they are nothing more narcissists in disguise.

Every single person who jumps on this path for purposes of Ego will get caught, it’s inevitable.

In general, anyone who jumps on this path for the wrong reasons will get caught; either by the community itself, or by the Spirits.

You can’t proclaim enlightenment while also proclaiming that you are better than another person, or another path.

I’ve been guilty of harshly criticizing others, so I’m not throwing stones here.

I have openly cracked jokes about (some) Wiccans being the “stereotypical judgy Christians” of the Witchcraft community but I don’t think I am better than Wiccans.

I have openly talked about my disdain for organized religion, but I don’t think I am better than followers of Abrahamic faiths, or those who want religion (of any kind) in their life.

I’m still working through wounds the Roman Catholic Church left me with.

Ironically, working with Saints has helped bring clarity.

My point is, I approach everyone as if we are on equal playing ground.

I know, I know, I can hear the gasps now.

“Not everyone deserves to be treated like we play on the same field and at the same level!”

“They have to earn my respect!”

And on, and on, and on, and on…

I treat everyone as an equal for four reasons: people will surprise you, people will let you down, people have endless potential and, it’s the right fucking thing to do.

We live in a world that divides and defines us, I prefer to give people more than that when I interact with them on a personal level.

I want people to know that they are seen, that they are more than those labels slapped on them.

SE’s are all about the labels, too. That’s what makes them stand out the most; they thrive off being different than others.

They are the ones who even among fellow Witches and Mystics are the “rarest, most special” and usually claim to have a direct connection to a deity that no one else can have a connection with. Iftentimes, the deity in question is one who is worshiped by millions across the world, and so, it makes it all the more unbelievable but easier to detect.

I, like many of you, have connections to deities but I do not believe I am the only one, I do not believe I am special because of those connections; I believe I am in tune.

And, I am in tune because I have worked my ass off to find that frequency.

As for labels, I use them but I don’t believe they make me special—they help people understand.

I like to know how people identify themselves because it helps me understand; I don’t limit them to those definitions though, just like they should not limit me to mine, either.

There is a way to be enlightened, and have a fulfilling Spiritual life without having an elitist complex that makes you live under the impression you are somehow better than another person.

I feel like, even for those of us who walk the LHP, that is the exact opposite of what our end goal is.

We are not here to be better than anyone else, we are here to be better than previous versions of ourselves.

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As I have said many times in the past, I stumbled into this role of being a mentor, and teacher but I have slowly learned to embrace it.

People ache for connection, and to have someone they can run things by regarding Magick, ritual, dreams, experiences, etc.

If I can be that person, cool; if the page I have created can be that refuge, even better.

If people become better versions of themselves because of the topics brought up, the goal has been met.

I don’t need or want followers, I don’t need or want people to worship me or bow at my feet, I don’t need or want to be applauded or pat on the back, I don’t need or want to be praised for how (insert butt kissing compliment here) I am:

I want people to step onto the path to find their truth, open the door, light their fire, and burn in it.

We must become torches in these times of darkness.