Spiritual Recession
by Chandi Devi
Most people in the beginning of their spiritual practice are so inspired, bursting with zest and enthusiasm (often called the “honeymoon period”). At first, they may feel motivated to do their practices every day, but if they are focused only on the end result of their practices, they become the doer and over a period of time they get bored. As their interest wanes, their hopes vanish and they become disillusioned or bored. So the search is on for another quick fix.
Their focus should be not on some goal in the future, but on the present; becoming the witness rather than the doer. It is important to have no expectation, but to “allow”, because along with expectation comes his twin opposite, disappointment.
Spiritual practice cannot thrive on a series of quick fixes. It is long, slow and arduous at worst, but rewarding, transforming and magical at best. But you have patience with no expectation. Most people however, rush from one from one thing to the next without committing long enough to measure the benefits. They want as many experiences in as short a period of time as humanly possible.
Quick fix solutions are not the cure for boredom or an unfulfilled life. Workshops every other weekend can be exciting, but you can expect complete burnout as your expectations don’t materialize. Workshops are wonderful when they provide a continuity of your practices, but what I am talking about here is the unconscious attitude of let’s try this, let’s try that method. The more things you “try” just to have something to do on Saturday night, the more elusive the goal. You suffer from disappointment because of this apparent lack of results, and so you start looking for the next hot thing.
This is the fast food mentality to spirituality — fast, easy, convenient and trouble free. You fear any kind of commitment and the moment you have to commit, you are off to the next great thing. This short attention span will create a recession of the spirit, which can be very damaging. Like a washing machine stuck on spin cycle, the laundry never gets done. You’ll become dizzy from just spinning round and round.
In the pursuit of real or pseudo enlightenment, the Kundalini Shakti, (who may have been aroused from dormancy) needs more than ever to be supported by steady practices and guidance.
Sudden withdrawal of the practices after she has been stirred from her sleep can be detrimental to your well being. You could experience mental anguish in some form– physical pain, emotional suffering and psychological traumas if you are not careful. You have awakened her; now you have a responsibility to keep yourself “available” to her. Your neglect and a lack of direction either halts her right in the midst of her journey or keeps her stuck in a certain chakra, affecting your health and well being. Your life will become like a ship without a captain.
This spiritual recession can be avoided by staying vigilant, aware, and mindful at all times. Don’t be caught in an unconscious mind set. Watch yourself, your thoughts, your emotions, your actions. Follow your path with the spiritual maturity and attitude of a warrior. Rather than court your short attention span and wander to and fro, you can practice diligence, patience and trust that the Universe knows exactly what you need, but you have to do your work too. Chandi Devi showed great interest in spirituality and mysticism even as a young child, a passion that would eventually lead her to immerse herself in the study and practice of tantra yoga. She co-authored “From Om to Orgasm: the Tantra Primer for Living in Bliss”, which won finalist awards in two categories in the 2008 National Best Books Awards competition.
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Chandi is host of the online radio show “The KarmaCaffe Spiritual Hour” and co-creator of KarmaCaffe.com and “The World of Tantra” DVD’s, a set of three practice videos that activate and transmute sexual energy (kundalini shakti). She has been featured in magazines, given many radio interviews and is a featured writer for several websites.
Connect with Chandi at: http://chandidevi.com
