Beyond Comfortable Spirituality: Real spiritual work isn't about transcending the world's pain

What happens when our spiritual practices collide with the harsh realities of a world in crisis? This raw, thought-provoking exploration challenges the comfortable spirituality we often cling to when faced with overwhelming global suffering.

I've spent years examining how my own spiritual practice served as an escape hatch from difficult emotions and world events. The truth I've discovered is both uncomfortable and liberating: real spiritual work isn't about transcending the world's pain—it's about developing the courage and compassion to face it directly.

Through personal revelations about my Scottish ancestors who experienced cultural oppression before becoming colonizers themselves on Turtle Island, I unpack how trauma travels through generations, how the oppressed can become oppressors, and what responsibility we carry when we inherit both wounds and privilege. This isn't about guilt; it's about how we transform this knowledge into meaningful action.

When genocide unfolds in Gaza, when wars rage in Sudan and Ukraine, what does our spiritual practice demand of us? If our teachers and mentors aren't helping us grapple with these moral crises, are they truly equipped to guide our growth? Any practice that teaches bypassing injustice for personal peace isn't transformation—it's spiritual materialism.

Feeling overwhelmed by injustice doesn't mean you're powerless; it often means you're fully grasping the situation's gravity. Through journal prompts, practical actions, and community connection, we can channel our anguish into sustained engagement. The goal isn't to cure our heartbreak but to let it deepen our commitment to justice.

Join this conversation about what it means to practice spirituality with integrity in troubled times. Share how you're navigating these questions in your own life, and connect with others seeking to transform personal healing into collective liberation.

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Transcript

Welcome to Blooming Wand

Speaker 1 0:00

Welcome to Blooming Wand , your home for grounded spiritual content . Think of this as a place to step back , to explore your personal experiences , to explore what's happening in the world and the intersection of those two things with your spiritual practices and your self-care practices . So get cozy , get out your journal , maybe , and let's get started . So what I wanted to explore on this episode is the idea that we can go beyond comfortable spirituality . So I see a lot of things on the internet and on social media and this was something that I am coming to understand more . It's not something that I have understood in the past , I'll admit that , but I used to use my spiritual practice as a way to calm myself which there's nothing wrong with that , but also to kind of escape the troubles of the world , to bypass all of that , because I needed to quote kind of maintain my calm , find my center , that kind of a thing . And over the years I've come to realize that no spiritual practice can help us to avoid our more complicated personal feelings or avoid the suffering that we see in the world , but it can help us turn towards it , to bear witness to it and to acknowledge that , frankly , suffering is a part of life and we're never going to be able to stop all suffering . So what does that mean for our experiences here in this body that we have and here on earth ? Experiences here in this body that we have and here on earth ? Real spiritual work to me is not about transcending the world's pain . It's about developing the courage and the compassion to face it .

Speaker 1 1:56

Like generations before us , we're living through profound upheaval that's both collective and personal , and as I write this , I'm thinking of the genocide in Gaza , the wars in Sudan and the Ukraine , environmental destruction and the fractured state of the country where I live . And it's times like these when I lean more deeply into my spiritual practices , and in doing so I'm diving into some complicated feelings and ideas . Here's one example I live in the United States on what indigenous peoples call Turtle Island , land seized through systematic oppression and genocide . Adding nuance to this , within my own lineage and I'm sure this is the case for many of you , because I don't know that this is all that uncommon I carry both the oppressed and the oppressor , and this has ignited a growing sense of responsibility to understand what it means for healing . What does this mean for healing , what does this mean for restorative justice and what does it mean for the good work that lies ahead ? So , diving a little bit more deeply into this , I have been working on understanding my personal heritage and lineage so that I can connect more deeply with my healed and wise ancestors , and I've been going through family photos . I've been organizing there's boxes in this room right now of family photos that I'm sorting and organizing so that I can make albums for my sisters and my family members so that they can also know a little bit more about who they are and where our people come from . It's been a big project , to say the least , and I've had to utilize a lot of different tools , but it's been a really rewarding . Had to utilize a lot of different tools , but it's been a really rewarding project to engage in and I really do think of it as part of my spiritual practice now .

Speaker 1 3:52

And if you're interested in learning a little bit more about how to work with your ancestors in a meaningful way , I recommend Daniel Foer's Ancestral Medicine book . He also has a course that you can take . That was a really helpful kind of launching pad for me . It's a good start and he can point . In the back of the book are other resources that one can look at and kind of feel into if they feel right for you . It's not the only path , but it was one area , that kind of it was one resource that got me thinking and connected to other resources , so I offer that to you as well .

Speaker 1 4:30

But moving back to what I was saying earlier , I've learned that I carry both Scottish and British heritage , among others , in my lineage , which reveals how the wounds of oppression travel through time , how the oppressed become the oppressor . Now . My Scottish ancestors from my father's mother's line knew what it meant to have their culture suppressed , their language forbidden , their land seized by English colonizers . So if you don't know about the Jacobite rebellions , definitely look it up if you are interested in that . But there was a time in Scotland where they couldn't speak Gaelic , they couldn't wear their tartans , they had limited access to some lands and resources , all because of the English the English . So it's a very interesting time in history .

Speaker 1 5:25

There's a lot to learn there , and so my Scottish ancestors have held that trauma in their flesh and bones , transmitting it through bloodlines , along with both survival instincts and also hard-won resilience . But when they came to Turtle Island , they also came with the colonizer's playbook , the same mechanisms that had been used against them erasure of culture , theft of land , systematic violence they now enacted against the indigenous peoples of Turtle Island . The oppressed became the oppressor , trauma became a weapon and survival strategies became systems of domination . And I know also in my heart that I have ancestors who knew , when they colonized the United States , colonized Turtle Island , that what they saw happening to Indigenous peoples was wrong . And so there's that there as well . So there's a lot of nuance to this . But at the end of the day , an entire population of people was wiped out when white folks came to Turtle Island and I think that it's just important to acknowledge that .

Speaker 1 6:39

And today , you know , here I am a white woman in the wellness industry , living , living on stolen land , building my life and business on the very foundations of that violence . I've inherited both the wounds and the benefits , the trauma and the privilege , and I can trace the line from Scottish Highlands to American suburbs , from cultural erasure to cultural appropriation suburbs , from cultural erasure to cultural appropriation , from deprivation to possessing what was never mine to take . But this is not about guilt . I know that when I've seen conversations like this be had , amongst others , guilt comes up . I also have to have had to deal with that myself and still do . I also know that that mindset keeps us stuck in our own feelings rather than focused on change , and that this is about responsibility and it's also about what do I do with this knowledge . Now that I kind of know and have a growing understanding of this very nuanced history , very nuanced conversation , what do I do ? And I think the best thing that I can do , that we can do , is to talk about it , to name it and to refuse to let spiritual bypassing or wellness culture's obsession with good vibes only keep me from grappling with these truths .

Speaker 1 8:04

I use my small platform , my privilege , my voice , to connect historical violence with present-day genocide . I try to make the links visible . For example , the same settler , colonial logic that created this country is what's perpetuating the violence in Palestine right now and in other areas of the world Now . I know that the world's been on fire forever , it's been a place of tremendous violence and suffering for a very , very , very long time , and that by acknowledging this , we sort of enter into a long line , a lineage of grief and sorrow , of acknowledging what humans are capable of doing to each other .

Speaker 1 8:48

And what do we do with that knowledge ? Are we even evolving as a species ? Maybe technically . Yeah , we have a lot of technological advancements . Rather , that was quite a tongue twister . So technology has advanced , but humans , people , still be peopling . We're still not treating the earth very well , not treating each other very well , and some of us are really doing our best , the best we can . I really believe that , but there's still war , there's still famine , and so it does beg the question is humanity evolving in a spiritual or emotional sense ?

Speaker 1 9:29

And I can't , frankly , stop thinking about that . It's something I'm super interested in . I wonder if you are too . It's also kind of why I've become interested in studying how trauma moves through generations and how healing must as well , and I've learned from indigenous teachers and Palestinian voices . I've listened to people who are not like me , who've had very different experiences . I've listened to people who maybe confuse me or maybe make me feel a range of uncomfortable emotions , because I have learned that that usually indicates some learning that needs to happen on my part , not always , actually .

Speaker 1 10:11

Now that I say not always , I'm like yeah , I think it is pretty consistent that when I feel uncomfortable , there's a learning moment there for me , and I do try to redirect my resources toward reparations and resistance and I teach others to do the same . That's kind of why I wanted to open up this conversation here at Blooming Wand . I know I'm probably doing it imperfectly , I know I'll falter and I'll fail , but I also know I'll get back up and that I'll keep trying . And I do all of this because the cycle doesn't break with silence or spiritual bypassing . It breaks when those of us who've inherited both the wounds and the privilege choose to transform that inheritance into something that serves justice rather than perpetuating harm . I will tell you that I'm really well aware of the harm that white women in wellness can perpetuate . I see it a lot . I try to model something different , but again , I don't have all the answers and I know that I'm still really learning and it's complicated , and it's true that the wounds travel through time , but so does the possibility of healing if we're brave enough to frankly do the work .

Speaker 1 11:26

Now , how do we transform our anguish and our sorrow for what was and what is into action when the weight of witnessing such suffering feels overwhelming which I've been feeling overwhelmed lately ? I wonder if you have too . It's important to remember that feeling hopeless doesn't mean that you're powerless . It often means that you're fully grasping the gravity of what's actually happening . Now we can channel that anguish into sustained action , even if they're just small actions . We can support humanitarians providing aid . We can contact our representatives more regularly , not just once in a while or once .

Speaker 1 12:10

And on another note , I've been thinking about how I want to be doing that in a more effective way and I'm trying to come up with a process for myself that , when I want to engage on certain topics or things that I'm passionate about , how I can communicate with my representatives in a way that feels good and appropriate for me , with my representatives in a way that feels good and appropriate for me and that's effectively communicating the views and values that I support . I feel like my process has been really haphazard and a little bit all over the place , and I'd like to shore that up . I don't think it will be that hard to do so , but if I come up with a strategy that works for me , I'd be happy to share it with you once I've got it dialed in . I also try to share credible information and Palestinian voices when others might prefer to look away . So I would rather talk about .

Speaker 1 13:06

Obviously , I have Palestinians on my mind and heart right now more than ever , but also the suffering in Sudan and the Congo , and there's just a lot going on , and how bad it is and how much harm is happening in the world . And yet here I am in relative comfort , safe and tucked away from it all , and I think , well , what can I do ? How do I show up , how do I do something about this , knowing that I can't stop anything or a lot of this from happening ? You know all on my own , and that we have to learn to endure and witness the suffering , but it , but not let it take us down , because we've got good work to do so . One thing that has helped me with that is you can show up at vigils or protests or community discussions . I've been doing a lot of that online since I've been recovering from surgery , but we've had some pretty solid protests here in Vancouver , washington .

Speaker 1 14:28

One of the things that's also been kind of interesting to look into is boycotting companies that profit from the occupation in palestine or just profiting off of pain , frankly , and these actions may feel inadequate against such massive injustices . Fair enough , I do feel that way a lot , but , that said , we have to have to remember that our actions and our deeds are part of a greater landscape of resistance , and I always feel like there are more people trying to do the good work than we realize . It's just often quiet work Not always but there's probably more happening than we think is happening . Or I'm choosing to believe that , because when I connect with people , I'm learning about all the things that they're doing and it's really like it makes me feel like hopeful . When I talk to other people who are like , yeah , I'm , I don't , I'm feeling a lot of the same things that you're feeling , emily , and here's some of the ways that I'm I'm dealing with that , not just to take care of my comfort and myself , but to actually address the suffering that we're seeing in the world , which is exactly kind of the point I wanted to make .

Speaker 1 15:41

Next is that connecting with others who share your values is really important , because isolation , it amplifies despair , while community sustains action . We've got to take care of our mental health too , because burning out serves no one and some days we're all going to need to step back to preserve our capacity for the long haul that this will require , and remember that , throughout history , seemingly insurmountable systems of oppression have eventually fallen when enough people refuse to accept them as normal , and that your witness matters , your voice matters , and the fact that you feel this weight means you haven't lost your humanity in a world that often demands that we do so . And , frankly , the goal is not to cure our heartbreak . Instead , there's an invitation to deepen our commitment to justice , and these times are not asking us to love less . They're demanding that we love more fiercely , more courageously , more truthfully than we ever thought was possible .

Speaker 1 16:48

And one of the things I wanted to say is if our spiritual practices don't involve bearing witness to suffering and working for justice , is it even a spiritual practice ? If our teachers and coaches and mentors aren't talking about these things , aren't helping us grapple with the moral crisis of our time , can we even trust them to guide our growth ? And I just feel like real spiritual work is not about transcending the world's pain . Not at all . It's about developing the courage and compassion to face it . And any practice that teaches you to bypass injustice in favor of personal peace is spiritual materialism , not transformation . And , additionally , any mentor who stays silent while genocide unfolds is teaching you that comfort matters more than conscience .

Speaker 1 17:39

And there have been people in the spiritual world and in the industry that I'm in , who I've really looked up to , who just don't want to talk about this stuff , and I've had to come to realize , while they might be quote kind of nice people , they're probably not the right people for me to be looking to as a mentor if it's hard for them or they just don't want to make the effort to talk about these difficult topics . The teachers worth following , frankly , are the ones who integrate your values with your actions , who challenge you to grow not just inwardly but outward , are the ones who integrate your values with your actions , who challenge you to grow not just inwardly but outwardly , into someone who shows up for the most vulnerable . And they're the ones asking how does your healing serve the world's healing and how does your privilege become a tool for liberation ? If the people guiding you can't handle these questions , if they retreat into staying positive or avoiding politics , they're not equipped to mentor anyone towards genuine wholeness . We need to find teachers who understand that spiritual maturity means wrestling with the darkness , not pretending that it doesn't exist .

Speaker 1 18:46

And I remember was a couple years ago . I had like a joined a business , coaching kind of a thing , and because I wanted to run an ethical business and I wanted to , you know , learn more about running a business , and one of the biggest red flags when I got into that group was that there was no talk about some of these difficult topics . And how do we run a business in a troubled world ? How do we , as mentors and coaches , need to show up and talk about these complicated things ? It was just all about selling a product and it was supposed to be for female spiritual entrepreneurs and there were definitely , you know , spiritual entrepreneurs in the group , but it just thought it was really odd that in that group there was no discussion of like this , and so I don't . I don't want to be that that way , and so I've been trying to include and incorporate these kinds of ideas , these very nuanced topics , into the work that I do .

Speaker 1 19:56

I think the same kind of goes for counselors or therapists . If you're working with a counselor or therapist who doesn't understand how living in late stage capitalism causes a tremendous amount of stress and strife and trouble for most people probably all of us and how that affects our mental health and well-being , then I mean , I just don't know how that can't be included in therapeutic and counseling services and I don't even know if it's taught . I frankly I don't know . I have a lot of therapist friends and some of them make a tremendous effort to understand that intersection of capitalism , colonialism , oppression , oppressor , how these things and these dynamics and some of the things that we've talked about today on this episode impact their clients or their patients . And because it comes up , especially if you're an American here , I will tell you one thing we're all just one illness away from going bankrupt because of our healthcare system . And for the clients and the people that I work with who have any kind of even if it's relatively minor healthcare issue , they're still getting pretty big bills and you know just trying to make it and you know that's a thing . It's a thing that we need to talk about and that it affects people's well-being , and just acting like it doesn't in some of these , like in therapy practices and spiritual practices , isn't really helpful to anybody .

Speaker 1 21:36

So I'm willing to get into the kind of the messy middle to talk about these things , but , like I said before , I don't have all the answers . I don't want to have all the answers , but I do want to be curious . I do want to learn , I do want to have conversation , but I do want to

] Journal Prompts for Witnessing Suffering

Speaker 1 21:51

be curious , I do want to learn , I do want to have conversation and in order to do that , one of the things that I do is journal . I obviously read a lot , but I also meditate a lot . I also try to be in and of the world , engaged in it by volunteering and doing some other things . But I tried to come up with some journal prompts for your spiritual practice , kind of around this topic . I personally haven't had the chance to journal through all of them , but I am working my way through it because there's quite a few . So don't feel like you have to do all of these because you don't . You can pick some of them up and work with them . Some of them you may never get to , but that's fine . We just have to start somewhere and do what you can when you can .

Speaker 1 22:35

So I have a couple of journaling prompts on witnessing and responsibility . So here's the first one . What does it mean to truly see suffering that's happening far from you , so like what's happening across the globe , suffering that is not in your immediate community or directly in your life ? And how do you distinguish between witnessing and consuming trauma ? Very important , here's your second journal prompt when you feel overwhelmed by injustice . What stories do you tell yourself ? Do these stories serve your growth or your avoidance ? This is the one that , actually , I think I'm sitting with right now , because I do have some avoidance . I do tend to avoid some things , so there's some stuff for me to work with on there . The third one is how has your awareness of suffering changed you , and what would it mean to let it change you more ? Wow , man , I think I'm contemplating this one too . It's probably why I made this episode , to be honest with you Now under the category of on spiritual practice .

Speaker 1 23:56

So there's three journal prompts in this category . Where in your spiritual life do you seek comfort versus transformation ? What would it look like to choose growth over ease ? The second one is how does your practice prepare you to face the world's darkness rather than escape from it ? Here's the third one how does holding space actually , or what does holding space actually mean when people are being systematically killed ? And how do you balance inner work with outer action ? And here is our third sort of category . There are four . So we're winding down here On mentorship and trust .

Speaker 1 24:42

Think of the teachers and mentors who've helped shaped you . How did they handle or avoid the moral crises of their time or our time , and what does this tell you about their guidance ? What qualities do you want in someone who guides your growth ? How important is it that they share your values about justice ? Now , ideas about justice is . It doesn't mean everybody has to agree on everything . I'm not trying to say that , but you want to kind of be in some kind of alignment , and one of the values that I have is being able to be in conversation with others who I don't actually share all the same perspectives with . But if we can listen to each other and engage in conversation , we're probably going to learn from each other , and so I don't want people to take away from this that everybody has to be on the same page all the time on all things . That's really not practical and it's not helpful . But one of the values that you might hold is that I want to work with somebody who can navigate conflict in a healthy and constructive way , because I do think there's a way to do that , and constructive way because I do think there's a way to do that .

Speaker 1 26:01

If you're in a teaching or mentoring role yourself , how and what are you modeling about ? How you want to engage with suffering and injustice . So let me say that again , because I feel like I fumbled it . If you are in a teaching or mentoring role , what are you modeling about how to engage with suffering and injustice ? And here's our last category , on action and overwhelm what's one small action you can take today that aligns your values with your behavior ? How do you want to be remembered for how you responded to this moment in history ? What would it look like to sustain your engagement with this issue , or issues that you're passionate about , for months or years , not just weeks ? And that's a really important one , right ? And I think that there's a lot there . There's a lot with all of these prompts . So if any of them call to you , just flag this or hit pause .

Beyond Comfortable Spirituality

Speaker 1 26:55

Grab your journals and find the ones that you feel most connected with and start there .

] A Prayer For Troubled Times

Speaker 1 27:02

And you know me , these things get me into writing , and one of the ways that I have navigated this topic of witnessing suffering is I write prayers or poems , and I have written one , and I do read this to myself often . I've probably offered it on other episodes or in newsletters in the past and I'm offering it up to all of us now . It's called Four Troubled Times . It's called Four Troubled Times . In this fragile hour , we call upon the ancient power of unity . May the earth beneath our feet remind us of roots that run deeper than differences . Of strength that transcends turmoil , may our hearts trace the unbreakable threads of our interconnection . When tragedy strikes and hearts break open , may we glimpse the truth of our shared journey . Each of us will walk through darkness . Each of us will know sorrows wait . Each of us will face a choice to look or look away . In this understanding , may we find connection and communion , knowing we were never meant to carry our burdens alone . Remember that we are stars joined in constellation , unique connections divining a bright new future . In this prayer , we hold those in harm's way . In this prayer , we hold those who suffer . In this prayer , we offer comfort and solace . And so it shall be from this breath to the next , from this heart to all hearts , now and always . Now I would really love to hear from you . How are you grappling with these questions in your own practice and lineage ? What's helping you transform anguish into sustained action ? Share your reflections in the comments .

Speaker 1 29:09

This work was meant to be done in community , not isolation . If you're listening on your favorite podcast streaming service , please be sure to like and subscribe and comment . Leave me a review . That's really helpful to build the community . If you're following me on YouTube , do the same and don't forget . You can find me at wwwbloomingwandcom , and I would encourage everyone to sign up for my newsletter . That is where I feel I center most of my work . At the end of the day , I'm a writer and I love to write , and that's where I feel like I'm most myself is when I'm writing and sharing with you in my newsletter . But there are all these other resources as well , because I do acknowledge everybody consumes content in ways that works best for them and how they process information . And so here we are . Don't forget , get those journals out , take good care of yourselves and I'll see you soon .