Earlier I commented on how my own meditative work was slowed when I focused less on doing it and more on reaching milestones. When I focused on milestones, I got frustrated or risked taking shortcuts. When you have a map, you can forget the importance of the journey – and no matter what you still have to make the journey.
This was part of a realization of why many esoteric documents may resort to obscurity and symbolism. Too much of a map, and you end up inviting frustration and confusion. However, I want to share another realization from my “contemplation of maps” – that detailed “mystical maps” also invite self delusion.
One of my interests is keeping an eye on spiritual grifters (indeed, it comprises a surprising part of my podcast listening). As I follow the grifters I also wonder about the followers. These followers will report spiritual experiences, alien incarnations, but heir descriptions were filled with jargon, repeated conspiracy theories, and so on. They seem quite sincere, but their experiences often seemed to be, well, a little too imagined.
I’m sure we’ve all had times in meditation or magic where we realized “I am deluding myself,” of course. Remember when you had expectations and later realized you’d made some of it up? When you map out experiences you can make yourself believe you’re experiencing them.
I think some people taken in by spiritual grifters imagine these experiences as the grifter gives them a map. Do this meditation to awaken your starseed self, be it Blue Avian or Pleadean! Do these meditations and you’ll experience Angel communication! Tell people their needs are met by “doing x to get y,” throw in some social pressure, and people will imagine all sorts of things.
Plus the grifters get to sell books, amulets, talks, get internet exposure, and so on. If it goes stale, just make up some new grift and do it all over again. Some people selling spiritual ephemera go through multiple entire belief systems.
Thus we can see another reason for use of symbolism or a little obscurity in mystical documents. Not providing too much of a map lowers the chance people will delude themselves. I imagine finding the right balance is a challenge, and makes me appreciate the many monks, magicians, and philosophers who found it.
As a closing note, as stated earlier, I believe mystic practices are fundamentally liberating and should be shared far and wide. I’m just realizing it’s good to require some work, skepticism, and analysis of those you’re trying to reach.
– Xenofact