When beliefs are spiritual walls, they prevent you from growing. This is a common situation. If you follow one of the Abrahamic religions, you are living behind a spiritual wall. Let’s climb the spiritual wall and discover the freedom on the other side.
Mental barriers hindering personal growth are part of our worldview. The Enneagram helps us identify these spiritual obstacles that are sabotaging our growth. It provides an easy-to-understand framework for our minds and gives us insight into our natural inclinations.
With the insight from the Enneagram, we can correct the harmful programming and replace it with healthy beliefs and values. A healthy mindset gives us a platform to grow.
What Are the Spiritual Walls?
A spiritual wall is a mental construct. It results from indoctrination, brainwashing, or other social conditioning. These tools program thinking, beliefs, and values.
The mind comes with some factory-installed programming to run our personality and instincts. This programming can be damaged or skewed by various mind-control tactics, like propaganda. The cultural narrative is full of unhealthy things that affect our worldview. The psychological walls these tools create are formidable barriers.
If we want to climb the spiritual wall, we need the right tools and the courage to face them. Belief systems are often where people hide their bias and prejudice. They protect this wall to justify their discrimination and violence. Communities can become divided when beliefs are spiritual walls that contain unhealthy bias and prejudice.
Many people have more than one obstacle to overcome. Starting with the obstacles that relate to personality type and instinctual variant proves to be the most effective. By addressing our core personality and instinctual drivers, we can knock the others down like a row of dominoes.
If you don’t know your Enneagram type, you can still glean some insight by reading through these obstacles. You may find one that matches your personality type and instinctual variant.
Preparing to Climb a Spiritual Wall
Before you read the next section, find out about the walls or beliefs in your worldview. Most people don’t know what is hindering their growth. You’ll likely find these walls by asking yourself, what are my core beliefs? These are the things you believe that you hold dear. Take a few minutes to record your answers and reflect on them.
It may be helpful to use the Repetitive Question Exercise to help identify these barriers. Keep asking and searching for new answers. If you practice this exercise for 10 to 15 minutes, you should find at least ten or more. If it’s not yielding results, shift the wording.
Types of Spiritual Walls Hindering Growth
1. Fear often blocks the Reformer (Type 1) from taking risks and embracing imperfection. They must practice self-compassion and accept that mistakes are part of growth. The Enneagram type one must engage in activities that allow for creativity and flexibility. Because fear triggers our basic survival instinct, it’s not just an issue for type ones. Climb the spiritual wall, and you will probably run into this primitive impulse.
2. Guilt is the enemy that hinders the Helper (Type 2) from setting boundaries and taking care of their own needs. Setting healthy boundaries and prioritizing self-care helps type twos. They must recognize that their worth is not solely based on helping others.
3. Doubt stops the Achiever (Type 3) from believing in their true worth beyond achievements. Type three must focus on self-acceptance and authenticity. Practices that emphasize inner value over external success are essential.
4. Envy prevents the Individualist (Type 4) from appreciating their unique gifts and contributions. Type fours must cultivate gratitude and recognize their unique contributions. They need to practice mindfulness to stay present and appreciate their own journey.
5. Isolation undermines the Investigator (Type 5) from connecting with others. Sharing their knowledge and building connections is important for grounding type five. They must engage in community activities to foster a sense of belonging.
6. Anxiety is a wall that makes the Loyalist (Type 6) overly cautious and afraid of change. Type six must develop trust in themselves and others. Practicing grounding techniques and focusing on the present moment provides calmness and tranquility.
7. Distraction causes the Enthusiast (Type 7) to avoid deep, meaningful experiences. The type seven must learn to embrace stillness and reflection. They need to do activities that require focus and depth, such as meditation or journaling.
8. Anger is a wall that makes the Challenger (Type 8) hold on to grudges and resist vulnerability. Type eight must practice empathy and openness. They need activities that promote emotional expression and connection. Anger is another one of the common instinctual triggers. It is a spiritual wall with many difficult places.
9. Complacency: This wall can stop the Peacemaker (Type 9) from taking action and asserting themselves. Type nine must learn to assert themselves and take proactive steps toward their goals. They need to challenge their comfort zone and encourage growth.
These types of spiritual walls can be challenging, but recognizing them is the first step to overcoming them.
Every belief system has parameters, boundaries, limitations… these are its walls. Some belief systems have more boundaries than others. If we are not progressing in our spiritual walk, it’s time to inspect our beliefs and values. Religious or spiritual beliefs are often the boundaries holding us back. — Guru Tua
When Beliefs Are Spiritual Walls of Indoctrination
There are two basic types of walls in religion: the first one keeps people in, and the second one keeps people out. The walls used to keep people out are religious exclusivity. This is often based on race, socioeconomic status, and specific religious beliefs. Isolation, control of information, fear, and intimidation are the walls that keep undesirables out.
Nine Deadly Sins
Religion lists nine deadly sins related to the perversion of the Ego. These sins encompass a range of human vices that can lead to moral and spiritual downfall. These vices are types of spiritual walls hindering growth and development.
1. Pride involves an excessive belief in one’s abilities, often resulting in arrogance.
2. Greed is characterized by an intense and selfish desire for wealth, power, or possessions.
3. Wrath represents uncontrolled feelings of anger and hatred.
4. Envy is jealousy towards another’s traits, status, abilities, or rewards.
5. Lust involves intense or uncontrolled desire, often for sexual pleasure.
6. Gluttony is overindulgence and overconsumption, to the point of waste.
7, Sloth signifies laziness or the failure to act and utilize one’s talents.
8. Deceit involves dishonesty and misleading others for personal gain.
9. Lastly, vanity is the excessive pride in or admiration of one’s own appearance or achievements.
These vices of the spirit highlight various aspects of human behavior that can lead to ethical and spiritual challenges. But there are more.
Nine Spiritual Obstacles
To the nine deadly vices above, we can add the following tools of spiritual deception.
1. False Faith, believing in something without evidence, leading to misguided thinking.
2. Belief is based on faith, which leads to spiritual confusion and deception.
3. Prayer is pretending you can influence an imaginary friend through sincere concentration.
4. Divine Inspiration is claiming one receives messages from a higher power.
5. Superstition: Believing in irrational or unfounded superstitions leading to harm.
6. Idolatry: Placing undue importance on material objects or people.
7. Hypocrisy: Pretending to have virtues that one does not actually possess.
8. Fanaticism: Extreme and uncritical zeal or enthusiasm leading to harmful actions.
9. Spiritual Pride: Feeling superior because of one’s spiritual beliefs.
These nine types of spiritual walls are part of the unhealthy comfort zone. It is yet another barrier used to keep people paying customers.
On the surface, belief and faith seem innocent, even positive, since they conjure confidence. But below the surface, you find they are attached to religious values based on the existence of an imaginary friend—God.
God is the concept ancient civilizations used to explain things they didn’t understand. It asserts that a magical being made the universe and everything in it and is controlling everything. When we climb the spiritual wall often leads to confrontation with powerful metaphors and symbolism.
Fears about the afterlife are a huge barrier. They keep people attached to the system as paying customers. People pay the Church indulgences so they can go to a nice place in heaven and avoid going to hell. Greed also plays a large role; the property gospel tricks people into paying so they can get rich.
The wall preventing your spiritual growth is belief in superstition. We create these barriers when beliefs and values are grounded in myths and superstitions. — Guru Tua
The concept of God is one of the most formidable spiritual obstacles in our lives. It prevents many from finding their own path. Sadly, this wall is a common obstacle. Even people who do not follow an organized religion believe God exists.
Approximately half of the world’s population follows a sect of the Abrahamic cult. These are the religions of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism (1). If you ascribe to one of the three religions, you won’t see faith and belief as types of spiritual walls. After all, these religions have all the answers.
Faith is not for overcoming obstacles; it is for experiencing them all the way through! — Richard Rohr
The Abrahamic religions are nothing new. They are a rebranding of earlier ancient mystery religions from the Mediterranean. The Semitic faiths come from the mythologies of Assyria, Babylon, Egypt, and Persia. The Abrahamic religions adopted self-hypnosis and group hypnosis from these cults. They are effective tools for recruiting and retaining members.
They conveniently confuse the concepts of faith and confidence. We have confidence that the sun will rise tomorrow. This confidence is based on the evidence of all the previous sunrise events. You don’t need to have faith that the sun will rise; it is highly probable that it will.
Religion uses faith as a tool to overcome facts and evidence. Believe it or not, it actually works. The very assertion of faith is the denial of facts. Many are proud to proclaim they live by faith. That is why climbing spiritual walls can be so difficult.
Make-believe is a tool used by children to learn and role-play. But, when adults engage in pretending and make-believe, it can be dangerous. When you pretend something has occurred without proof, you create a cognitive distortion. Religious indoctrination reinforces this mind-control tactic.
Believing in talking snakes, donkeys, and resurrected zombies sets a dangerous precedent. You replace magical thinking with reality. You pretend with all your might because your identity is tied to the mythology and superstition you hold dear.
Religion as a source of consolation is an obstacle to true faith. — Simone Weil
Mental Barriers Hindering Personal Growth
Faith and belief are the mechanisms religion uses to overcome rational thinking. The mythologies and superstitions create these barriers. These contradictory and illogical doctrines justify irrational and harmful actions.
People come to love the obstacle that imprisons them. Believers see the answers given by religion as simple answers to the more difficult questions. Unfortunately, these answers are counterfeits and limitations to the truth.
Organized Religions capitalize on our most basic fears. For instance, our existential fear of death could propel us on our spiritual journey. Instead, organized religion uses it to sell belief in the afterlife. They use our most basic fears to sell an ideology that creates different types of spiritual walls.
Many people compare religion to fast-food spirituality. Like fast food, religion is readily available; it tastes good but lacks spiritual nutrition. Like fast food, religion is habit-forming. Religion promises to fulfill a need it can never meet and requires frequent visits to maintain control. The primary reason for control is your financial support. The dogma of religion can not quench your spiritual needs, but you can become addicted to cultural programming.
What Are Harmful Beliefs and Values?
If you are going to find harmful beliefs, you need to know what you are looking for. Harmful beliefs and values are ideas that can hurt people or make their lives worse. These beliefs can lead to unfair treatment, violence, or other negative outcomes. Here are some examples:
1. Racism: Believing that one race is better than others.
2. Discrimination: treating someone unfairly/differently because of personal characteristics.
3. Bigotry: an unreasonable hatred for people different from yourself.
4. Sexism: Thinking that one gender is better than another.
5. Homophobia: Disliking or being afraid of people who are gay.
6. Xenophobia: Being afraid of or hating people from other countries.
7. Religious Intolerance: Not accepting people who have different religious beliefs.
8. Body Shaming: Judging people based on their body size or shape.
9. Ageism: Treating people unfairly because of their age.
10. Ableism: Discriminating against people with disabilities.
11. Classism: Believing that people from certain social classes are better than others.
12. Misogyny: Hating or being prejudiced against women.
13. Transphobia: Disliking or being afraid of transgender people.
14. Elitism: Thinking that people from a certain group are superior to others.
15. Cultural Superiority: Believing that one culture is better than others.
16. Victim Blaming: Thinking that people who suffer from crimes or accidents are at fault.
17. Superstition: Believing in folklore that leads to harmful actions.
18. Fanaticism: Extreme beliefs that can lead to violence or intolerance.
19. Patriarchy: A system where men hold more power and women are treated unfairly.
20. Honor-Based Violence: Hurting someone to protect the family’s honor.
21. Forced Marriage: Making someone marry against their will.
22. Child Labor: Believing it’s okay for children to work instead of going to school.
These harmful beliefs and values can cause a lot of pain and suffering. It’s important to recognize them and work towards more fair and kind ways of thinking.
Learning How To Climb the Spiritual Wall
Many ancient teachers, sages, and avatars repeat the same advice to reject organized religion. But instead of creating spiritual explorers, their teachings are used to keep paying customers.
If used correctly, mythology can be helpful. To do so, you must recognize mythology as fictional stories and analogies, not the depiction of actual persons or events. You can glean useful points if you understand it as a collection of metaphors.
Treating mythology as fact instead of fiction is problematic. The confusion of facts with fiction is what makes belief in organized religion possible. Religions intentionally substitute myths for facts. It is part of the effort to make belief and faith perform as legitimate facts about reality. This tactic skews our beliefs and values and distorts our moral compass.
It’s important to distinguish between harmful systems and those that are not. Religion becomes destructive when it promotes and programs bias and prejudice. The more racism and bigotry, the more damaging it becomes to its members and the world. Hate is a wall that separates people from their hearts and conscience. These types of spiritual walls become the justification for hate.
The major religions are still influential social institutions. They fight to maintain control of the cultural narrative. Their programming contains a significant amount of harmful bias and prejudice.
You can draw direct lines from most of the world’s wars and genocides to the religious sectarianism of these systems. When a religion hijacks our beliefs and values, it can cause us to do anything, which is scary. Ask yourself, what are spiritual walls hindering growth? By repeating the question, we begin the journey to overcome them.
In contrast, some traditions are not harmful. For example, Taoism and many forms of paganism have the fewest boundaries on thinking and encourage you to develop your path.
The Problem with the Easy Way Out
Joining a religion seems like an easy way to fulfill our spiritual needs, but it’s a trap. The mind tends to believe because it’s the easy way out. But there’s no question about it, and our reality is ever-changing. Religions create a spiritual wall to keep their customers. And they protect their customer base with any means necessary, including violence.
Every day, we awake to new knowledge. So, the easy way out is to stay behind the wall. It creates a blind spot of perception, and physical reality is but a shadow representation of the spiritual.
If your beliefs cannot grow and change, you face a wall that prevents your spiritual and individual growth. Once you’ve reached the boundaries of your spiritual wall, you cease to grow.
Your spirit and consciousness cannot grow unless you climb the wall, go around the wall, or bring the wall down. There are two time-trusted ways to break the addiction to cultural programming.
The Process for Climbing Spiritual Walls
There are three primary steps to becoming a freethinker. Acknowledge that you have a cultural filter that contains judgments. Then, identify the programming of your worldview and any harmful scripts, beliefs, or values. Last, replace the harmful programming with positive ones using affirmations, mantras, and sutras.
Sectarian ideologies create multiple harmful beliefs. If you are a believer, this process could take some time because you’ll have several scripts to fix. A good approach is to take one script, belief, or value at a time. You can start with the most powerful one first, the belief in an imaginary friend. This process is too scary for some people. So, some like to start with less important beliefs, like the absurdity of prayer.
Western religion is designed to prohibit freethinking. When beliefs are spiritual walls hindering growth, you will reject anything that doesn’t align with your beliefs. After all, these religions want to keep you a paying customer. You must follow their superstitions and mythologies.
1) Step one is to admit this cultural filter exists and is harmful.
You must recognize and identify the thought scripts that hold your mind hostage. Realize the wall preventing your spiritual growth is the belief in harmful programming. To do this takes both honesty and courage. Sit down and write your core beliefs. We recommend the process known as comparative analysis.
Comparative analysis is a structured form of comparative religious study. This tool helps you confront harmful beliefs by comparing yours with similar beliefs. It’s always easier to see what’s broken if it belongs to someone else.
Once you have a worksheet of your core values, you need to inspect them for anything that poses harm to yourself or others. Just because a belief or value benefits you doesn’t mean it isn’t harmful to someone else. Here are some examples:
— You believe you have a disease, illness, or disability because of sin. In other words, God punishes you because you have done something your religious beliefs condone. (2)
— You believe you can kill those who believe differently or have a different ethnic background or lifestyle.
2) Step two is to identify and break the programming.
If you acknowledge that the programming exists but think it’s okay, you are still under their brainwashing. Organized religions accomplish this brainwashing using self-hypnosis and group hypnosis techniques. When beliefs are spiritual walls hindering growth, it is hard to see past the brainwashing.
Brainwashing is a method of systematic indoctrination. Brainwashing creates a wall designed to prevent your spiritual growth. It takes a lot of effort and unbelief in facts to maintain belief in mythology.
There are several excellent tools for identifying harmful beliefs and values.
So, you must use inner work tools to identify the harmful stuff. We recommend tools like the Enneagram to find the common thought scripts that link to trigger fear and anger.
Last but not least is the study of logic. Enhancing your critical thinking capabilities will help you break the habit of religion. The essential thinking toolkit will help you discern fact from fiction. These tools include Logic and Rational Thinking Skills Training, the Truth-Seekers Spiritual Axioms, and 10 Common Logical Fallacies. We’ve found these are the best tools to determine facts from fiction. Using these will help us regain control over our beliefs and values.
3) Step three is reprogramming with positive thought scripts.
Don’t skip steps 1 and 2. If you try to reprogram without removing the defective programming, the old stuff will override anything new you try to change. Use mantras and affirmations to reprogram after you’ve decluttered your mind.
In Conclusion
Anybody who gives you a belief system is your enemy because the belief system becomes the barrier to your eyes. You cannot see the truth. — Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, Osho
At the dawn of the 19th century, many scientists and archeologists believed the truth would end the Abrahamic religions. They were wrong. The “need to believe” can overcome intelligence and science.
What are the types of spiritual walls that are in your psyche? Do you now see them as mental barriers hindering personal growth? We are not without hope. There are tools that can help us triumph over the brainwashing techniques of self-hypnosis and group hypnosis.
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References
(1) Abrahamic Religions, Wikipedia
(2) Positive and Negative Religious Beliefs Explaining the Religion–Health Connection Among African Americans.