nature
Spiritual Practices To Improve Your Mental Health
Mental health has become a critical focus for many in recent years. While traditional methods such as counseling, therapy, and medication are essential in addressing mental health issues, the mental health benefits of spirituality are often overlooked.
Everyone’s mental well-being is affected at some point by the challenges of modern life. It is common to feel out of balance when our world seems to be spinning out of control, or when it seems that we are not getting the things we most want in our lives.
Most people don’t realize that spiritual connection is essential to our mental health and facilitates well-being on all levels. Because mental health issues have such a low and heavy vibration, they make it difficult and sometimes impossible to feel the presence of God, Source, Spirit, the Divine in our lives.
But by working daily to establish a strong connection with your spirit guides and higher source, you are taking a powerful step toward freeing yourself from the grip of these inner demons and dark energies.
Spirituality in its various forms is a powerful way to connect with yourself and the world, fostering a deeper sense of inner peace and purpose for a more balanced and fulfilling life. Research clearly shows that various spiritual practices can significantly improve mental health. These practices offer complementary benefits to traditional mental health treatments, promoting emotional resilience, stress reduction, and overall psychological well-being.
Personally, I have found that spiritual practices such as prayer, meditation, and journaling give me greater access to guidance and support from the spirit realm and my guides. Our guides are a wonderful source of healing, guidance, and direction. Getting in touch with our guides can actually help us get out of a funk because they have the ability to set us free and empower us on every level.
The Meditative Art Of Sumi-e Painting
As a spiritual advisor and artist, I’ve always been drawn to the ways in which art and spirituality intersect to offer pathways to deeper self-awareness and tranquility.
One such path that has had a profound impact on my life is Sumi-e painting, also known as suibokuga or ‘ink wash painting.’ It is a traditional Japanese painting technique that uses black ink, typically in varying concentrations, to create brushstroke-based works of art.
Sumi-e is characterized by its minimalism, simplicity, and emphasis on capturing the essence or spirit of the subject rather than its literal representation.
Paintings often feature subjects such as landscapes, flowers, birds and other natural elements. Artists use various brush techniques to create different textures, tones, and depths using only black ink on absorbent paper or silk.
The art form has deep roots in Zen Buddhism, which emphasizes spontaneity, simplicity, and harmony with nature. Practitioners often meditate before painting to cultivate a clear and focused mind, which they believe enhances their ability to express the essence of the subject.
Sumi-e painting has had a significant influence on various art forms, including calligraphy and other East Asian brush painting styles. It continues to be practiced and appreciated for its timeless elegance and ability to evoke profound emotions with seemingly simple brush strokes.
The Old Souls Of The New Children
Since the 1960s, the “New Children” have been arriving on the Earth plane in increasing numbers, bringing with them wisdom, insights, perspectives and innovations that are sorely needed in our rapidly evolving, and currently very troubled world.
The New Children are old souls reincarnated to return to the earthly realm on a special mission — to guide, heal, teach and enlighten; to awaken humanity to a higher level of consciousness.
As more and more of these ancient souls grace our planet with their presence, it is becoming increasingly apparent that they possess a profound understanding of the interconnectedness of all life and the inherent unity that binds us together.
Through their innate wisdom and pure-heartedness, the New Children are converging to transform the collective consciousness of humanity. They are introducing us to a future society where prejudice, discrimination and injustice are relics of the past, replaced by a deep reverence for the inherent dignity and worth of every soul.
The wisdom that this new generation of humans carry is not bound by the limitations of social constructs and dogmatic religion. They challenge us to look beyond the superficial labels of body, gender, race, creed, and nationality, reminding us that these are merely temporary identities that obscure the true essence of who we are. They have a deep understanding that we are all equal and deserving of love, regardless of outward differences.
Connecting With Your Spirit Animal
The concept of animals serving as spiritual guides and symbols for personal growth has deep roots in human culture, stretching back to ancient indigenous societies and persisting through to modern spiritual practices.
This enduring belief stems from the profound connection humans have observed and felt with the animal kingdom throughout history.
In many indigenous cultures around the world, animals traditionally hold a sacred significance and are believed to possess spiritual wisdom and powers. Many cultures also have animal symbolism in their myths, folklore, rituals, and everyday life.
For example, Native American tribes traditionally attribute personal qualities and character traits, such as strength, courage, wisdom, and cunning, to various animals, viewing them as embodiments of these virtues.
Acoording to these indigenous teachings our animal totems or spirit animals offer us guidance, protection, and insight on our spiritual journey.
We can connect with our spirit animal through meditation, dream interpretation, or rituals. By aligning with the characteristics of our chosen animal, we can gain strength, wisdom, and a deeper understanding of ourselves and our path in life.
Replace Nighttime Overthinking With Morning Clarity
As night falls and the world quiets down, our minds often do the opposite. Many of us find ourselves caught in a relentless tide of overthinking as we replay the past and stress about the future. This mental whirlwind of worry can leave us feeling mentally foggy and emotionally drained, far from our true selves.
But within all this turmoil lies a powerful opportunity for personal growth and empowerment. How is this possible? Well, the key to ending the constant spiral and realigning ourselves with our highest good lies in cultivating greater intuitive awareness and mental clarity.
Overthinking at night is a common problem for many of us. In the silence of the night, after being on autopilot all day, our overactive minds become a breeding ground for worry, fear, and regret. Over time, this leads to a vicious cycle of anxiety and insomnia, which leads to more stress the next day, which leads to more anxiety and insomnia the next night, and so on.
The results are not only that we feel constantly tired and energetically drained, but we also lose our sense of self and connection to our soul purpose. Feeling energetically drained and disconnected from our authentic selves, we begin to question our choices and direction in life, leading to increased anxiety and decreased self-esteem. It becomes a very toxic spiral that is devastating to our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being!
Revitalize Your Life With A Spiritual Spring Clean
The spring season is upon us and with it comes a fresh energy of renewal and rebirth.
Very often at this time of year people do a “spring cleaning” of their homes and workspaces, and for good reason. On a spiritual level, we have been moved by the powerful influence of this vibrant seasonal energy since the beginning of time.
As the light of the sun returns and the air begins to warm, we feel on a deep level the cycle of rebirth and the return of fertility to the earth that sustains us, just as our ancestors did through the ages. It inspires us to make room in our lives for this invigorating energy of renewal.
The ancients held the spring in high regard, attributing significant spiritual and symbolic meanings to the season. Although beliefs varied across different cultures, they mostly centered around themes of renewal, fertility, rebirth, and celebration.
In Ancient Egypt, for example, spring was closely associated with the annual flooding of the Nile, which brought fertile silt to the fields. The Egyptians celebrated the festival of Sham el-Nessim, marking the beginning of spring, which was believed to bring rejuvenation and health.
A Foundation Of Well-Being For The Psychic Medium
I recently enrolled in a year-long mediumship development course. One of the introductory topics we have been exploring in the course material is the importance of self-awareness and recognizing what affects your personal and spiritual well-being.
This is crucial in psychic and mediumship work, as various factors can affect one’s overall well-being and ability to perform optimally during a reading. As a psychic medium, you have an obligation to provide the best possible guidance to your clients by taking good care of yourself.
And even if you follow various self-care practices and know what you need to do to maintain your well-being, there will be days when you simply do not feel your best. Therefore, it is also important to be self-aware and able to recognize when you are out of alignment with the source of your being or feeling “out of sorts.”
The mediumship course explores several interesting topics and aspects of self-awareness beyond what is generally experienced on a daily basis. For example, negative energy in your environment, tension and conflict in relationships, and worries about people, pets, or finances. It is also important to recognize that we are all unique and that what may significantly affect one individual may not have the same effect on another.