self-limitation
How To Embrace Your Shadow Self
Most people tend to shy away from acknowledging their dark or “shadow” side when it comes to spirituality.
In fact, the tendency to avoid the uncomfortable aspects of the self is due in large part to our religious or spiritual background. Throughout history, most traditions have encouraged people to suppress, deny, or transcend their human flaws and shortcomings in favor of higher ideals such as purity, salvation, or enlightenment.
This reluctance to face the shadow within continues to this day, with modern spiritual and metaphysical communities often favoring light, love, and positivity while largely ignoring the messy, difficult, and painful aspects of the human experience.
But by avoiding the shadow within, we deny ourselves the opportunity for a deeper understanding of our soul’s purpose and untapped possibilities for personal and spiritual growth.
According to Carl Jung, the famous Swiss psychiatrist who pioneered the concept of the “shadow” in psychology, “one is not enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.” Enlightenment isn’t about avoiding the shadow. Instead, it’s about facing it and integrating it into our being.
When we face the shadow within, we reclaim parts of ourselves that hold immense power, creativity, and insight. By delving into the deeper truths of our shadow selves, we can unravel the unconscious patterns that dictate our lives, allowing for true healing, transformation, and enlightenment.
Always Stay True To Your Soul Path And Purpose
Visiting a nursing home or retirement community and interacting with the residents can be a life-changing experience!
I recently had the opportunity to interact with a group of seniors and one of the things I asked them was, “If you could go back in time and start over, what would you do differently?”
To my surprise, the biggest regret most of them have is that they wish they had been more true to themselves and lived their lives their own way instead of pleasing others. One lady says she realizes she should have followed the original path her soul intended for her, instead of trying to live up to the expectations of others.
Another lady recalls how her life was shattered when a man she loved dearly and had devoted her life to unexpectedly left her to be with someone else. She said that was the day she realized she had wasted so much time putting her own dreams and goals on hold to make someone else the focus of her life. If she could go back in time, she would have handled this relationship very differently. In fact, she would probably never have gotten involved with him in the first place! “Never live for someone else, that is what I have learned,” she said.
Some of the regrets seemed heavy and intense. Some realize that too much time has passed and they cannot undo the choices they have made. There are potential joys and opportunities for personal and spiritual fulfillment that are now forever out of reach. One gentleman added that while there is much wisdom and truth in the saying “it’s never too late,” there are also the practical realities of aging and “missed deadlines” for some things in life.
Some Will Only Know Joy In The Afterlife
Shortly after my father’s death in 2005, I began sitting in a monthly mediumship circle with three friends. At our third gathering, my father began the first of many communications from the other side.
This experience was made even more special by the fact that one of the sitters was my father’s hospice nurse.
How fortunate I was during those last six months of my father’s life to not only have the wonderful support of this earth angel, but also to feel so connected to her through our interest in things of a psychic and spiritualist nature.
What a bonus then to have her as an additional link to him in our psychic circle.
At one point, however, my father stopped communicating during our sessions for a period of about three months. When his presence finally returned, I asked him where he had been, and he replied, “Learning about joy!”
This was very surprising to me because my father never really knew or showed much joy when he was in this world. Or maybe he never allowed himself to experience joy. The only times he seemed really happy or joyful was when he had what he called “several sherbets under his belt,” meaning he’d be pretty intoxicated!
I felt both sad and happy. Sad because he had never known joy as I knew it – just rolling around on the floor playing with my pets, sharing a joke with a friend, or being elated when a client came back to say that their life had taken a turn for the better. But I was happy that he was finally allowing himself to learn about and experience some joy.
The Life Lessons We Learn From Children
We can learn so much from children if we really pay attention and make the effort to see things from their perspective. Children embody a purity and wisdom that most adults have lost touch with in the complexities of daily life.
Many women in my age group, known as the “baby boomers,” were so busy trying to have a career and a family. We believed we could do it all, but in the process we missed many of the little things our children had to teach us. I was guilty of that.
But now that I have grandchildren in my life and have had the opportunity to take the time to see things differently, I have learned many profound lessons and insights from them over the years.
In their early years, children are still deeply connected to their spiritual origins and carry with them a high level of soul awareness that has not yet been clouded by the demands of physical life and the challenges of human existence.
This active spiritual awareness allows them to move through the world with an openness and purity that adults often struggle to maintain. Unencumbered by societal expectations, ego-driven desires, or fear of judgment, they are able to express love, joy, and creativity in their most authentic form.
Because they haven’t yet been conditioned by the limitations and constraints of the material world, children serve as powerful teachers, offering us glimpses of the spiritual truths that are easily forgotten in the hustle and bustle of adult life. They remind us of the infinite potential of our own souls and inspire us to reconnect with the deeper, more meaningful aspects of our being.
The Spiritual Significance Of 444
Spirit often communicates with us through numbers. It does this in many different ways, but a very common experience is to be “followed” by a particular number or sequence of numbers.
These repeating sequences of numbers tend to appear over and over again, in many different places. You may see these sequences on clocks and timers, license plates, receipts, addresses, calendars, and social media views, likes, or post times, to name a few.
But what does it mean when you see it? Basically, it is a reminder to check in with yourself and make sure you are aligned with the results you want to manifest in your life. Pause and reflect. What are you feeling right now? What are you thinking? Is it in alignment with what you want to create and experience in your life? What adjustments do you need to make to be more in alignment with the results you want to manifest?
In addition, the specific numbers you see also have a specific message. Each number carries a unique influence and gives you clues as to what aspects are important for you to pay attention to. In this blog post, I want to offer some insight into the number 4, or repeated, 44, 444, 4444, and so on.
The number four represents an important milestone in our spiritual, personal and practical development. It indicates that we have reached a point where our foundation is solid, where we have created a sense of stability in certain situations or circumstances in our lives. From this position of stability we foster a comforting sense of security from which we can grow and develop in new ways.
Learning To Trust Your Intuition
We are all born with an innate intuitive ability. However, many of us tend to shut down this innate aspect of our inner being at a young age.
This can happen for a variety of reasons, but fear is often a major factor. Over time, many of us learn to view our intuition as our mind “playing tricks” or something to be wary of, or even as a source of discomfort that is just all in our imagination.
This misconception is unfortunate because intuition is not something to be feared or dismissed; rather, it is an integral part of our being that provides valuable insight and guidance.
Intuition is a fundamental part of living a full and complete life because it is a key part of our spiritual inner guidance. It cannot be lost or taken away. You are always in control of it and can choose to connect with it at any time.
The key to accessing and making the most of this inner wisdom is learning to trust its messages. But this can be challenging, especially when those messages are unclear or confusing. So, how do you cultivate greater trust in your intuition?
The first step in building trust with your intuition is to acknowledge and track the information it provides. Keep a journal or note-taking app handy and write down any intuitive insights you receive about your plans, goals, people, or situations. By recording these insights, you create a space for learning to understand how your intuition works and for validating your impressions over time.
When You Ask You Shall Receive
Spiritually aware people know that if we ask, we shall receive. So, why don’t we ask more often?
Is it because we don’t want to take personal responsibility? Or do we feel that we are not worthy or deserving? Or is it because some of us just don’t know the best way to go about it? Maybe we have asked before and it did not work out the way we expected?
The first thing I often have to teach my clients is that it is our spiritual birthright to ask for things. Asking and receiving is at the heart of our soul’s journey in this life. It doesn’t have to be something big or special. We can ask for whatever we feel we need to live our best life.
The more we ask, the more we get; the more we trust, the faster it comes. There is no complicated magic involved. This is the way the universe works, so go ahead and ask. Bring all the goodness you want into your reality.
In our daily lives we often overlook the simple act of asking. We are taught to be self-reliant and to solve our problems on our own. While self-reliance is a valuable trait, it shouldn’t prevent us from reaching out when we need help or want something. There is an unspoken power in asking – an acknowledgement that we’re not alone and that there is a benevolent force and higher power willing to support us.
Think of the concept of asking as a dialogue with the universe. When you express your desires, you set an intention. This intention becomes a powerful signal that attracts what you need. It’s a practice rooted in trust and openness. The more you practice it, the more natural it becomes, and the more you’ll see positive results.