The Society for the Advancement of Psycho-Spiritual Evolution (SAPSE) sees its primary purpose as preparing students who have moved beyond introductory levels of religious education and who are searching for more advanced spiritual training in a safe and grounded environment. SAPSE is targeted to the consumer in the spiritual marketplace who does not have readily available criterion for making informed choices regarding authentic spiritual guidance; especially when acccomplished outside the milieu of his or her religion of origin. The novice seeker can often be misled by false advertisements promising unrealistic and quick results. SAPSE exists to assist sincere students in choosing and implementing those healthy and safe spiritual principles and practices which help to ground one in everyday life, increase one's ability for healthy relating at home and in the workplace, and enable one to achieve greater levels of acceptance of both the joy and sorrows of life with some degree of self-mastery. Whatever map or model an aspirant might eventually choose in the course of their spiritual formation and education, it is generally understood among most seasoned practitioners in the field that unless one's "shadow work" (i.e. that aspect of self-development which deals with emotional maturity) is either completed or at least well under way, progress on the spiritual road will be mimimal at best.