15 signs of spiritual ego in new-age communities

Summary

In this video, Justin Brown from Ideapod explores the concept of spiritual ego, outlining three stages—novice, yogi, and guru—where individuals may develop an inflated sense of self-importance tied to their spiritual journey. He identifies 15 signs of spiritual ego, such as over-intellectualizing spirituality and lacking humility, and stresses the importance of not isolating those with spiritual ego but rather engaging with them to foster a more inclusive and collaborative spiritual community.

Takeaways

• 🌟 Spiritual ego is an unhealthy form of ego that arises from identifying oneself with a spiritual path or experience, often leading to a sense of superiority.
• 🧘‍♂️ The three stages of spiritual ego development are the novice stage, where one has initial spiritual insights; the yogi stage, where one adheres to a specific method or teaching; and the guru stage, where one transcends methods and claims universal wisdom.
• 👁️‍🗨️ Signs of spiritual ego include over-intellectualizing spirituality, judging others' spiritual progress, holding dogmatic beliefs, and developing a messiah complex.
• 📚 Spirituality is about the pursuit of knowledge beyond the material world and is inherently personal, but spiritual ego can lead to isolation from others and an overemphasis on one's own spiritual journey.
• 🌏 Spiritual ego can manifest as a loss of interest in the world and others, focusing solely on one's own spiritual development and experiences.
• 💭 The video discusses the importance of not just pursuing spiritual knowledge but also integrating it into daily life and relationships, emphasizing the need for balance.
• 🤔 The script highlights the importance of recognizing and addressing spiritual ego in oneself and others, suggesting that it's not about shutting out such individuals but rather understanding and bridging the gap.
• 🌱 The video encourages viewers to engage with spiritual communities and individuals with an open mind, to learn from their experiences and share wisdom across different paths.
• 🌈 The speaker shares personal experiences and observations from living in a spiritual community, providing a realistic perspective on the prevalence and impact of spiritual ego.
• 🔗 The video concludes with a call to action for viewers to reflect on the content, engage in dialogue, and contribute to a broader understanding of spiritual ego and narcissism.

Q & A

What is the main topic of Justin Brown's video?

The main topic of Justin Brown's video is 'spiritual ego' or 'spiritual narcissism,' where he discusses the concept, its types, signs to look out for, and how to deal with individuals exhibiting spiritual ego.

What are the three types of spiritual ego that Justin Brown describes?

The three types of spiritual ego Justin Brown describes are the novice stage, the yogi stage, and the guru stage. The novice stage is characterized by the first spiritual insights, the yogi stage involves proselytizing a chosen method or system, and the guru stage is where one transcends methods and claims universal teaching abilities.

What does Justin Brown suggest as a key sign of spiritual ego?

One of the key signs of spiritual ego that Justin Brown suggests is over-intellectualizing spirituality, where individuals focus too much on analyzing and discussing spiritual concepts rather than experiencing and living them.

What is the significance of the location where Justin Brown is filming the video?

Justin Brown is filming the video on Koh Phangan, an island in Thailand known for its spiritual community. The location is significant as it provides a real-world context for discussing spiritual ego and allows for exploration of the topic within a community where such issues are prevalent.

Why does Justin Brown feel guilty about being in Koh Phangan?

Justin Brown feels guilty about being in Koh Phangan because he recognizes the prevalence of spiritual ego in the community and admits to having had an unhealthy spiritual ego himself in the past.

What is the role of Chira in the video?

Chira is a local tour guide in Koh Phangan who is featured in the video. She provides insights into the spiritual community on the island and accompanies Justin on his exploration of the island, offering a local perspective on the topic of spiritual ego.

What does Justin Brown suggest as a potential issue with some spiritual seekers?

Justin Brown suggests that some spiritual seekers may become overly focused on their own self-development and spirituality to the extent that they neglect contributing to their community or helping others, which he illustrates through the behavior of some yoga practitioners on the island.

What are the 15 key signs of spiritual ego that Justin Brown plans to discuss?

The 15 key signs of spiritual ego that Justin Brown plans to discuss include over-intellectualizing spirituality, judging others' spiritual advancement, having dogmatic beliefs, having a messiah complex, being stuck in positive thinking, trying to be a guru to others, believing one has figured it all out, spiritual righteousness, lacking genuine curiosity, lacking humility, lacking compassion, withdrawing from life to pursue spiritual knowledge, becoming a narcissist, and losing interest in others.

What is Justin Brown's advice for dealing with someone who has spiritual ego?

Instead of rejecting or shutting out someone with spiritual ego, Justin Brown advises building bridges between spiritual communities and the wider world, promoting knowledge exchange, and recognizing the shared human quest for meaning.

How does Justin Brown plan to further the discussion on spiritual ego?

Justin Brown plans to further the discussion on spiritual ego by creating a comprehensive article that includes insights from the video and comments from viewers, with the intention of providing a guide on dealing with spiritual ego and narcissism.

Outlines

00:00

🔍 Introduction to Spiritual Ego and Narcissism

Justin Brown from Ideapod introduces the topic of spiritual ego and narcissism, explaining that he will discuss three types of spiritual ego, 15 key signs to identify it, and offer advice on how to handle relationships with individuals who exhibit spiritual ego. He shares a personal anecdote about his observations in a spiritual community in Koh Phangan, Thailand, where he noticed a tendency towards selfishness among some spiritual seekers. Justin confesses to having experienced an unhealthy spiritual ego himself and aims to explore the signs and solutions through this video.

05:02

🌀 The Three Stages of Spiritual Ego

The video script outlines three stages of spiritual ego development: the novice stage, where individuals have initial profound insights and believe their experiences apply to everyone; the yogi stage, where they become attached to a specific method or teaching and feel compelled to proselytize; and the guru stage, where they transcend methods and believe they can share universal teachings relevant to all. Justin discusses his own experiences with the yogi stage and the dangers of gurus who may be overly persuasive and convincing in their teachings.

10:03

🚦 Signs of Spiritual Ego and Their Impact

Justin enumerates 15 signs of spiritual ego, including over-intellectualizing spirituality, judging others' spiritual progress, holding dogmatic beliefs, having a messiah complex, and trying to be a guru to others. He also discusses the tendency to think positively at all costs, which can lead to ignoring negative emotions. The sign of spiritual righteousness is highlighted, where individuals engage in debates to prove their spiritual views superior. The script also touches on the lack of genuine curiosity and humility, and how spiritual ego can lead to a withdrawal from society and an excessive focus on self.

15:03

🌱 Overcoming Spiritual Ego Through Community and Collaboration

In the final paragraph, Justin emphasizes the importance of not isolating oneself or others with spiritual ego but instead building bridges between spiritual communities and the wider world. He suggests that spiritual seekers and everyday people should learn from each other and celebrate diversity in spiritual experiences. Justin invites viewers to contribute their insights in the comments to create a comprehensive guide on spiritual ego and narcissism. He also encourages viewers to subscribe for updates on his upcoming content related to this topic.

Keywords

💡Spiritual Ego

Spiritual Ego refers to an inflated sense of self-importance that can arise from spiritual practices or experiences. It's a state where individuals may perceive themselves as superior due to their spiritual insights or practices. In the video, the concept is explored as an unhealthy development where individuals build their identity around their spiritual experiences, leading to a sense of superiority over others. The video discusses how this ego can manifest in different stages of spiritual exploration, from novice to guru.

💡Spiritual Narcissism

Spiritual Narcissism is a term used to describe individuals who exhibit narcissistic traits within the context of spirituality. It involves an excessive self-focus and a belief in one's own spiritual superiority. The video discusses this concept as a type of ego that can develop when individuals become overly identified with their spiritual path, leading to a disregard for others and an inflated sense of self-importance.

💡Over Intellectualizing

Over Intellectualizing in the context of the video refers to the excessive analysis and discussion of spiritual concepts without embracing the experiential aspect of spirituality. The speaker mentions this as a sign of spiritual ego where individuals get lost in theoretical discussions rather than applying spiritual insights to their daily lives and relationships.

💡Dogmatic Beliefs

Dogmatic Beliefs are rigid, unyielding convictions that an individual holds as absolute truth. In the video, these are identified as a sign of spiritual ego where individuals become attached to their spiritual insights to the point of dogmatism, often leading to a lack of openness to other perspectives.

💡Messiah Complex

The Messiah Complex, as discussed in the video, refers to a psychological state where an individual believes they have been chosen for a special mission or purpose, often with a sense of divine appointment. This complex can be a sign of spiritual ego, particularly when individuals start to believe they are on a higher plane or have unique insights that others lack.

💡Spiritual Righteousness

Spiritual Righteousness is a sense of moral superiority based on one's spiritual beliefs or practices. The video describes this as a sign of spiritual ego where individuals engage in debates to assert their spiritual views as the correct ones, often with a lack of humility and an unwillingness to consider other perspectives.

💡Humility

Humility, in the context of the video, is the quality of being modest and respectful toward others, recognizing that one's own knowledge and experiences are not the ultimate measure of truth. The video contrasts humility with spiritual ego, suggesting that individuals with spiritual ego often lack humility and see themselves as superior to others.

💡Guru

A Guru, in the video, is a spiritual teacher or guide who has transcended specific methods and can share universal teachings applicable to all situations. However, the term is also used to describe individuals with spiritual ego who may claim to have reached a level of spiritual insight that qualifies them to teach others, potentially leading to a self-proclaimed guru status without genuine humility or universal understanding.

💡Yogi

A Yogi, as mentioned in the video, is an individual who has chosen a particular spiritual practice or method, such as a specific type of yoga, and believes in the universal applicability of their chosen path. The video discusses how the yogi stage can be a phase where individuals may develop spiritual ego by proselytizing their chosen method as the ultimate path for others.

💡Novice Stage

The Novice Stage is the initial phase of spiritual exploration where individuals have their first profound spiritual insights. The video explains that this stage can be a breeding ground for spiritual ego if individuals begin to see their initial insights as universally applicable and superior to others' experiences.

💡Collaborative Experience

A Collaborative Experience, as discussed in the video, is the idea of learning and growing together with others, embracing diversity, and sharing knowledge. The video suggests that instead of rejecting individuals with spiritual ego, it's more beneficial to build bridges and create collaborative experiences that allow for the exchange of insights and the breaking down of barriers between different spiritual communities and the wider world.

Highlights

Introduction to the concept of spiritual ego and its impact on personal growth and relationships.

Description of the three stages of spiritual ego development: novice, yogi, and guru stages.

The novice stage where individuals have their first profound spiritual insight and may overgeneralize its applicability.

The yogi stage characterized by adherence to a specific spiritual method and a desire to proselytize.

The guru stage where individuals claim universal wisdom and may develop a self-proclaimed guru complex.

Personal confession of the speaker's past struggles with an unhealthy spiritual ego.

The importance of not shutting out those with spiritual ego but instead building bridges for understanding.

15 key signs to identify spiritual ego in oneself or others, starting with over-intellectualizing spirituality.

Judging others as spiritually superior or inferior as a sign of spiritual ego.

Rigidity in spiritual beliefs and the development of a messiah complex as indicators of spiritual ego.

The trap of constant positivity and the neglect of negative emotions as a sign of spiritual ego.

The desire to be a guru to others and the lack of genuine curiosity as signs of spiritual ego.

Lack of humility and compassion as manifestations of spiritual ego.

Withdrawal from society in pursuit of spiritual knowledge as a sign of spiritual ego.

The final sign of spiritual ego being a complete loss of interest in others and self-focus.

The speaker's experience in Kopanyang and observations on the spiritual community's self-centeredness.

The importance of contributing to society and the environment as demonstrated by a local tour guide.

Encouragement for viewers to engage in dialogue and share their insights on spiritual ego in the comments.

Call to action for viewers to subscribe for updates on future content related to spiritual ego and narcissism.

Transcripts

hey guys justin brown from ideapod here

today's video

is on spiritual ego spiritual

[Music]

narcissism

i'm going to go through the three types

of spiritual ego that most people go

through when they develop this

unhealthy type of ego i'm then going to

share

15 key signs to look out for so you can

identify if someone's going through

spiritual ego around you or if you're

going through spiritual ego

finally i'm going to share at the very

end of this video exactly what to do if

you've got someone in your life that has

spiritual ego now

the answer is not to shut them out it's

not to draw your boundaries with them

it's going to be something very

different and it's worth sticking around

to find out

what it is before i get into the video a

very

quick note i'm sharing this because i'm

currently on kopanyang

an island in thailand and there's a huge

spiritual community of people and then

the other day i met a

new friend someone who's been living

here for three years and her first

question to me was you're not a yoga

person

are you and she was worried that i was

one of those spiritual seekers on the

island part of the community and my

friend

told me that when she meets yoga people

on the island she feels like

in general the yoga people are very

selfish people that are very wrapped up

in the story they tell

about themselves and that got me

thinking about spiritual ego

and the fact that i used to have a very

unhealthy spiritual ego so this video

in part is kind of a confession of mine

i feel a little guilty being here in

copanyang and seeing spiritual ego

everywhere so i want to share this video

to go a little deeper so please know

that this is a self-exploration as i go

through

all of these different signs of

spiritual ego now the other part of the

video

is that my friend chira the one who i

had this great conversation with she's

on her way here now

and she's a local tour guide she's going

to take me to some really unusual parts

of kopanyang so i'm going to take you

with me so you get to see the beautiful

parts of propanyang and as i go through

this journey i'm going to share the key

parts of this video

as we explore spiritual ego together so

to get this video

started i first want to explain what it

means to have

a spiritual ego so spirituality is

really the pursuit

of knowledge relating to something

outside the material world

or outside the five senses that we've

got so there's some sort of knowledge of

something outside all of that and i

think when you're on a spiritual path

you're seeking to pursue a life where

you're incorporating

a set of practices as well as a set of

concepts

related to whatever you discover about

this non-material

world and i think at some level

everyone's spiritual

in that we're all aware of something

infinite something outside ourselves

that there's a whole lot more to life

than what we can

see touch feel smell and so on so that's

what spirituality is in pursuing a

spiritual life now when you've got

spiritual ego or you're becoming a

spiritual narcissist

that's when you start to identify

who you are in relationship with the

spiritual path you're on so usually

someone has arrived at some sort of an

aha moment

they've had some sort of transcendental

experience

they may have met someone very profound

and wise who've shared something

that's totally opened up their eyes to

something new for the very first time

or it could be one of those first

experiences you can have doing something

like ayahuasca

or some sort of retreat or kundalini

yoga or

breath work so you have this huge rush

this huge insight now

that's a pretty normal thing it's a

pretty wonderful thing for us all to

chase to experience but the problem is

when you build an identity around that

experience that you've got

and when you start to see yourself as

superior to

others for having had that experience or

having had

that insight so it's the superiority

combined with building it around your

identity

that involves having a spiritual ego and

becoming a spiritual

narcissist that's what having a

spiritual ego means now i'm gonna go a

little bit deeper

and explain the three types of spiritual

ego that i see most people kind of

transitioning through

as they build this stock of spiritual

insights but first cheera is going to

take us a little deeper into copanyang

oh where are you taking us

[Music]

[Music]

so in just a moment i'm going to go

through the 15

signs that someone's got a spiritual ego

first i want to explain the three types

of spiritual ego that people pass

through

so the first type is when you're going

through the novice stage of spiritual

exploration and this is where you have

that first

insight and you may have learned

something really profound from

one of the spiritual teachers like

eckhart tolle or

osho or something like that and these

spiritual gurus have this real knack for

managing to

universalize what they're teaching so

that

you feel like it's particularly relevant

for you and it really describes what

you're going through and that's because

it does there's something very genuine

in these teachings

but when you first have that insight

then you think that what you're going

through

applies to everyone else around you but

you've arrived at this

particular place because you've figured

this out so that's the novice stage when

you first

started the next stage is the yogi stage

and these are the people

who they've chosen a method or they've

chosen a particular approach and it

could be yoga it could be one of the

types of yoga could be many different

things

and then you realize there's a whole

system of teaching behind this one

insight and as you

go down the rabbit hole of these

learnings you realize that more and more

of these insights apply to you and what

you're going through therefore it must

apply to other people

so the yogi often goes around thinking

that particular method or system

is what needs to be shared with other

people so they start proselytizing

which means they want to spread the word

and bring people into their

movement and then the third stage is the

guru stage and this is where someone

transcends the method

and can see through the method and knows

how

to share universal teaching so they

apply

in every circumstance and when someone

reaches that

guru stage often they're a

self-proclaimed

guru and they realize they've got this

special ability

to share their teachings in a universal

way to make it relevant to everyone and

everything and every experience

happening

around you and there's a special kind of

spiritual ego

that the self-proclaimed gurus have

because they're often extremely clever

they know

how to convince you that what they're

sharing is perfect for you in every

situation

and they've reached that guru level so

those are the three stages

that people often pass through that we

often pass through in my own case

i definitely have entered the yogi stage

many different times when i've found the

answer through some sort of method

and i've wanted to spread the word and

i've done that through love through

wanting to share through wanting other

people to experience this too so

it definitely comes from a really good

place i completely understand it

although i think we need to be very

careful of gurus the gurus who arrive at

that place because they've got the

ability to see through this

and yet they continue seeing themselves

as a guru

and wanting to convince other people of

what they're teaching

so i was out with the cheer the other

day and you were telling me about

the yoga people here which of course is

we respect the yoga people

but one observation you had that was

very profound was how selfish they are

yeah i feel that i think they're a

little bit selfish about it

and then what i love when you said they

spend so much time focusing on

self-development and spirituality but

then you ask them sometimes well what

about actually helping other people

doing something to contribute

to the community and you feel that

sometimes they're a little too focused

on self to

to focus on other people they're just

like when i ask them what do you

think or what should we do about it it's

like why do we have to give a crap

you said that to me yeah just like as

long as yourself happy

you don't have to care about others and

it's interesting because then as we're

walking along the beach here

and we came to you know shoot this uh

film that i'm creating about spiritual

ego and

you know i'm focused on what i'm trying

to achieve and cheer us here as a tour

guide like trying to make sure it's a

good experience but then suddenly chiro

just stopped everything

dropped everything and started picking

up the trash along the beach because you

couldn't just

let it go and so for me that's a

wonderful example of

spirituality in action in terms of

actually

contributing to other people around you

even when you can't solve the whole

problem the problem's much bigger than

you but you still want to

make a small difference if you're able

to well yeah

supposed to be like that yeah i'm going

to go through now the 15

signs of spiritual ego to look out for

in yourself

or in people around you the first sign

is that you're over intellectualizing

spirituality now

this was the big mistake that i made i

always wanted to analyze everything

talk about it find fellow spiritual

seekers get into

really long and deep conversations about

it but then i learnt about spirituality

that it's so much more an experience

of life of relationships with others

that i realized that over

intellectualizing it

was taking me away from that fundamental

experience the second key sign of

spiritual ego

is judging others as more or less

advanced

than you this is where the superiority

kicks in and it's where

the person that's spiritual narcissist

is starting to think that they're better

than others the third sign is having

dogmatic beliefs and this is where you

start to believe in the fundamental

truths that you're experiencing and you

hold them as rigid

axioms in your understanding of yourself

and the world the next sign is having a

messiah complex now i've encountered a

number of people in the spiritual world

that especially when they start to

embrace psychedelics they get whispers

from gods that tell them certain things

and they start to believe that they are

a god walking on earth now of course at

some level we're all gods i can

understand that

we've all got the presence of god within

but the problem is when you translate

that spiritual experience into your

relationships with others with society

the fifth sign

is where you get stuck in the trap of

always trying to think

positively i got really stuck in this

when i used to embrace the law of

attraction and

i thought that it was really important

that spiritual people were always

a high vibration problem was i was

ignoring a lot of the fundamental

negative emotions like

fear frustration insecurity and then i

didn't realize you can actually get a

lot of personal power from those

emotions the next and related sign of

spiritual ego is when you're trying to

be a guru to other people when you think

that you've found the answer

particularly happens with people with

the messiah complex and you want to

spread these fundamental truths

to everyone around you another sign of

spiritual ego is when you believe you've

figured it all

out when your current state of knowledge

you believe is at some sort of

final or absolute level another sign of

spiritual ego is spiritual righteousness

this is a good sign and i used to do

this all the time it is when you engage

in spiritual

debates now it's all very well to have

spiritual dialogues where two people are

mutually on the search for truth

together where they're supporting each

other in that quest but a debate

usually involves one person being right

and the other person being wrong

and spiritual ego is often present in

people who are always in that debate

they always think that they're right

and they want to overpower other people

around them

another sign is lacking genuine

curiosity about the world around you you

lack genuine curiosity because you feel

like you've found the answer you don't

need to learn

anything new another sign of

spirituality is lacking

humility thinking you're better than

people around you often people with

spiritual ego

are lacking compassion because they see

themselves as so separate with their

experiences

they think they've arrived at something

they lack compassion for people because

they just think those other people

haven't managed to attain

their level of spiritual greatness a big

sign of spiritual ego

is when you stop living your life so

that you can pursue

spiritual knowledge it often happens in

retreat type environments or here in

copenhagen when there's a yoga studio or

retreat

pretty much everywhere around this

island and people kind of want to

withdraw from society from where they're

from they can actually get here and find

enlightenment

find the truth they don't realize

they're actually withdrawing from the

world around them another sign of

spiritual ego

is that you've become a narcissist so

all you can think about is yourself

all you can talk about is your own story

of what brings you here

and you really lose interest in other

people around you and that's really the

final sign of

spiritual ego is when you've completely

lost interest

in others and you're only focused on

yourself where are we going now

we go to very nice place there

everywhere is nice here with shira says

nice nice and then when we get there

i'm going to share with you exactly what

to do when

you encounter people with spiritual ego

many times i

like to go on facebook events and then

research for what's going on in koppen i

saw many people did

do like trash heroes they're going to

pick up the trash

on a beach or i do something useful or

food donation or adult cat or dog but i

have not seen many

yoga communities they do something like

that they mostly just

yoga people meet up with yoga people do

something about yoga things too

people go to us for free namaste

can i have some waters can i have some

fruit

[Music]

we're heading up to the final

destination of this wonderful tour

it's the secret mountain

[Music]

um

we can't divorce our spirituality from

the relationships we have with each

other

with society with the whole world around

us and for me

it's such a key point that we live in a

world where we've got the opportunity

to learn from each other to grow

together to have a collaborative

experience to

celebrate our diversity now i said at

the start i'm going to share what i

think

you should do if you have someone with a

spiritual ego in your life

or if you're someone that may be

developing a spiritual

ego i think it's very tempting to reject

that person

to shut off and to draw your boundaries

and to try to associate with people

that are on a similar pursuit of meaning

as what you're

on but i don't think that's the best

thing to do in the face

of people with spiritual ego

in your life ultimately i think that the

spiritual communities that

are developing all around the world in

places like kopanyang

are doing wonderful work there's kernels

of truths being shared and experienced

by these people we want to build bridges

between these communities

and the wider world outside so that

whatever's happening in that community

we can learn from and embrace and

whatever's happening in the real world

also can be shared inside the spiritual

community so we can

collapse this distinction between the

spiritual seekers and

everyday people so that we can realize

that ultimately

we're all on a search for meaning we're

all spiritual at a fundamental level we

just

experience it in different ways we have

different language

to share how we're experiencing it and i

think really that

we need to break these boundaries

between people and start to

build much more effective knowledge

exchanges

in the world around us thanks so much

for watching the video this far i've got

a lot more to share about this topic and

i'd love to learn from you in the

comments below

what are some of the signs that i've

missed what are some of the points that

i haven't made

what are some of the things i'm not

considering i'm going to put together

a really big article and share it on

ideapod i'm going to share what's in

this video but i'd like to share

whatever you share in the comments below

so that together we can create

a really good article about spiritual

ego spiritual narcissism

we can create a guide about what people

should do make sure you sign up to

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