spiritual practice
The Path Of Personal Development
Personal development is an essential part of our spiritual mission and soul purpose in this lifetime. It is a lifelong process of self-improvement that involves setting goals, taking steps towards realizing those goals, and learning from our experiences along the way. It is an ongoing journey to becoming the best version of ourselves.
To fulfill this mission, we must develop various life skills, knowledge, insight and wisdom by growing socially, intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually. Personal development is thus a commitment to reach our highest potential in our current incarnation by striving to live a life of fulfillment and purpose.
The path of personal development is not the same for everyone. We all have unique personalities, traits, talents, interests, wishes and dreams. Our path is further determined by our values, beliefs, and life experiences, as well as our soul contract and calling in this lifetime.
It is a journey of physical, mental, and metaphysical self-discovery, in which we explore, uncover and evolve our true potential. It is a process of constantly learning and growing, which can take many forms.
To venture down our path of personal development we must take action and progress towards achieving your goals. It involves setting goals, creating plans, and taking practical steps to reach those goals. On a practical level this might include activities and pursuits like learning a new language, getting a degree, starting a business, achieving physical fitness, participating in a sport, volunteering, taking an art class, travelling abroad, pursuing a spiritual practice like meditation, divination, journaling, or dreamwork, and so on.
Meditating On An Archangel
Archangels are powerful celestial beings who serve as messengers or agents of God, and who offer protection, guidance, and healing to those who call upon them. They are found in various spiritual traditions, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Gnosticism.
Meditating on an archangel is a powerful way to deepen your spiritual practice and connect with God, Source, Spirit, the Divine. For the best results it is important to select the archangel that best corresponds with your personal development, spiritual growth, healing, or manifesting goals.
The seven archangels are Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, Jophiel, Ariel, Azrael, and Chamuel. Each of these angelic beings are associated with specific correspondences, including colors, elements, planets, and virtues. Here are some of the correspondences for the four main archangels in the Judeo-Christian tradition:
Archangel Michael: Michael is associated with the color red, the element of fire, the planet Mercury, and the virtue of courage. He is depicted as a warrior and protector, and is known for his powerful ability to vanquish evil and defend the righteous.
Archangel Gabriel: Gabriel is associated with the color blue, the element of water, the Moon, and the virtue of purity. He is depicted as a messenger, and is known for delivering important messages from God, including the announcement of the birth of Jesus Christ.
Archangel Raphael: Raphael is associated with the color yellow, the element of air, the Sun, and the virtue of healing. He is depicted as a guide and healer, and is known for his ability to bring physical, emotional, and spiritual healing to those in need.
The Life-Long Journey Of Self-Love
Self-love is essential for mental, physical, and emotional well-being. It is vital to have a positive, loving attitude towards yourself and take care of your own needs. Not only is this essential for living a happy and healthy life, but it also empowers you to be more loving and caring towards others.
Self-love is often misunderstood. Many people think that self-love is only about pampering oneself, indulging in extravagance, or buying yourself expensive things. It is much more than that. It is not about being selfish, self-indulgent, or narcissistic. Instead, it is about accepting yourself, taking care of yourself and understanding your true worth.
Truly loving yourself is therefore about knowing your worth, appreciating your unique strengths and abilities, and treating yourself with compassion and kindness. It is also about taking personal responsibility for your life, making choices and decisions that serve your highest good, and letting go of negative thoughts and self-destructive behaviors.
It is also important to realize that self-love is a journey, not a destination. It is a life-long process that is part of our soul purpose in this lifetime. It is a state of being that requires patience, dedication, commitment and effort.
Cultivating self-love begins with understanding yourself, accepting your flaws, and learning to forgive yourself. It involves setting boundaries and taking responsibility for your own needs and happiness. It is also about cultivating positive relationships and learning to trust yourself.
Empower Your Life With Affirmations
Affirmation is a great self-empowerment tool for deliberate manifesting, personal transformation and self-healing. It is a simple, yet powerful spiritual practice to focus on what we wish to create and attract, and make the changes we wish for in ourselves and our life.
An affirmation is an affirmative, positive statement or mantra that you repeatedly speak, preferably daily. Words or language have metaphysical power. By thinking, speaking, and writing affirmative mantras, slogans, chants, spells, invocations, or prayers we set powerful intentions for transformation and manifestation. Here are some examples:
I lоvе and ассерt myself.
I fully believe in myself.
My potential is limitless.
I am achieving greatness.
My body is healthy and strong.
My mind is powerful.
I have control over my thoughts and feelings.
I am happy and fulfilled.
Affirmations reframe and improve our thinking. It reconstructs our negative thought patterns and rewires our mind to become more positively focused. The more we repeat it, the more it creates neural pathways for positive thought. These empowering new pathways gradually replace our old, negative thoughts habits.
Empower Yourself With Astrological Intention
Astrology is to me like a metaphysical best friend. It is a way to reflect in the mirror and expand my personal growth. By applying it daily over the past decade my life has become more mindful, and miraculous. I’ve also noticed that challenging astrological aspects, such as squares and oppositions, have become easier for me to deal with.
An astrological square is considered one of the more adverse aspects in a chart. This placement is when two planets are separated by three zodiac signs and therefore positioned at a 90-degree angle in the chart at the time of birth. This creates competing tension between the energies of these two planets which neither can win, forcing them to compromise and somehow meet each other halfway.
An astrological opposition is another extremely challenging aspect in a chart. This placement happens when two planets are exactly opposite each other in the zodiac at 180 degrees apart. This means these two planets are in opposing signs and as far apart as they can possibly be on the astrological wheel. Their unique energies are therefore polar opposite, causing conflict, drama, and power clashes.
I keep track of these events in my chart because I incorporate daily astrological intentions in my life as part of my spiritual routine. My practice is to map out each day’s relevant transits and to then meditate on the significant aspects. I also pray for assistance where needed, such as with the significant squares and oppositions in my daily chart. Then, I go about my day.
Transform Your Tomorrow With Gratitude Tonight
Have you ever had a ‘bad hair’ day? You know, one of those days where nothing seems to go right, including your hair refusing to cooperate? On days like that everything just feels off, and everything that can possibly go wrong does exactly that.
It’s a frustrating experience that can leave one feeling negative, stressed, and overwhelmed. Getting through the mess is one thing, but carrying this negative mindset to bed quote another. If one does not properly resolve the ‘bad hair’ state of mind by bedtime, it will adversely impact your sleep, as well as your mood the next day.
It’s easy to get caught up in a negative thought pattern and spiral into increasing stress, worry and anxiety, from one bad day to the next. Therefore it is vital to adopt a nighttime routine that will help you shift your mindset and promote a more positive outlook the next day. The best way to achieve this is to harness the power of gratitude.
The most common practice for this purpose is to keep a gratitude journal, but I prefer a more hands-on, practical approach. I do a simple ritual with a collection of small stones or crystals that I personally resonate with. I keep them in a bowl on my night table and in the morning, after I’ve made my bed, I place the stones on my pillow.
Then, at night, when I am getting ready for sleep, I sit on the side of my bed and pick up one stone or crystal at a time. I hold the stone in my hand and then think of something that I am grateful for that happened that day. It could be something as simple as a smile from a stranger or a compliment from a client. I focus on that experience or event, and feel the gratitude in my heart.
The Ancient Art Of Meditation In Motion
I recently attended a Tai Chi class for the first time and absolutely loved it. I have seen this ancient martial art being practiced on television and in films before, and always thought I would like to experience it myself someday.
Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese tradition involving slow movements and breathwork that is essentially meditation in graceful motion. At this recent event, I enjoyed it so much that I intend to continue pursuing this practice.
Our instructor at the event also explained the many health benefits of practicing Tai Chi, which further fueled my interest. This may include reduced stress, improved mood, mental health and cognitive function, enhanced immune function, increased cariovascular health, better sleep patterns, and even reduced risk of falling in mature adults.
One of the key advantages of Tai Chi is that it has no age limit. In fact, I was surprised at the various age groups in attendance that day. It is certainly a wonderful mind, body, and soul pursuit for everyone, because it is a gentle and slow-paced ‘internal’ martial art that does not involve any competition.
The exact history and origins of Tai Chi is unclear. Some scholars believe it originated from ancient Taoist and Buddhist monasteries, while others contend that Tai chi is a purely Chinese art that originates from the spiritual wisdom traditions of Daoism and Confucianism. There are many styles of Tai Chi that differ in execution and training methods.