Spiritual Withdrawal And The Emptiness
Updated: 2 days ago
Spiritual withdrawal and the Emptiness.
Spiritual withdrawal is real. Loosing interest in life is real. So, let’s talk about it!
I left my job recently.
The only reason was that I didn't want to deal with another day that didn't contribute to the larger picture of how I want to see myself in the future.
Well, this is at least what I tell myself to make peace with my decision.
The fact is, I had a steady job with good income, but I left it to pursue something I haven't even conceived of yet.
It was just too painful to be in that job for one more day.
I was no longer able to vibrationally fit into the role I had been in for about five years, or with the company, or with the people I was interacting with.
Read ahead:
We deeply honor each and every person after a certain stage of growth, because you recognize the other as another incarnation of the Divine. You recognize that Divine aspect in the other person while also recognizing the divinity in yourself.
Anything less than how you honor yourself is not an agreeable environment in which to spend ten hours of your day.
My inner being expects the recognition of the Divine in me, while they are projecting, "We are paying you, so we own you."
It just doesn't work anymore.
But even this was something I told myself.
Because the truth is something entirely different.
It took me some time to figure it out, but I eventually did.
There was a little truth to the conclusions above, but it was not impossible to work with.
Work gives you livelihood. It pays your bills.
The real problem lies somewhere else.
Right now, I am not able to see the next steps I should take in my life.
That is also the truth.
Would This Be the Case With a "Normal" Person?
There was a time in my life when I moved from India to the US, and I never felt lost. T
he path always seemed clear.
Somehow, I would always be in the right place at the right time, and things would simply fall into place. Of course, this is true for everyone; there are always struggles, mishaps, and unexpected turns.
But it always felt like things would eventually work out. There was never any complete confusion about the outcome I was moving toward.
The Path Goes Invisible
We engage in meditation practice, believing that God, our savior, will intervene and assist us in every situation as we navigate life.
We continually receive signs reinforcing this belief.
However, there comes a stage of spiritual growth where the path ahead is no longer visible.
This isn't just my personal experience. I've researched this phenomenon, and many others appear to have experienced the same.
The way I understand it, up until this point, it was as if someone else was driving your life, and we never had to actively think.
Things simply happened.
Desires arose.
Opportunities appeared.
We made choices.
Circumstances guided us in certain directions.
And somehow, the path kept revealing itself.
Freewill isn't so free after all.
Until one day, it doesn't.
Emptiness and void follows.
Now, you are becoming the driver.
And somehow, it is you who has to figure things out.
What does our new role entail?
Here is a thought that came to me:
You have sidelined the original Creator and made yourself the creator. Now you have to create on your own.
Not the typical spiritual growth one might expect, right?
We are often told that as we grow spiritually, God will guide us.
But what if a part of spiritual growth involves losing that very guidance at some point ?
Don't be alarmed, though. Towards the end, possibilities will only increase, but what was appealing before will lose its hold on you. You will start looking for something more meaningful for the soul.
The soul takes the throne.
My point of view is that we are simply here, and whatever we do somehow contributes to the expansion of ourselves, those we come into contact with, and the planet as a whole through a cascading effect.
If so, perhaps our new role now is not necessarily to be guided at every step, but to become part of the unfolding of creation itself.
As a creator yourself, you now know exactly what to do for the highest good of all.
The only desire of the Soul is Self-Illumination to the extent possible, and we are cultivating the circumstances for others to have this possibility.
In the process, the Soul increasingly realizes its true essence, capabilities, and possibilities. If you haven't heard of Self-Actualization yet, now you have.
Sodashi Mataji states that our primary purpose, beyond spiritual growth, is to manifest divinity and divine light within the physical realm—specifically, within our bodies and through our bodies into the Earth itself. This process contributes to the evolution of all beings on the planet by raising the Earth's overall vibration.
Read here for more information about the image.
Where Does the Desire to Do Something Stem From?
This brings me back to my own problem: Why am I unable to see what I should do next?
Why have I lost the drive to act?
The desire to "do something" arises from the seeds of karma. Our desires, needs, wants, ambitions, and preferences all spring from these seeds and they are fueling our actions in life.
You want to build something.
You want to become something.
You want to change something.
You want to achieve something.
But what happens when those seeds begin to burn away?
When the karmic seeds that drive our will are diminished, our capacity for action in life lessens.
Once these seeds are burned, a new source of motivation is needed to propel our work.
What would that drive be?
Currently, I find myself in a phase where I've lost the drive to do anything at all.
This is where something very interesting emerges—Emptiness and the Voids.
Shiva Can Meditate. Shakti Makes Things Move.
The drive to act is bestowed by Shakti, the Divine Feminine.
Shakti is the power, energy, and force that enables movement and action in life. Coiled at the base of the spine, it expresses itself, giving our lives movement in this physical dimension.
You can sit and meditate for hours, working solely on your Shiva.
But without Shakti, Shiva is inert.
The entirety of material creation occurred because of Shakti.
This is a crucial point often overlooked when discussing spiritual withdrawal.
Losing Interest in the World Can Be Normal.
When frequently entering lower Samadhi states, one's capacity for worldly action diminishes.
As prana is arrested through Dharana and Samadhi, and the senses turn inward through Pratyahara—all parts of Patanjali's eight limbs of Yoga—the drive to engage with the world can barely be found.
Often, individuals who adopt a meditation practice begin to withdraw from their regular lives.
Their relationships, social circles, and surroundings shift.
They start losing interest in mundane life.
These changes are frequently described as aspects of spiritual awakening.
Detach From the World. Attach to the Divine.
These shifts persist until you connect with your Self.
Here, I'm reminded of a famous spiritual saying:
Detach. Attach.
You detach from worldly things and attach to the Divine—or, as I prefer to call it, the inner Divine.
You are not necessarily running away from the world; you are simply no longer deriving your sense of meaning from it.
When this process sufficiently unfolds through your practice, it ultimately leads to the purification of the Chitta—the mind-stuff encompassing memory, intellect, ego, subconscious, and unconscious—and the Vrittis—the mental fluctuations or waves rippling across the Chitta.
Then, almost imperceptibly, a strange disinterest takes over.
Is Losing Interest in Life Actually a Bad Thing?
No, it is not. It is part of spiritual progress.
There is a stage where old motivations have begun to disappear, but the new source of motivation has not yet fully awakened.
This can manifest as emptiness, withdrawal, depression, voids, a lost sense of purpose, or even a perceived loss of interest in life itself.
What has truly been lost is the old reasons for living in form of lost attachments and the old perceptions that are giving you sense of self.
When sufficient purification occurs, scriptures speak of higher states of Samadhi, eventually reaching Nirvikalpa Samadhi and going beyond.
Jīvātman—the individual soul—merges into Paramātman—The Supreme Soul.
In that state, one no longer experiences the same sense of separation from everything around them. Instead of feeling constantly disconnected from the world, you perceive the underlying oneness across all living things.
This is the strange paradox of spiritual withdrawal:
You first become detached from the world before you can experience your unity with it.
You lose interest in the old way of living before you discover what it means to be truly alive.
Withdrawal is not the destination; it is merely a means to something greater—a new way of being.
This is the part of the spiritual journey for which nobody truly prepares you.
There is light at the end of the tunnel.
Hold on to your path and hold on to the belief in your journey beyond.
Wanting to Run Back to Your Regular Life
All the advice you will ever receive from friends or family will likely be the same: it will point to going back to regular life. This can be quite tempting, especially when the soul did not prepare for such a change ahead of incarnation.
Confusion does arise.
You are not born an ascetic or a monk; you start as a material person, born into a material family. Perhaps, like mine, your parents do not believe in God or have devotion.
You might be starting from ground zero.
Your body (your cells) seeks comfort and stability, while your soul seeks something else.
You don't yet see the light at the end of the tunnel, so you want to walk away.
How long can one keep walking alone on a path that does not guarantee the destination?
There is only one person who can tell you with certainty that you will succeed in this life if you persevere—that person is your Guru.
This is Why You Need a Guru.
~ Shiva Tejo
PS. If any of this resonated with you, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments or send a message.
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