You may be familiar with the narcissist, but do you know about the spiritual narcissist? This individual uses spiritual or religious aspects to justify their behavior.
I want to make something clear before discussing spiritual narcissists. I am not attacking spiritual people or their beliefs. In fact, in ways, I am a spiritual person. But there is a line that must be drawn between those who want to better themselves and those who are seeking attention. It’s hard to tell the difference sometimes.
Things that spiritual narcissists say
In case you’re not familiar with the narcissist, let me give you a crash course. A narcissist is someone who does everything for selfish reasons, no matter how trivial. They manipulate, lie, and steal to get what they want. They do not care about your feelings and never take responsibility for their actions.
There is always something in it for the narcissists, even when they do good deeds. But to be more specific, there are four basic characteristics found in narcissists.
- A sense of entitlement
- The use of manipulation
- Feeling superior to others
- Lack of empathy
The spiritual narcissist, on the other hand, validates their selfish behavior by using spirituality and principles of religion. To help you understand how the spiritual narcissist operates, we’ll look at a few phrases often used by this toxic individual.
1. “Positive words only”
The spiritual narcissist is quick to invalidate your feelings. When you feel depressed, they often tell you to “Just stop” and “Put a smile on your face”. Because, to them, the mental anguish you may be experiencing is not important. They try to make you believe that staying positive is the only way to succeed in life.
2. “If you don’t believe, you will go to hell.”
If you’ve ever been to a church before, you’ve probably heard this. And even though this statement is something that Christians believe according to scripture, it’s also very harsh.
Who are they to say that you will experience hell in the afterlife? And who are they to say you’re going to hell if you don’t agree with what they believe? It’s just outrageous for a human being to make that assumption. Well, the spiritual narcissist isn’t afraid to say this, and they say it often as a reminder. It is a standard fear tactic of religion.
3. “I am God’s favorite.” or “The universe speaks to me directly.”
When I attended church and bible study, one of the elders of the church often said, “I am God’s favorite!” And while I kind of get the point of this statement, I also find it quite egotistical. I was told that this statement meant they were justly proud of what they believed, but honestly, it excludes everyone else.
It sounds like they think they are superior. This is absolute rubbish, and it’s very narcissistic.
4. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
If you haven’t guessed by now, I have a religious background, and I’ve heard these statements firsthand. One of the most hurtful things that a spiritual narcissist ever said to me was “You don’t know what you’re talking about”.
And this told me that I was not as smart as the other members of the church. And even for those outside the church, this statement also shows superiority. It is textbook narcissism at its finest, supported by religion.
5. “You have so much to learn.” or “You need to raise your consciousness.”
This statement made by the spiritual narcissist is so presumptuous. It says that what the narcissist believes is the truth, and also that any counterargument will be shot down automatically. It is easy for the spiritual narcissist to stop a debate without offering any proof.
Saying that someone has much to learn implies that the spiritual narcissist will always be right because…God.
6. “I’m more enlightened than others.”
When a spiritual narcissist feels as if they’ve reached a new level in consciousness, they will instantly feel superior to others. Their comments will be derogatory, and they will even move differently, with telltale conceited body language. They often use accompanying phrases like,
“You can learn so much from my experience” or “You will get there one day.”
They just assume that you are nowhere near as evolved as they are.
And all it takes to trigger their tirade of superiority is to say you don’t understand something. And in some cases, you don’t understand it because it’s something they’ve made up. But to them, if they said it, then it’s truth and beyond your understanding.
7. “You’re stuck in your ego.”
If you need advice, take my advice, and don’t ask a spiritual narcissist. And most definitely never question their authority on a particular subject. And why shouldn’t you do this? Well, a spiritual narcissist thinks they have the answer to everything. And if you stand firm in your convictions, they tell you that you’re stuck in your ego.
I’ve even heard it phrased as “being too self-absorbed to understand“. When you’re simply standing up for yourself, this toxic individual is attempting to make it look as if you’re speaking from a humanistic view while they are conversing with the universe itself. It’s cringy, honestly.
8. “Your vibrational frequency isn’t strong enough yet.” or “You’re not ready for this level of spiritual knowledge.”
Spiritual narcissists can be infuriating. They cannot even win arguments, except they pretend that they do. Here’s how this works: The spiritual narcissist says something with authority about their beliefs. They use flowery language to suggest their knowledge is from other realms.
So, you counter this statement with logic of your own. While your words make more sense to most people (even the narcissist secretly knows you’re smarter), this spiritual “guru” will then explain how a higher power spoke truths to them.
This explanation sends the message that you are not vibrating at a high enough frequency to understand yet. This statement can be used as a default response to almost anything.
Spiritual narcissists… that’s a “no” for me.
I know I may have sounded pretty cynical, and I may have stepped on some toes, but that’s because I’ve been on both sides of this coin. I’ve been a member of a few different churches, and I’ve also spent plenty of time away from them. I consider myself spiritual, but I also consider myself someone who will always be working toward being a better person.
If you are a spiritual individual, please consider this. People do not want to be in the presence of a spiritual narcissist.
And be careful around people like this. You know yourself and what you need to do. You don’t need anyone else giving you unsolicited advice or preaching fire and brimstone when you make mistakes. I hope this helped you understand and also helped you recognize the truth.
Be blessed.
