What is Spiritual Bypass? By Shannon Williams, Leadership Council Member

Spirit is the most brilliant force in this world. It is the energy that breathed life into each of us the day that we were born- perfect, whole, and complete. We are here to be Spirit in form and to be a physical manifestation of beauty, peace, love, wisdom, and harmony. As we grow and we adapt to our environment, we learn from our parents, teachers, coworkers, and friends and develop beliefs, rules, and ideas on operating within social norms. The collective consciousness of the world gives us a picture and standard for perfection and completeness in beauty, prosperity, relationships, success, health, happiness, and wisdom, and we are taught to operate toward the standard. As we see that our reality does not match that standard, we settle into some beliefs that we can't possibly be perfect and whole until these pictures match. We tell ourselves that "we are not enough to have that right now because....." or "we do not deserve that life because....." or "we are not good enough to do that because....." or sometimes we build a creative story on why abundance and health aren't easy or doesn't matter to us. We get lost in the world, unable to separate who we are from what we do. 

We May Not Recognize...

As spiritual beings and Science of Mind students, we recognize that this kind of thinking is contrary to the nature of Spirit. We know that thoughts are creative and the seed to manifesting effects. As we vision our idea of a beautiful life and support it with affirmations, prayer, and meditations, we begin to choose to see the beauty, truth, and possibility that Spirit is and presents in our lives. As setbacks and challenges happen that rock our foundation, our reality and thoughts shift, requiring a centering to get realigned with Spirit and recognizing a need to get our thoughts under control. We are back in the original tango of separation. We may or may not recognize that we have been operating with a spiritual bypass, affirming, and 'spirtual-ing' ourselves thru destructive thoughts by just thinking something different.

Every one of us has an amygdala. A little almond-shaped mass in our brains that is the information center for our emotions, emotional behavior, and motivation and is best known for the role it plays in processing fear. When our brains detect a threat, we go into defense and choose flight, fight, or freeze. This is the human side of our experience. Spirit is perfect harmony, and our brains are programmed to defend against imbalance. So, if every single time our foundation is rocked, our natural response is to defend, we must recognize that knowing the omnipotence Spirit's nature and affirming the Truth is only half of the answer. We must also get to the root of what is causing us pain in situations and experiences to rock our foundations and trigger our wounds... This is the work. It is getting past the defenses, substances, and stories we use to feel OK right now. It's getting inside the wound, surrendering and allowing ourselves to feel the pain, and then once it has been experienced, letting it go and planting a new seed that will allow us to live the life of our dreams.

Tour Guides of the Soul

Getting in the pain is uncomfortable. It can be dark and feel like you are never coming out. It can feel lonely and isolating. Skipping this part and going straight for the affirmations, may fill us up momentarily but will continue to be triggered in discordant situations. It is possible to have hope and companionship in the darkness. We are not expected to do this alone. This life is to be experienced in community, and there are brilliant people who are willing to accompany us in the dark. It's OK that it may not be our family, spouse, or friend. Practitioners are the tour guides of our soul and prepared to hold the light as we navigate our journey.

As Ernest Holmes says, "Prepare your mind to receive the best that life has to offer." There is a call to action in preparation. This is the human work. The best that life has to offer already exists. Your vision is 100% possible. Are you prepared to receive it?

By Shannon Williams

Shannon is a practitioner and ministerial intern from the Center for Spiritual Awareness in West Sacramento. She lovingly serves as a teen camp advisor, young adult leader, and on the Centers for Spiritual Living Leadership Council