It’s become standard lingo to tell people that you aren’t religious but that you are spiritual. I say it all the time. With the growing popularity of self-help and meditation in the mainstream, asserting your spirituality is becoming way more common.
There are a ton of ‘spiritual’ buzzwords and phrases floating around.
“Let go of what doesn’t serve you.”
“Be present.”
“Trust in the process and that the universe will only give you what you need and can handle.”
And the list goes on and on.
I heard and read this stuff in a million different places, and in a million different ways. It made sense deep down, so I figured it must be true. When I first started to explore this world, on some level I believed it all but I didn’t really get it.
I let go of that relationship with my (now) ex-husband when I knew it was on the fast track to nowhere. But I continued to meet up with a friend from high school who never really grew up and sucked my energy dry with every encounter.
I proudly said that I knew how to be present because when I meditated, I could honestly say I was truly there with myself, sitting in quiet solitude. But I rehashed that conversation with my boss over and over in the shower, each time rehearsing what I would say the next time he asked me to get a 3-hour job done in 45 minutes.
I said that I trusted the universe to take care of me and show me the way. But I forced myself to agree to a business venture despite that little voice in my gut clearly telling me it wasn’t a good idea.
There was clearly a disconnect. First off, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not perfect. I won’t and can’t possibly be on the ball, all the time. Despite my best intentions to live Buddha-like in everything I do, I’m a mere mortal after all.
That’s when I realized it wasn’t enough to read about and agree with it all. It’s about really knowing something on a subconscious level – having it ingrained in our way of thinking.
We get to that place when we experience it. Feeling it once makes us hungry to feel it again.
When we really let something go, we feel the release, the freedom and lightness in our psychic energy.
When we’re truly present, we live in a world ripe with curiosity and feel the excitement of discovering something we never have before.
When we really trust the universe has our backs, we feel a connection to some sort of master plan that we’re not privy to, at the exact moment when we get inspiration seemingly out of the clear blue sky.
It’s about realizing that being spiritual really has nothing to do with following a dogma. It has to do with knowing and trusting ourselves to move towards the stuff that makes us feel good, light, free and expansive. In the same vein, it also has to do with moving away from the stuff that makes us feel stuck, exhausted, constricted and empty.
We’re living from a spiritual place when we chase the good feelings and steer clear of the bad. They’re both strong indications that we’re living in a way that’s authentic to who we are and what we need from this world to continue to grow.
No Comments