Do you ever have periods of your life during which you feel completely closed off to spiritual experience or an enchanted sense of wonder?
For the past several years, my mind has been guided by a strong sense of reason, and I have been in the habit of applying an analytical, rather than an intuitive, lens to just about everything. I felt, and still feel, that this mode encouraged me to navigate daily decisions and obstacles by taking everything into consideration and doing what made the most sense. While I could still appreciate the beauty of the world around me, there was a particular dullness to life that hadn’t been around before this period of ultra-rationality—and I sensed that something was missing. I realized that I desperately needed to rekindle my spirituality. It hadn’t always been this way, though.
During my late teens and early twenties, I felt a powerful, if somewhat vague, connection to spirituality. I didn’t go by a set of beliefs or any particular philosophy, but I was constantly being moved by my experience of art and literature, my dreams, my creative pursuits. I felt elevated by things mercurial and intangible. I didn’t worry if feeling or sensation was “real” or not. I just embraced it. So what happened?
Graduate school, figuring out how to “adult” (which is a privilege in my book), and trying my best to facilitate certain securities (decent jobs, a workable budget, a productive schedule, etc.). In other words, my strengths in critical thinking and rational decision making grew while the part of me who loved wandering aimlessly and writing in her journal took a back seat out of necessity.
But the thing about growing one part of your mind is that you don’t necessarily have to lose another part forever. Sure, your thought patterns may not revert to those of a “better time,” but that doesn’t have to be an unfortunate thing. Now that I’ve entered a period of rekindled spirituality, I can report that I’m grateful for both my analytic and intuitive sides, and it’s possible for them to coexist in harmony. I continue to consider myself a pro-science, pro-reason, pro-evidence person. It’s just that now, I’m also feeding that part of myself that’s a little bit mystical—and full of wonder.
The following are just a few ways to foster your spiritual side and fill your days with magic. They’re worth a try, especially if you’re experiencing work-related stress, emotional struggles, and/or existential ponderings (so all of us?).
3 Ways To Rekindle Your Spirituality
1. Read something that challenges your sense of what is real. Being encouraged to entertain ideas that we may initially write off as “left field” or “woo woo” can help us expand our thinking and grow our spiritual practice. Not everything will speak to you, of course, but when you find yourself mysteriously pulled to a topic or discussion, allow yourself to explore it without judging yourself. For example, I surprised myself by being drawn to Signs: The Secret Language of the Universe by Laura Lynne Jackson and What If This Is Heaven?: How Our Cultural Myths Prevent Us from Experiencing Heaven on Earth by Anita Moorjani, both of which discuss the Other Side, something I didn’t even realize I was interested in reading about until I stumbled across those two books. Ultimately, you never have to accept any spiritual notion that doesn’t sit right with you—the key is to be open to those that do. Ancient texts, spiritual guides from other cultures, and poetry can be productive places to start.
2. Try a new spiritual ritual. It could be anything from meditating to journaling under a full moon to performing an energy-cleansing ritual in your home. Again, the key here is to set your judgment aside and not worry what your friends would think if they knew you were giving yourself a tarot reading or burning sage in your apartment. During your ritual (whatever that may be), be present for your emotions and any nudges you may receive from your intuition.
3. Create a visual spread of the images or ideas you’d like to invite into your spirituality. Whether you’re feeling a manifestation vision board or an altar of some sort, creating a visual representation of your spirituality can help strengthen your ties to those intangible things at the heart of spirituality–a sense of wonder and magic, a deeply seated feeling of love, and a connection to the universe around you. Try not to over-plan your visual elements. Allow yourself to go with the flow, following intuitive leads as they arise.
Do you consider yourself a spiritual person? How do you feed your spirituality?
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Photo: Amazon, Paige Cody on Unsplash, Samuel Austin on Unsplash
