The Spirit of Breathing

Are you Spiritual? Well this has become quite the ego-loaded question. There are a lot of people running around these days tooting their spiritual horns, sharing their stories of how they "found" themselves after being lost for so long. It seems that being Spiritual is a chic thing to be at the moment. The upside is that people are becoming more and more interested in developing a spiritual practice. The downside is that there is an increasing amount of spiritual arrogance. The problem, like most trends, is that when there are a few "celebrities" leading the way then people begin to assume that these people are the be-all-end-all of the field. Though they might be really good at their own spiritual practice, and understanding what it means to be spiritual, there ultimately is no be-all-end-all when it comes to spirituality. The right way to be spiritual is your way, and your way alone... and "your" way may change every few months!

So, what is Spirituality all about? It's about connecting deeply with yourself, via the Soul. As you deepen this connection to self you also heighten your awareness of and connection with the world that you live in, and the unseen energies that created and continue to support you. This definition sounds very vague, that is the point, because each individual is highly unique so there is a specific prescription of spirituality that serves everyone. 
More importantly: any can be spiritual, it is simply a matter of making the connection. So be skeptical of anyone who makes you feel as through you aren't as good as them because they  have found the spiritual path. 

The point is that spirituality is a more elaborate form of personal awareness and mindfulness, so it doesn't matter how you are doing it as much as the simple fact that you are doing it. When people start discussing "the way" to do anything, especially anything spiritual, I immediately become skeptical. Being told that there is a specific way of doing the work at the most is going to stop you from being attuned to your needs and desires, at the least is going to make you question your present practices. Remain open to trying new methods and modalities, but be mindful of the reason for doing it. Going for a long quiet walk in the woods is just as spiritual as meditating or performing a ceremony. They all serve the soul, just in highly different ways. The best thing to do is to build a Spiritual Toolbox, which means to practice a few different methods: meditation, alters, tapping, prayer, etc. so that you know what serves you best each day. All of the best spiritual leaders and healers will tell you that when "learning" spiritual activities and practices it is important to not become a copy-cat; take the practice/ritual and make it your own. The only one who suffers is plagiarizing spirituality is you.

The ego wants everything to be perfect and the best, the Soul is just happy to be. Connections to the Soul are developed through spiritual practice and heightened awareness. This connection comes from a sense of feeling and being, not from doing and thinking. You cannot try to be spiritual, or to connect to the Soul. There is a degree of boldness that is required for this to happen, are you willing to trust your senses even when your mind disagrees? Be still, be quiet and feel what is good, feel what is not good then ask yourself why. Human beings have developed spiritual practices as a way to foster their connections to their Souls, other Souls and the physical and etheric world around them. They did this to better understand why everything is the way it is, and to possibly see how it can be improved upon, strengthened or healed. We want to grow and evolved, many of us want to help others do the same. Within the writings of the Soul and the energies around us lie the answers, and spirituality is the tool we can use to decode the messages. The less we boast and brag, and the more we share and connect, the more powerful this tool will become.

---