Patterns of Demonization of the Personality

By George A. Boyd ©2016

When disciples and devotees of spiritual traditions that operate outside the cutting edge of spirituality develop stage four imbalances—to the point where they fully identify with the nucleus of identity, ensouling entity, or spiritual essence cultivated in their Path and ultimately develop this essence to the full extent they can using the techniques they practice—it is common to find that in the groups where they learn these techniques, their ego and/or personality are demonized.

Demonization of personality occurs when:

  1. The group’s spiritual teaching holds that the ego is a snare or hindrance holding their disciples or devotees back from spiritual realization, and teaches them how to recognize the activity of the ego.
  2. The group’s spiritual teaching advocates that the ego be dismantled, destroyed, or dissolved, so their disciples or devotees can achieve enlightenment.
  3. The group’s spiritual teaching suggests that a Cosmic Force of Evil (Satan) or Illusion (Maya) placed the ego within human beings, and that disciples and devotees must be constantly vigilant to avoid having these forces deceive them.
  4. The group’s spiritual teaching urges that their disciples or devotees keep their attention fixed in an altered state of consciousness, so they can suppress or stop the ego’s functioning.
  5. The group’s spiritual teaching only identifies ego with its defensive and manipulative functioning band; and its unconscious mind patterns, which we call, the shadow—and not with its positive and integrated functioning that enables the nucleus of the personality, the Self, and the Soul, to express through the body.
  6. The group’s spiritual teaching believes that entire human personality is evil and it is part of an evil world, so disciples or devotees must cling to the spiritual Master and remain continually in union with the nucleus of identity, ensouling entity, or spiritual essence cultivated in their Path to not waste their human life or let the wiles of evil seduce them.
  7. The group’s spiritual teaching disseminates techniques that enable their disciples and devotees to detach and dissociate from normal personality functioning and spend every waking moment in a trance-like, altered state of consciousness.

In Mudrashram® we point out that the integration centers of the Conscious mind (ego) and the Metaconscious mind (Self)—and the aspects of volition anchored in them—are not evil. No evil Cosmic Force has put them there—they are designed to be instruments to allow the Soul to operate directly on the environment through the body via the ego, and in the social world of other human beings through the Self. We advocate that you do spiritual work—temporarily entering an altered state of consciousness, and detaching and dissociating from the personality for the period of your meditation—but then, return to the fully grounded waking state of consciousness.

We propose that were this perspective embraced more widely by the spiritual groups that advocate demonization of the ego and the personality that we would see less disruption of personality functioning in those that adopt their practices, decreased absorption in trance-like states, and fewer instances of people adopting mindsets that picture a dark and evil world designed to trap or seduce them.

We suggest it is okay to be a human being, to make mistakes and learn from them, and not have to be perfect all of the time. We further advocate that your task at the level of the personality is to continue to improve your capacity to function by continuing to learn and gain new skills, so you can become a finer and better instrument for the Soul—more capable, and ready to carry forward the work you were meant to do in this life.

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