For the mystic, true success is evidenced by the (spiritual or ceremonial) practice's capacity to initiate alchemy and lasting change in one's life. Meaning, that our Spiritual practice must compel us toward a deep process of self-awareness (awakening of the “I”) followed by inner transformation.
This inner transformation is not confined to the emotional realm, but simultaneously compels a physical transformation of the material into the spiritual (etheric) via a process known as the Etherization of the Blood. It is this Spiritualization of the human form that allows Higher forces to work upon us…purifying the lower centers, redeeming death into life, and bestowing Holy gifts of Grace, known as the fruits of Spirit, upon us…
Just as we have the capacity to etherize according to these Higher forces through our connection with Christ, we also have the ability to reverse that process, connect with lower forces, and instead circulate our pain and trauma throughout our form. Not only would we then lack any fruit of Spirit, but we instead receive and integrate the fruits of Anti-Spirit…some of which are materialism, selfishness, decay, chaos, shame, narcissism, and subnatural resonance…
We can therefore measure any person's level of consciousness and discernment by observing the spiritual fruit that they bear, including our own! This will not be reflected through basic humanity or toxic positivity...these aspects are signs of faux-spiritual maturity and often the result of spiritual bypassing. The fruit I speak of isn't material. Understanding this will greatly help us in our own path to developing discernment…
Realistically, any kind of person or occultist could perform signs and wonders...anyone seeking power and wealth could manipulate their material reality in order to attain it. Yet, neither of these feats are measures of the Spiritually-mature or highly-initiated. These acts simply mean that the occultist in question may be communing with lower-level entities that like to show off and feign power. It may also be that this person is performing dark occult rites or sacrifices in exchange for meeting certain material goals.
The true initiate must count the fruits of the Spirit in higher regard than any material gain, spiritual spectacle, or ‘magic trick.’ When we truly connect with the Divine, we change.
Development of character, integrity, strength, patience, love, service, gratitude, self-sacrifice, discernment, etc are signs that one is in alignment with Christ, and allowing Christ to work through them. Christ is the force that, through etherization, transmutes our lower centers into fruits of Spirit! Immersed in the true essence of Christ, it is impossible to remain unchanged! There is no striving necessary.
As children of God, we must measure our relationship to God by the fruits that overflow in this presence, and be discerning enough (and humble enough) to admit when the “fruits” of a path or practice are rotten, merely producing smoke & mirrors, or lacking true substance.