SPIRITUALITY – Embrace Your Divine Self
“You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop. Seek the wisdom that will untie your knot. Seek the path that demands your whole being.” ~ Rumi
Spirituality has been revered as the totally separate “thing” that we can choose to either accept, or opt out of. For decades, spirituality was something of a taboo that we did not want to associate with. Something others made fun of, and if you were opened about being “spiritual” you had an instant label as the “loon.”
We created the “culture” of material possessions and it became a norm that we should strive for bigger cars, more expensive homes, and the best toys for our kids, or we would not fit into the category of those who matter or to the group who has “made it." We keep telling ourselves that we should do what others are expecting of us, because then we will be accepted and included. We will have love and approval of those who matter to us. So, on that road to “normalized” standards we shove our feelings deep down inside and put up with a lot of crap that we do not like or enjoy, just to fit in. And when it all becomes too overwhelming or stressful, because we cannot keep that image and live “happily ever after,” we look for substitutes that numb our inside voice and get addicted to them, pretending that we are in total control.
For most cultures of our ancient ancestors’ spirituality was the most important part of them and their lives. They used it as the guide on their paths, they called on it before making very important decisions, they trusted it with their lives. But … what really is Spirituality?
The word spirituality comes from root words in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek that all mean wind, breath, or air—that which gives life. Christina Puchalski, MD, Director of the George Washington Institute for Spirituality and Health, contends that "spirituality is the aspect of humanity that refers to the way individuals seek and express meaning and purpose and the way they experience their connectedness to the moment, to self, to others, to nature, and to the significant or sacred." According to Mario Beauregard and Denyse O’Leary, researchers and authors of The Spiritual Brain, “spirituality means any experience that is thought to bring the experiencer into contact with the divine (in other words, not just any experience that feels meaningful).” And each of us, when asked, would come up with different definition of spirituality, because we associate it with those aspects of our lives that are important to us, and that varies.
From ancient sages to modern time gurus, we hear that we are part of a much greater Intelligence, that created not only us, but also all of the universes, and everything in between. It is a very difficult concept to accept if you ask me, and I’m not surprised that so many people just roll their eyes at all the fuss about the subject. I’m far from being judgemental. Everyone is allowed to have their own opinion, but I know that this is true.
Sometime ago I had a very strange experience, you could say. I was invited to a meditation group by a friend, not knowing anyone in it except for her. When we got there the other 10 people were Energy Healers, who used different modalities to help others heal their lives. That friend was a “regular” at those meditation meetings, so I went along with the protocol. At first everyone had a turn of telling the rest about something good they manifested the week before, or something positive that they experienced in that time. Since I was new I introduced myself telling them a bit about my story – that I’ve lost 2 jobs within 2 years, wasn’t able to make any sense of it, and that I didn’t know what exactly I was supposed to be doing with the rest of my life. After everyone had a chance to share they went to a healing portion. Each person would focus energy on the same participant and they would say aloud what they felt, saw, or heard. Yes, you read it correctly. Some of them could see spirits, some could hear them, and some just felt intuitively the messages that were sent to them. Honestly, I was not prepared for this, even though I had many “interesting” instances in the past, of knowing things before they happened, or had many more intriguing situations (after my mom passed away) that I could not discredit as simple coincidences. But what came next, when all of them focused on me, was so profound that I cannot even find the words to describe it. One of the ladies from that group was a miraculous survivor of a very severe car accident and she saw angels ever since. So when she said to me: “You have an Angel behind you who asks your permission to bless you,” I did not really know how to react. I did not see any Angel anywhere, so I just asked her what it is that I’m supposed to do to get that blessing, and followed her simple instructions of breathing deeply and visualizing my heart centre opening. What followed next was beyond my expectations or my wildest imagination.
It felt like I was enveloped with nothing but peace, incredible love, joy, ecstatic feeling of freedom, and all of my emotional baggage was instantly released, so I cried involuntarily at the same time. All of my personal problems and cares instantly lost any significance. They did not even feel important. I knew that I am and will be more than okay. The unconditional love I felt during this time and incredible peace were so powerful I never wanted to stop feeling it, being surrounded by it, because it was more than just a mental security (if that‘s even the right word to use here). It felt like a “normal thing” that every Presence who I was surrounded by experiences at all time. There was more about the blessing, some of those people could hear things, and I could smell incredible aroma of flowers that came out of nowhere. I was told many things while this was happening. It all lasted few minutes and when it was over I was totally shell-shocked. I honestly did not know what happened and how to explain it. I wasn’t under the influence, I was not in a coma, I was not having near death experience, but the magnitude of what I felt was so huge, it left me speechless. I literally felt like I went “home” for few minutes, where I was welcomed by indescribable love, compassion, joy and peace. And that was first of many incredible experiences that I had ever since. "Those who are awake live in a state of constant amazement." (Buddha). And I can say exactly the same thing about what happened in my life afterwards. But what I realized is far more important that the amazement I feel.
We are Spiritual beings. This is our connection to the Divine Creator and everything else that surrounds us. Our soul is part of this magnificent intelligence and our physical body is just one of the essential portions of our being, paired with our soul. In other words, our soul is NOT “something” separate. We cannot be here without it, and even if we decide not to acknowledge our spiritual self it will make its way into our life one way or the other. We all have guides and angels on a stand-by ready to guide us. It’s just too bad we do not pay close attention to them or “utilize” their help as it is meant to be. We are so “thick” and disconnected, it is time to wake up from this separation and self-pity mindset. We need to see ourselves for who we are – Divine creations with infinite Soul. The main point is that we are guided all the time, we just live in such denial of our spiritual nature that we discredit those hints, and tips which we receive, or majority of us don’t pay attention to the subtle messages and discard them as silly feelings.
It is a difficult concept to accept. And if we accepted it we would have to incorporate into our lives facts that were denied by majority for so long, it would mean we had to change the way we live and do things, to add spirituality with all its aspects into our lives. I guess for some this would be a major shift in their consciousness. Almost as significant as the discovery in times of Copernicus, when he “stopped the Sun and moved the Earth.” This would mean that we’d have to look at ourselves from a different perspective, accept our feelings and insights, give them proper value, treat them with respect, and learn their meaning (no, we don’t have them to have meltdowns – just a hint, lol). But that would suck for many who do not live from their heart. For those, who choose to call EGO their faithful master. Plus, this case scenario would definitely disrupt the “approved” order of things and would wreak havoc in our lives, where we have a luxury of believing that there are some people who call themselves “gifted”. Those who see spirits, feel the energy, have very heightened intuition, who are already used to the idea that they are weird and different. Because it was okay to think that it was “just them”. And it would be a bit “out there” if we had to accept that we are the same weirdoes, and on the top of it we would have to learn how to deal with our own psychic abilities & work hard to develop them even more, trust and understand them... This would be too much for some, right?
I’m not saying you have to accept this fact, but if you embrace it and start learning now, you have a pretty good chance you won’t have to re-live the same situations or hard lessons over and over. We learn by repetition. This is how you know how to speak, walk, read, write. And because we live in close relationships, everyone we know is affected by our actions no matter how brief our interactions are. Dalai Lama, most known guru of those weird and spiritual people once said: “Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them”. I love this quote, because it captures the essence of our purpose in life. We are all created equal, which means we all have our Divine gifts in us. We evolve and learn about ourselves and others through our senses. If you add your sixth to your toolbox, your evolution is going to take on a different dimension. I know for the fact that it is going to be easier, more gratifying, more peaceful and full of joy and inspiration. It may even make you see life lessons from a different perspective and help you quit judging yourself or being harsh with yourself and others.
I have a challenge for those who are still sceptical. Check Brian Weiss - physician, professor of psychiatry and confirmed sceptic, whose experiences totally changed his life on professional and personal level. It took him 5 years to master the courage to publish his books about spiritual aspects of our lives, based on his professional experiences. Search his book: “Many Lives, Many Masters” or “Messages from the Masters”, “Same Soul Many Bodies” or “Mirrors of time”. If you have any fears associated with the Spiritual aspect of our life (and many of us really do!) you will understand that there is nothing to fear. You will see that there is nothing you need to understand, or do, just simply BE and allow your heart to guide you. Allow this greater than anything we can imagine Energy to work, even if your mind doesn’t get it. Allow it to guide you, help you, take care of you, evolve through you. After my profound spiritual experience with it I wanted to find the way of giving others a glimpse of what it feels like, and I have to say that Reiki is IT. It’s a legitimate way of bringing this Universal Intelligence, Divine Source Energy, Higher Power, or whatever name you want to call it, into our body that can do for us what no other conventional therapies or medicine can. It can restore the balance in our system (because our body is a collaboration of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual) which is needed for our perfect health, wellbeing and happiness.
Give it a try and I promise you, you will be amazed at your sixth sense awakening to life! I know I’m not the only one who had similarly amazing experiences, however some people decide to keep their spiritual connections to themselves. And it is okay too! I just believe we should share them with as many others as possible, and learn to understand significance of love, joy, and inner peace in our everyday lives. Once you understand your true nature and true purpose, your life will be permanently transformed!
With Love,
Marta
“Without nourishing our own souls, we can't nourish the world, for we cannot give what we do not have. As we attend to our souls, we emanate invisibly and involuntarily the light we have received.” ~ Marianne Williamson
