Mar 4, 2022
Beware the Enlightened Narcissist
The Toxic Side of Spirituality
Shh. Listen. Close your eyes. Repeat after me: I am more than my physical body.
Now… Open your eyes.
Hear that? There is a quiet movement happening that aims to bring our species and collective consciousness closer and closer towards enlightenment — the apex of our journey as a soul embarking on the human experience. Countless books, podcasts, and seminars all look to push past the barriers of reality and steer us towards our more spiritual side — the side we were allegedly never meant to lose touch with in the first place; our true nature. With such a movement comes the inevitable rise of narcissism through viral TikToks, Instagram info-graphics, how-to articles, YouTube videos, and more— all boasting a spiritually woke path and how you must follow suit.
I do believe there is a spiritual side to all of us. There is more to our consciousness than what we currently understand — a lot more. I think those depths are certainly worth exploring through meditation, certain literature, and beyond. During times like these, when the world is in an immense amount of pain, it is no wonder why people turn to some form of prayer. It can be quite the solace. In today’s age of turmoil, fear, and uncertainty, it is romantic to hope that our planet’s next big chapter may be a transcendental one.
When I was 14, I was entranced by The Secret. When I was 18, I discovered meditation. When I was 27, I marveled over Eckhart Tolle’s seemingly swift transition from depressed individual to enlightened guru. But as I’ve grown older, I’ve also developed a heightened awareness of what happens when enlightenment — or rather, the quest for enlightenment; the guise of enlightenment; the aura of enlightenment — falls into the hands of a narcissist.
Dr. Deepak Chopra describes enlightenment as a self-aware being who has tapped into unity consciousness and the understanding that love is the ultimate truth.
In a 2017 Dr. Phil episode, he had a guest who claimed to be enlightened. This ‘spiritual awakening’ had caused extreme hurt and jeopardy to the guest’s family. In the episode, it is revealed that the guest lost $200,000 of his family’s savings in his obsessive quest to open all of his chakras, which he then claimed to have done to success — faster than anyone, no less. He sat on Dr. Phil’s stage with a knowing smirk, claiming to know all of the answers to life’s greatest questions, while his wife sat across from him in tears. This was not the man she married. Even the Dalai Lama claims to not have all the answers — yet Alex from Dr. Phil does. And the pain he has caused his close friends and family is irrelevant. Deepak Chopra appeared on the same episode citing that there is such a thing as “pretending to be enlightened” and that’s when I became enlightened to the risk of an egomaniac finding nirvana — or at least claiming to.
I began to think of social media and the number of enlightened beings who appear on there, gloriously sharing about their awakening and ascension into a five-dimensional reality; one that vibrates at a higher frequency than the lowly people in the comment sections. Scroll through a TikTok FYP long enough and you’ll find them. They are experts; forever telling you to just ‘wake up’, always showcasing the breakthroughs in speaking with extra-terrestrial beings, or intense meditation insights (never failing to capture a photo, in the process). Make no mistake, I am not critiquing those who document their health and mental wellness and provide valuable and effective education in the meantime. That is certainly a positive thing; and something that can encourage others to find their own vulnerability in taking care of themselves. No. I am talking about those who spin those same posts into framing themselves as something holier than the average person.
Because of my many, varied interests (everything from world religions to — I can’t help it — aliens and UFOs), my Instagram and TikTok is often filled with accounts by ‘woke’ individuals. Their advice is often, I find, troubling. Cut out the negativity in your life. Those who criticize you are still asleep — they don’t understand you. Here’s how to accelerate your enlightenment. Start lucid dreaming tonight! Open your root chakra today! This reality is a matrix. We live in a simulation. We live on a flat earth. The elite are keeping you in a lower vibration. War, famine, poverty — it’s all pretend. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. And so on…
If enlightenment is the true shedding of the ego, does all of this not further feed the ego? Does talking endlessly into a phone about how enlightened you are not negate the enlightenment in the first place? An online presence is, after all, an identity; an avatar of the ego you associate with. If you were truly enlightened, would you feel the need for social media at all? Further to that, you’ll find a hidden narcissist is combative when challenged. Would an enlightened being — one who understands love as the ultimate truth — not patiently accept the egoic mindset of those around them with grace and patience?
I’m not enlightened. I have had moments of great clarity and I strive to get back to those epiphanies but I fall victim to the same things we all do. At times, my emotions and fears set anchors in my mind, rather than behaving as passing ships in the sea. And thus, the great tug-of-war within me prevails as I continue my daily practice.
I believe striving for enlightenment should be a goal for all of us. But beware of those who claim to have the key. There are some enlightened individuals out there, but I believe far less than what appears to be. If these online experts, gurus, influencers, and spiritual beings were to take a moment to re-evaluate — perhaps even spend a little time offline — they might just find it was their ego talking all along.
Indeed, the more we post about our spiritual awakening; the more we boast, compare and ask, “Is this enlightenment? Am I enlightened yet?” the further we move from shedding the ego and the further we move from unity and love as the ultimate truth.
