10 tips to start your spiritual journey

Upload: chiara-marrapodi

Post on 02-Jun-2018

216 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

  • 8/10/2019 10 Tips to Start Your Spiritual Journey

    1/3

    Spirituality - What is it anyway?

    10 Tips to Help you on Your Journey!

    Spirituality is many things to many people. Spirituality is not a religion. Religion can be

    viewed as a set of rules followed by a group of individuals who share the same beliefs

    that are unquestioned.

    What is spirituality?

    Spirit means soul and is derived from the latin word to breath (spirare), it is related to

    the ebb and the flow of the breath, the exhalation and the inhalation. The rhythm of life

    is bound by the breath, like the waves gently lapping the sandy beach it brings a sense

    of calming, of stillness. It is in this stillness that we heighten our awareness of the outer

    world and most importantly the inner world. When we concern ourselves with practices

    relating to spirit, we call it being spiritual. Notice the word being. It is not doing, it is

    being. Being implies immersion. A feeling, a knowing. Being implies an engulfing of all

    the senses that allows for the heart to open. As we open our hearts we connect to life in

    a new way. We marry the heart with the mind and as this connection becomes stronger

    and stronger we begin to operate from the space of the heart-mind.

    How to achieve this?

    Spiritual practice starts with connection, a deep connection... to nature. Because it is in

    nature that you find the essence of who you are. This connection to nature allows you

    to reflect deeply upon yourself and see the divinity within other beings. It allows you to

    see the coherence, harmony and resonance of the natural world. It aligns you with the

    feeling of awe. It is in this state of awe, this state of stillness that allows you to see

    beyond yourself. Beyond being human. Ultimately allowing you to connect with your

    own soul, your true essence. The path upon which you journey is called spirituality.

    The beauty of practicing spirituality is that of following your own path, with your own

    method. It is not dictated by a qualified individual, it is a journey that unfolds with

    practice and persistence. It is a journey that unfolds from within.

    But I still have no idea how to do this?Here are the first 10 tips to developing your own spirituality:

    1. Spend time by yourself.

    The greatest personal spiritual growth results from spending time in solitude. It neednt

    be permanent, but spending time with yourself allows you to recalibrate. It allows you to

    reflect on your experiences and understand yourself better. This time for reflection is

  • 8/10/2019 10 Tips to Start Your Spiritual Journey

    2/3

    important for personal growth and navigating within the community as a unique

    individual.

    2. Spend time with nature.

    Nature is guided by its own parameters. Everything in nature works in harmony,

    coherence and resonance. The delicate eco-systems work with a synchronicity akin to

    the symphony orchestra. Indeed, as the melodies of the birds greet you there is no

    matching the harmonies played for all those who dare listen. The natural world has its

    own breath, rhythm and cycle. It recycles all the old to give rise to the new through the

    seasons in communion with the skies. As we harmonize with these rhythms, the

    rhythms with which our bodies are attuned, a new sense of connectedness to nature

    emerges. An innate connectedness our bodies know well.

    3. Allow.

    When many people begin their practice they experience resistance. This is natural

    when you have not been exposed to these types of experiences before. If you become

    one with the resistance by feeling it fully, over time you release it. As you continue with

    your practice and allow feelings and thoughts to arise without judgement they dissipate.

    Breathe..breathe...breathe.

    4. Receive.

    When you allow yourself to experience you are in a state of receiving. What can you

    expect to receive I hear you ask? Well, that is the point, when you build expectations

    you block your potential to receive. Many experiences and much information is derived

    from being in a state of receipt. I will not be placing examples here because the mind

    very quickly grabs on to what it can to find meaning. When you approach your practice

    from a state of openness then you are able to receive.

    5. Accept.

    When you let go of resistance and hence the connection to the ego, over time, you are

    able to accept that which is new and fresh. That which is insightful. Acceptance does

    not mean taking others experiences and force these on to yourself. Acceptance means

    being gentle with yourself, a gentle acceptance of your experience without judgement.

    6. Trust.

    As you build your practice and your experience you begin to see synchronicity for the

    gift it is and trust what you sense, feel, see and hear. As you let go of pre-conceived

    ideas of what it should feel like, you begin to experience what it is like for you. After

  • 8/10/2019 10 Tips to Start Your Spiritual Journey

    3/3

    all, anothers experience is their own and not yours. Also as you trust you begin to

    release the feeling of wanting to control the direction of your experience. For as you are

    in a state of expectation you miss the point altogether. Thequestion remains what do

    you really have control over? Does control exist? Only if you buy into it. Where does it

    come from?

    8. Gratitude.

    Gratitude is spouted by many in spiritual circles, but what does it really mean and how

    do you know you are in a state of gratitude? Activate your heart and see the world

    through its eyes.

    9. Patience.

    Patience is the ability to continue even when things dont go the way you expect them

    to. It is the ability to acknowledge that there is a higher perspective that is related to the

    outcome and trusting this with a sense of humble acceptance that when the time is right

    you will understand fully.

    10. Persistence.

    All the theory in the world cannot replace experience (epistemology vs ontology).

    Without experience we would all be mechanistic and robotic in nature. The fluidity of

    nature lends itself to change and change takes humble persistence, patience and grace.

    The humbleness to observe and accept change, the patience to receive in the right

    timing and order and the grace to integrate what you have learnt along the way.

    Persistence is the way of the seeker.

    Find fellow seekers to support and encourage you or join a meditation class run by

    Chiara!

    Author: Chiara Marrapodi is a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist and

    Animal Communicator with offices in San Diego and Los Angeles.

    She helps individuals find their barriers to positive change and

    specializes in Work-Thrive Balance, weight loss, self-esteem, past

    life regression and pre-post surgery. You can contact her at

    [email protected] her websites

    www.dancesoulhypnotherapy.com; www.wildvoicestalk.com;

    www.societyforanimalconsciousness.org.Photo acknowledgement www.freedigitalphotos.netby Stuart Miles.

    Chiara Marrapodi. All Rights Reserved.

    http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/http://www.societyforanimalconsciousness.org/http://www.dancesoulhypnotherapy.com/http://www.wildvoicestalk.com/mailto:[email protected]?subject=Meditation%20Classhttp://www.freedigitalphotos.net/http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/http://www.societyforanimalconsciousness.org/http://www.societyforanimalconsciousness.org/http://www.wildvoicestalk.com/http://www.wildvoicestalk.com/http://www.dancesoulhypnotherapy.com/http://www.dancesoulhypnotherapy.com/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]?subject=Meditation%20Classmailto:[email protected]?subject=Meditation%20Class