Can You Recognize a Spiritual Persona?

The path of spiritual awakening is full of potential pitfalls, and one of the most deceptive is the creation of a "spiritual persona." In this episode, Teal Swan reveals how a spiritual persona can mimic genuine awakening, leading to self-delusion and confusion for others. Learn to recognize this pitfall and avoid mistaking a spiritual façade for true awakening.

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👉 Who Is Teal Swan?

Teal Swan is a New Thought Leader and a Bestselling Author who is an expert in human development and relationships. She has over a decade of experience working with people of all walks of life with a mission to reduce human suffering.

Today, she’s also become an International Speaker, having facilitated retreats and life changing workshops in large venues worldwide. Teal was ranked 15th on The Watkins Most Spiritually Influential Living People in 2023.

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Beginning and Ending Song:
Teal Swan Intro by Christian De Raco

[Clyde-S-Wilcox]

Teal's gentle mockery of people who walk spiritual paths for the wrong reasons is damn near art.

[sage]

This is why I often avoid “spiritual communities” (not always but mostly) 😅 I feel like when spirituality is truly integrated, you walk the walk and can be the hidden rebel in the matrix 😉 so to say

[Random_user_]

I've been doing master plant dietas in the Amazon for a few years now and what I've learned is that there is not one single way of being spiritual. Some people find it in religion, some in Buddhism, meditation and others in their cat or goldfish. What I've learned more is that it's about having a good connection with yourself, with spirit and with our planet, Pachamama. Spirituality is a harmony and balance between the material and non material. It's about self respect and self love. With that comes respect for others, love for others and love for nature and all that life has to offer and yes, it's okay to be angry sometimes, people can be jerks. One is not better than the other, the more you learn, the more you realize that you know nothing. It's a journey of a lifetime and even multiple lifetimes. Take care of yourself, take care of others, but don't allow people to abuse your goodness. It's not selfish to think of yourself and to take care of yourself. We are all on our personal journey, we all experience the same in different ways, observed from our personal perspectives. Just my two cents. Sending you all much love, light and hugs.

[doomsdaycrochet]

Thank you for speaking on this, Teal. Im so tired of the spiritual community shitting on the ego, the very thing that busts it's ass to keep us safe and functional in this world. It has been such a frustrating experience to find my way in the midst of all this shunning and shaming of the ego.

[Stick]

Spiritual bypassing is so common it's incredible. I remember talking to someone whose entire life was a meditation, but also got into the most petty fights on Facebook. Her whole life was an exercise in mindfulness, but her perchant for vengeance if you rubbed her up the wrong way was off the chart. She was most certainly a skilled witch, but not in the way she thought. 😕

[PeterMortensenLit]

When i tell people i am spiritual, they never believe me, they ask where my bracelets are or my " spiritual tattoos " my bowls my crystals.. all kinds of signs i am spiritual.
And i can only answer i just try to better myself and get to know my unconscious and how it comes to express itself in me and out side of me. This is never a good answer for them, and i probably need therapy.. i do meditate and i like it. And when i say shadow work is not to deniy your darkness but to use it and kind of control it and accept it, most freak out and saay noo you must get rid of it.. nonsens. Great vid Teal !! 🎉🎉

[johnnolen]

This reminds me of a poster that my high school English Teacher had tacked to the front of his desk: "Attention! Those of you who think that you know everything are annoying those of us who do." 😆

[mirthew]

It's scary how spot-on this is. New age, new cage. I've known one or two people who fit this description perfectly, but it's also important to recognize the subtler forms that this can shown up in and we are all capable of falling into these kinds of traps from time to time.

[Julie-fyiu]

I run the other way from spiritual persona's. Some of the most spiritual or enlightened people I have met are the most ordinary, humble people doing "menial " tasks. Not wearing robes, not namaste, not changing their names, just quietly walking the talk, embodied action. No new age beliefs and words just embodied peaceful people, doing their thing.

[thenightingaleyogini]

just the video I needed… I got very sensitive around this dynamic since I noticed it within myself.
I was able to recognize a friend of my partner with a spiritual persona, but he’s not willing to explore this concept in an open conversation. He says in his world ego doesn’t exist. He actually tried to belittle me for having a critical and discerning mind. He actually got me questioning whether I’m wrong about my personal spiritual practice and doubted myself. Now I feel more assured because I can recognize the signs… thank you so much dear teal, I’m a so grateful. 🙏🏼

[jneubauer]

I think it's important to realize these are often early steps in a true awakening. As you awaken you tend to get stuck in the beginning stages not knowing there's a lot more to it so they believe that's all there is. They get stuck in the early feel good portion of Awakening and want to share it with everyone. When you go deeper it doesn't feel good...until you get to the other side of cleaning out your own garbage. That's when you come back to focusing on yourself again and finding that inner balance that brings more inner peace. How each person takes the steps of awakening is up to them. Some people dive in head first into the dirty pond and some sit on the surface dangling their toes in but they aren't ready to stand on the bottom knee deep in muck...yet.

[christinetuttle]

Teal, in reality Teals assistant, if you read this give her a giant hug from me please. She is all that and a bag of chips. This was informative and hilarious if you have been on this journey for a while. God bless you for working with Teal, and God bless Teal for speaking truth in a world built on lies!

[mgn]

So many people claim they are “awake”, yet they are completely not self aware.

[LoveAndLight]

Wow, The most comprehensive definition of spiritual bypassing and spiritual ego ‼️ ITS RAMPANT. This just made my day, SO on point. As someone who’s been moving through a very brutal awakening, I of course started to seek out more “spiritual” experiences and community. Hoping for more connection but I was met predominantly w EXACTLY those Teal is speaking of. Which left me feeling more isolated and thinking something was really wrong w me. Some of the worst are in the plant medicine community. I could feel the judgement and inauthenticity of others but continued to doubt myself. Also trying to date “spiritual” men….🙄 the worst. Yes all extremely annoying

[brushstroke]

Oh wait - you're describing me!! 😮😮

Well done, Teal. Thank you for keeping it real and human. Thank you for helping me see my own blindspots. I wonder what else I'm not seeing about myself!

[takeshi]

In the Puerto Vallarta area there’s a lot of “shamans” “healers” doing cacao ceremonies, breath work ceremonies, ayahuasca ceremonies, iboga treatments guides, toad ceremonies, and they don’t even speak Spanish and their clients are only tourists from overseas and they charge huge amounts of dollars to “heal” them… healing withe plants is possible but is free, it comes from Mother Earth and should be accessible for everyone. From what I observe is that what they are experiencing is more freedom and much more moments where they are more present because that’s the way Mexicans live; I’m not ignoring that yes it is an awakening, but from the over controles countries where they came from (Japan, English speaking countries). Now I now that I was not the only one noticing. Thanks for your work.

[pathfinder]

Eckhart Tolle is the genuine article, I can't meditate but I feel something close to a meditative state while reading his books, it's a feeling of complete peace.

[LauraVolpintesta]

By the way, thank you for speaking about harsh reality of experiencing abortion for many women instead of tiptoeing around treating it like it’s simple and easy and nothing to go through.

[SisterSunnyFreeSpirit]

There’s not just one awakening, but a series of chaotic screaming shadow intertwined with growing golden clarity. And, spiritual work can be combined with studies of everything from human behavior evolution to quantum theory and neuroscience. Study everything outside of you and inside of you … continuously. Make it your daily devotion. Question every thing! Now is the time. Be curious to the extreme. Be kind to You!💛🌞🌻🙏

[Deucely]

Man I've been so deeply wounded by that soft voice, it stops authenticity dead in it's track, thank you for the soft triggering, cheers!