My Take on Spirituality
What is Spirituality? According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, the word “spiritual” means “of, relating to, consisting of, or affecting the spirit”, therefore “spirituality” means “the quality or state of being spiritual”. ..but what does it really mean to be spiritual or to practice spirituality?!
Throughout my life, two words have followed me wherever I go: “nice” and “spiritual”. Many friends often tell me that I embody “spirituality” and people always tell me how “nice” I am. To each, I say “thank you”.
Spirituality was never something I intended, it just happened. I was never drawn to explore religion. As an infant, I was baptised as a Protestant, but that is as far into religion I went. I cannot say I know much, or anything about being a protestant - except Protestantism has the word “protest” in it, which is a movement and has been called an “idea on fire”… I sure like the sound of that!
I’ve been on the abusive end of other people’s religions: My ex step mother-in-law was/is a Jehovah Witness. and she would constantly tell me that “I was born underneath an unlucky star, I was tainted with other people’s souls (thanks to the numerous life saving blood transfusions I have had) and that when Armageddon came, I would be the first one killed”. She would often tell me I was going to Hell and my response to her was that I would save her a seat…
I have had Jehovah Witnesses apologize to me on her behalf, saying that she was not a good representative of their religion, nor was it what they practiced. As a rule, I feel that people are generally wonderful, no matter what religion they are and each person has their own traumas and hurts and are living through them the only way they know how. Looking back, I know now that what Liz said to me was a projection of her inner turmoil, and I forgive her for that, but at the time, it hurt.
In my Human Design chart, I am a Projector. Projectors are seen as “seers” of society, due to their depth of vision, they are here to guide. I love watching people - not in a creepy way - People teach me how not to act, so when I see someone act in a way that does not resonate with me, I do the opposite. I suppose you could say my “religion” is kindness which takes us back to spirituality.
I have noticed for some time now, that a part of the spiritual community is fragmented, not all of it I might add. Not only from where I live, but worldwide. I am concerned with what is being taught to flocks of people around the world and what seeds are actually being planted. I hear terrible things from the mouths of my clients about what this person taught or what that person has said.
One client recently told me that a "healer" said that because she doesn't dream, it meant that she wasn't "awake". It is scientifically proven that some people simply don’t dream just like some people can’t visualize in their minds.
I am an outsider where I live because there is a lot of Ego within the “spiritual” community which I do not resonate with. I chose to leave and not participate in that community and I am grateful everyday that I did.
People try to oust each other, others easily exhale seeds of gossip or turn their backs on those in need altogether. If you've preserved to get where you are and have become successful, you become a "threat" to those who aren't. Somewhere along the way, authenticity is lost and transparency becomes opaque. Aren't we all meant to be "equal to" rather than "better than" each other?!
I feel spirituality has become a trend or a “fad diet” these days. It is the “coolio” thing to do (do they still say “coolio?” I have no idea.) You can't put on a pair of socks one day that say "spirituality" or take a supplement and say you're spiritual.
Spirituality is a lifelong practice, it is not something that happens when the moment feels right.
Look what is happening in the world today with the Ukraine and Russia. I have had many clients reach out to me to ask what Spirit is saying about the outcome. To them I respond “I don’t know”. You know why I don’t know…? Because I choose not to put my aura there.
When things like this happen, instead of feeding the beast with fear, worry, hate, sorrow, etc, I send love. I send love to the people of Ukraine, I send love to the animals, I send love to the land. I also send love to Russia - you read that right - I send love to Russia, to the people, to their animals and to their land. It’s not the land’s fault a war broke out.
“The spiritual life does not remove us from the world but leads us deeper into it”. Henri J.M. Nouwen
I consider love consciousness to be like a Dreamcatcher. Dreamcatchers are said to catch nightmares, bad dreams or disturbing visions by trapping them into a woven web. When the dawn breaks, the sunlight destroys the nightmares, dreams or visions, protecting the dreamer.
Love consciousness does the same thing! When we send love out into the world it traps the negative vibrations of hate, fear, worry, rejection, etc and destroys them instantaneously. If more people sent love into the world and stopped feeding the beast with condiments of hate, the earth would be filled with love and gratitude. Love consciousness feels vibrationally better than hate. I don’t do this to get into the good books of the Universe or to receive a gold star, I do this because it makes me feel happy! I want to be part of the solution to encourage the world to change.
Practicing spirituality takes work and at times it is not easy, nor is it something that happens over night, and it is certainly not something that you can do when the moment feels right. It is an ongoing practice.
“Enlightenment means taking full responsibility for your life”. William Blake
To be Spiritual, you live there all the time. Things will come up that will irritate you six ways to Sunday. These become opportunities to heal those areas in your life that are no longer of serve or hold value in your precious life. When you work through the pain and come out the other side, you are still living from the Now, where kindness and love exist.
I have had clients tell me their “healers and teachers” have said that anger is not “spiritual” and they are not “allowed” to get angry. Honestly that makes me a little angry...
Over Christmas break, my sister and I had an argument. She told me that I was “conning my clients by saying I was spiritual, yet here I was getting angry”. (She also told me I was the devil too, so… say la vie). I thought her comment was ludicrous because her mentality suggests that spirituality and anger don’t cross over.
I’m here to tell you that they do!
Anger is telling you that something is wrong and wants to be freed. It is an intense emotion within the body; an expression of passion that releases built up emotions. It is a power that helps to move energy blocks out of the body or out of one’s life. It is not to be repressed, but to be expressed and let go!
When Anger separates us from our highest good, from each other or the world, then this is a problem. This unleashed anger is coming from Ego and the goal of Ego is fear. Ego wants you to fail because on the other side of fear, is growth. This is why people remain stuck - anything outside of their comfort zone feels uncomfortable, so they retreat back into the safety of their habitual patterns in life.
Suppressed anger can turn into a variety of ailments from low self-esteem to apathy to poor relationships. If you are angry all the time, then yes, that is a problem but if you experience anger every now and then, then it is a GOOD thing!
Anger is a type of magic, because it is a force of energy! It centers on what is trapped that needs to be released. Anger is a healthy spiritual response.
Read that again….anger is a healthy spiritual response because it shows us what is wrong and then we can bring in action to what is right!
“There's nothing wrong with anger provided you use it constructively.” - Wayne Dyer
I am sure even Jesus was pissed off from time to time with the injustices of the world! I know for sure, that I don’t sit around on a cloud, strumming a harp all day long, with angelic back up singers, in a state of harmony all the time. Most of the time, yes, but not all of the time. (The "harmony" part, not the "sitting-on-a-cloud-strumming-my-harp-with-angelic-backup-singers" part.)
I am an Aries - a fire sign. When people learn of my sign, they always mention that they never thought of me as an Aries. I do not resonate with a lot of the Aries traits and I have learned to tame my fire, but when I need that fire, I know it is there. It has become my fuel to shift injustices out of my life.
When I need more fire, I go into the underworld and borrow a couple of mythical hellhounds to stand guard as I fight the injustice. When the battle is over, I return them to their rightful owner, fully fed and watered.
I am sunshine mixed with a little hurricane.
Anger can be dealt with in healthy ways that can leave us empowered and stronger than before, which is essential for our spiritual health.
Spirituality is a lifelong personal journey, which challenges the perceptions of your life. It helps you to expand your relationship to the Universe, God, co-creator or whatever you want to call it, as well as to yourself. It is a path that you eat, sleep, and breathe from on a daily basis. It is a place where kindness and compassion grows, like daffodils reaching upwards to feel the warmth from the sun.
It isn’t always pretty or glamorous. Look at the lotus flower; this beautiful flower represents enlightenment. It originates in the wetlands and only grows from the mud. The mud represents life's struggles and obstacles and as the flower bud makes its way to the surface, it overcomes these obstacles. Petal by petal the flower blossoms and enlightenment is achieved.
There is a lot more work involved than most people realize to reach enlightenment. Inner contemplation and weeding through the muck takes time. Sometimes you fall face first into the muck, other times you are encased in the stuff. Kind of like a mud wrap at the spa, only less soothing and it's getting into cracks you didn't know existed.
Spirituality is a place where clarity and profound truths are revealed after you have scaled that mountain and fallen off the cliff a number of times, but you become determined to get there. When you reach it, you know because it is like drinking from a fresh mountain stream where you can taste every molecule of hydrogen and oxygen, separately and together.
It is a calling to be better, to speak better, to think better, to live outside the box and beyond. It is a place where you live alongside your ethics, morals and values, and being open to experiencing more. It is about speaking from your heart and leading with your soul no matter the circumstance. It is about being in alignment with yourself. It is about living authentically, integrally and transparently. It is about helping others to do the same and to hold space for them along their journey!
When you get there, you will know because the rewards are phenomenal! You experience increased compassion, empathy, attention and mindfulness to name a few. The best one, I’d say, is that you serve a higher purpose with ease, elegance, grace and with harm to none.
“Spirituality: the art of keeping your internal fire alive.” - Maxime Lagacé
