Developing your spiritual practices
My spiritual practice helps me live a life in which I feel like my actions, attitudes and soul are flowing together in sync on a moment by moment basis
There was a time when I had strayed far, far away from any belief in magic and I forgot what it felt like to feel connected to my higher Self. The other day my friend asked me how I practice my spirituality and it reminded me of when I first started on my spiritual path. I didn't really know what the I was doing, and had questions similar to his. So here's what I told him. I share it in hopes that it might serve others in deepening their connection to Source.
But first-- What does it mean to have a spiritual practice?
For obvious reasons, it’s important to note that there is no right/one way. It’s less about what you’re doing and more about how your rituals and sacred time makes you feel.
My spiritual practices:
Get me out of mind-based living and into Being
Connects me to the Truth of my reality (which can only ever be experienced in the present moment)
Shifts my thinking from fear and force based to love and power based
Helps me tap into my intuition and act from a place of deep trust and inner knowing
Reminds me that everything is connected (time, people, events)
Provides me clarity: Clear seeing, clear understanding, clear knowing and also clear energy
Helps me feel closer to Source
Provides relief, perspective, joy and humility
Connects me to my true nature
In short, I consider anything that gets me out of my own way, out of my head and into trust, power, flow and joy a spiritual practice.
Wow, are you saying you can experience life like this regularly?
Yes, which is why I make time for it everyday. But I want be clear. Your practices are not meant to be transactional, another thing on your to-do list. Ultimately, it’s a way of living, a way of Being. It becomes the default way you move through the world. But if you are still finding your way, having structure and/or setting intentional time aside can help.
Often times people think tapping into your soul just happens on its own when it's "supposed" to. This is a dangerous way to live. In my experience, if you don't honor your connection to yourSelf, your soul gets drowned out by your fears, your job, your family, your worries, your addictions etc. This is why people end up getting stuck in jobs they hate, relationships that no longer feel aligned, and toxic routines for toooo long.
So what helps me feel more spiritually connected?
Time alone and solitude. I love to do The Work by Byron Katie and investigate my thoughts
Nature. Lots and lots of nature. Honestly, I try to spend as much time in nature as possible. The answers are always revealed to me in the fresh air, amongst the trees/cactus.
Meditation. This is a throughline in my life
Prayer
Talking to my spiritual team (guides, ancestors, God, divine)
Journaling and audio journaling. For audio journals I simply record my thoughts on the recorder on my phone and process things out loud
Aligned touchstones that keep me grounded to this work: Deep conversations with friends (ie recording the Hello Universe podcast), reading the perfect book, taking the perfect course
Working with great mentors and teachers
Taking right action (doing the thing I know I need to do for my highest expansion)
Honestly, there is nothing special about this list and also there are probably literally 10000 of other things you could do to bring you back home to yourself. For some of you it might be playing with your kids, breathwork or opening the akashic records. The point is mostly that you prioritize it. That you make time for youSelf daily. Ultimately when we make time to experience our spirituality and come back into trust and flow, we create more time in our day for everything else.
If you're interested in building a spiritual practice into your everyday routine, answer these guiding questions to get you started:
What does spirituality mean to you? What do you hope to feel and experience from these practices? It's hard to have a spiritual practice if you don't know what you're going for. So get clear on what your soul is desiring from you
Do you remember a time when you felt spiritual? If so, when and why? Whatever made you feel that way, see if you can bring more of that into your daily life (i.e. painting, being in the ocean, dancing, running)
If you are a really busy person, I recommend scheduling these things into your calendar. Create a routine. It doesn't have to be elaborate. Maybe it starts off as something you do 1x a week or a few mins a day