Possible huge problem with psychospiritual journeys: Yes, there are deep structures in the labyrinth of my mind, and yes, I will have profound insights and fundamental shifts when I bring them into full awareness...
And yet...after years of self-work, I'm starting to suspect a large amount of the labyrinth is actually procedurally generated. Like a video game map that builds itself on the spot the further you travel across it
It would be like this sequence playing out:
I dive deep into the labyrinth of my mind
The mind goes "Oh! He's expecting to find some deep structures. Let me generate some of those that are consistent with the rest of me. Oh! He's also expecting to find some enemies there, so let me spawn some demons."
Lo and behold, there is more (eg) "unresolved trauma" to resolve
I think that this process is especially responsive to my motivation. So if I want to be in the narrative of Psychospiritual Journey, complete with Shocking Moments Of Insight? (subtext: ...so that I can procrastinate Finding A Job, Building Relationships, Pursuing My Big Scary Calling, etc) ...Well, then the mind will be happy to help. It will procedurally generate an infinite psychospiritual landscape for me to "discover"
I suspect the dynamic I describe above is why many psychospiritual delvers seem like they're just moving in circles. Yes, the mind is vast and there's tons of actually wild stuff in there to explore. Yes, imho Mind is humanity's true final frontier. But also...in some important way...you might be making it up
In short: looking for psychospiritual insight? inner prediction engine goes brrrrrrr makes up insights
This might sound depressing. But if this is true, there are some reasons to be profoundly optimistic about psychospiritual work:
a. It can be done way more efficiently!!
Instead of spending so much time exploring recursive "deep structures," instead you look for generator functions
You can see generator functions most clearly in people who are having a bad trip on psychedelics or via psychosis: they keep generating new reasons to be paranoid. If it turns out the government isn't watching them, then it's actually that evil spirits toying with them, etc.
Just keep in mind that – if you try to analyze the structure of a generator function – it will often go brrrrr on itself, and generate infinite recursive structure for you explore. Often better to hold off on analysis when you find it, and instead just lovingly "sit" with it / find the presence of awareness within it instead of trying to understand it
(Analysis also sometimes has the negative side effect of calcifying this structures through reification. It's like you turn a changeable ~liquid thing – the generator function – into a stable solid thing. And then you're stuck with a solid thing yikes. Luckily loving presence can convert it back to liquid)
b. You can grow new generator functions!!!
I suspect this is another thing that various religions figured out millennia ago. Doiiiii