If you’re one of those people on the spiritual path currently feeling depressed and/or disillusioned, take heart, because you’re probably suffering from the ”de-glamoured view, “  a term associated with alchemy which describes a phase that spiritual seekers must go through if they are to assimilate with the Unus Mundus, the One World - see my articles, “Finding Heaven . . .  Once Upon a Time”  and “The Unus Mundus (One World) and the Holy Grail, ” for information concerning  this experience.

We are all susceptible to glamour, meaning,  we are blinded  to how things really are, or who some people really are,  it’s as if  our vision has been placed under a spell.  Then, unexpectedly, it’s as if this spell suddenly breaks and we start to see people and things as they truly are, not how we have imagined, assumed or expected them to be. 

The de-glamoured view is usually depressing and discouraging for us, especially if it also  involves a new and unflattering perception of our self, because all at once, we’re not the person we always thought we were. In fact, in my experience, we discover we’re almost exactly the opposite of what we thought we were.

This  recognition - and I assure you that it is a recognition - can be very, very painful, particularly if we have taken pride in a particular aspect of our identity or character, since it’s  always that which we have prided in ourselves that we find is an illusion, a fantasy, a complete and utter delusion on our part.  

For example, if we’ve prided ourselves on our patience or on our parenting skills we’re  suddenly faced with incontrovertible evidence that, actually, we’re not so patient after all, and as far as our parenting skills are concerned, you might just find yourself wanting to move to another part of the country - maybe even the world -  anywhere that people don’t know you and can’t judge just how complete a fake you’ve been!

The point I’m wanting  to make,  is that at some point, if you’re serious about finding the Grail, reaching enlightenment, or completing that final 7th stage in the alchemical process, you are definately going to  wake up to the truth about yourself as you approach that final ascent, and that truth is going to be uncomfortable.

The truth about yourself is going to be something like this:  you will feel that you don’t even qualify as a “good enough” human being,”  never mind a human being that’s worthy enough to attain enlightenment. 

The truth is - and you’ll probably resist this idea, although in actual fact it’s extraordinarily liberating once you get over the shock of it -  one day, if it hasn’t already happened, you’re going to have to own the fact that you’re a mess of inadequacies and have at least your fair share of so-called “bad,”  character traits.  

Yet, only when we see and  accept  our dark side, our own dual nature which contains both good and bad, good and evil, will we be humble enough to be granted union with the Divine.  And before that, there’s still something else we’ll have to see and come to terms with; that the standards  or moral codes that we’ve always applied to ourselves - as well as to everyone else -   have in fact been imposed on us by society, and maybe society isn’t “right” after all . . .

The other important point,  is to understand that we don’t actually attain enlightenment.  God/Goddess, or the Divine, if you prefer, fills us when we are empty of self, empty of ego.  So we need to be persuaded to surrender any notion we might have  that we can successfully achieve anything at all.

So, the  de-glamoured view may be painful, depressing,  and very, very humbling, but it means we’ve drawn closer than ever before to  assimilation with the Unus Mundus: the goal of  our journey. From that perspective, it’s something to be celebrated, welcomed and given credit to yourself for. Just remember, lowliness takes you closer to your goal, as does our recognition of our own fallibility.