Spiritual Self-Care Or Ego Indulgence?

Spiritual or metaphysical practice is a pursuit designed to help bring greater meaning and fulfillment to our lives. It is a lifestyle that requires us to be very honest with ourselves and very intentional about the choices we make. But lately I’ve seen a lot of discourse around spirituality that basically encourages you to do pretty much whatever you want in the name of ‘free will’ and ‘self-care.’

Free will is sacred. Yes, it’s true that we are divine, spiritual beings who get to enjoy this incredible adventure of physical life. We get to choose how we move in the world, what we want for ourselves, and how we want to live. But there are two sides to this coin. Yes, we can choose what we want to manifest and how we wish to live our lives, but that does not absolve us of our karmic responsibilities and the consequences of our actions.

I’ve written before about karma and how it’s not meant to be a punishment, but rather a teacher. There are to metaphysical laws that are the basis to our karmic responsibility in this lifetime, namely the universal law of cause and effect and the spiritual law of karma.

The universal law of cause and effect is that for every action there is a reaction. There is a natural order in the universe in which our actions always have consequences, both good and bad.

The spiritual law of karma is a more specific application of the law of cause and effect. According to this law, the totality of our actions in this life, as well as all of our past lives, determine our future. This means that our actions create the conditions for our future experiences, both good and bad.

Whatever we choose to do affects our own lives, the lives of others, the well-being of all living beings and our planet, and most importantly, the future. If we choose a heart-centered, benevolent path, we will find more heartfelt experiences coming into our lives. If we choose a selfish, greedy, narcissistic path, we will see that selfishness, greed and narcissism reflected back to us.

Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live ~ Oscar Wilde

This is why discipline, awareness and self-reflection are the cornerstones of a truly spiritual lifestyle. It’s so important for us to be honest with ourselves about the consequences of our choices and to take responsibility for the outcomes we manifest in the world.

With a plethora of spiritual ‘gurus’ out there, it is easy to find people who tell us exactly what we want to hear, rather than what we need to hear. Satisfying our ego and superficial desires is not the path to enlightenment and true fulfillment.

This is why it is important to take the time to truly reflect on our choices and the consequences of those choices for ourselves and the world around us. It’s not always easy to take personal responsibility in this way, but it is vital that we do so if we are to truly progress in our spiritual growth and soul evolution.

For example, the concept of ‘self-care’ has become a buzzword in spirituality and metaphysics. But there is a big difference between spiritual self-care and mere self-indulgence. If so-called self-care becomes an excuse for materialistic hedonism, selfish indulgence, or instant gratification, it will lead us astray. We need to be very honest with ourselves and examine our motives for why we do what we do and why we want certain things.

The concept of I Am God is a central tenet in modern alternative spirituality. It is the idea that we are all divine beings, or ‘sparks of the divine,’ and therefore we have free will and the power to create our own reality and manifest our desires.

But this notion seems to have been watered down by some believers to imply that because we have the freedom to manifest whatever we wish, it is a good and proper thing to fulfill our every arbitrary desire, regardless of how it may affect ourselves or others. After all, they say, we came here to experience a lot of good things, didn’t we? So let’s make the most of this opportunity!

Superficial spirituality is like a quick fix. It may make you feel good for a moment, but it doesn’t address the real issues ~ Marianne Williamson

This is a clever trick of the ego and we need to be aware of it. If we can be honest with ourselves about why we want the things we want, and what the true results of those manifested desires will be, we can look at our choices through a more grounded lens. Spiritually conscious people are supposed to look at life through the eyes of God, Source, Spirit, the Divine. This is how we ensure that we are truly on an enlightened path to developing deeper understanding, meaning, wisdom, and lasting satisfaction in our lives.

Yes, we all carry a spark of the Divine within us, but that does not negate the fact that the Divine is also present in everyone and everything around us. We co-create this reality, and therefore our choices and actions matter for the greater good.

Is your ego potentially leading you astray? Is your path to enlightenment blocked by materialism or hedonism? What choices have you made that do not truly support a heart-centered life? Where might you be deceiving yourself for the temporary pleasure of self-indulgence or instant gratification? These are difficult questions to face in our modern world. Yet, honest self-examination is spiritually transformative.

Following a path of spiritual and personal growth requires responsibility and discipline. The rewards are well worth the temporary discomfort we may experience when we have to be brutally honest with ourselves. Karma is a teacher, and the rewards of living from a heart-centered, self-aware, and compassionate place are immeasurable.