Most people believe they are making progress in their spiritual growth.
The feeling of progress can appear long before anything substantial changes.
The same reactions, assumptions, and habits remain in place while the interpretation changes.
Without a clear way to evaluate what is actually changing, there is no real distinction between transformation and self-confirmation.
And when that distinction disappears, self-deception becomes inevitable.
The illusion of spiritual growth
In contemporary spirituality, progress is often assumed, not verified.
A change in state, a strong emotion, or a new understanding about oneself is quickly taken as evidence of growth. But without a criterion, the impression of progress can appear even when nothing fundamental has changed.
Without criteria, the inner process becomes a space of self-confirmation. The individual no longer checks whether something real is changing, but looks for ways to maintain the sense of being on a meaningful path.
At that point, spiritual growth is no longer evaluated. It is simply assumed.
Why experience cannot define spiritual growth
Spiritual experiences are, by nature, subjective.
They cannot be measured, compared, or verified externally. And internally, they are deeply influenced by expectations, desires, and suggestion.
That is why experience tends to confirm what a person is already prepared to believe about themselves.
In the absence of a criterion, experience is no longer examined. It is used selectively to support a convenient conclusion.
It stops functioning as a tool for clarification and becomes a mechanism of self-validation.
To treat experience as a measure of spiritual growth is to give up, from the beginning, any real possibility of discernment.
What a real criterion looks like
A criterion is not a belief, a preference, or a moral rule.
It is a reference point that allows evaluation over time.
A real criterion:
- withstands confrontation with reality
- produces observable effects in behavior and real life
- cannot be modified every time the conclusion becomes uncomfortable
It does not exist to control the path, but to prevent self-deception.
Without it, any interpretation becomes possible, and any failure can be reframed as hidden progress.
When spiritual growth becomes self-deception
A path without criteria inevitably turns into self-confirmation.
People rarely do this consciously. The shift happens gradually as everything begins to be interpreted in favor of the existing narrative.
Language becomes more refined and explanations more sophisticated, while the impression of depth continues to grow.
At the same time, real life remains largely unchanged, or changes only at the level of interpretation.
The gap between what is said and what is actually happening is covered by increasingly elaborate justifications.
At this point, self-deception is no longer accidental.
It becomes structural.
Contradictions, failures, and limitations are gradually absorbed into the narrative and reinterpreted as part of the “process”.
This is also where what many describe as spiritual awakening confusion begins.
Without a criterion, every outcome can be interpreted as progress. Once that happens, the possibility of measuring real growth begins to disappear.
A simple test
Experiences can be described in great detail. Determining whether they produced lasting change is often far more difficult.
A simple question is enough:
After what you call progress, what has actually changed?
- Is there more clarity, or just a different explanation?
- More responsibility, or more self-importance?
- More observation, or more certainty?
Over time, genuine growth tends to bring greater clarity and a more realistic view of one’s own limitations. The impression of growth often moves in the opposite direction, creating a sense of special understanding that is not reflected in daily life.
Its effects become visible gradually, through changes that remain present beyond the initial enthusiasm or intensity of an experience.
Why structure has always been necessary
The strictness found in authentic traditions was never arbitrary.
It emerged from a simple reality:
People deceive themselves, especially when their identity is involved.
Structure, criteria, and stages emerged as safeguards against confusing interpretation with transformation.
They exist to separate:
- the impression of progress from real progress
- enthusiasm from maturation
- explanation from consequence
Without criteria, there is little protection against self-deception.
The limit of explanation
Criteria cannot be reduced to abstract ideas.
They cannot be fully transmitted through articles or general explanations. Without a practical structure, they remain correct concepts but are ineffective.
Understanding the problem is not enough.
Without confrontation, verification, and consistency, clarity remains theoretical.
From this point on, verification becomes more important than additional information.
Without verification, what is often called spiritual growth becomes mostly language, with very little real transformation behind it.
Conclusion
In a culture where experience is treated as proof, spiritual growth becomes easy to simulate and impossible to verify.
Without a criterion, almost any experience can be interpreted as meaningful, regardless of whether it produces lasting change.
Feelings can be intense and deeply meaningful. The question is what remains visible in thought, behavior, and daily life once the experience has passed.
Without that, even the most convincing experience becomes part of the illusion of spiritual growth.
If you want to explore more deeply how to apply clear criteria in your spiritual journey, I’ve written a detailed guide on initiatory discernment that can help.