While the phenomenon has its roots in concepts like the peacock tail effect in evolutionary psychology, the word “bigger” here doesn’t merely refer to size. It refers to a higher level of sophistication, forms of superiority and validation of authenticity of the spiritual experience. Apart from the base idea of one religion being better than another, this phenomenon shows itself up in multiple ways, especially in an age of ‘power yoga’ and ‘power spirituality’. These are just some instances in which you might see the spiritual competition manifest itself in the world of spirituality.

Signs of spiritual ego

The inner circle syndrome

In many ashrams or retreats there are likely to be one or two key spiritual leaders who are at the so-called helm of affairs. It is quite common in such situations to see some followers losing focus on their spiritual pursuit, while aiming to get closer to the Guru or spiritual leader. They want to become part of the inner circle — it is the spiritual ego at work. Demonstrating the typical spiritual competition mindset, there are some who even go to the extent of wanting to be the “favorite” follower or disciple. While there is nothing particularly wrong with this, it simply isn’t what a spiritual journey should be about.

The journey/destination conflict

In spirituality, there are several roads that lead to the destination, and many a times the spiritual experience is the road itself. There is an unsaid clash of different mindsets here. While one set of people pursue spirituality to get to a final point of bliss, enlightenment or whatever you choose to call it, there is another set that attributes more importance to the spiritual journey rather than the destination. Of course there is a third group that gives equal importance to the spiritual journey and the destination, or see no difference between the two. While there’s some truth to each of these mindsets, it certainly doesn’t establish the superiority of one mindset over the other. All it establishes is that people need to pursue spirituality based on what works for them.

The time myth

The time frame factor plays a crucial role in people’s perceptions of a spiritual practice. While there is no debate that, with time and preparation, one gets better at anything including spiritual practice, the duration is not certainly an indicator of spiritual progress. It is as if a quick path or easy access to a spiritual experience is not real or authentic. There are some who’ve had profound spiritual experiences in their very first attempt or class while there others who’ve had a life-changing spiritual experience after many years of practice. There are still some for whom a trek in the mountains or just watching children play in a park triggered a spiritual awakening.

Another dimension of the spiritual competition around the time myth is related to the time spent doing the spiritual practice itself. For example, many meditators see the ability to meditate for extended periods at a stretch to be more advanced than meditating for a few minutes a day. Again, it is one’s spiritual ego that measures and compares. Though it might require a certain amount of practice and ability to even sit in the same position for more than an hour, it is certainly not an indicator of the quality or level of one’s spirituality.

The experience trap

It is not uncommon in any spiritual practice for people to have interesting experiences at different points. These experiences could be anything from getting a feeling of immense peace, to stillness or even feeling the presence of god in one’s own way. What mostly gets missed out is that spirituality is beyond these experiences. Unfortunately, many individuals get sucked into or sometimes even get addicted to these experiences. Worst still, people even equate the nature of the experience to spiritual progress. This is nothing more than reducing spirituality to a mere set of experiences —a sure shot sign of spiritual ego.

A spiritual experience can’t be described

Many believe that a spiritual experience needs to be complex. No it does not. There are talks by some spiritual gurus that specifically state that if someone can describe a spiritual incident to you then it is not real because a true spiritual occurrence cannot be described in words. While an extended spiritual experience could be more difficult to explain than simpler feelings and emotions, it is certainly not a metric to measure the caliber of the experience itself. The fact of the matter is that it is perfectly possible for someone with a good enough vocabulary to explain the range of feelings and emotions that one has experienced during a spiritual trip. That does not take away from the quality or genuineness of that experience. On the other hand, it is also true that some deep spiritual experiences are nothing more than simple feelings like gratitude, humility, peace, love and togetherness, which are well understood by most people.

Worshiping the unknown

This is an extension of the previous point and a cornerstone of sorts when it comes to spiritual comparison and, by extension, spiritual ego. In many parts of the world, the whole idea of spirituality leans heavily on God, mythology and other beliefs. A belief is something that one has conviction in and takes for granted; something that is held as true, despite the odds. So the concept of belief is foundational to spirituality. Even with respect to spiritual experiences, our treatment is no different. When someone has a spiritual experience that is inexplicable, unclear and perhaps incomprehensible, it is given greater importance than an experience that is more direct and clearly understood.

For instance, when a person is involved in a spiritual practice and experiences a series of colors passing through their closed eyelids, feels a burst of energy from their gut and transcends into a space of peace and tranquillity like never before, it is treated as a blessed event—perhaps one that is showered on the person by the almighty and one that the person was ‘lucky’ to experience. On the contrary, if someone sits down for a spiritual practice but gets lost in thought, they think about their school days and school friends and feel great and light at the end of it, but it is treated as a daydream. This is also the same reason why an out-of-body experience is treated as a more spiritual experience than the feeling of bliss you experience while lying on your couch on a Sunday afternoon reading your favorite book.

In conclusion: Beware of the spiritual rat race

The truth is that no spiritual experience is better or worse. Driving a bigger and fancier car is no superior to riding on a bullock cart or vice versa. They are both different and have their own place in the scheme of things; the same concept applies to spirituality. To grow spiritually, you need to be one with the spiritual pursuit and experience. Stepping out of that and focusing on ideas, like the superiority of the experience and the tenure, takes people several steps back or at best keeps them marking time—they are trapped in  spiritual competition, which is just another form of rat race.

Last updated on 20^th October 2022

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But don’t get disheartened. By unlocking your creativity, art can help you prevent and even reverse the harmful effects caused by your suppressed emotions.

The Therapeutic Power of Art

“Art is the only way to run away without leaving home.”
— Twyla Tharp

I once asked a distinguished art therapist in Japan, “What is it about art that gives it its therapeutic quality?” She said, “It silences your mind and, if required, empties it and brings it back to its truest and most natural state of being.” She went on to tell me how she had used art to relieve people of challenges like stress, body aches, worry, as well as cure people of cancer, heart ailments, depression, strokes and bipolar disorder.

Even for those of you who aren’t directly involved in the creation of art, merely visiting a good art gallery to watch an art exhibition or display of paintings helps. The silence of the art gallery, the beauty of the pieces displayed and the stillness and serene energy slows the mind from its usual breakneck pace.

Here are a few ways to help you embark on the journey of unlocking your creativity and discovering the therapeutic value of art.

Also read » Creativity: The secret of happiness, wellness, and positive change

How to Unlock and Liberate Your Creativity

Being here and now

One of the qualities of creating a piece of art is that it forces you to step into the present. Since most of our mental fog is either about the future or the past, merely being in the present for an extended period of time helps in creating the mental space required to gain clarity and process other information later. While several other activities could also offer the same benefit, art does so in a cajoling and non-threatening way, especially if approached in the right manner.

The best way to start painting is to not keep any specific deadline or visual outcome in mind; simply go with the flow. Even if you have no clue about what you are going to paint, allow the blankness of the page to guide you. Let your intuition and instincts guide your hand and keep following it. If you are used to starting with a definite image or goal in mind, try one of the following if you like:

• Try to get that image completely wrong in all possible ways and enjoy the process of doing it
• Try to create that entire image with scribbles and splashes of color rather than with well defined lines. This will help you loosen up
• Try the minimalist approach: reduce the image to its bare essence by stripping off anything unnecessary. Ask yourself what would be the simplest form of the image; then only paint that.

This can teach you valuable lessons about going downstream and not being an obsessed perfectionist. And just for the record, an hour spent in creating a painting is equivalent to an hour of mindfulness meditation.

Emotional de-cluttering

Color has a direct effect on the emotional part of your brain. The amygdala, responsible for emotions and motivations—especially the more rudimentary ones—is the seat of several intense emotions like fear, anger and pleasure. Also, the right side of the brain is more intuitive, imaginative and creative than the left. Art greatly stimulates the amygdala and the right side of the brain. With the use of different colors, creation of vivid images and exercising of intuition, a lot of the suppressed emotions are released. This gives us a renewed sense of ability to deal with life’s challenges.

If you’re suffering from mild headaches or even severe migraines, take up some form of art immediately. Emotional de-cluttering is seen to be very beneficial in these conditions.

Related article » Banishing clutter: The wisdom of living with less

Feeling good

With the constant struggle to meet strict deadlines, following rigid processes and doing routine work, many of us have lost the sense of how it feels to create something new. Painting or sketching puts us back in touch with our ability to create. It clears the mind of repetition and ushers new energy like a whiff of fresh air. The feeling of having created something beautiful brings in a sense of accomplishment, the gains of which we carry to other areas of our lives as well.

Back to basics

Art creates a clear outlet for expression in a fundamental and intrinsic manner. Drawing, painting, sketching, scribbling, splashing colors, etc. are modes of expression. It is normal for people involved in any form of art to feel light and rejuvenated after completing a piece. Those involved in art long enough, develop a deep appreciation of doing art for art’s sake. A painting is created purely to express oneself in a manner that is most real and natural. The process of expression is embraced for the sake of experience rather than for social approval or to impress the world. People who have understood this also carry this mindset to other areas of life. They become more interested in experiencing life rather than clicking pictures of experiences to share on social media.

Related » Boredom and burnout: The two sides of a coin

There are Umpteen Ways of Unleashing Your Creativity…

While most of what is discussed above is in reference to the fine art of painting or sketching, the same applies to any other form of art. Music, dance, any of the martial arts, writing and photography are good examples. In short, it applies to methods and techniques of art and any product of human creativity. Here are a few ways in which you can liberate your creativity.

• Join your kids in their school art project and create something along with them
• Do you have a friend or colleague whose birthday is near? Create a greeting card, photo frame or bookmark for her
• Art does not have to be done on paper always. You can even paint on vases, pots, fabric or mugs
• Ditch the brushes and try painting with fruits, vegetables or your fingers
• Try your hand at some DIY décor artifacts to style your home
• You don’t have to always wait for an occasion! Take out your box of colored powders [gulal] and draw a rangoli just for the fun of it
• Even if you’re not good at dancing, put on some music and dance with your kids; it will not only make you feel relaxed, but young as well
• Download a few karaoke tracks and put your singing skills to test
• Take out some lovely pictures from your albums, prepare a collage and frame it in your room.

This was first published in the September 2014 issue of Complete Wellbeing.

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