As human beings we all have to deal with our own psychological issues, our own little demons in the mind that fuel low self-esteem and insecurities that encourage paranoia. To help look after the mind you need to learn and understand who you are; what makes you tick, to value yourself and to realise that as a person you play an important role in the lives of those around you. We all need to battle against the negative image we have of ourselves. Society encourages low self-esteem. It fears individuality and as a result breeds racism, ageism, homophobia, etc. All aspects of our lives can be categorised. We are all boxed according to our habits, physical appearance, desires, views and religious beliefs, if any. Empathy with a particular group in society dictates that we become very protective, our primitive instincts kick into place and we become very tribal and territorial in our actions. Football fans are a prime example of this.

Modern day religions are certainly very tribal and territorial in nature and practice; their God is the true God and therefore everyone else is worshipping a false god. They do not like criticism and are entwined in doctrines and traditions, yet still we associate spirituality with religion. However, this is a false stereo-type image, for discovering your true self has nothing to do with religion or being protective, tribal and territorial but allowing your true nature to express itself without the confines of materialism dictating to you how much of the spiritual self you are allowed to discover and show to the rest of the world. It would seem that a person’s individual and unique spirituality has always been subservient to the rules and control of materialism.

Our inner-self is in constant conflict with personal, social and material issues that often we have little control over and yet can have a tremendous impact upon our lives. We find it increasingly difficult to express ourselves spiritually within the confines and restrictions of materialism that increasingly governs our lives and as a consequence seriously impairs our subconscious desire to evolve spirituality. If we are in an environment that suppresses the ability to express our spiritual self then it is often reflected within the body in the form of stress, allergies, etc. Through sleep the physical body is given the opportunity to rest and recuperate, so it is for the mind through such means as meditation. This offers the spiritual freedom to relax, still the mind and alleviate the pressures that social and personal environments inflict upon the individual, both mentally and physically.

The inner-self tries to communicate with us on a subconscious, instinctive level but we often fail to recognise the signs, let alone understand our true self. There are times in our life when we need ‘isolation’ from our daily routine in order to contemplate and understand the situations around us. In the same way some feel the need to seek a spiritual retreat to allow their true self to flourish, which really means giving permission for the spiritual self to express itself unhindered by the restrictions of daily life and to be able to find inspiration and solutions.

We are all caught in the wake of materialism and many remain blissfully unaware of it. We are dictated to as to what we should eat, drink and purchase. We are encouraged to buy more than we initially intended through such inducements as buy-one-get-one-free schemes, not to the benefit of the customers but to boost the already overflowing company coffers. Aggressive advertising constantly sells us a particular style or brand and manipulates us into believing that their economic propaganda machine knows what is and is not currently cool to own. Even children are not exempt from being targeted. In the past they were seen as individuals who needed to be loved and nurtured into adulthood, nowadays they too are seen and treated as a commodity.

So much hype and manipulation bring many mixed signals. Is it any wonder that as a result we find it so hard to find a balance between enjoyment and excess? We like to drink alcohol but are openly encouraged through low cost and availability to binge, which often leads to anti-social behaviour. Young girls are constantly bombarded with supposedly idyllic images of stick-thin models and then when they struggle to emulate there newly found idols many end up bulimic or anorexic. Ironically this can occur at a time when it is reported that figures show that obesity is a worldwide problem of epidemic proportions.

Economically there is no market and no money in spirituality, while materialism and technology make powerful bed-fellows. There is no doubt that technology is a wonderful thing, it can bring a lot of pleasure and can often make our lives easier. However, technology has now become the greatest threat to spirituality because it controls our daily lives, it dominates every aspect of our world, taking away the need to think; freedom of thought. Everything is moving so fast nowadays and everyone seems in a rush. “Where does the time go?”, “Hasn’t this year flown past?”, “Can’t stop, I’ve got to get to…” All this haste is breeding anxiety, stress, anger and ultimately illness. How can we possibly hope to get in touch with our spiritual selves if we are unable to relax, quieten our minds and cast off the stresses of the day?

We are building barriers all the time and eroding the different areas of our spiritual development. We are slaves to the relentless advancement of technology. It is eradicating the art of conversation, an essential part of our developmental learning through social interaction, for we are social beings. We have televisions, mobile phones and computers, yet we are losing the need, the desire to even speak to one another. We can travel halfway around the world in a matter of hours on a plane and the same distance in seconds on the internet, but what is the point of access to all this so-called wonderful technology if we don’t know how to interact without pressing a button? A good example of this is television. You can experience other people’s lives through ‘reality TV’, explore the world through nature and travel programmes, movies can re-write history, and propaganda can be spread.

So how do you know what is truth and what is lies if you are not allowed to experience life for yourself first-hand? How are you going to understand your true spiritual self if you have been given false information through the media? How do you know what is right for you as an individual if spirituality is being controlled and dominated by materialism? Are you actually choosing how to develop spiritually or is someone else manipulating you on how to find the Spirit within? Have you the total freedom to discover the real you, or are you being restricted? Is this limitation causing more unrest for you?

Another consideration in respect of materialism is how much it is going to cost you to start and complete your journey of self-discovery. We owe it to ourselves to choose wisely and remember that the journey of self-discovery first starts with honesty, self honesty; a case of ‘to thyself be true’. We could spend years travelling around the world, visiting religious/sacred places, spending thousands of pounds on meditation book/tapes, retreats, workshops, etc., to find one’s self; the inner self. However, all this is fruitless if you are not being honest with yourself in recognising and understanding your flaws; the negative traits of your personality. Once we have acknowledged the fact that we are being totally honest with ourselves, then we need to incorporate that honesty into the actions of our daily lives and that means taking personal responsibility for our thoughts and actions.

Your journey of self-discovery begins at birth. How difficult that journey is to be is down to you. It is your personal responsibility to maintain the balance of the trinity; mind, body and spirit. To do so will assure good health, success upon your pathway of self discovery and spiritual happiness. Everything is good in moderation, so do not become a slave to the likes of materialism and technology. Remember that both were created to serve you, not enslave you. Be true to yourself, be honest with yourself, respect yourself and you will not go far wrong.

So go ahead, take that journey of self discovery today, it’s never too late. Be proud of who you are and do not feel insecure or ashamed of your spirituality. With this in mind dear friends, we wish you well upon your journey of spiritual fredom.