spiritual lifestyle
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 Vibrational Alchemy Of Crystal-Infused Water
I love using crystal water as part of my spiritual practice. Crystal-infused water is an alchemical elixir for harmonizing the body, mind, and spirit.
Using the vibrational properties of crystals, this practice involves infusing water with the subtle energies emitted by carefully selected crystals and gemstones. Drinking crystal water is a powerful healing tool and wonderful for maintaining holistic balance and inner harmony.
I like to drink crystal water only once a week. I do not want to interfere with the body’s energetics every day. This is also a great way to get more water into your body and hydrate.
The use of crystals for healing and spiritual purposes dates back thousands of years, originating in the ancient civilizations, such as Egypt, Greece and China. These cultures believed in the energetic properties of crystals and used them for various purposes, including healing, protection, and spiritual connection.
While there is limited historical documentation that specifically mentions crystal-infused water in ancient traditions, it is evident that the ancients held a deep reverence for both crystals and water in their spiritual, healing, and ceremonial practices. Over time, as the awareness of the metaphysical properties of crystals evolved in modern times, the practice of immersing crystals in water for drinking emerged.
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!
Embrace Life’s Turbulence With The Right Attitude
With the many ups and downs we face in life, it is sometimes possible to feel euphoric one moment and utterly devastated the next. Yes, life is challenging at times. But Spirit says that our attitude makes all the difference.
Life’s emotional roller coaster is an inevitable part of the human experience. However, by choosing the right attitude, we can transform this journey into an opportunity for growth, learning, and profound spiritual awakening. If we choose the right attitude, it can soften the emotional roller coaster ride of life.
Our soul purpose requires that there be times of great happiness and deep sorrow, for it is through successes and hardships that we learn how to evolve spiritually.
But when we choose to trust the process and embrace our journey with the right attitude, it becomes much easier to deal with the stressful issues and demands of everyday life.
Our attitude toward life’s ups and downs plays a pivotal role in shaping our experiences. By adopting the right attitude, we can greatly reduce the emotional turbulence that accompanies life’s challenges. It’s like putting a cushion in the seat of a roller coaster – it doesn’t eliminate the dips and drops, but it does make the ride more bearable!
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.
Spiritual Maturity Is A Lifelong Journey
What does spiritual maturity mean to you? Every time I ask someone this question, I get all kinds of different answers.
A Baby Boomer I asked said it meant going to church, donating to charities, studying the Bible, and following the Ten Commandments.
When I asked a Gen Z client, she said it meant minding your own business and not caring what others think of you because it is none of your business what they think. She also said she was a Wiccan and didn’t believe in wishing negative energy on others, because she knew it would only come back to her if she did.
I recently asked four people at a social gathering, and they had different opinions on the subject. They were in their 30s and 40s and had a young teenager with them. Interestingly, one thing they all agreed on was that it is spiritually mature to create healthy boundaries with family and friends for your own mental and spiritual well-being. One woman shared, for exxample, that if she hadn’t stopped hanging out with one of her friends, she would have hit rock bottom emotionally.
“I just could not put up with the way she treated me. I used to spend a lot of time stressing about the things she would say and do. I was always overthinking every toxic interaction with her, and our so-called friendship was not good for my mental state,” she explained. “So, for me, spiritual maturity is walking away from those who bring you down.”