Taking the Spiritual Bypass

When you’re going through a spiritual awakening, there can be this tendency to begin surfing the ether, avoiding the physical realm and the illusions you now see there everywhere. ⁣

This is called spiritual bypass. It’s normal, I promise. And it is temporary.⁣

Why people take the spiritual bypass

It is true that people can stay in this mode of spiritual bypass for years. They do this because it feels really good to experience the peace of meditation and love. And it feels really good because the Ego is waiting for them when they come back to the physical realm.⁣

⁣Eventually, Spirit will remind them that avoiding Ego is motivated by Ego. The true Self is awareness itself, and to be aware of Ego is neither good nor bad, it just is. The trigger relaxes. The bypass is needed less and less.⁣

⁣You can’t shame someone out of a spiritual bypass. Shame and Guilt and Fear of Shame and Guilt just keeps them in that place. What makes people rise to their Higher Self is a knowing and accepting that to have Ego is to BE human. It’s also knowing and accepting that the Ego is not real.⁣

Spiritual Bypass and the Hanged Man

The Hanged Man, from left to right: Radiant Wise Tarot, Haindl Tarot, Light Seers Tarot

⁣In the Tarot, this is represented in the Hanged Man. The person on the card is hanging upside down, their worldview inverted. They no longer see what others see. They are not taking action, but the halo of light around their head signifies their glimpse of enlightenment while they stay in this place of surrender.⁣

⁣While surrendered, we encounter Ego Death. Ego Death can happen all at once or by degrees. It’s no accident that the Death card follows the Hanged Man. The Ego fears death most of all, which is why we run from things that challenge our Ego self. This is NOT an accident. This is the natural progression of the journey when we choose Spirit.⁣

The Pause Before Ego Death

⁣The Hanged Man, and the spiritual bypass, are the pause before Ego Death and the endings that result from it. Death in the Tarot represents an ending to old ways of being or doing. A job or relationship may end. People going through a spiritual awakening journey may experience a complete leveling of their old life as their way of being in the world radically changes. But death signals rebirth.⁣

If you or someone you know is taking the spiritual bypass, it’s good to know that it is a normal part of the spiritual journey. As a writer, this is an important time to pay attention to your triggers and “heal” or release them so that we can embrace, embody , and elevate our Higher Self in our very grounded call to write stories or serve the writing community.

Big Cosmic Love,
Celeste

P.S. If this post helped you, and you want more guidance, please subscribe down at the bottom of the page. Also know that I offer 1:1 coaching, mentorships, and writing services to writers (and bookish people) who feel called to the page as a part of their spiritual journey and need some extra help working through their triggers and resistance. Writing and spiritual journey are both sometimes solitary paths, but it’s good to connect and share wisdom.