Why is it hard to walk your everyday life in spiritual shoes?
Why are you wise while practicing your spirituality
and then so often unsure when it comes to making your life choices?
Most spiritual work focuses on personal evolution by giving you skills and tools to grow your spiritual nature.
It is true that you can study how to better know and Trust the Divine Presence in your life. You can also grow your ability to Love yourself and others unconditionally. You can hone your meditation techniques and better allow yourself to find Inner Peace and to connect to your innate Wisdom. You can practice certain techniques to reduce your mind’s influence over your life, and learn how to listen to your Heart. You can find a community that supports your need to pray effectively or that shares your spiritual beliefs.
All of these actions are commendable! All of them will assist you in growing your spiritual nature.
What will probably not happen– is that the courageous, spiritual work you do will have an affect on the life you lead outside of your spiritual community.
Most people attend church (or the spiritual community of their choice) once a week and find salvation, solace, answers or revelation. Then…they come Home renewed and live the same unfulfilled, daily life they led last week!
Why is this true?
Why are most people only spiritual once a week?
What is not happening?
Why aren’t the great lessons we’ve learned not trickling down into our lives in authentic, meaningful ways?
Why do we feel connected, enlightened and wise while participating in our spiritual work in our community of choice – and not when we come home to our life’s journey on Earth?
Most of you reading this are wise. You are not newcomers to spiritual work. You know what to do to live more Truthfully or meaningfully, but can not seem to incorporate it into your everyday life. You know your answers, and you are wise enough to know when you need some assistance. That’s why you are here in this moment...still searching.
So what is happening?
Here are three different reasons to consider:
1) You have not intended to bring your spiritual work to your every day life.
Perhaps your spiritual life is secret or feels too sacred to bring Home. You fear retribution or humiliation. This has probably happened to you in the past, and you have chosen to not share your spiritual beliefs with anyone outside of your community. This could be something you do consciously or unconsciously.
2) You do not know how to bring your spirituality Home.
Perhaps no one has ever taught you how to walk a spiritual life on Earth.
Perhaps a lack of integrative knowledge is the cause of your reticence. You simply do not know how to verbalize your spiritual feelings. This may be further complicated if you harbor any level of spiritual arrogance and think that others will not be able to understand you unless they themselves have performed the same type of in depth work you have. It may be true that others are less learned than you, but there is something to learn from everyone, absolutely everyone – and especially someone you have labeled less spiritual than yourself.
And the last reason why your spirituality may not be present in your every day life:
3) Your spiritual life is governed by factors you are not aware of. Unconscious beliefs may be confusing the outcome of your intentions. It is impossible to recognize what you are not aware of unless you acknowledge your lack of fulfillment and seriously examine your beliefs or search out support.
Whatever the reason…There will be a split between the best of what you know and the life you live. You will be wise on Sunday and a closet spiritualist the rest of the week. When this happens, you lose and so do those around you who could benefit from your wisdom.
Conscious and Unconscious Beliefs
Let’s talk about the affect of conscious and unconscious beliefs on your spiritual nature.
When you choose consciously…you are clear, empowered and open to What Is. How your life unfolds makes sense to you. You see the ramifications of your choices, and when your life does not meet your expectations, you change direction and make new choices.
When you choose unconsciously…you are confused, reduced and prone to feeling victimized. How your life unfolds is a mystery to you. You find yourself facing the same challenges that do not seem to resolve themselves no matter what you do. You feel victim to what happens and are often ineffective with your actions.
As a spiritual seeker you know that you are never punished, that the Divine is ever-supporting you, and that your life unfolds in ways that are perfect to meet your unique needs.
If you feel victim (and most of us do at one point or another as we journey), it is important to remember this: Your intentions direct your life’s journey, and your unconscious beliefs derail them.
You know an unconscious agenda is piloting your life if your spiritual goals are not integrated into your everyday life. For instance: You want to be trusting but you often find yourself needing to get things back into control – or you find that certain people continue to push your buttons – or regardless of your job performance, you are not recognized for your efforts – or no matter what you do your spouse treats you the same way.
If something unconscious is directing your life, you will not know exactly what it is – but you will know it is having an affect on your life. You will feel it. You will see it. You may even taste it!
How to Talk the Talk…and When to Not Talk the Talk
Talking the talk is about your communication with yourself and developing an inner dialogue that allows you to communicate clearly and meaningfully with others. Once you know what you believe, you can integrate it into your everyday life, and you can live your spirituality.
Two of the cornerstones for the spiritual seeker are meditation and prayer. Since you know this to be true then make a commitment to create the time and space for them in your life. This means that your every day should include meditation and prayer.
This first step allows you to begin the integration process. With this promise to yourself, you begin to grow your every day spirituality. Since our goal in this class is to integrate your spirituality into your every day then creating a daily inner practice gives you an aspect of your spirituality to share with others.
There is no need to share exactly how and what you practice, but you can share that you do make time to grow your spiritual nature every day.
Answer questions only as they come to you. (If you preach to anybody, they will tune you out.) Most of your questions will pertain to how you find time to do it, but those closer to you may want to know exactly what you are doing for 20-30 minutes each morning and/or evening. Excellent one word answers are: reflecting, meditating, praying or journaling. There is never a need to explain your process or personal spiritual beliefs unless you are asked.
That being said…there are some safe topics: Unconditional Love, meditation, and the weather. (Yes, the weather! It can be a wonderful, metaphorical barometer for What Is.)
Topics where it is advised that you listen openly to and not share about: The Divine (which includes God, Buddha, Krishna, etc) and personal relationships.
Even if you have training as a spiritual teacher, one of the most important lessons you should have been taught is the power of open listening where you listen with an attitude of complete Faith in the other person’s ability to know their own answers. It is your attentive, Loving silence that allows for the birth of Inner Wisdom in others. This is how you not talk the talk – with wisdom.
Walking the Walk is About Not Walking Anywhere
…but wearing your spiritual shoes with Grace. What does this mean?
Who you are spiritually is in your Beingness or the resonance you carry with you in every moment of your every day. It is not about where you go. It is not about what you do. It is about who you Be.
This Beingness is seen and felt when you get clear on your spiritual beliefs, when you are authentically you, when you risk being who you are a Heart…It is then that Grace speaks reverently.
Once you are comfortable in your spiritual shoes then you can attempt to walk your dualistic life on Earth in them. An attitude of Reverence will serve you well as you walk. Trust you will be taken exactly where you need to go.
Trust everything you see, hear and touch has been placed before you out of Divine Inspiration.
Integrating your spiritual and Earthly natures is challenging, but the rewards of living in the flow of What Is without judgment or agenda is a blessing in itself.
The less you resist your life, the healthier you will be physically, the more joyful you will feel emotionally, the clearer your thoughts will be, and the deeper your spirituality can evolve.
Walk with Faith not dictates.
Walk with others not arrogance.
Walk in Harmony with all schools of thought and all spiritual doctrine.
Walk with an open Heart that welcomes All That Is.
Know yourself with clarity, so others can learn who they are by your example.
Be more yourself so you do not have to assert yourself.
Aspire to be less your self, less a piece of the Whole – and more an integral aspect of the Whole.
……………………………………………………………………………………………
Written by Corinne S. Ramage, Leader in True Wellness® Studies
Creator of The Spiritual Healthcare Network of online programs
Author of “The Art and Practice of True Wellness” and other titles
