Can Meditation be Used to Escape?

The long answer is “YES.”

Yes, yes, and yes. ANYTHING can be used to escape from what we feel in the body.

Including meditation. And the entire spiritual path.

“I’ll just say my prayers, do my mantras, meditate, wish good will to the world… but don’t ask me to call my brother I haven’t talked to in 5 years… or forgive my ex-husband/wife who left me for another woman/man.” 

This stuff happens – all the time… the escape or denial I mean.

There’s actually two words that sum up this way of escaping life and reinforcement of the ego – it’s called Spiritual Bypassing.

You consciously or unconsciously bypass the difficult stuff so you don’t have to deal with it – the pain that is.

But it doesn’t give you a free ticket to an enlightened life – it gives you a wall that you hit on the path over and over and over again that stops you. You CANNOT bypass the pain, resentment, or identification. That IS the path – or a really big part of it.

Here’s the deal: The “junk” in your life has to be dealt with if you want to be truly free.

What I mean by junk is to look at who you have your heart closed to, where and when you react to people, how often you put yourself or others into a negative box,  who you actually wish “ill will” toward, and anything else you are avoiding or not dealing with in your life – IT’S ALL PART OF THE SPIRITUAL PATH.

Nothing can be avoided.

Where does it go when it’s avoided? It gets held in your heart space (closed and/or conditional), and in your body (physical ailments/dis-ease).

Meditation can’t cure that – it can help for sure, but it takes more than mindfulness and watching your breath to truly forgive and open your heart.

Take a serious look at your meditation practice and see if it’s an escape for you in some way – perhaps speaking your truth to a friend or family member is avoided by “meditating on it” to relieve the feelings of truth that are boiling up inside.

Only you know. Are you ready to come clean with it and take charge of your life? To really take charge of your freedom and happiness? 

Then this is key. Stop bypassing, and start seeing, start being with what you feel, start speaking your truth, and the most important one – forgive those you resent – including yourself.

The meditation or other spiritual outlet becomes the identity. “I am a meditator” or “I’m a yoga practitioner.”  It’s another way for the ego to say, “I’m here and alive, and this is who I am.” The identity reinforces the ego vs. softening it. And becomes the escape.

Want some guidance and support with this? I provide you a nurturing space to feel, be compassionately truthful, and forgive so you can be free in your heart.

Imagine that – freedom in your heart to love unconditionally.

It’s possible. Send an email to schedule your complimentary, “Peace and Purpose Breakthrough Session,” so you can start or continue your path to feeling free in your heart to love. 

Categories: Conflict & Forgiveness

About the Author: Angela Patnode

My passion, my calling, is for you to be totally you. Through private coaching, in-depth retreats, and online group coaching programs, I help you tap into your intuition and clarify your desires and vision, I guide you to take active steps toward making your desires a reality.

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