YBM. x Spirituality

You Before Me. x Spirituality

Ah, yes—the trendy, pseudo-healing age, saturated with performative "spirituality." Sorry if that sounds cynical; I think I'm just frustrated by how human beings can take something beautiful, something meant for growth, and turn it into yet another identity, yet another trap—while wholeheartedly believing they are doing the right thing. But (you guessed it) this is exactly where YBM. comes into play. The mirror.

The good news? At least people are having conversations about spiritual ego and "bubblegum spirituality"—tasting the flavors, chewing on the concepts, creating identities out of their so-called transcendence. But here’s the bottom line: no amount of detachment, intellect, knowledge, tattoos, meditation, journaling, posting quotes, or speaking with the right verbiage will do the actual work.

And this leads us straight into the trickiest bastard of them all—the spiritual ego.

First, it’s crucial to hold onto this truth: No matter how far you get in life, no matter how much work you do, there will always be a part of you—even if it shrinks to the size of a grain of sand—that seeks validation, security, and control. And make no mistake—that tiny grain holds the weight of all the sand in the deserts, the oceans, and wherever eles you can think of that has sand. The spiritual ego is not something to destroy; it's something to understand. Let it dress up, let it believe it’s transcended its own nature, and then sit it down in front of the mirror and show it what’s really happening.

You can read every philosophy book, every self-help and therapy guide until your time runs out, but without a mirror, you’re just looping. Spiritualists often pit themselves against the religious, and then you have the science-conscious, the collective-conscious, the universe-conscious, all measuring themselves against others instead of simply looking at themselves. And where does this all often lead?

Spiritual ego. Enlightenment delusions. Savior complexes. Guru personas. And, at the worst—complete narcissism.

Yes, there's much more we could discuss about spirituality itself—conversations that could stretch across cups of coffee, days, years—but at some point, application must take over. When enough individuals genuinely authenticate themselves, the world organically follows. When a person becomes aware of their subconscious defualt mode (aka "awareness") But-- then goes deeper into what steers them form their unconscious (which is the actual work) which is standing before the mirror, then and only then will the world not be fixed or saved but will be a place emanating more love. A utopia isnt the goal, a place where we can evolve, experience, laugh, cry, feel, together is.

And this is where YBM. fits in. No matter what path a person takes, with the mirror, the path itself doesn’t matter. That idea will upset those with the “this is the way” mindset, but consider this: If someone never had access to the Bible, never had the opportunity to learn from a specific tradition, are you so certain that God didn’t find them through whatever means were available? If you’re busy knocking their path, you might be knocking His work. Food for thought there pal.

Anyways... let’s bring this back to YBM. and spirituality. Some may assume YBM. is deeply tied to modern spiritual trends, but make no mistake—this is the very thing most “spiritual” folks would avoid. There’s no audience. No enlightenment badge. No guru outfit to wear. Just you and the mirror.

And if that sounds like nonsense—keep reading. Get through the intellectual journey (because yes, it's necessary, and I’m only half-shaming it), then start simplifying.

Maybe with just three simple words:

You Before Me.