personal growth
Tune Into The Guidance Of Your Emotions
I believe our emotions are an additional ‘sense’ we use as a means of interpreting our life experiences, in the same way the normal five senses enable us to perceive and understand the world around us. Our ‘emotional sense’ help us make decisions about our preferences all the time.
For example, I love chocolate. My sense of taste tells me that chocolate is for me! It’s a very clear and obvious signal from my taste buds to my brain. We receive and process stimuli all the time and our senses help us to ‘make sense’ of that input.
Your emotions are also giving you information about your preferences and if we listen and pay attention, we can gain a lot of guidance from it. Our emotions don’t just come from nowhere. They arise in direct response to stimuli or input, just like our senses do.
I have also heard emotions described as an internal guidance system, or our inner compass, which helps us decide what we want to create more of, and less of, in our life. We sometimes get confused though, because just like the other senses, we have different preferences.
For example, some people love coconut desserts, but I detest then. Not thanks, keep your coconut out of my chocolate! The thing is, I’m not confused about the fact that I don’t like coconut. I also don’t feel I have to change my preference because other people love coconut. And I also don’t force myself to eat it, just to make other people happy.
When one of our five physical senses tells us something we tend to listen, because it’s visceral. We feel it undeniably in the body. Emotions are no different!
Reclaiming The Voice Of Your Inner Child
I always sing with my yoga students at the end of class. I used to work in the entertainment industry as a singer, dancer, and actress. Because of that, I feel confident singing in front of people.
Growing up, I was always full of joy despite my dysfunctional and rather glum family. Of course, they didn’t appreciate my natural exuberance. They certainly didn’t like that I sang all the time because it represented a lightness of being they had long since given up on.
Like many dysfunctional families, they put me down all the time. They told me that I couldn’t sing and that I sounded awful. But, as with all the other negative, hurtful things they tried to convince me of, I did not believe them.
I kept singing anyway, which irked them. I continued to sing and dance, and I even wrote, produced, directed, and starred in my own musical when I was eleven.
Now I’m not saying I had a good voice as a kid. I really don’t know if I did. But, loving to sing, some voice lessons and lots of joy certainly helped me become a relatively good singer.
One day, after my yoga class, a student came up to me and told me I had a beautiful voice. I thanked her. I often have people compliment my singing voice after class.
The student then told me her family told her she had a bad singing voice when she was a child so she stopped singing. She then mentioned other abuses she received by her cruel family.
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.
Reflections On Time…And The Timeless
During my morning walk with the dogs, I found myself nostalgically reflecting on a time in my life when “there was a place for everything, and everything in its place.”
As comforting as that kind of order once felt, I’ve shifted considerably in how I relate to time constraints in recent years.
Over the years, I’ve gathered a menagerie of many rescue dogs and cats who’ve taught me to prioritize what truly needs my attention and focus, and to stop “sweating the small stuff.”
A neighbor also recently reminded me, “Hay tiempo para todo.” There is time for everything.
The general approach to life in the Spanish town where I live is (sometimes annoyingly so!) very easygoing, with a shared belief that what doesn’t get done today will simply get done tomorrow.
You often hear the locals say, “Mañana,” with a smile, which seldom means “tomorrow.” It means, “Tomorrow is another day, so don’t stress, don’t rush, it’ll all get sorted in time.”
I’ve reflected on this often, and the quality of life enjoyed by most Spaniards is a testament to the fact that perhaps they’re doing something right? It is especially evident in family life still being a priority for people living here.
In our little town of around 8,000 souls, people still pause to smile and greet one another. I’m lucky to be able to converse with the locals in their own language, but I’ve also seen how warmly they respond to foreigners, especially those who are still finding their way with Spanish. There’s no judgment, just appreciation for the effort.
All Hallows Month Is Ideal For Self-Reflection
I did a reading for a new client yesterday, and during the session, I kept hearing the word “roots.” I told her, “You should get back to your roots.” She confirmed right away that she’d been thinking about moving back to her hometown to be closer to her family and friends.
That got me thinking about how October is often a time to think about where we really belong in life and in the world. This season, we’re thinking about place, direction, and home. It is the ideal time to reflect on whether it’s maybe time for a change, or if we should return to our roots.
It also got me thinking more about my spiritual roots and ancestry. October is a time to think about our physical lives and the spiritual truths, values, and principles that have been passed down to us. Are we still following those principles? Are we living in a way that reflects the wisdom of those who came before us? This is the kind of reflection October brings out, encouraging us to reconnect with our roots and the bigger picture of where we’re headed.
October, also known as the All Hallows Month, has always had a special kind of magic about it. It has always been a big deal in many spiritual traditions, because it is seen as a kind of in-between month.
This month is a time when the physical and spiritual worlds feel closer to each other, synchronicities multiply, and messages from the unseen find their way more easily into our lives. It’s no coincidence that so many cultures honor the dead and celebrate the mysteries of life and death during this season.
Embrace The Transformative Power Of October
October is one of the most transformative months for anyone who works with intuition, energy, or spiritual guidance. As the leaves fall and the air begins to cool, the spiritual atmosphere seems to ‘heat up.’
This is the season of shadow and light coexisting, where transformation becomes not just possible, but necessary.
Nature herself models this beautifully. Trees release what no longer serves them without resistance. The days grow shorter, urging us inward. And the whispers from the other side grow louder, inviting us to deepen our trust in the unseen.
The veil between the physical and spiritual worlds is said to be thinner this time of year, making it easier to receive messages, notice synchronicities, and tap into your own inner knowing.
October is an invitation to slow down, listen deeply, and share our wisdom with others who may be feeling the energetic shifts.
This belief is not new. Across many cultures, October has long been seen as a threshold month. It is considered a liminal time when the unseen draws closer to the seen.
In Celtic and Pagan traditions, the end of October mark Samhain, the great harvest festival and the turning of the year. It is known as a sacred doorway between worlds, when the living can more easily connect with ancestors and the spirit realm. Fires are lit to honor the departed, and divination rituals practiced to glimpse what lay ahead.
Tarot Forecast October 2025: The Chariot
As October sweeps in, the energy of The Chariot rises to meet us, urging each of us to take the reins of our personal journey with confidence and clarity.
This is not a month for hesitation or self-doubt. Instead, it is a time to summon your inner strength, align with your highest goals, and move forward with steady intention. The Chariot’s energy is bold and determined. It tells us that while the road ahead may present obstacles, we are more than capable of overcoming them if we stay focused, balanced, and true to our course.
The Chariot speaks of momentum. It asks us to step into the driver’s seat of our lives and actively steer toward our desired destination. This isn’t about bulldozing our way forward; rather, it’s about controlled, conscious progress.
Challenges may arise this month that test our will, trigger emotional pulls in opposite directions, or demand tough decisions. Yet within these trials lies an opportunity: to deepen our self-mastery, strengthen our resolve, and refine our alignment with our personal truth.
Spiritually, The Chariot reminds us that true power comes from within. The balance between instinct and logic, emotion and thought, is crucial now. This month, we are invited to integrate these dual forces rather than be ruled by one or the other.
Think of The Chariot not as a call to charge ahead blindly, but as a sacred reminder that our journey is just as important as our destination. Progress is possible, and with conscious effort, it is inevitable.