Scientists use an established method, where the various aspects are both described and where appropriate use of these can be checked, such as by replication studies - so what do you spiritual guys use as a method that would be comparable to the scientific method?
Gordon, scientistrs don't only use the more complicated methods you refer to; they will sometimes look at documentation from previous experimentation and/or interpretation of results and compare the 'fingerprints' as it were. Take for example, the latest N. Korean nuclear test. The seismologists have been able to compare the footprint of this latest test with those of previous tests and have suggested that, as the various footprints are similar, the device tested recently may well have been the same as in the past - ie, not a hydrogen bomb. It would be interesting to see the radiation readings taken by Japanese and Chinese scientists.
A comparable method in the spiritual realm is to compare the teachings of this or that religious teacher with the teachings of a given religion's founder or initiator. For instance, if a Hndu teacher was to start teaching that eating beef was acceptable for a Hindu, Hindus around the word would question how valid that teaching was as Hindu teaching. Similarly, if a Christian teacher was suddenly to start teaching publically that it was acceptable to kill other humans simply for the sake of killing, the majority of Christians would question that teaching having compared it with Jesus' teaching.