For those who think they’ve found a shortcut to spiritual growth through positive thinking, prayer, or visualization, it is an easy step into tools like rituals, crystals, crosses, pentagrams, incense, or other material distractions from spirit.
'Psychic' Jody Senkyrik put it pretty concisely:
"There are no shortcuts to spirituality and evolution. Many who have religious beliefs want there to be shortcuts to enlightenment and "heaven", as a way of avoiding the work that must yet be done - as well as the evolution of humanity that we have yet to fulfill."
For the spiritual-growth shortcut seeker, a vast array of professional practitioners in the spiritual-growth shortcut industry awaits to initiate your spirit, awaken your soul, activate your DNA/light-body/merkabah, energize your chakras, hemisync your consciousness, balance your EMF, share with you The Secret, direct your visualization, implant you with knowledge, etc. These and many other forms of bestowed or self-bestowed enlightenment are designed simply to make one feel better and more “spiritual.” There may be adherence to some ritualized program involved in these schemes, but not actual, spiritual work, which is work on the self.
Ra, through L/L Research, said:
"We cannot offer shortcuts to enlightenment. Enlightenment is, of the moment, an opening to intelligent infinity. It can only be accomplished by the self, for the self. Another self cannot teach/learn enlightenment, but only teach/learn information, inspiration, or a sharing of love, of mystery, of the unknown that makes the other-self reach out and begin the seeking process… (http://www.llresearch.org/transcripts/issues/1981/1981_0203_book_1.htm)"