personal growth
Overcoming The Trials Of Spiritual Transformation
Major setbacks and challenges in our lives can lead to a ‘crisis in faith.’ However, as much as they may seem like unjust setbacks, they’re actually about transcending major hurdles for the purpose of spiritual growth. In truth, these moments of adversity are evidence of an impending, giant step forward within our emerging consciousness. Cherish them.
For those of us who guide others coming into their spiritual power, it is important to understand the significance of these signs, so as to not misinterpret them. That said, it’s not easy for those undergoing these symptoms, which can include feelings of being in limbo, doubtful and depressed, often creating rifts with family and friends. All of these signposts are marking the path for spiritual transformation in the now. For example, if you catch yourself having moments of letting go consciously of self-limiting negativities, that is letting you know that you’re right on track. Honor them.
It’s not unusual for an emerging lightworker to suddenly let go of family and friends whom they no longer resonate with, or to undergo a career change which formerly would have been inconceivable. One becomes less concerned with matters of everyday security, often feeling that the cultural values we have been taught are nothing but an illusion. Or, some may feel they are in mourning, as though something or someone has died – which is a actually an apt description. Indeed, it’s a death of priorities and loss of all meaningless ties. As a result, it’s not a loss at all. Rather, it’s marking the path of self-sufficiency.
For me, it often goes something like this: “Hmmm, I’m feeling a bit restless. Is there something I should be pursuing? Is there a calling I’m missing?” The answer usually comes as I wait on more information with intention. I call it WOO: Waiting On Orders. Although the ‘orders’ may not come immediately, sooner or later, I am back on my path in the direction indicated by the objectives my higher good is setting out for my next challenge in the spiritual growth process. Be aware of them.
Seeking Spirituality
During the years of private study with my teacher, Adyashanti, he used to speak a lot about belief systems and spiritual practices. I learned from him, among other things, that to believe something, as opposed to having a direct experience of it, are two entirely different things. If you believe something because you’ve been made to feel guilty for being a non-believer, or merely because you think it’s the ‘right’ thing to do, it’s likely that this belief will be challenged throughout your life.
However, if you have a direct experience that is of a spiritual nature, you’re more likely to remember it and the impact it had on you, and you are more likely to truly believe as a result. The direct spiritual experiences we have, whether through meditation, dreams, or psychic and paranormal phenomena, are the ones that help us grow as an individual and bring us into alignment with our soul.
Why is this? If you think about it, we are bombarded with information every day that our minds must either believe, memorize, and somehow apply. Our authentic state, soul or higher self, has a direct, intuitive knowing that doesn’t come from this information or thoughts triggered by the external world. This kind of ‘knowing’ comes from within. When we have moments where our ‘everyday mind’ is out of the way, either through a psychic vision, spiritual experience, dream, or simply a quiet, meditative state, we come back in touch with this original ‘inner knowing’ or ‘beingness.’
Some call this ‘enlightenment.’ According to my teacher, Adyashanti, and from my own direct experiences, true enlightenment is not something that can be learned, rather it’s the ‘unlearning’ of all thoughts we’ve taken in.
The Meaning of Houses In Dreams
We are all spiritual beings experiencing a physical reality. Our spirit, ideas, and emotions are ‘housed’ in our being. Dreams about houses are one of the ways our guides show us areas where we need to pay more attention. Houses in our dreams can represent either ourselves or others, if it is their house we are dreaming about.
Several years ago, I had a dream where I went to visit my paternal grandmother. She was an industrious, organized, and tidy woman. However, in my dream I was struck by how many odd little things were out of place in her home. Soon after, the family discovered that she was in the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s.
Shortly before she died, I dreamed of her house again, and this time it was a jumbled mess. I have visited my grandmother and her house in my dreams more than a few times since she passed. I am happy to report that her lawn is now filled with blooming wildflowers, especially her beloved bluebonnets. The mustang grape vines, orange and peach trees are heavy with ripe fruit, and inside the house everything is once again neat as a pin. The lace curtains gently billow in the breeze and the scent of gardenias waft in through the open windows.
Sometimes our house in dreams is our house, and sometimes it is not. When I was going through a period of transition, for example, I often dreamed of a small house on the beach where I spent a great deal of time sorting out boxes of things. In my dream, I knew it was where I lived, but it was not my house. In my waking life, I was renting a room and sorting out all the material things I wanted to keep or let go of, but in my dreams I was sorting out thoughts and emotions.
Psychic Readings And Your Divine Life Purpose
I have found from many years of doing psychic readings an interesting commonality that ties all types of readings together. Whether someone is struggling with relationship problems, work and money issues, health challenges, or other difficult situations, once I get the answers to help resolve a current issue, there is always a deeper, spiritual message that is being offered to my clients.
I realized that once we get to the core of what is causing someone’s problem, or whatever initially brought them to me for a reading, within that core or root issue there is a doorway leading to my client’s gifts and life purpose.
At first, I wondered how this was possible, that each reading led us to the same place, but then one day it ‘clicked’ for me. It occurred to me that we are all here as equals and that we are all souls that came to earth in a physical body with our unique talents and a desire to grow spiritually.
Things that come up for us in this life, to challenge us, or people who we meet that serve the role of antagonist, are actually helping to liberate us in ways that may not make sense during times of strife or suffering.
Dr Michael Newton, hypnotherapist and author of the book Journey of Souls, writes about the time we are in spirit, in-between lifetimes, and that we all have a ‘soul pod’ we belong to. In that soul pod are other souls who are people that we travel with, through lifetime to lifetime.
Some of these souls we recognize the moment we meet them in human form. We typically have a strong attraction to them. They can be supporters and very loving family members, friends, or lovers, but they also show up as antagonists or enemies to trip us up, but help us grow.
There Is Nothing To ‘Fix’
If we can appreciate that everything in the Universe is composed of, and moved by energy, we would also have to concur that this magnanimous mysterious energy vibrates.
If this vibration determines how the state of matter’s density and frequency is measured and monitored, we must also conclude that like sound, the occurrence of its regularity in various designated patterns (as with elements) institute reliability in the state of transferred chaos. It is through the exchange of energy (attraction, cohesion and repulsion) that life is established and maintained. In other words balance is arbitrarily formed by the opposite action undertaken.
Now, after having said all of that, in the entire elementary, short, diffused chemistry or physics lesson…what is my point? My point is that in the midst of our seemingly chaotic lives, we are living very much in balance, but we refuse to accept it. We spend most of our precious life time seeking to find something we already are in possession of.
We are vibrating to and through the essential experiences including all of the circumstances, people, places, things and so-called problems necessary for us to exist. We are not ‘out of line,’ or out of order, or out of chances. We won’t be still enough to completely feel the fragility of our inherent unconquerable strength.
We are always on the lookout for something (a career, relationship, lover, friends, family, involvement) that is better, newer, shinier, emotionally less complicated, faster to bring desired results, easier, more beneficial, productive, financially rewarding, gratifying, and certainly less stressful.
Maybe It’s Time To Laugh At Your Irrational Fears!
Oh, how we resist changing our position. No matter the intricately noxious weaving and interlocking difficulties involved to keep our doomed boat afloat, we will often go to great lengths to preserve an illusion – most especially a cherished one.
It might be one that reeks of putrid sourness for miles on land, light years on sea, but we will do just about anything in our mortal power to remain nestled in bed with our lofty, pre-fabricated ideas we want to hold onto. Why? Because if we changed our thoughts we would have to move from our position.
Far be it from me to shout, “That ain’t gonna happen in this particular dispensation of time and space.” Needless to say, it’s impossible to teach those who need to be taught. We refuse to be shown that which will cause us to admit we are wrong! Oh, Heaven forbid the malice that befalls the messenger who would dare bring us the unwanted, uninvited tidings of intrusive release!
Furthermore, we hardly ever forgive the person who tries to disturb our lofty mansions of fragile emotional splendor, in any way. We want to remain in our idolized pink castles of inner turmoil… much to our own detriment. You know the old adage: “I can talk about how bad it is, but you better not mention a word of it to me, or anyone else.”
Yet, someday something happens. The world turns on its axis and wobbles just a wee bit, in your head. You realize, for the first time, that there are at least 100 billion stars in our galaxy, while the Milky Way is just one of 100 billion galaxies in the observable universe. Notice, the key word ‘observable’ – not to mention what lies beyond the undetectable.
The Importance Of Self-Trust
Of all the relationships in our life, none is more complicated or important than the one we have with self. And the cornerstone of this relationship is self-trust. Unfortunately, it is easy to damage the trust we place in ourselves. Why? Because all of us have or will make choices and decisions that don’t produce the desired outcome.
A relationship fails and we blame or question ourselves; a job opportunity eludes us; or a friendship fractures beyond repair. We lose self-trust when we don’t achieve a goal, whatever that goal may be. Then we may begin to question our own abilities, our dreams, and our worthiness to have them manifest in our life.
Every time we replay an event we label a failure the doubt in our own judgment and our self-worth increases. Self-confidence stems from self-trust, so the cycle can be a vicious one.
So, how can we repair self-trust? First, decide to give yourself a break. You made what you believed to be the best decision or choice in the moment. If you are saying, “No, I didn’t, I know I should have done…,” then stop and choose to forgive yourself for not trusting your instincts in that moment. Holding a grudge against yourself only assures that the pattern will repeat.
Next, decide to honor your emotions. If you have made choices and decisions that you perceive as a failure, then the tendency is to begin to substitute the opinions of others over our own intuition, desires and dreams. This pattern can lead to co-dependency, confusion and fear. Self-trust is harnessed when we follow our sacred wisdom, instead of looking outside ourselves to provide inner peace.