consciousness
Simple Guidelines For Real Spiritual Growth
Spirituality is a wide-ranging concept with many diverse perspectives. In essence it is the process through which our inner being seeks to relate to something bigger than ourselves. It is the search for the meaning and purpose of our human existence.
Spirituality is about our soul or spirit, and the unseen realms, as opposed to material things and physical life. It is also the life-long pursuit of inner peace, unconditional love, and existential wisdom and understanding.
Many people believe that the secret to spiritual growth and development can only be found in a book, a lecture, dogmatic belief system, or some other product or service that will magically unlock the doors to spiritual insight, happiness, joy and fulfillment.
However, spirituality is a unique, personal path that each of us can explore on our own, from within. The following guidelines may be helpful on your journey towards spiritual fulfillment.
Reflection
The first step in personal spiritual growth is reflecting on your life journey. To be spiritual is to be questioning and inquisitive. Spiritual growth is a process of constantly learning and improving. One must be willing to open yourself to personal and spiritual growth, and by doing this your world opens up and things become less scary.
Holding on to past events keeps us from experiencing new adventures, and the emotional baggage will only weigh you down. Accept your past mistakes and learn from them. Reflect on what changes need to happen for you to move forward.
We are all teachers. We are either teaching someone, or they are teaching us – both good and bad. Learn from your experiences and move on with life.
Maybe This Is How We Mend Our World
I have certainly been trespassed against over the years, as I suspect you may have too: maligned, misunderstood, abused, betrayed. Many of us have been hurt and wounded.
For many of us lifetimes of pain also seem to rise to the surface now, as if this era has come to collect on both the debts and the blessings.
Some of my wounds in this lifetime occurred at a young and tender age, when there seemed to be no healing granted; when the best I could do then was retreat and lick my wounds alone. There was no wise elder at my side, no sacred ceremony to mark the grief, no balm from the spirit realms. Just the aching silence of pain, and the quiet hope that one day, perhaps, I would understand why.
Since that time so long ago, I have also seen much vindication. This ability to witness what I have called “the coming around of the going around,” hasn’t been only in seeing karmic issues resolved for little slights, but for big wounds as well.
I’ve watched as Spirit, with its own perfect timing, allowed clarity and closure to emerge…sometimes years later, sometimes through unexpected channels. There is a strange and sacred justice to the Universe that rarely moves on our schedule, but always, always moves.
Justice. Yes, always in the end. But what of forgiveness?
It all shifted for me when I came to know the ‘big picture’ in the powerful prayer, “forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those that trespass against us.” These words are not just religious rote, but an energetic key to spiritual evolution. Continue reading
Seeing The Real World Of The Heart
As a woman and mother, I have questions about things happening in my world. As an intuitive empath, I receive questions that others have about things happening in their world. A recent experience sums up what I consider to be the most reliable source of inner wisdom, and where answers can be accessed by all of us.
I was awake one night with the energetic sensation of a specific situation permeating my experience. I could feel the energy in each expansion of my chest, as I inhaled. It filled my every breath, my every sense. My mind questioned, but I heard the guiding whisper of God in my soul say, “The real world is in the heart.”
There are spiritual dimensions of reality that are deeper, finer, subtler, more substantial than what is evident on the surface in the physical world. The door that opens to them is within the heart. There is truly more than meets the eye.
This realization reminded me of the illustration plates in the anatomy section of my parents’ encyclopedia, which fascinated me when I was a child. It wasn’t the human body per se that so intrigued me; it was the way the transparencies overlaid one another to form the whole picture.
At the top of them all was the skin, creating a picture of a human the way I was accustomed to see. As I turned the first page, I got a glimpse of something I had felt but never seen directly before with my eye, namely muscles. Page by page continuously showed deeper levels of anatomy beneath the surface, including the circulatory system, organs, and skeleton.
Are You Experiencing A Spiritual Awakening?
As a psychic reader, I sometimes have clients who quietly confess that they are afraid they might be “going crazy.”
In truth, they are usyally just experiencing the early signs of a spiritual awakening. These profound shifts in your awareness and energy can feel disorienting, yet are deeply meaningful.
So, how can you tell if what you’re feeling is part of a spiritual transformation rather than a personal unraveling?
The term ‘spiritual awakening’ is somewhat overused these days in metaphysical circles. Just about anyone who has a ‘woo-woo’ moment, or gains deeper insight into a situation, or suddenly sees chakra colors, seems to believe they are having a true, full-blown ‘spiritual awakening.’
Spiritual awakening does tend to occur spontaneously, and from what I’ve witnessed, the more open-minded the person is and the less attached to outcomes they are, the more available or ‘ripe’ they are for a spiritual awakening to occur.
Just the other day a client was telling me of her experience while peeling a carrot over the kitchen sink. She said she was looking down at her hands, watching them, and wondering what was animating them?
It can be a strange moment when you discover that you are not really who you thought you were. It can be disorienting, to say the least, to see yourself from such an objective position. However, if you know ahead of time that this is perfectly normal, and others have experienced these signs too, it can make your life a lot easier.
When Life Gets Hectic Find Your Way Back To Source
Whether it manifests in your body, feelings, or spiritual well-being, stress can really knock you off balance. Many of us are all too familiar with this. It sneaks in slowly, or rushes in like a storm. Suddenly, you’re exhausted, scattered, anxious, or just not feeling like yourself.
When this happens, it’s as if your inner compass has been thrown off. You forget what it feels like to be centered, calm, and connected. Fortunately, there’s a beautiful and simple way back to your “true north”: meditation.
Meditation is one of those practices that has stood the test of time for a reason. It doesn’t just help us handle stress better. It helps raise our energy and bring us back into balance.
And beyond that, it can offer us something truly magical: a direct experience of our connection to the unified field of intelligence. Some people call it the void. Others call it the Source, Spirit, or simply Presence. No matter what you call it, it’s that vast, peaceful space that holds everything together, and we’re already a part of it.
I’ve personally felt the difference meditation makes in my life. But I’ll be honest: these past few weeks have been a whirlwind. So much has been going on, and in the chaos, I missed my daily meditations. And wow, did I feel it.
When I don’t take the time to realign, everything feels just a little harder. Meditation helps me feel whole. It’s like a reset button for my body, mind, and spirit. Especially with the kind of energy work and spiritual focus I need in my daily life, I rely on it to keep me grounded and in tune.
How To Be Mindful On The Go!
To some individuals, being mindful while on the go might seem a contradiction in itself. However, the truth of the matter is that there are a plethora of ways to cultivate the art of mindfulness that do not involve simply sitting still.
People turn to mindfulness for many reasons. For example, they may have a medical condition that needs managing, work issues that require resolving, or just simply want to feel more present in their everyday lives.
With the pace of modern life, it is clear to see why people become easily distracted and lead somewhat complicated lives as a result – all of which can be both emotionally and physically draining.
Whatever the reasons may be as to why a person turns to mindfulness, it should, indeed, help them to create a more balanced lifestyle.
That said, mindfulness should not be seen as a magical cure-all, but more an efficient way of relating to personal issues differently.
Interestingly, research has revealed that physiological changes do actually take place within an individual practicing mindfulness meditation. Such changes occur within the brain and some people experience better blood pressure and an enhanced immune system.
The above said, even those among us who practice mindfulness faithfully, can find it somewhat challenging to take what we have learned and incorporate it into our everyday lives. Instead, we tend to allow ourselves to be distracted and develop automatic behavior patterns instead.
Why Astral Projection Is A Popular Psychic Practice
Years ago, my best friend told me that she was having what she described as “floating experiences.” She said that, as she was winding down for the night in bed, she would suddenly feel as though her spirit were drifting above her body. She was really unsettled by this at the time, because she was not trying to make it happen, nor did she feel in control of it.
At the time, I was deeply involved in psychic development. I spent my evenings buried in books, engaged in discussions, and exploring various spiritual practices.
The moment she described her experiences, I knew exactly what she was talking about. I realized she was describing astral travel. It was nothing new to me, as I had been practicing it myself for quite some time.
Astral travel is the experience of your mental awareness, or your “conscious self,” separating from your physical body and exploring other realms of existence. It’s the experience of your inner being, your soul or spirit, moving beyond the limits of time and space and the restrictions of the material world.
Once you “leave” your physical body, earthly rules no longer apply. Gravity and distance as we know it no longer apply. Some travelers report visiting faraway places on Earth, while others explore entirely different realms or even other planets. For many, this experience proves that we are more than flesh and bone. We are souls with vast potential.