self-belief
Showing Up When Spirit Calls
Many years ago, while working in a clinical practice, I was called to lead a group of women who were survivors of domestic abuse. At that time, my role within the organization was strictly administrative. I had no clinical experience and quite frankly had serious misgivings about how well these women would be served through our agency’s poorly-funded, piecemeal program with severe limitations.
As we were on the verge of losing our contract altogether, the executive director burst into my office one morning and announced that I would be the interim director of the domestic violence program, in order to save the contract. I sat motionless, with a look of deep concern on my face.
Before I could respond verbally, my executive director began reviewing a county contract that outlined the qualifications of the new program director. As she flipped through the pages of the lengthy contract, my hope was that somewhere in bold writing there might be a job description that required a clinical background in Psychology or Social Work, but this was not the case.
I recall that same day reaching out to my dear friend and confidant, a fellow psychic and spiritual counselor who always helped me find clarity, especially when I felt completely lost in a situation. While my friend’s words were comforting and reassuring, she also shocked me out of my comfort zone. I wanted to hear from her an easy way to get out of my new job assignment, but she announced that I had a calling to help a group of women whose lives desperately needed to be changed.
Connecting With Your Psychic Self
We all sometimes have unusual occurrences or extraordinary experiences that are not easily defined, or understood, by logic or practical thinking. Many of these events are often psychic or paranormal in nature.
For example, I am clairaudient and therefore I frequently hear voices. Earlier in my life I did not understand what this was, but I have since learned that there are sometimes conversations going on that I am privy to …conversations that are emanating from the Other Side, from beyond this world.
I don’t always recognize the spirits, or understand the gist of the conversation, but I no longer have any qualms accepting these auditory perceptions as a psychic or paranormal phenomenon. Of course, there are experts in the fields of Psychiatry and Psychology who will certainly not not agree!
Dreams are a common psychic phenomenon for many people. You might have had particular dreams yourself, where the events that you dreamt actually came to fruition. We all sometimes dream the future and this indeed qualifies as a psychic experience, and a psychic ability we all have.
Many of us experience lucid dreams, and some even have daytime visions. We typically do not trust that it actually was a psychic vision, or we question whether or not it was only our imagination. Well, what is imagination if not another word for visual creations?
Take Back Your Power!
Everyone has a story to tell about their love life. And some of have extremely abusive stories to tell. One common element that I have come across frequently in my work, is the fact that some people are treated with disrespect and emotional abuse, and yet they are still patiently waiting for the abuser to return to them!
When you ask them why, it is usually because they “still love” that person. Well, that is not love. It is simply an imagined need that has been created by the abuser, or by one’s lack of self-worth. It is a psychological illusion, not real.
If you are still waiting for someone to come back into your life, after they left you for someone else, you are making yourself the second choice. You are degrading your own true value and taking away from your self-worth.
During a workshop I presented on this subject, I asked the participants to write down why they felt they needed that other person in their life. In essence, all their responses ended up being about lack of self-esteem, self-respect and self-security.
The next step was to ask them how they would you feel if they saw someone treating their daughter, or son, in the same way they have been allowing the abusive partner to treat them? They all said they wouldn’t tolerate it. They would intervene and get that person out of their lives, or at least try. One of the delegates even went as far as to say, “I would lock her in the house and never let her out again.” Which might be a great idea under the circumstances, but obviously not realistic!
Guidelines For 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.
Be The Star Of Your Show!
Are you the star of your own show? If not, then maybe it is time. For once put yourself first by honoring your spirit, your sacred body temple, and the higher work you have been called to complete in this lifetime.
You can begin by honoring your spirit with deeply soulful ‘food.’ This can take the form of meditation, prayer, or simply enjoying whatever self-care activity or spiritual practice feeds your spirit the most. But in doing so, it is important to consciously disconnect from the mundane world around you, and allow the blissful energy of Spirit Divine to pour in.
As I write these words, I can literally feel the healing energy of the sunlight bathing me, even though I am logging on from deep in the cold Rockies on a cloudy afternoon. This intense energy is a message to my soul that each of us has the ability to tap into spiritual warmth and renewal within a single thought.
My late mother used to call this connection with the Divine the I AM presence that is abundantly accessible to us all. It is important to tap into this presence as a reminder that we are spirit energy, divinely guided, protected, and in ‘the spotlight of our own shows.’
Being a ‘star’ also means that you must take deliberate time to honor your sacred body temple. You do this by enjoying healthy foods and balanced nutrition.
Finding Your Inner Wisdom
How does one find inner wisdom? How does one accurately access your intuitions? How does one receive guidance from spirit? These are typical questions that can emerge when we begin to seek deeper answers in the quest for spiritual growth and soul knowledge.
Inner wisdom is a natural gift, given to us by God, in order to have the connection between our soul and our physical body while we are in this world. Our intuition is operating in our lives every day, with or without our knowledge or perception of it.
Meditation and prayer can help us achieve a more conscious connection with the spiritual realm and our inner wisdom. When we take a moment to become quiet and listen to the inner voice of spirit, we can receive profound messages and guidance.
However, tapping into our inner wisdom is not always simple or easy. When life gets in the way, that is when you can get off track and people tend to be more scattered. We then tend to no longer listen to our inner guidance. Our spiritual guidance can also be thrown off course by distorted inner blockages or pain that we carry. It takes patience and courage to find healing and develop a greater capacity for clear intuition. Meditation and other forms of spiritual practice is the best way to achieve this.
One of my spiritual mentors used to say that inner wisdom and intuition speaks very quietly, with the voice of love and warmth. Inner guidance often comes with feelings of comfort and joy. We all contain the spark of God’s inner light and love in our heart.
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.