Stop spiritually bypassing your space

January 26, 2025

Spiritual bypass is when we use spiritual ideas to avoid dealing with difficult emotions or situations, thinking we know better. Like the time I got diagnosed with cancer and told my therapist after a week or so: "this is a gift from a kind universe to teach me an important lesson!" She tried not to roll her eyes and responded, "Uh, maybe in a year. Right now let's just acknowledge that this sucks." 

(Fast forward 8 years - I’ve fully recovered (touch wood). And I did in fact learn some important lessons -- not the least of which was to stop avoiding darkness).

You don't have to have a full-blown god complex like Pharaoh to be guilty of spiritually bypassing. But speaking of spiritual bypass - in this week's bible portion, Parashat Bo, we meet the ultimate spiritual bypasser! Here’s a guy who literally believed he was divine, using that spiritual identity to ignore the fact that he was just another human who needed to grow up and change. "Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice?" he demanded when Moses first showed up (Exodus 5:2). Even as the plagues kept proving there was something bigger than him out there, Pharaoh doubled down on his divine status rather than embrace humility.

When God "hardened Pharaoh's heart," the commentaries suggest this wasn’t interfering with free will. It was simply giving Pharaoh the strength to maintain his spiritual delusions in the face of fear because it didn’t reflect a true willingness to change. Indeed, life has a way of knocking harder and harder on our assets if we refuse to let go when everything around us is calling for release and renewal.

To align with divine presence in your space this week, start by identifying where you might be spiritually bypassing - using ritual objects or sacred spaces as a substitute for deeper work. That Buddha statue you bought to create "zen vibes" in your cluttered office? The oracle cards you consult about everything except the decisions you really need to make? Yeah, I see you. (I see me too.) Consider what patterns you've been maintaining out of habit rather than wisdom.

Lunar Cycles

The waning crescent moon moves us through shadows and release. This sliver of light recalls the darkness that fell over Egypt - not just an absence of light, but a thickness you could feel. In this diminishing radiance, we're called to feel our way through what we've been avoiding, using intuition rather than sight to guide us forward.

Room of the Week: The Bedroom

A good place to start and clear our spiritual stuckness is in the bedroom. It’s one thing to put on a face for company in the living room, but in your own private chambers you definitely want to make sure there’s nothing getting between you and you. 

Daily Energy Focus

Sunday (Yang/Sun)

When God hardened Pharaoh's heart, it happened in broad daylight. Look at what's obviously cluttering your bedroom - those piles you've been spiritually bypassing by calling them "organized chaos” that you’ll eventually get to dealing with.  Start with one pile to get the momentum going.

Monday (Yin/Moon): 

The darkness in Egypt was dense enough to feel. Create a genuinely dark sleeping space - not just aesthetically moody, but actually conducive to rest. Remove those "one day I'll meditate here" cushions if you're not using them. And if you’ve got a TV, try unplugging it for a full 24 hours.  Good sleep is its own incentive.

Tuesday (Fire/Joy): 

Light a candle by your bed with real intention, not because Instagram says it’s spiritual. Make it a practice you'll actually keep up, even just for five minutes.

Wednesday (Water/Flow): 

Check how energy moves through your bedroom. Is your bed blocking the natural path? Are you holding onto furniture arrangements that stopped working months ago? Stuckness in your bedroom can show up as stuckness in different areas of your life, depending on the gua.

Thursday (Wood/Growth): 

Place something living in your room - a small plant, fresh flowers. Each time you notice it, ask yourself: "Am I growing here, or just pretending to?"

Friday (Metal/Structure):

Clear surfaces with purpose. The structured energy of metal asks: Which spiritual tools in your bedroom are actually serving you, and which are just spiritual decor?

Saturday (Earth/Grounding): 

Rest. Let your bedroom be what it needs to be today - don’t try to direct it.