The spiritual journey: escape the Matrix

One of the main reasons many of you are here is to figure out how to escape the matrix. Thanks to insightful teachers like Michael Singer, there may be a way – though perhaps not in a literal sense.

Singer himself had a difficult time in his early years and it was this dissatisfaction that led him to commit to his own spiritual journey. In a bid to quiet the incessant inner-critic, Singer abandoned the conventional path of academia to pursue inner-peace.

Despite this, Singer went on to have incredible material success when he learned to stop meddling with life and allowed it to unfold naturally. He is the author of The Untethered Soul, a New York Times best-seller, and has dedicated his life to serving others by sharing his profound wisdom.

For me, Singer has been the single biggest influence on my own struggle with reality. His books are insightful and easy to read but his podcast is even better. Each episode teaches more or less the same principles framed in a slightly different way. The content is relatable and easy to understand and gives important perspective to those struggling with life’s up and downs.

What does it mean to be stuck in the Matrix? I talk about that on the about page and ideas on how to escape in this post. It’s about blue-pilling. It’s about accepting a life of slavery and bondage as the Matrix depicts. It’s about being nothing more than food for the evil entities that the eye doesn’t perceive, whether actual or metaphorical. Why do people blindly accept this?

Singer doesn’t talk about these esoteric aspects of spirituality. In fact, most of his teachings are grounded in religion and science. Regardless, they serve as an important blueprint to escaping the Matrix. We are all caught in a battle between good and evil, right and wrong, because of our societal conditioning. To Singer, this is what keep us in chains. It is about understanding the dual nature of the mind, the interplay between the ego and consciousness (or spirit), and how these forces keep us in a state of perpetual inner conflict.

The ego-centric mind is what ties us to the Matrix. It makes a lot of noise and projects all our beliefs and concepts, good and bad, onto the outside world. It constantly seeks external sources – material possessions, validation, and approval – in an endless attempt to find a sense of fulfillment. Nothing is ever enough, though.

Anything that works (measured by our inner ‘peace’) is only temporary and short-lived. By being attached to the ego, you are a slave to both fear and desire (opposite polarities – one attracts, one repels), which drives you to attempt to control the outside world in an attempt to fit your own ideals. That is the prison.

This pursuit is obviously futile. Every time a ripple is created in the mind, either through a perceived positive or negative event, the ego tries to get involved (through attraction or repulsion) which makes the ripples even stronger. Anything that doesn’t align with the ego is then repressed or suppressed, which adds fuel to the fire. The energy becomes trapped and even though it tries liberate itself, you won’t let it, which adds to the intensity. This creates a loop which is why people are stuck in survival mode, or as Michael says, barely managing to keep their heads above water.

What is the answer to this? You have to clean out the internal garbage. Both good and bad. All concepts and pre-programmed patterns have to be thrown in the trash can. In order to deal with the junk that we have stored, and related triggers that come up, Singer uses the process of ‘relaxing and releasing’. Every time something happens, watch it without judgment from the seat of consciousness. ‘Relax and release’. You don’t have to do anything. Relax. Release.

De-clutter all the crap from the past. Eventually once you start releasing this energy, you can start to ‘lighten up’. This is what spirituality is all about. Letting the light in. That is the way out of the Matrix.

Singer’s advice is to start with the small things. Don’t let traffic wind you up. Then you can move on to the bigger things. Like playing a video game, you have to start on easy mode.

I have found that Singer’s practice really works, but even more so when combined with other approaches, like the path to becoming a warrior-traveler through discipline as taught by Don Juan. Fasting, sound therapy and mindfulness are great tools for those starting out on their journey.

Inner peace can eventually be achieved. When you learn to work with the inner-critic and understand it has been misguided and poorly programmed, the voice starts to get quieter. In a state of peace you become lighter and allow your energy to flow without the blockages that had been holding you back.

Singer makes it clear, you don’t have to renounce the material world. You can still live an incredible life, just one without the ego in the driving seat. Life happens in a better way than ever. Singer says ‘you’ll just feel the pull naturally’ at important decision points. Just because the mind goes quiet, you can still lead a purposeful life, with God naturally guiding you.

By aligning with your spirit, you can unlock a level of energy and vitality that allows you to fully embrace and thrive in this reality like never before. Escape the Matrix!