Why Spirituality Sucks (And What to Do About It)

Namaste and buckle up…

First, the Legend…

Like out of the pages of an old, forgotten prophecy (or any anime plot), hinted at in oral histories and legends from around the globe, our world is failing so that we can create for ourselves a new one…

The Earth is turning faster, and truth becomes more indistinguishable from lies. Thanks, internet.

As a society, we are herded toward consumption and consumerism, down a lane where many choices float in front of our faces. Few are actually available, and the available options don’t often nourish. Every purchase on Amazon is performing at like, 3.5 stars.

We, the people, are left to forge our lives in the wilderness of this world. Not the forested wilderness of early humans, but a concrete, socioeconomic, and cultural wilderness that is out of touch with our innermost spiritual, emotional, and psychological needs.

Cut to a Hazy Interview Shot of Me Drinking Tea…

Spirituality has evolved since I began practicing as a psychic and spiritual advisor about a decade ago.

In my early days, we, the mystics of the 2010s, wrote articles, spoke, gave readings, read poems, and generally tried to direct people’s attention toward personal transformation in any way possible. We wanted them to question everything, much like the psychedelic movement of the 60's.

If I could create a Public Service Announcement for that era, the 2010s, It would read:

“The world doesn’t have to work this way. Don’t let your life be decided for you. Wake up to the Universe inside yourself!”

People quickly ate the proof with the pudding it arrived in. Much of society now believes in magic, synchronicity, and a connected Universe in some form or another. Sometimes people believe so much these days that they OVERSPIRITUALIZE and bypass the real work,

but our minds have opened, and we aren’t going back.

Many people think we are becoming dumber as a species with social media and widespread “popcorn brain,” but I would suggest that your enlightened, open, ripe mind lives in a world with so much information hurtling toward you at such an incredible rate that it has decided it wants things simple.

What Isn’t Ultimate Truth

I believe it will ring true for the next 10,000 years that if it ain’t simple, it ain’t worth SHIT to you, spiritual or otherwise. Nothing complicated in this world will be worth anything in 100 years (if it even still exists).

Complicated things create a camouflage that hides inadequacy and makes something look more useful than it really is. If you want a good example, look at the student loan system.

Forbes reported in August of 2022 that the complicated and predatory system of student loansharking costs MORE to maintain than it can hope to collect:

“…a new analysis by the Government Accountability Office (G.A.O.) suggests that E.D.’s estimates were off by hundreds of billions of dollars. Instead of earning a $100 billion profit, student loans will actually cost taxpayers nearly $200 billion.”

• ahem*

Politics and anarchic fantasies aside, something has been happening with spiritual systems for thousands of years; they have been kept complicated, controlled by a priest class (that was us in the 2010's), separated by information and paywalls, and generally Wizard-of-Ozed into looking cool and powerful while taking you farther from your goal.

It’s Heaven’s Gate, from the comfort of your own home, without the suicide pacts and shared washcloths.

In the future, I believe much of spirituality, mental health, and personal growth will become largely self-guided. It should rely on a cross-pollination of personal ideas and experiences, shared information, and personal support systems hand-picked by us. Maybe a few helpful thought leaders in service to the greater good. The power should return entirely to us, the individuals.

Will we transcend the heavily saturated, pay-to-play marketplace of transformation, where there is a niche-coach for every ill and a guru in every industry? Only time will tell, and only we can decide.

So, what’s 2023’s P.S.A.?

“Relinquish Your Malas, the Priest Class is Dead. You Are The Conduit. Go Now, Within. Nothing Else Is Needed.

P.S. You, With The Crystal Grid, Don’t Be So Extra.”

What Ultimate Truth I.S.

The only thing a spiritual experience can give you are glimpses of truth that are so deep and groundbreaking that it is self-evident.

Spiritually acquired truths build a foundation of receptivity for future self-evident truths, and this process of learning and growing helps you sync up with the flow of “Universal Truth,” and the “Universal Mind”.

It’s really just a busy beehive of information that you may overlook if you can’t settle down, and most of it was already in Nikola Tesla’s brain.

If you like arbitrary terms and dead lingo, “Universal T&M” is kind of like a river you get to drink out of and play in if your “higher self” says you were “good,” meaning you have been self-aware, ask the right questions about yourself and the world, reflect often, and listen to your intuition and what “calls” to you.

You, too, can look forward to continually surrendering additional stagnant ego pieces, while keeping access to your individuality (of course,) and relieving yourself of even more outdated trauma and societal conditioning.

Now, On to TikTok

Tired of the exclusivity, mansplaining, and hoop jumping? You want the truth, and you want it now! Spiritual information is going to need to stop being heady, complicated, technical, and above all annoying.

Those alpha male, boss babe spiritual entrepreneur, and pay-to-play vibes are dying archetypes. Your human design coach needs your deposit on a package of ten sessions for more spiritual intimacy coaching. And you didn’t buy their evergreen course, which they spent SIX LONG MONTHS on. That’s the real dilemma.

Your mind wants all the vital info without the crap. If you are willing to dive deep into studying the layers of yourself and the world, validate your inner voice, recognize patterns, and listen to your inner knowing, you will find spiritual truth again, and again, and again. For FREE. Life provides the material for those who listen.

Yes, you were given lifetime access to the only course you will ever need at birth.

Instead of committing to a thought cult or spending thousands of dollars, internet culture and “micro-learning” approaches will grow more appealing to those who want it simple because they easily distill lots of info into about 5 minutes (and sometimes 60 seconds) or less.

When it comes to mental health, writing advice, and specialty knowledge, Medium is already fulfilling this role. TikTok ain’t doing too bad either.

The shift in “seekers” toward sweet and simple should mean a rise in short blogs, videos, mini-courses, and books, as well as more art and creative expression when it comes to teaching and learning.

Want a fantastic example of this? Check out Mindy Kurtmer’s illustrations on her Instagram profile. Talk about a micro-learning expert! She’s a game changer.

Also, less “seeking” and more more doing! That means less time figuring out the “Secrets of the Universe,” and more time collecting what really changes a life: lived experience.

You are gonna have so much raw, naked, spiritual truth you’ll need eyedrops in your third eye. And a cold shower.

Seriously.

It’s gonna burn so bad from being wide open, basking in the joy of connection, while simultaneously weeping as you continually live in the decaying society you’re here to rebuild.

It’s okay, it will get better.

I think.

K.I.S.S.

Keep it simple, and all truth will be revealed…

Just not too simple, okay? Ask the right questions, reflect, observe, and go deep to find yourself. Also, play, explore, learn, grow. It’s deep, but not that serious.

Remember, this approach is simple, but it is not EASY. It’s exactly because it is not easy that I propose the spirituality of the future should (and hopefully will) be self-evident. It should offer “wise nuggets” that empower you to see differently.

You should be able to use spiritual insights in your life immediately and unpack spirituality’s truths over time for more effect, to discover the deeper layers. It should cost less, do more, and require fewer achievement-based actions. This is starting to sound like the commercial for a new action figure.

And, maybe inspiration and direction could also come from stuff that isn’t…traditionally spiritual? Sometimes that’s the worst place to find novel ideas and a fresh perspective.

It’s all been done.

My hope is that people will stop feeling like they can achieve something spiritually and learn to live better, love deeper, and enhance their world; along with our lives, relationships, self-image, confidence, intimacy, and so on.

Magic could be simple, straightforward, and sometimes immediate because we dropped all pretenses and stopped putting ourselves so far away from the goal. Maybe we would start seeing ourselves as interconnected in ways we have yet to understand.

Also, maybe we, the spiritual people of the world, can invite practicality back to the table? Practicality and consistency are so magical, and unfortunately lots of “spiritual people” avoid them.

Be Natural, Be Wakeful, Be You

The bad news is that Tarot, Meditation, and Yoga won’t get you enlightened anymore. You don’t need a new system, modality, ritual, or “practice”. Please, can we ditch those words? Life came equipped with all the lessons, and you chose which ones you needed to shape your path and transform your being.

If you’re alive and reading this, your success rate for overcoming challenges is still 100%, so what you need now is to learn how to think.

I want to suggest the idea of “wakefulness,” which is a gentle awareness of:

• What’s best for you
• What’s best for all
• What’s possible
• What you can control
• What you should let go of
• Your best next steps, even baby steps
• How you relate to the people around you, yourself, your universe, and your inner world
• Probably lots of other things you’ll discover as you do it

I want to challenge you: How can you find your own kind of magic and truth?

Is it complicated, multifaceted, simple?

How powerful are the insights and outcomes of your Ultimate Truth?

Your ultimate truth should be unique and one-of-a-kind. It can’t be learned by copying another, and it can’t be replicated. Nothing wrong with getting creative and trying on a few new hats though.

You can’t get this wrong, so get curious. Time to see for yourself.

In the meantime, it’s good to remember that progress in life looks different for everyone. It’s often subjective, or downright illusionary. For this reason, psychological, emotional, and spiritual progress can be nearly impossible to measure.

Growth, wisdom, and understanding usually just lead to…more growth.

Yuck. Also, Yay!

Bon Voyage!

In Paulo Coelho’s “The Alchemist”, his main character, Santiago, learns to listen to the “Soul of the World.” Throughout his journey, he discovers and awakens many different sides of himself. Santiago guides his life using the wisdom of his diverse and lived experiences, but he always remains open to a little bit of synchronicity.

I suggest that we attempt to do the same.

I believe that Coelho found his ultimate truth, and he also did us a huge favor. Instead of preaching about it, he wrapped it into a work of timeless fiction so it could be rediscovered again, and again from different perspectives for years to come.

And, if you’re looking for a good place to start (or refresh your journey), I have always pointed my clients to “The Alchemist,” his book.

Happy adventuring!

Hi, I’m Yale and I write as “Chronic Wellness.”

I’ve made my living as a psychic and spiritual guide for the last ten years, and I’ve never had a real job. I’m now disabled because I have a serious and incurable illness, but I don’t usually feel sad about it. In a weird twist of fate, it helped me rediscover my passion for writing.

I’m new to Medium, so I’d love to make new friends. Check out my other work, and if you like it you can follow me. If I like your work, I promise I’ll follow you too.

If you’re interested in learning more about my day job or getting a reading from me, check out my website. I like to help people and I often get told that I’m good at what I do.

Thanks for reading!