Keep Your Spirit In Check: 5 Questions to Ask Yourself
Weaving our way through this journey we call life wouldn’t be something I call an easy task. I would say that it’s comparable to staying in shape, which takes a great deal of will power. However, with the guidance of the enlightened soul and identifying the boundaries of the ego, we are given these gifts by way of life lessons to keep ourselves aligned on a path of spiritual truths.
What is a spiritual truth? The truth is simple, but yet oh-so hard. It is pure love without attachment, without boundaries, and has been spoken since the beginning of time. This beautiful dance with life allows for our spirit to grow, pushing away the attachment of the “egoic mind,” operating out of the space of the “God Mind” or soul. It takes a great deal of courage and self-discipline to align with the truths of our soul. The following are five steps to get you in shape on the spiritual path.
Do I listen?
Have you mastered the art of listening? How much of your day do you truly listen to the world around you? Listening is one of our greatest senses, relaying a significant amount of information to feed our soul, but this tool is becoming endangered as we speak (pun intended).
When we listen closely, the world around us has many messages to deliver. However, in the age of information, we are so distracted and disconnected that we are losing our ability to truly listen. Access your ability to listen by asking yourself a few simple questions. What types of thoughts do you have while in a conversation with a loved one? Are you in a constant state of thought, readying your response instead of being present for the conversation? Do you feel uncomfortable if there is a silent pause in a conversation? Does silence make you feel uncomfortable?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, your listening skills are not as sharp as they could be. A good platform to enhance your listening skills is by spending quiet time in nature, which will restore some primal intuition. Additionally, start by observing your conversations without judgment. Just listen and see where that takes you. Oftentimes awareness is just the remedy to get you back to spiritual health.
Do I chase spirituality?
Are you constantly chasing the idea of a guru or spiritual teacher? I have known many who have “chased” spirituality all over the world, but the truth is already inside of you waiting to be discovered. Spiritual teachers and lessons come in all types of packages, most often in the most unexpected ways. It may not always be the metaphorical cross-legged, white bearded sage, but everyday we are blessed with experiences to grow and learn.
It could be learning patience as you sit in an unexpected traffic jam while you miss an important meeting, or maybe it shows itself as a difficult financial situation that will teach you how to release fear as it comes to money. Regardless of how the lessons come into our lives, it is important to dispel the idea of searching and move toward looking inward to embrace your lessons in all shapes and sizes.
Do I gossip?
Have you ever found yourself being pulled down the rabbit hole of gossip? It is so easy to gossip about others, but it takes a positive, conscious mind to move away from this behavior. Gossip is a way to seek false power, an insecure source of measuring up our lives.
Unfortunately, it is often the foundation that will hold a group together and it is all kinds of wrong. The answer is simple; hold yourself to a higher standard by conducting conversation as if everyone is present. Remember the words of the wise, “Do what is right even when no one is looking.” If someone in the group goes down the rabbit hole then you can just extend a hand to bring them back. There is no doubt that you will lose some friendships, as many friendships are bonded by gossip, but it feels so good on the inside to embrace this standard.
Do I get defensive?
Do you regularly see the other person’s point of view with compassion? Often times when something doesn’t go our way, we immediately try to make the other person wrong. As it may be a natural reaction, being defensive will get you nowhere. Try to get a deeper understanding of where the other person is coming from will take you miles along the road of life lessons. We have a lot to gain from trying to understand walking in another’s shoes, but don’t get lost.
Do I take things personally?
Do you find yourself taking things personally? The concept of the mirror is a very difficult one to embrace. It is a form of measure to help progress us on our journey. However, when we take things personally, it is quite easy for our mirror to break.
Another way to work around this until you can honestly assess where you are on this path is to connect with the idea of “I.” The world around us is set up to help us grow and evolve our soul. Training wheels are not just for learning to ride a bike; we can always reach for training wheels in life, just till we are ready to move forward on our path.
Look at the world around you as a continuous lesson. If someone cuts you off instead of reacting simply say, “Why did I do that?” When you look at everything in the light of “I,” it makes it easier to embrace instead of constant and emotionally draining reaction. Many spiritualists believe that everything in life happens for a reason. For this reason alone, see the gift instead of being the victim. The road will be much more fulfilling.
It isn’t always easy to keep ourselves in spiritual check. It is important to have the right tools on this path to retraining the brain to support our soul. There are a number of small tools that have great impact, but starting small isn’t as overwhelming as trying to change it all in one sitting. Baby steps, compassion, and understanding are the keys to spiritual growth.
How to Connect With the Divine Energy Your Higher Self Holds
The Divine Self, or the Higher Self, as it is also known, is a belief held by Hindus and New Age thought alike. According to these beliefs, the Divine Self is the Self that exists at an even higher level than the soul; it is in every human being ever born. It is the true self essence of the Universe that dwells in your being, the source of all light and life within you, and your true motivation for living.
The Divine self is what powers you and makes you wonder. It is the spiritual journey of the soul light at your core that chose to be incarnate at this point in time. It’s ever-aware and has been thinking since you began existing in this lifetime, and since your birth in other lifetimes. The body and the physical realm, in which we dwell in our own life, are thought to be but a vehicle for the Higher Self.
If you’ve ever experienced synchronicities, where coincidences that are too uncanny to be coincidental occur in your life, you may be in the process of connecting with your higher self.
In the same beliefs, the soul is closer to the personality and is an intermediary between the person and her Divine Self until such time as she is able to directly experience and realize the Divine Self as who she is.
How to Contact Your Higher Consciousness
If you’re interested in opening up to your Divine Self, the practice promises guidance, peace, harmony, and illuminating light through its higher knowledge. Believers also claim that you can more easily turn away from the distractions of the physical world, and restore yourself in the light, love, and power of this eternal Self, because it will reveal the illusions, desires, and attachments that keep you trapped in a lower vibration and on a lesser path, thus enabling you to find your higher path. You are also supposed to gain a greater ability to recognize limiting, disharmonious, and restricting energies and forms.
The Divine Self is always trying to reach you, to send you the higher power, illumination, love, and wisdom to draw higher forms, thoughts, feelings, and situations into your everyday life. The Divine Self is wise; it knows all and is always showing you an easier, better, more joyful way to live.
Because of these things, it’s not a huge struggle through your willpower to contact your Divine Self. All you need do is set your intention and open to all the gifts of consciousness that await you as you connect with this Self.
