How do you -> Balance Regular Self-Help With Spirituality/Philosophy?

[Matt23]

I'm at a point where I definitely could use some regular self-help and self-development work.  Even trauma work.

But I'm also interested in the more "lofty", philosophical, spiritual stuff. 

I'm trying to seek that balance. 

I'm aware it's a personal thing, and I don't think anyone can really give me "then answer".  

But I think having others' input helps. 

So, how do you balance these things?  

What advice do you have?

What pitfalls and benefits do you see to both?

How do you see each one informing and connecting with each other (philosophizing --> relationship issues --> spirituality --> earning a living, etc..)?

[Moksha]

Healing happens when you see the lies of the ego for what they are. Self-help and spirituality consensually derive from this core realization.

Lofty philosophy tries to conceptualize the Mystery that cannot be conceptualized, and as such it is just another egoic adventure, forever chasing its tail.

If you want true self-help and spirituality, let go of conceptualization and open your eyes to being.

[Norn]

For me, a nice way to integrate spiritual work with more personal development style work is to:

1. Get clear on your goals/life purpose/connect with your inner compass/intuition for guidance

2. Take action that moves you in the direction you've found in step 1.

3. Notice the negative emotions that arise on your path: they are signs pointing towards neurotic/inflated parts of the ego that get triggered by your attempts of changing.

4. When you have time/ the situation allows, dive into the emotions, find out what lies at their root, and release them. To do this effectively you might want to look into different frameworks for this: Focusing (Gene Gendlin), Completion Process (Teal Swan), The Sedona Method, Letting Go (David Hawkins),...

Via this process, you slowly liberate consciousness/energy that was bound by the emotions/parts you've released while at the same time removing the self-sabotage mechanisms that prevent you from reaching your goals.

Edited April 26, 2021 by Norn