Published in Odyssey Magazine: February / March 2008

A wise Sufi once said “If we only knew where reality lies, what reality is, could know and see it, we would understand it is the real and all else is non-existent.” Natalia Baker explores SPIRITUAL GLAMOUR, the subtle, bewitching grip of illusion which poses for real.

Glamour in the metaphysical sense is not the glamour of fashion. The glamour I am referring to has its tentacles hooked into many areas of our consciousness. In Alice Bailey's book Glamour, A World Problem, the definitive text on this subject, a distinction is drawn between different types of glamour but the primary ones are firstly, created by ideas and thoughts which become misrepresentations or misunderstandings (mental glamour) and, secondly, glamour caused by emotions, possibly far more potent at this time. Both affect the quality of our vitality, literally the personal magnetism and energy of an individual. We might refer to glamour as the ego and understand it is sourced in some childhood wounding or karmic pattern. These patterns control behavior, thinking and feeling and the way we interface with the world. Glamour is a particular aspect of these patterns.

I have often said I do not teach what I have not experienced. It seems like a contract I made with my soul and spirit. I had been reflecting the topic of spiritual glamour for this article and suddenly got it! I was out shopping feeling, I am ashamed to say, pleased with myself wearing a new garment, new hairstyle and the loss of a few kilos. There is nothing wrong about feeling good about oneself but this was something different. The realization dawned that I was experiencing glamour. It is a state of mind and/or emotion which creates a veil over that which is real. There is an overlay on the real authentic person. We become disconnected from soul and spirit. The problem is that illusion can be so subtle, alluring, bewitching that we make it real. We swap illusion for reality. It is a worldwide problem which is damaging to us for it causes delusion, fear, lack of clarity and purpose. We disconnect from the recognition of our immortality, our divinity, love and compassion.

The example I have described illustrates this clearly. I had lost alignment with my soul. Self-satisfaction, self-importance and pride had replaced openness, responsiveness, humility and my inner connection was anesthetized. The experience was a gift as it opened up a deeper understanding of this topic.

Glamour creates an energetic mist, a fog, through which we are unable to see clearly or truly. We are caught in the deception of appearances and believe them to be real. In an advanced soul it creates deep inner disgust with the self. I have been brought to the point of suicide because he was unable to clear the grip of glamour, intuitively knowing he was not fulfilling his great purpose.

Obviously the problem today is exacerbated by what is fed to us from the media and advertising. These determine images of “beauty”, a certain type of looks, clothes, movement, sexuality, possessions. People even model themselves on film stars and become obsessed with media personalities. Many are in the grip of these surface appearances. They literally hypnotize us but they are lies and deceits which cover the truth and uniqueness and beauty of an individual.

The title of this article, however, is Spiritual Glamour. So what seduces us out of the Real of ourselves? Most of us would claim to be honest, living with tolerance and open hearts, working diligently to heal ourselves. The hooks of glamour work subtly.

The most obvious is the commitment to a path which a person feels is the only one. This is not found solely in adherents to traditional religions but also in alternative paths, however much purport to be inclusive and tolerant. Despite earnestness and sincerity they do not respect and honor the choices of another. It is clear separation from the soul whose essence brings about unity and oneness. Many paths only hold half-truths but have held humanity captive to wrong thoughts and concepts causing sever divisions amongst humans who fight each other on behalf of their pet ideas. The unrest in the world is largely due to this. We have all met someone who is caught up in the rightness of their path and how disconcerting it is, when there are whole areas of oneself or subject matter which one cannot share because they would cause dissension. It creates restriction an inhibition.

At a family gathering one Christmas, sensitivities abounded because of the narrow religious commitment of some members. One evening I walked into the kitchen to find my darling step-daughter sobbing her heart out. I gently extracted the cause of the tears which were due to a fear that “We will go to heaven and you a Daddy will go to the other place”. She was in her 40's. I was surprised by the lack of understanding, the deception and delusion. It is a clear example of the grip of spiritual glamour. You may be interested to know that my response was far from impeccable. I lost it!

The tentacles of consumerism stretch deep into the spiritual world. We are at the mercy of spiritual glamour when we have to buy the latest CD, the latest book, the pendant that will take us to Nirvana, the latest health product. Please understand me, there is nothing wrong with any of these. The question is how deep are we driven to buy them? Is it directed from the soul or the need to “have and to hold”

There are the glamours of self-importance and personal magnetism, people playing with their power. Many years ago a world famous teacher came to Cape Town. Tickets were expensive and an hour had been allotted to the talk. A large audience sat with anticipation and waited…and waited…and waited…25 minutes later the teacher appeared. Those who brought him said he had deliberately delayed because he said his late appearance would have more impact. I believe we have to be very discerning about spiritual teachers today. What is their motive in teaching? Is the teaching universal truth? Are we being empowered and facilitated to find that which is real for us? Is the teaching imbued with love? Are there traces of ambition, self centeredness, control? By the way, are you in a group where someone is imposing their will on you? This is a characteristic of spiritual glamour.

At the end of a talk the other day I was approached by one whose advance felt like a bullet projected at a target. The first words were “I have done Reiki 1” “Aha” says I. “And I've done Reiki 2” “Ah-ha-ha” I continue. “And I'm a Reiki Master”. “Ooo-ah-ha-ha-ha” I mouth the mantra and manage “Well done”, thinking “but who are you? We can get so attached to the role, the outer form of being a teacher, healer, conservationist, leader, counselor or whatever. Actually we are none of these. They are merely the roles we play but we are seduced into thinking they are real.

I completely understand that there are sound psychological reasons for this need to identify with roles, or any other of the behaviors mentioned in this article for that matter, but my purpose here is to give an idea of how extensive the exchange of reality and illusion is. I read somewhere that many working with emerging consciousness are doing harm. They have stepped onto the band wagon for money and power. The karmic consequences for this are dire as followers are misinformed and given erroneous guidance.

Being popular, being a fount of wisdom, self pity, even being busy are all forms of spiritual glamour. Remember it is when we think they are real that we get stuck into the illusion. There is also selfish unselfishness, selfish responsibility and selfish service. What delightful contradictions! Years ago Lazarus referred to the Nobility Complex. This is when a person does not feel inner work is required of them. The illusion seems to be that everyone else needs to do it but for some reason they are exempt.

These ego patterns build a wall between us and the light. Many deify their glamour and regard them as prized and hard-won possessions or states of being, such as the example above of the man who was so impresses to be a Reiki Master, and at the other end of the spectrum there are those who are unaware they have them. It requires ruthless honesty to acknowledge that which is coming from ego and it is important to discern the impulses of the soul from those which come from the world of phenomena. A characterisctic of someone living in new consciousness is their ability to distinguish between the personality, the ego and the soul.

One of the most potent methods of dissipating the patterns of glamour is to consciously align with the soul, to regularly visualize or feel the soul chakra above the head and the golden light pouring into the crown, the brow, the throat and coming to rest in the heart. In this way the light of the soul enters one's being and irradiates mind and consciousness. We operate with love and can see clearly, free of the fog of distorting miasmas.

Meditation is another essential aid to the dispersion of glamour because, as I experience it, it is the only tool we have to recognize who we are. It reorganizes our values, we let go our reactions and come into a state of full acceptance, tolerance and beingness. Our intuition grows, we become responsive to inner guidance and higher knowledge and glamour is dispelled. Through meditation we open the doors to oneness, the unity of all things and all souls, and bring the power of the real, back to our lives. We pierce the fog to find the true home in the place of light.