Many individuals end up embracing spirituality (in some form) in the wake of some kind of tragedy or trauma. I mean, hey, this makes perfect sense. There are so many challenges in this life. There’s death (and the ensuing grief). We lose a close loved one and it feels like our world has been shattered. What about money issues? Maybe you’re broke or you’re facing bankruptcy. Perhaps you just lost your dream job. Anything can happen to disrupt the desired peaceful flow of life on this planet. And when that “anything” does happen, we lose ourselves in sadness, stress, and oftentimes, desperation.
It is natural for us to seek the peace and comfort in knowing that we’re being looked after and taken care of by a power greater than any one human. But we don’t have to turn to organized religion in order to become spiritual. Spirituality is what you make of it. And you certainly don’t have to adhere to some rigid set of beliefs with which you don’t agree, either. Start simple… Incorporate the energy of spirituality into your life.
1. Embrace your feelings—even uncomfortable ones
Part of being spiritual means understanding human feelings are healthy and necessary. If you want to connect more deeply with yourself (and the divine), stop numbing your feelings—especially the uncomfortable ones—with coping mechanisms like eating or drinking in excess, unhealthy sex or dating and overworking yourself at the office or gym. We numb when we are sad and when we’re happy, too. Most of us are just afraid of feeling. Allow yourself to express whatever exists in the moment.
If you’re angry, go to a kickboxing class or punch a pillow at home. If you’re excited, go for a celebratory run, call your best friend or take yourself to the spa.
2. Tune out the noise
If you’re caught up in what everyone else is doing, you may be addicted to the comparison game. Spend less time on Facebook, Periscope and Instagram and more time connecting in person.
Meet your partner for a long walk, and leave your phone at home. During a girls’ night, leave phones in the car and let yourself laugh until it hurts. It’s easy to compare our messy, imperfect lives with someone else’s highlight reel, but remember that what you see online has been carefully curated, filtered and Photoshopped to create that aspirational experience.
3. Make spirituality fun
Many of us who grew up going to church, temple or Sunday School distanced ourselves because we found the experience boring. But spirituality isn’t boring! It’s actually fascinating and totally out of this world.
Let spirituality be a creative outlet infused with play. Make quarterly vision boards to help visualize your desires, and hang them around your home to keep you inspired. Decorate with sparkly crystals like rose quartz and amethyst to shift the energy of your space.
Build a money altar with an abundance candle, a copy of Esther Hicks’ Money and the Law of Attraction and a check you’ve written to yourself for the total income you want to make in 2016. Top it off with a citrine crystal to help attract prosperity and success. Try it out, make it fun and make it yours.
The moral of the story? When it comes to spirituality, the only rule is that there are no rules. The most important thing you can do is to follow your intuition to design a relationship with the divine that’s divinely you.
Louis Grassi 