Getting through a spiritual short circuit

Pull through a spiritual crisis by transforming from container to conduit.

Photo by Alin Rusu on Unsplash

I moved to Portland in 2021, in the middle of COVID-19 and shortly after the Black Lives Matter protests. Downtown Portland was devastated, filled with homeless encampments. I saw people on the streets, wild-eyed and muttering to themselves. Some staggered along roads and sidewalks, raging at unseen companions and shouting obscenities. A scrawny, naked woman was sprawled out like a spider on the hood of a parked car, shouting at the frightened driver. There were folks huddled in the quiet, shadowy corners outside vacant storefronts. Several others lay prostrate or curled up in a fetal position in the sun. One young man simply stood, motionless, outside the Multnomah County Central Library, gazing at the sky.

My husband says it’s Covid and unemployment. “It’s the meth,” says a neighbor. “Schizophrenia, fentanyl, and mental illness,” my friends say. “Trauma and poverty,” my father says. All perfectly rational conclusions of course. But perhaps such extreme psychological instability masks something more mysterious at play.

My hypothesis is that the severely mentally compromised have experienced spiritual short circuit, where their senses, overloaded by forces from the world of Spirit, leave them in a state of profound disconnection with the physical world. Those of us who have experience with non-ordinary states of consciousness know may know what it feels like to be lost, stuck for a while in the world of Spirit. However, many of us can find our way back to the world of the living. Unfortunately, some of us can’t.

Powerful spiritual currents can overwhelmed unprepared minds and nervous systems, causing damage. Unprepared for the influx of supernatural energy, those who present as “insane” perhaps lacked the grounding necessary to handle such a force. In the Kabbalah, zim zum refers to an act of contraction where the vessel of the infinite light of God is shattered and poured into finite vessels (humans), resulting in the release of divine sparks within them. The drugs, the trauma of street-living, or maybe a fragile temperament acted as the catalyst, but I believe it was a divine force, a presence beyond the realm of earthly frequencies, that ultimately caused the overload. Human beings are far too weak and frail to host the Creator's immense power and its countless spiritual agents of light and dark. A mystical experience can overwhelm the mind and nervous system, leading to symptoms that are now considered “mental illness”.

In the biblical tale of God coming to Moses as a pillar of cloud, Moses asked God to show himself, but God replied, “You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live”. God then told Moses, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand, and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”

Encounters with the spirit world demand preparation, both physically and psychologically. Attempts to directly know God or the worlds of Spirit can be detrimental to our minds and bodies. To see God's back, one must take the appropriate steps. Bypassing these steps may lead to disastrous outcomes. Struck by a massive surge of otherworldly energy, a person may find themselves severely dysregulated and struggling to function in this world. Having experienced the intensity of spiritual awakening, they find the mundane world jarring and unsatisfying in comparison. They develop a heightened sensitivity that keeps them constantly anxious and overwhelmed. They’re plagued by confusing thoughts and spirit noise. Unless one has developed some level of discipline and discernment, a numinous encounter can leave one mentally somersaulting, yearning for the familiar voice of their first home. But instead of the Creator’s loving voice, they hear only angry shouts or smooth, cunning imitations, whispers of deceit and despair, distortions designed to mimic the Creator's tone.

Opening ourselves to unseen energies is risky until we have undergone a transformative process of inner cleansing, which might include rigorous self-examination, service to others, and abstaining from addictive behaviors. This purification process is akin to being placed within “the cleft of the rock”.

I know the dangers firsthand, having recklessly tapped into that power before I was prepared myself. Experimenting with drugs, sex, and dabbling in the occult as a teenager scrambled my mind. I was fortunate to have supportive people and mental health providers, practices like writing and meditation, which helped me recover. Engaging in creative work helped relieve the pent-up pressure, allowing me to return to a more balanced mental state.

Spiritual short circuits aren’t limited to those who seem insane. Those with artistic, creative, or visionary minds are also vulnerable to spiritual attacks, as otherworldly forces are drawn to sensitive, curious, and imaginative people.

In order to get through the wringer, those of us grappling with a spiritual crisis, or a soul short circuit, must transform from container to conduit. The spiritual power we receive must be shared. To safely channel divine energy upon receiving it, we need to outwardly express it – through creative pursuits like art and music making, or by sharing our time, attention or stories with others. If not, the excess divine energy overloads our system and harms our psyche.

The divine current's full force is felt deeply by healers, mystics, and lightworkers. However, this group differs from the seemingly mad or the struggling artists in one respect. They are the “lunatics” who have discovered how to harness and redirect the divine force, using it to not only survive, but to flourish.

Three elements are necessary for this flourishing.

A good start is to ground ourselves in physical reality: feeling the weight of our bodies through physical movement, touching the earth, connecting with animals and plants, and consciously acknowledging the privilege and constraints of our material existence. This practice mirrors alchemy and Taoism's concept of the marriage between heaven and earth, spirit and matter, the harmonious blend of celestial and terrestrial energies. We must prioritize self-care, alongside practical necessities such as earning an income, maintaining hygiene, reading, fulfilling tax obligations, and building strong family and community ties. Activities like yoga and dance, meditation, fasting, mindful eating, and nature walks are particularly helpful for this type of grounding.

Second, we ought to be vigilant; our senses must be sharpened, and our focus unwavering. We can learn the Toltec practice of stalking, which entails improving our intuitive awareness about our environment and our own minds. This will help us live with integrity, in congruence with what most of us understand as virtues (compassion, kindness, reverence, patience, gentleness, forgiveness). We must be cautious of vanity, envy, fear, and greed, and we should be mindful of when we stray from love. We need to be aware when we’re devolving. Surrounding ourselves with people who will keep us accountable is crucial, as is readily admitting to lapses of integrity and swiftly making restitution. It's important to be mindful of who we spend time with and the activities we engage in, avoiding things like distracting television, escaping through social media, drugs, or gossip which can drain our energy or bring confusion.

Third, we need to continuously circulate the divine energy within ourselves, directing it outwards the way rivers move towards the sea. Transforming the container into a conduit requires dedication to the well-being of our fellow humans and the health of the planet and its inhabitants. This can be done via religious or spiritual practices, acts of kindness, artistic endeavors, and regular prayer and meditation. Aligning with the energy of love is the most effective way to shift from being a container to being a conduit. This means being loving regardless of whether we feel like it or not. It means confronting challenges rather than indulging in emotion-numbing distractions. It means embracing both suffering and joy, pain and pleasure. Becoming a conduit involves becoming aware that the divine (God, the universe, the Creator, Mother Gaia, whatever you want to call it) is already in you and working through you, and to surrender your will more and more each day to this sacred presence.

So, my sensitive friend, if despite your fears and survival instincts, you can tune into the frequency of divine love, you can overcome a spiritual short circuit. It’s hard work, but if the force is already in you, what choice do you have?