In my most recent article I'm critical of the Masculine/Feminine terminology used by spiritual teachers like David Deida. Though I hold to my disagreement, I found this video from Deida really profound and clarifying.
Warning: Explicit Language in this Video.
Deida makes the distinction between therapy, yoga (art), and spiritual practice (or awakening). These three practices correlate well I think with my earlier posts on the ego, Soul, and SPIRIT (respectively) as spiritual identities.
Deida uses a brilliant analogy at the beginning (stained glass window analogy). Therapy is fixing broken windows, Yoga is cleaning the dust off the windows (and letting more Light in), and Awakening is realizing You are the Light (and the window). The key point in what he is saying for me is that it's entirely possible to undertake say a Yogic practice and still be psychologically dysfunctional (i.e. not have done therapy). Or have awakening and not have much capacity for flow (Yoga).
The integral impulse is to work all three identities in proper amounts at proper times in one's life. No therapy leads to dysfunctionality. Only therapy prevents deeper forms of realization. Yoga without Realization can lead to spiritual arrogance. Realization without Yoga can lack juice or transformative energy.
Just understanding 1. what kind of practice one is doing, 2. what that practice is designed to do (and what by extension it is not designed to do), and 3. how to incorporate ways in all three brings so much wisdom to the approach and context of spiritual practice.
