What Is Spiritual Materialism?

The theme of selfishness appears to exist throughout the New Age trip, it is on the whole supported by middle class white people who are dissatisfied with their lives and uncomfortable in their relationships and surroundings. Invariably it is a money making scene, the books, crystals, bells, incense, oils, aromas, the tapes and CD's all sell like hotcakes.
--Kobutsu Malone, Narcissism and Spiritual Materialism: The New Age Legacy

I recently read an article by Kobutsu Malone on the subject of "spiritual materialism". What exactly is spiritual materialism? Spiritual materialism refers to commodification of spirituality in a consumeristic society. In other words, spirituality is treated like every other commodity--it's something you pay for to gratify a certain need. Spirituality is something that you can buy much in the same way as you might buy a self-help book for self-improvement. It's catered to the needs of your ego. If you buy these books, CDs, crystals, incense, herbs, etc., etc., you will live longer, have better relationships, be more healthy, more attractive, have a great sex life, and achieve "higher consciousness". And by achieving that "higher consciousness", you'll find your inner divinity and recognize that inner divinity in others. Sounds great, doesn't it? All you have to do is buy some books and practice some breathing or meditation techniques, while listening to some relaxation tapes. There is only one problem. It's all about your ego, about getting what you want. Egoism, in itself, is not always a bad thing. Self-love is part of healthy egoism. But spirituality that you can buy is a fake spirituality. It lulls you into another state of spiritual sleep--the same type of sleep that is experienced by those who listen to a preacher in a church. True spirituality is about selflessness, genuineness and concern for others. It's about being aware of who you are and the culture you live in. Spirituality begins with asking questions about who we are and our purpose in the world. It's not about some books or rituals. It's about a genuine search for meaning. The process of awakening is about facing reality, not escaping from it. When I hear people talk about "higher consciousness", I see a desire to escape from reality. It's like renting some movie to watch to escape the boredom and banality of everyday life. This is more about escapism, and has little to do with any search for meaning. And there will always be people to provide meaning for you, either by selling you things or by trying to get you to join their group. Come to Jesus and you'll find inner peace. Or come to Allah and you'll find the real truth. This is not spirituality. It's all about bandwagon mentality and imitation. Do as we do. Follow the leader. A spiritually awake person is someone who raises questions, someone who wants to find some meaning and connection with the rest of the world. She is not satisfied with second-hand answers. She wants to find her own truth. She wants to see the bigger picture. Just to sit in a meditative posture, proclaiming your divinity, does not make you any more spiritual. In fact, it makes a person deluded and out of touch with reality. How many times I have heard New-Age folks say that we "create our own reality". If only we all just meditated, the world would be a harmonious and loving place. This is the kind of self-delusion that was popular in 1960s -- many have dropped out of society thinking they were making the world a better place by spreading love, positive vibes and flower power. The true social change was accomplished by people like Martin Luther King, Jr., who stayed within society to fight for civil rights. Spirituality is all about how you live, not about the things you buy or outer forms that you observe. If spirituality does not transform a person in a way that she seeks to serve her community, it isn't worth much. And it doesn't really matter what religion you follow. I don't care how much money Madonna spends on studying Kaballah. Spirituality is not something you can buy. It's how you live. Most religions, in principle, advocate a simple life and service to others. Recall what Jesus said: "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." In my own search I finally understood that it's all about how you live, not what rituals you observe. Religions are all about living a moral life and showing kindness and love towards others. It has nothing to do with getting anywhere. It's about appreciating what you have and making the best of it. It's about being concerned about the world, not about materialistic self-aggrandizement. True love needs no religion to follow. It acts of necessity. We get too caught up in forms and rituals and forget our own humanity. I've been studying I Ching for many years now, and the ancient Chinese understood that words have no power unless they are supported by one's entire conduct. The hexagram 37 (The Family) of the I Ching expresses that clearly:

Wind comes forth from fire:
The image of THE FAMILY.
Thus the superior man has substance in his words
And duration in his way of life.

Spirituality without substance is shallow and meaningless. Words, that are not consistent with one's way of life, are empty and have no effect on others. Buying more "stuff" does not make us spiritual. As Kobutsu Malone writes in Narcissism and Spiritual Materialism: The New Age Legacy:

We may buy a book on indigenous shamanism, we may gather the feathers, the drum, the medicine bag, the herbs, the pipe, all the "required" paraphernalia... and pretend to be a shaman. We may go to someone who claims to be such a person to learn from them. But after we've done all that, after we've read everything that can be read on the subject, acquired all the props, dressed ourselves in the native clothes, painted our faces--when we look in the mirror--we are still a white person pretending to be someone other than who we are. We are a clumsy approximation of a shaman at best. If we study an oriental tradition we can never become an oriental person, we can not undo our past and somehow recreate a cultural heritage. In short, we are who we are and need to become used to the idea that we do not have the right to steal the heritage of another culture to satisfy our unbridled greed and arrogance.

You see, what is really needed is not what is offered for sale, advertised for money and acquired through materialistic gain. What is needed, is to look at our motivations, to examine our present condition, to study our history to learn about how we function. We can do none of this if we are involved in looking outside ourselves for answers, if we are looking for "higher" states of consciousness.

What is a "higher" state of consciousness? Higher than what? We are not even aware of our present state of mind other than that we are in pain, feel a lack and want to feel complete. We behave as if spoiled children who want their situation "fixed" and taken care of right away. We have not really looked at ourselves, we have not deeply examined the nature of our feelings, the root causes of those feelings, the social structure, language and culture that has produced our world views. In short we are so busy wanting to escape that we have not taken the time to understand the nature of our imprisonment. What sense does it make to trade one jail cell for another, when the prison walls are in reality our own forgotten creation?"