spiritual practice
Ritual In A Modern World
Ritual is one of the oldest forms of spiritual expression, and it has roots in pretty much all religions and spiritual practices. The energy created when we take the time to focus our intent, while using symbols and tokens that have meaning for us personally, can be transformational! Whether you practice ritual in a group or on your own, it can supercharge your manifestations and aid in any healing processes you may be going through.
When most people think of ‘ritual’ they often think of darkened smoky rooms, with people in long robes, chanting in strange languages perhaps, all seemingly choreographed with everyone knowing their roles. I’m sure there are some who practice in this way, and truly many of those elements have their place in ritual – incense, chanting, and so on. But I would suggest that ritual can also be something less rigid which we can craft to fit into our modern lives.
In my own practice, I began by creating a little ‘altar’ for myself. It is a small space where I arranged a few candles, some incense, crystals, feathers and some other tokens that have meaning to me. I added a picture of my mother, and a statue of an angel given to me when my grandpa passed away. I created a small space that had deep meaning for me and brought me into a mindset of love.
Now, I didn’t have a lot of room for this! So when I say a small space, this could be anything from the corner of a dresser, to a whole tabletop. As my practice has evolved I now find that any spare surface becomes a home for little treasures that I find in my adventures. Once you start creating these rituals in your life, the Universe will often send you little gifts to help you along. Continue reading
Inventory And Choices
People often ask me how to make more progress on their spiritual path. Unfortunately the answer is always the same: time, practice, dedication and money. Money? Yes, even in the days of tribalism, the Shaman was always paid. Communities supported the shaman, to enable her to serve the tribe while keeping her own spiritual practice current and vital. So, yes, the currency of support these days is not food or shelter, but it is money.
As a professor at an art college, I used to observe that the students who were true artists often practiced their art in every spare moment. The students that only wanted a career in art did all they could do just to get by with their classes and training, so they could launch their ‘career’ and get what they wanted and desired, such as money, fame, status or lifestyle.
One is not better than the other, by the way. But this is about looking at what choices you truly make, not what you imagine. Take an inventory of where you spend your time, energy and money, and then look at it carefully, and learn. Own your choices so you don’t convince yourself or others that you are a victim.
By owning your choices, you will have the benefit of not manipulating others (consciously or unconsciously) by presenting as a victim that must be taken care of, and therefore cannot be held accountable. Not presenting as a victim means you will learn to ask for help and support in an honest and mature fashion, rather than singing a sob story to get help and support. Continue reading
Nature Spirits And Elementals
In ancient times, untouched by technology, humanity was exceedingly close to all of creation. In the earliest spiritual traditions people universally believed in elementals and nature spirits, which today is known as animist religion. Although modern society has for the most part lost touch with these ancient beliefs, they remain very much relevant in neo-paganism, new age spirituality, the occult and modern mysticism.
Nature spirits, including elementals, are believed to be various types of beings or spirits which inhabit nature. Nature spirits abide in trees, flowers, and all other plants, as well as oceans, rivers, lakes, mountains, and minerals. They exist in many forms, and many of them have a human appearance. They are believed to exist as the life force in all living things, as well as the planets, and stars.
Elementals are ruled over by the angels, archangels, and the deva spirits. These spirits are thought to possess supernatural powers and are usually invisible to humans, except for those who possess the psychic ability of clairvoyance. They are the spirits of the four elements air, fire, water, and earth. Continue reading
Energy Clearing
One of the best things you can do is clear the energy from your home, often. Energy clearing in your home is paramount to having peace and calm.
Never dismiss bad feelings in your home. Most often it is confined to a room and not the space as a whole. Take action immediately. Use your senses, when you feel that something is off, go with that, listen to your instincts. I highly suggest clearing the energy at least once a week, if it still feels off, do it again.
Energy can be thrown by people, most of the time unintentionally. When it is the energy of love and respect, it is warm and inviting. When there is anger, frustration, arguments, that energy gets trapped and it can make for a very uncomfortable atmosphere. Continue reading
Clearing Your Chakras
With spring just around the corner, many of us have the urge to clean house. But did you know it’s just as important to do a spiritual cleansing? The perfect place to start is our seven chakras: the centers of energy in the human body. It’s just as important to conduct a regular spiritual health check as a physical health check, and for the same reasons.
Much like our cars or living spaces, our chakras don’t function correctly if they are neglected and left to ‘gather dust.’ When this happens our entire well-being is affected, from our physical and emotional health to our relationships with others.
Likewise, we won’t be at our best if we only focus on some, and not all of our chakras. Your car wouldn’t run if you gave it oil changes, but forgot to put air in the tires! The three upper chakras (Crown, Third Eye, Throat), the lower three (Root, Sacral, Solar Plexus) and the Heart Chakra, which ties them together, are all equally important. Continue reading
The Deepest Burrows Of The Spirit
Wherein we have the natural places in which we sequester our spirits – in sundry spaces such as temples or churches; within the bowers of our trees in nature, within our souls when there is no place to hide; in the suns open glare in the open deserts; or in the cold stare of the crowd – there you will still find the deep sequestered self of your soul. It is your own, not to be shared, never to be sold.
Even if one is not able to, for whatever reason, express one’s faith or reason within a world that is unreasonable, to not only a god, but perhaps one’s idea of it, whether it be of art, of love, or science, there within the sequestered self, there resides the natural spirit.
When you feel there is no place wherein you find a place to whisper your deepest prayer or desire, or your sweetest secrets or confessions to your God, where you feel there should be no man who can intervene, there should be a place where you can find a place of solace, where you can express your spiritual self and inclinations, deep within your mind. Continue reading
Healing The Spirit
Imagine a vehicle created today that will not only be able to assess, from an inner guidance system, any damage done to it at a given time, but also have the wherewithal to be able to make all the appropriate repairs by itself. We would most likely be lined up in droves to witness this immaculate event, because more than likely we would not trust that this could be true. We would have to experience for ourselves if it truly possible.
Do you remember, as a little kid, falling and skinning your knee? What did you do at the time? Did you just have mom clean it off, allow a scab to cover it, which is your body’s natural way of saying, “Let me put this protective coating on to make sure there is no further damage.” And then all you had to do was just let your knee recover and heal by itself, with no further help from anyone or anything, because your body knows inherently what to do. Continue reading