The Big 5 Spiritual Bypasses of our time

Spirituality

Feb 18

We need to talk about the intense spiritual bypassing that is happening in response to global events right now.

Before you get triggered, take a breath, open your mind, and ask yourself if you can sit with paradox.

The ability to hold paradox, in my humble opinion, is one of the most advanced spiritual and human skills we can cultivate. Perhaps this is a moment to visit your paradoxical gym.

Before diving in, I want to briefly touch upon who I am — and who I’m not — talking to.

If you love the current administration, if your primary media feeds are telling you that everything is normal, or getting better, or that the actions we’re witnessing right now are good things, or at least legal and normal…cool. Not here to argue. You can move on now, because the purpose of this article is not to bridge the reality divide we’re in.

If you see the polycrisis as imminent, the current administration as accelerating the collapse of democracy, and you know in your heart that something has gone terribly wrong…this will likely be interesting to you.

If you don’t like what you see in general — the violence, the narcissism, the coverups, the colonizer mindset — but you also see this as some great evolutionary revelation that will ultimately serve humanity’s spiritual awakening — we need to talk.

And please. Remember paradox. More than one thing can be true at once. Just consider a few different perspectives.

Collapse consciousness and rapture ideology — A recipe for light-washing

At the end of the first year of COVID lockdowns, I gathered with a small, intimate group of consciousness explorers in Boulder, CO. I mean, Boulder — amiright? All the stereotypes for better and worse at play there.

Truthfully, the daylong retreat was a total delight. It felt so indulgent to spend hours upon hours in what one of my friends calls “Covid Conversations”* — reflecting on the meaning of life, what this implied for human consciousness and evolution, what survival would require…interspersed with yoga/song/tarot breaks.

*Covid Conversations: I find this hilarious. This language reminds me that a lot of folks really have made their way back to life as usual, focusing on kids’ sporting events and the grind of a 9-5. I don’t think I ever stopped having “covid convos” — they’re actually the only convos my man and I have ever had, even pre-pandemic.

Throughout our very Bouldery day, the theme of collapse arose again and again. And there was a definite underlying theme that collapse was a good thing.

Though I remember at one point a man saying, Do you all realize what collapse would actually look like? Is this really what you want?

Right on dude.

But the craving for collapse makes sense.

Anyone who actually looks at how our world works — economically, politically, religiously, socially — and bothers to pull back the covers even the tiniest bit, will see how daily life rests on a foundation of abuse.

We have to abuse the planet to survive. We have to abuse those less economically empowered to maintain even basic income levels of our own. We have to abuse our souls in order to feel safe.

Righteous anger at the systems that perpetuate this abuse is a healthy response. And anger, healthy anger, is always a messenger: A boundary has been crossed. A need unmet. An action required.

The anger, the call to action — these are good. We need to collectively re-ensoul the world.

But the idea that collapse — that the total destruction and rebuilding of life as we know it — is the answer? That rests on an unnamed and toxic foundation: rapture ideology.

This term is from Jamie Wheal and I write about it a lot — I have a deeper dive into what this looks like here (scroll to the end of that article).

In short, rapture ideology is the belief that something will save us, but in the saving, most of us will die. So collapse is an essential ingredient in salvation.

Whether you’re religious enough to believe in a Biblical rapture is beyond the point: salvation, the apocalypse, survival of the worthy: these are embedded deeply in all aspects of popular culture. If we don’t actively question and unravel these narratives within our own psyches, we will fall prey to collapse consciousness.

Many of those who were left-leaning wellness peeps, considered themselves apolitical, or were right-leaning liberarians, voted for T. in the last election because they were heavily swayed by the modern mythos of collapse and salvation.

They saw a broken system. They felt frustrated (and rightly so) that they were naming real concerns (the V, human trafficking) and being labeled as conspiracy theorists. They believed that an “outsider” would burn it all down to liberate the masses and restore power to local communities.

They knew collapse was needed, and they were going to vote for it.

To be fair, I think this set of voters truly believed that collapse would be relatively painless (at least for them) and lead to a better world: more peace, less corruption, collapse of institutions and return to Aquarian communities. (Again — this is rapture ideology: The future is worth the present’s pain because you and yours will be among the saved.)

I saw this appear in one persistent meme during our last election season in the States: We are living through a massive reset. People will die, systems will die, and humanity will ultimately be better off for it.

The choice wasn’t “avoid collapse or not” — the choice was “slow collapse vs ripping off the bandage”.

A collection of spiritually-minded voters decided to rip that motherfucker off.

I get it — but I struggle with this approach. Any rapture ideology is inevitably an “ends justify the means” mentality. But the means is all there ever is. The present is where the past and future collide. Our souls reside in the moment, and our souls wish for goodness.

If we choose to cause harm in the present, hoping it will lead to a better future, what does this do to the soul?

Why is this not okay at the individual level, but weirdly acceptable at the collective?

Let’s take a detour to wellness culture now, which is obviously entangled in the above narratives and voter blocks.

In recent years, there have been some healthy “come-to-Jesus” moments in regard to the icky spiritual bypassing that is so widespread in new age health mythology.

I’m talking about all the places where personal responsibility and empowerment — which are real and important — get warped into victim blaming. All the ways “it’s not happening to you; it’s happening for you” gets twisted. All the ways rampant individualism loses sight of the systems at play in all areas of wellness.

On the individual level, we’re starting to finally acknowledge the ways these narratives cause harm:

I hope you realize it’s no longer cool to think someone got cancer because they had negative thoughts (I mean, wow. Thanks 1990s Hay House.)
I hope you would not actually dismiss the trauma of an abusive childhood because we choose our parents.
I hope you would not tell a grieving mother who lost her child that everything happens for a reason.
And I hope that if a spiritual teacher ever told you that their abusive behavior was a reflection of your own shit and shadow, you would run for the hills.

So why does all this awareness get thrown out the window when it comes to our collective abuse?

Because rapture ideology is so damned ingrained in our consciousness.

And because it’s almost too painful to handle all the soul-level abuse we see without numbing out with some anesthesia-filled stories.

The Big 5 Bypasses

Here’s where we see major bypassing — and some insane gaslighting — happening now.

Let’s start with what I hope is a shared reality: January was hard, news-wise. (Again, if you disagree with that premise, this isn’t for you.) In response, I’ve seen the following basic ideas in comments across social media platforms:

What if this isn’t happening to us, but for us? What if this is what we need to wake up and co-create a more soulful, loving culture?
The bigger the light, the bigger the shadow. We’re seeing this level of toxicity because we’ve evolved into 5D consciousness.
It’s in the stars. Astrology has predicted this, so it was always destined to happen. It’s Kali Yuga. Turning of the ages.
It’s trickster energy. We need the divine trickster for a shake up so we can wake up.
In the nondual truth beyond the physical, we are all one and we are all love. Ultimately, that’s the truth that really matters, so why get caught up in samskara?

And then of course, there’s the more general: The trees are still growing. I look out my window and see flowers bloom. We’ve always faced challenges. Life goes on.

Here’s where the paradox arrives: All of these sentiments hold truth — this is why they resonate.

They are also hallmarks of bypassing the very real pain and trauma upon us. But more than that — they bypass the responsibility for what we’re experiencing.

If you wouldn’t tell a child that their abuse was happening for them — don’t tell us that what we’re witnessing is happening for us. And, I’m hesitant to even say this…but if you knowingly voted for collapse, wanting the “rip off the bandage and build a new utopia approach”, and now you’re telling us that this is all part of some cosmic plan…then you are engaged in some serious mindfuckery.

I actually love the idea that a bigger light illuminates bigger shadows. I hope it’s true. And, even if it is — let us not fall into the trap of believing that this means the pain we see was inevitable — because inevitability provides an excuse to abdicate responsibility.

The astrological cosmos provide us with maps for the different patterns of energy that will flow through our lives. We will encounter times of growth and challenge. We will cycle through periods of birth, life, death, and rebirth. And we always have the responsibility to choose how we move through each phase.

Trickster is important. But as mythologist Michael Meade shares, the true trickster cries. The trickster acts out of love with both laughter and tears for humanity’s foibles. The trickster isn’t cruel. What we’re witnessing is. To call intentional cruelty and abuse “trickster energy” is a level of bypass that blows my mind. The word “gaslighting” has become totally overused in recent years — but it applies here.

I’m actually very nondual in my personal spiritual practice, but nonduality is never an excuse to ignore the world we live in. I think of nondual spiritual awareness more like a vitamin — we need a good regular dose to stay healthy. It builds resilience and provides important perspectives that help us not get too entrenched in the muck of life. And we’re not meant to live there all the time.

Life will go on. Our ancestors have faced much worse. This isn’t new — the United States was founded on cruelty. Other countries have been experiencing civil war, famine, and authoritarian regimes for a long time. All of this is true. And none of it means that we have an excuse to ignore what is happening right now.

Reclaiming Mental Sovereignty & Loving Thy Neighbor

But y’all. The algorithms. Mental health. Intellectual sovereignty. Nervous system regulation. These are real challenges.

Can we both care for ourselves and avoid the bypassing mentioned above?

January was hard. And February continues to be a stream of awful news. But we are learning.

In January, we learned that each of us is fed a stream of AI-edited memes and “news” that is tailored to our existing political tendencies. We’re left feeling as if we live in different realities from our friends, families, and neighbors.
In February, we learned that at the most elite and power-holding levels, the left/right divide forced upon most of the population does not exist.

What does this tell you about the tasks before us right now?

We are responsible for cleaning up the messes we’ve made. And we are responsible for not allowing the metafield to dictate the thoughts that fill our minds and the emotions that run through our bodies.

One of the members of a community I’m in, artist Tyler Parish, shared words that beautifully reflect our task in these times:

“These days it’s a personal, social and cultural responsibility to not allow the corporations, politicians, algorithms, talking heads and social connections decide what thoughts fill our minds and mouths from moment to moment. Life is too full of beauty, opportunities for creativity, a need for true connection and expression, momentary chances to enjoy perfect simplicities and make the most important and necessary efforts to not afford them every single bit of attention and intention we can muster. To willingly and regularly trade that privilege for the systematically architected, for profit and purpose, low hanging fruit of chaos and division, is to squander the same freedom and liberty we speak so passionately about protecting.”

I believe our task is not to diminish the pain and entropy upon us, but to use our awareness to ignite greater creativity and love for the world.

To do this we must take exquisite care of the totality of ourselves. Tend the nervous system. Find community. Eat well. Connect with spirit. Enter altered consciousness and see beyond the veil of this sticky reality. Tend your jing-chi-shen.

And then come back to this pain more resourced. Face it and feel it. Ask what task you can fulfill to usher in more goodness instead of more collapse.

Wendell Berry’s Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front was written in 1973 — and his words still hold the medicine we need now:

Expect the end of the world. Laugh.
Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful
though you have considered all the facts.

Be joyful though you have considered all the facts. Can you do both?

Love someone who does not deserve it.
Denounce the government and embrace
the flag. Hope to live in that free
republic for which it stands.
Give your approval to all you cannot
understand. Praise ignorance, for what man
has not encountered he has not destroyed.

Can you know that you do not know? Can you love beyond the borders the algorithm puts in place?

We do not need to bypass the pain of the world to protect our sensitive selves. We are strong. We can face this pain, take responsibility for the mess humans have made, and keep showing up to clean it up — with creativity, beauty, and love.

P.S. Many of the ideas in this article are explored in greater depth here. Please read if you haven’t yet.

A Call to Action: The Great Mother March

Another part of Berry’s beautiful manifesto reads:

So long as women do not go cheap
for power, please women more than men.
Ask yourself: Will this satisfy
a woman satisfied to bear a child?
Will this disturb the sleep
of a woman near to giving birth?

If the most recent revelations at the sick heart of misogyny and power tell us anything, it’s that women are not safe. And neither are our children. And, though this isn’t covered as much in mainstream newsfeeds, neither is the Earth.

We need to bring back the mother — the divine feminine force that is life-giving and life-sustaining. A force that lives within every human, regardless of gender. A force that cannot continue to be oppressed if we are going to survive.

I’m in absolute awe of my dear friend Whitney Freya. For many moons, she has been taking leaps of faith based on a divine inspiration from the goddess. She has created The Great Mother March.

Beginning on the Spring Equinox 2026, The Great Mother March will set forth from Asheville, North Carolina on a 500-mile pilgrimage to Washington, D.C., arriving on Earth Day.

Throughout the journey there will be dancing and painting. Art and celebration. Seeding of goodness and community care.

Walkers may join for part or all of the 32-day pilgrimage. I’m hoping to be there at the beginning.

If you can’t walk, you can donate. $13 makes you part of the movement. Or, explore the shop. I’ve made a Great Mother Mist (smells so good) — and all proceeds will support the march. You can see Whitney opening her box from me here. :)

There is hope — and the Great Mother March is part of shifting the frequency of these times to greater life, love, and care.

Learn more here.

Juniper Stokes is a botanical perfumer, soul alchemist, intuitive astrologer, and rewilding guide through mythic landscapes of the nature, spirit, and the cosmos. For over 25 years, she has been guiding soulful humans back to the heart of who they are and why they’re here.

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