What is Spiritual Ego?

With the rise of spirituality, especially when it enters the trending category on social media, comes the rise of imposters. Witchtok, Etsy, Instagram, Twitter, and so many other platforms are flooded with imposters claiming to have a gift. They are trying to boost themselves, and are abusing a belief for fiscal benefits and fame. Then there are those who do practice but have failed to check their spiritual ego. Witches who have not checked their spiritual ego will always be novices. To be at one with the universe you must know your own limits.

Spiritual ego shows itself in many different ways, but before we go into that I want to talk about what spiritual ego is. Spiritual ego is an inflated sense of self-worth that someone gives to themselves as a result of their spiritual practices or beliefs. I believe many monotheistic religious practitioners are guilty of spiritual ego. Conversion camps, indoctrination, and cult-like thinking are some great examples. However, the monotheists do not hold a monopoly on this. The witches, the spiritualists, and new agers have their own versions of this ego.

Spiritual Ego

There are many ways that spiritual ego can manifest itself but I am going to go over a few of the more popular ones.

1. I Am A Real Witch - This mindset stems from a multitude of different places, and it is one that I have suffered from in the past. But a lot of practitioners - especially older ones - tend to discredit witches who first discovered the craft during the trend the COVID Pandemic. We all have to start somewhere, so if someone starts because they thought it looked pretty or because they wanted to get their ex back, what does it matter? My first spell when I was 12 was a hex and that was nearly 11 years ago. I basically tried to get even with this girl who kissed the boy I liked in front of me. It was childish and naive, but I have grown so much from that point, a growth I don’t think would have happened if I didn’t make that mistake.

2. You Need to Own Certain Items to Be A Witch - No you don’t. Witchcraft started with people who had literally nothing and had to make their own magic witch what they could. An incantation can do just as much as a spell jar. You don’t need crystals, or fancy herbs, or an altar to make your practice valid.

3. Baneful Magick is not allowed - Sorry but you forced love and light witches had to know you were going to make the cut. Witchcraft was literally founded upon the principle of power imbalances and restoration. The oppressed needed away to overtake their oppressors. Love and light is not the path for everyone and you forcing it because you believe its the “right” way to practice is no different than a Christian forcing someone to follow Jesus because they believe its the “right religion.” All witches are entitled to their personal practice but you can not force someone into that category.

4. Projection - I have seen many witches who try to downgrade the validity of others simply because they don’t like how witchcraft has become so popular. They may grow angry or feel that their practice won’t be taken as seriously because of the rise of voices within the community. It’s important to remember that anyone can practice, and no other practice discredits your personal beliefs.

5. Mocking Online Resources - Witchcraft needs to be accessible in order to avoid taking the identity of those it wished to ward off. The internet increases that accessibility. If a practitioner does not have the means or the safety to buy books on a topic, they absolutely can build their knowledge offline. Both books and the internet were written by people, and many published books are easily written by problematic authors. Or do we forget Buckland and Crawley are thought to be leading voices of the neo-pagan movement despite their existence being rooted in the identity of the oppressor?

Working on Your Spiritual Ego

There are many different steps a witch or spiritualist can take to work on their spiritual ego. For me my guilty pleasure was shadow work. Constantly asking myself why I felt the need to question someone else’s practices or why I felt threatened if someone else called themselves a witch. I’ve learned to make a distinguishment between people who I just believe are imposters and people who reinforce my internalized imposter syndrome. However, shadow work is definitely not the path for everybody. Another great tool is joining online or in-person witch communities or joining a coven. Whatever you may need, it is always worth the effort to take the time to help yourself. Spiritual ego can disconnect you from the universe and can weaken the strength of your beliefs and take a toll on your self-worth in the long run. It may end up damaging the very relationship you are trying to build up.