making time for the spirit

Carving out your spiritual path and being true to its direction is something of a hard task at times. Although it may seem like an indulgent and enjoyable part of one's life, the call to spiritual learning and spiritually-charged existence is often not a choice. It's something that visits you and probably already has done for years. Or it's something that blindsides you at a totally unexpected time in your life when you may have thought that nothing was subject to change and suddenly, out of nowhere, you  felt an incredible urge to get in touch with the divine or connect with the soul of all life.. Spirituality is something that comes knocking - that's what I'm trying to say. And sometimes it can be persistent and unavoidable, even though we may not feel that we have the time or the courage to honestly pursue it. For me, this is very true. I'm not one of those people who stood up one day and said, 'I just want to be more spiritual.' There was no self-conscious effort; it follows me around and I have to succumb to it. I think that's true for most of us who are either walking one path, reading about them all or jumping between a few!

Your spirituality is yours. I would not recommend trying to make it anyone else's. Of course, you can talk about it, but don't try to convince people of it or bombard them with constant information about it, even if you feel that it would really help your loved ones or that you simply want others to experience what you have. Their path is their own. In keeping with this statement, you must in turn remember that you're entitled to your path and that no one should attempt to coerce you from it or convince you that it's mumbo jumbo by degrading or upsetting you. If a loved one has concerns about your beliefs or practices, there are positive ways of expressing that concern in a civil manner. If you find yourself in the presence of a loved one who's expressing concern for any reason, try to react with openness and willingness to communicate, even if your first thought might be to vehemently defend your path at all costs. Remember, many people react out of fear of the unknown when someone they love is involved in something they don't understand.

So, once you've confirmed that you're allowed to give time to your spirituality and that other people are allowed time away from your spirituality, you're all set to invite it into your life in the healthiest way possible. Your path can enrich your life. It can inspire you as it changes, progresses and perhaps weathers a few storms. Sometimes you'll feel closer to it than at other times. Sometimes it will be more central and, sometimes, it's off to the left at the back of the picture. That's ok. The focus changes throughout life, but your spiritual feeling will always find its way back to you if you leave the door in your heart open to it. In my humble opinion, attaching guilt to your spirituality is negative. Making it into a burden by berating yourself for not keeping to a strict schedule means it becomes something which attacks your psyche and can leave you feeling afraid of it. Befriend your spirituality. Although it is your connection between this realm and other realms -divine, astral, whatever- it still needs to fit into your physical reality and gel with the other roles you play in life, so don't let it smother you.

The spiritual you is the same you as the rest of you. I believe that this is one of the most valuable realisations to undergo when you're a dedicated spiritualist and the failure to understand it could drive a huge wedge between your soul and your sense of spiritual satisfaction. Should spirituality be easy? Not all the time, no. It presents issues. It sometimes troubles you, makes you question your direction or causes inner conflict which needs to be dealt with as a part of a wider process. But cutting your spiritual life off from the the rest of who you are won't make it easier to deal with. If you can't inject your spirituality into your overall world view and sense of self, you're basically leaving it in a psychic cupboard of sorts, letting it out only when you feel it's 'safe' to do so. This is not going to encourage an all-encompassing experience which can help you with the other areas of your life. So, make it count, keep it real and don't be ashamed of it. Bring it down to earth, cradle it, work for it and it will work for you.



Blesséd be.