During the awakening process, which has many stages, it may be surprising to find in yourself and others that some of the worst tendencies become dominant. And because developmental work and shadow work are not necessarily required to wake up, awakened ones may not have matured in all areas.
The ego is very clever and turns itself into many forms as a distraction from authentic awakening. This results in various forms of ego-based spirituality, including spiritual materialism, bypassing, mastery and elitism. The spiritual ego can arise before and after liberation, and will continue its efforts to trap you. Ultimately, limiting identities, beliefs and practices must be discarded in order to be free.
