Greek mythology says that Narcissus, son of the god Cefiso and the nymph Liriope, when identifying the beauty of his own image through the reflection of the lake water, he was so enchanted with his figure reflected there, that he ended up being distracted and perished by drowning. From this tale comes the expression narcissistic or narcissism, which is equivalent to saying: to die by illusion ... According to legend, Narcissus was a man endowed with extraordinary appearance, which aroused immense attention and admiration. However, Narcissus was also arrogant, proud and conceited, which led him to the supreme sum of falling in love with himself instead of loving other people who loved him.

In any case, people with a narcissistic personality are generally inclined to search for greatness. They carry in them a never ending desire to be admired, as well as a marked disdain and lack of empathy for others. As if that were not enough, they also show other serious mismatches such as: arrogance, false superiority and a yearning for power. That said, it is undeniable that, although we live in a real and tangible world, not a few suffer from narcissism to some degree. Therefore, narcissistic individuals have been associated with highly undesirable characteristics, such as:

“1) - The leadership. Narcissists need to exercise dominance to feed their egos. However, as they “command” others, since they have the facility to do so, they neglect the needs of their subordinates. The junctions of these items make them bad bosses, although I think the opposite is true. Narcissists are not good leaders and they confuse leadership with authoritarianism.

2) - Center of attention. Narcissistic people are sociable and communicative and establish their relationships in a way that draws a lot of attention from the people around them, they like to have the spotlight on them. Not everyone always sees these people in a good way, as they are always in evidence.

3) - Eccentricity. Narcissists give excessive attention to the stereotype. In this context, they are excessively concerned with clothes and accessories, often becoming ostentatious. They are interpreted by those who see them as different and daring people.

4) - Vanity. An excessive cult of the body exists on the part of these people. This point is valued for being natural seducers and they always tend to be directed towards that. It is common to see narcissists exaggerate when doing physical activities in search of perfection, which, many times, they never achieve, because they always want more.

5) - Loving relationships. Narcissists treat their partners as great achievements, displaying them as trophies so that the world can see how they are loved and loved. This need to appear is also constantly expressed within their own relationships, where they have a constant need to always demonstrate to partners the existing interest of others in themselves, and who can betray them at any time.

6) - Self-valorization. Often, in the search for self-worth they hurt and distort the image of those around them in an attempt to make their own image, in a comparison, better. When they are surrounded by more important people, they tend to devalue them, tarnishing their images, so that in a way, even illusory, they are better in front of the others.” [1]

In addition, studies suggest that many corporate presidents, celebrities and politicians exhibit typically narcissistic behavior. What seems indisputable, however, is that narcissistic leaders see the world exclusively from their perspective. [2] Very recently, in fact, we have seen one of the clearest examples of narcissistic leadership on the planet under the administration of Donald Trump in the United States. So disastrous was his management at the head of the largest nation on the planet, that Covid-19 reached a frightening level of contamination of the citizens of that country. His constant clashes with much of the press and health officials were bizarre episodes in which the truth of the facts mattered little.

During his entire time in office, he expressed an erratic and highly confrontational style of "leadership", and many of the aspects listed above were observed to exhaustion. Behaving like an authentic emperor and “the only owner of the truth”, he fired proficient auxiliary and direct advisers who questioned him with disconnected and often irrational decisions. Moreover, he propagated uncertainties and untruths almost on a daily basis, as the prestigious Washington Post newspaper found out. His upset personality has even gone so far as to break with America's important and traditional allies (and which the current government is striving to rebuild).

Not happy with the outcome of the unfavorable elections, he tried in every possible way to disqualify the previously respected and immaculate American electoral counting system - even without presenting concrete evidence of fraud or errors. His narcissistic and self-centered ways - typical of a person who does not admit to setbacks or setbacks of any kind, and as if life were a process under which only his individual will prevailed - led him even further to the challenge of encouraging supporters to invade the Congress, which culminated in the death of several people, and many of the offenders being prosecuted. Finally, because of his emotionally unstable personality, Washington, DC, the American capital, is under a strong regime of isolation.

Apparently, the American leader is a Spirit who overstep the mark in his role as conductor of the nation, and the deleterious effects of his administration will be felt for a long time, since the great nation is now politically split. I took such an extreme example for its didactic character and to show how dangerous a narcissus individual can be to the social and even spiritual fabric. Given the excessive pride and arrogance of such people, good spiritual companionship certainly does not accompany them.

As the maxim says: “Tell me who you are with and I will tell you who you are”. In this sense, it is certain that unfortunate entities inspire them with ideas, measures, actions and deliberations that are at least shocking. As they do not cultivate the habit of shielding themselves through sincere prayer or self-illuminating initiatives, they end up drinking, so to speak, from sources poisoned by evil thinking. Therefore, what they do is generally harmful to society as a whole.

The case of the former American president is rare given his magnitude, as well as the power he has enjoyed. Social scientists dedicated to the delicate field of leadership have abundant material for analysis and conjecture. It undoubtedly represents an extreme situation of narcissism and its consequences. However, the present moment – full of invitations to folly - also presents situations of less impact in this sphere, but no less worrying. I even think that there is in our midst today a considerable contingent of creatures touched by the deeply exacerbated ego. Creatures still averse to the realization of higher ideals in the inner dimension and the eminently responsible theme of the immortal Spirit. Individuals who have not yet realized that "All human beings exist to achieve inner growth, their individuation", as reasoned by the Spirit Joanna de Angelis. [3]

As the said benefactor well explains:

“Over the millennia, upon reaching the state of humanity, the heritage accumulated in the millions of years that have elapsed in the process of continuous transformations, triggers the preponderance of egocentrism, initially, following the path of egotism exacerbated until the moment when the change of level occurs from the consciousness asleep to the awakening, responsible for more enriching emotional acquisitions”. [4]

Returning to the above reasoning, it seems to us that the present times have been favorable to the emergence and exaltation of individuals with disorders of this nature. Referring to this particular moment in which logic and common sense seem to be absent, Joanna de Angelis ponders that:

“We live in the age of having and having power, showing off and enjoying, without the consequence of inner harmony and spiritual enrichment.

Appearance replaces reality, and the important thing is not the inner being, but the exalted ego, which causes envy and competition on the stage of illusion.

In a way, the existential meaning, the purpose of life, the transcendent focus of self-realization has been lost. As a result, the pathologies of behavior increase, and the banquet of the masked takes on a dark aspect…” [5]

Thus, we see people from all social classes, professions and ages exhibiting narcissistic behaviors, and expanding, by extension, the lack of peace in the human environment. One sees, by the way, creatures profoundly distilling pathetic attitudes of self-loathing and exhibitionism by all possible means. As well as the mental pathologies they carry on the imo of being, their unbalanced behaviors, in addition, bring enormous damage to the earthly psych sphere. The unhealthy behavior that they exude in no way helps to fill the huge void of the soul of many who blindly follow them. In a world where bad examples prevail, many believe themselves to be greater than God. Few realize the evils they harbor within themselves for embracing distorted views and perceptions of what they really are in intimacy.

The Spirit Emmanuel also addressed the topic, even stating that “[...] in the Earth's Crust, where the overwhelming majority of people are paralyzed souls, with regard to virtue, rare men know the disharmony of spiritual health that concerns them, aware of their undisputed needs”. [6] Consequently, without the possession of health in their Spirits, the highest levels of human development are not reached. [7] At this point, it is important to emphasize that earthly science has endeavored to understand the real meaning and impact of spiritual health on human creatures.

Scientists have proposed that spiritual health encompasses a universal dynamic, developmental, conscious and multidimensional process, which induces the attainment of spiritual awareness, personal capacity and transcendence. In addition, they are associated with relevant attributes such as: the feeling of completeness, moderation, establishment of harmonious interconnection, purpose, meaning of life and faith. As a result, it is theorized that spiritual health would produce physical, psychosocial and spiritual well-being, in addition to moral development. [8]

Therefore, individuals with narcissism, obviously, need treatment to acquire their spiritual health. It will not be something fast and not easy to achieve, especially to those who devote exaggerated adoration for themselves and / or their deeds. It requires considerable effort to have an exact understanding of its underlying pathology, as well as to recognize the need to walk in the path of self-discovery (awakening consciousness).

In fact, the simple awareness of the anomaly generated by narcissism, gives the sincere creature to improve enough elements to start his self-healing process. In this sense, it is vital to have the moral courage to examine your own actions in the light of the framework outlined by the Master of Masters. From then on, as the Spirit Joanna de Angelis prescribes, for example: “[...] if you dedicate yourself to intimate transformation, which reflects in changing other behaviors for the better, you will be able to achieve the true goal of psychological maturation”. She adds that: “With this deepening of the spiritual self, full health will be a friend in the great proposal that takes you in search of personal and human fulfillment”. [9]

Furthermore, the most effective remedy, it seems to me, for being narcissus is the assimilation of humility as a behavioral pattern. Embracing humble behavior - the antithesis of narcissism - as therapy is challenging for the individual inclined to pride and conceit. However, the Spiritist Doctrine has a vast literature to offer to people interested in acquiring this sacred virtue. Stories and reports abound on the pages of the spiritist works of characters - some historical, such as the case of Paul of Tarsus, Mary of Nazareth, Mary de Magdala, Joan of Cusa, Francis of Assisi, not to mention the unforgettable medium Francisco Candido Xavier - who they completely stripped of the harmful sting derived from narcissism and pride by embracing Christian ideals body and soul. The therapy resulting from reading this abundant and rich material seems to be an adequate starting point, coupled, obviously, with the sincere desire of the individual to change his convictions and understandings. In short: help yourself and Heaven will help you.

Notes:

1. Brazilian Coaching Institute. Signs that you are a narcissistic person. Available at: LINK-1 - (accessed on 12 / march / 2021).

2. Vera, D. and Rodriguez-Lopes, A. (2004). Humility as a source of competitive advantage. Organizational Dynamics, Vol. 33 No. 4, pp. 393–408.

3. Franco, D. P. (dictated by the Spirit Joanna de Angelis). (2005). Existential conflicts. Salvador, BA: LEAL, p. 20.

4. Ibid.

5. Franco, D. P. (dictated by the Spirit Joanna de Angelis). (2020). Empty lives. Salvador, BA: LEAL, p. 18.

6. Xavier, F. C. (dictated by the Spirit Emmanuel). (1978). Way, truth and life. 7^th edition. Rio de Janeiro, RJ: FEB, p. 173.

7. Hawks, S. (1994). Spiritual health: Definition and theory. Wellness Perspectives, Vol. 10 No. 4. Available at: LINK-2 (accessed on 13 / February / 2014).

8. Jaberi, A., Momennasab, M., Yektatalab, S. et al. (2019). Spiritual health: A concept analysis. Journal of Religion and Health, Vol. 58 No. 5, p. 1551.

9. Franco, D. P. (dictated by the Spirit Joanna de Angelis). (1998). Moments of health. 3^rd edition. Salvador, BA: LEAL, p. 127.