Effects of Social Conditioning
Over the years of working with people in social services, I discovered that many folks, myself included, often had stuff they were not even aware of getting in the way of their desired progress. Many of us spend years trying to get that stuff in check. This also applied when I became a Pagan teacher. I found students so twisted up about life issues they could not move on and learn new ways. I saw this in folks who were trying to build a spiritual life as well.
Many of the things people struggle with fall under the category of spiritual evolution. In my work, I have narrowed spiritual evolution down to several components that the majority of people experience as they begin their spiritual journey.
Most people choose a spiritual path and then try to change themselves to fit that path, leaving many to have poor experiences. When I researched this, my conclusion was that a person needs to get in touch with their deeper self, be comfortable and confident with who they are, then choose a spiritual path that fits that internal part of them. Not the other way around. When I began applying this concept to the way I taught Paganism, I saw my students have greater success, and greater spiritual satisfcation.
To get in touch with your deeper self and confidence, you have to look at who you are now and what you think and believe now. In effect, you build a new foundation based on who you really are at the core. A psychic needs to know what belongs to them and what does not, what influences them, and how they typically respond to those influences.
Now you may be thinking, isn’t this a book on psychism? Why do I need this mumbo jumbo? Well, because being on a path of spiritual evolution is needed for psychics to be mentally sound and spiritually strong when they encounter many of the things they do. It is also of great benefit in Magic and Witchcraft. I recommend reading through the entire book to get a good grip on what it presents. Then come back to the parts you feel you need more work on. If you read a chapter and find you do not need what is presented, wonderful, but you now have a manual to help others who may need it.
In this chapter, you will look at your beliefs about the world, yourself, and others. Psychics need self-knowledge to be effective. Self-knowledge clears a path to the necessary skills and keeps the information received clear, which is the goal of doing this work, but where to start? You begin by looking at how your current beliefs were formed, which we all get through some form of social conditioning from outside influences.
