Spirituality Is Not About Spiritual Concepts, It is About You
Being spiritual means being yourself
Many of us who first embark on the spiritual path find ourselves in a frenzy of looking for answers, particularly today in the Information Age.
In fact, I still have 20 unfinished books (4 yet to be started) that I found during this “spiritual frenzy” stage. I’ve also spent money on five courses, two healers and one meditation retreat. As an Aries sun and Sagittarius rising, I’ve got a ton of fire energy. So when I transition, I transition hard.
Before I experienced my spiritual awakening 9 months ago, my worldview could best be described as nihilism. It was a positive lens on nihilism (“Nothing matters, so you might as well do whatever makes you happy”), but it was still nihilism nonetheless. I was atheist and still in the process of completing my double degree in Computer Science and Science. Spirit was not part of my world whatsoever.
So to have my mind opened up to non-physical realms, dimensions and energies was beyond amazing. To realise (or remember) that I am not alone in the universe felt like coming home for the very first time.
I couldn’t get enough. Starseeds! Channelling! Soul contracts! Psychic abilities! Past lives! Chakras! Soul blueprints! Ascension!
Amazing as it was, after a few months, it quickly became information overload.
After all, if your spirituality stops with just the teaching, it isn’t spirituality. You have found just another set of mental concepts.
As Eckhart Tolle says:
“Being spiritual has nothing to do with what you believe and everything to do with your state of consciousness.”
I still intend on reading all the books on my shelf. I still believe the concepts I’ve learned are true. But my primary focus has shifted elsewhere. These days, I focus on deepening my everyday presence and learning to see myself as my soul sees me. The right information will find me when the time is right.
Spirituality is about the energy you carry and bring to the world. It is the way you treat yourself and others. It involves acknowledging your false self, while acting from your true self.
It is in the respect you hold for the planet you inhabit. It is in the way you speak to the cashier like the most important person in the world. It is in the way you eat your toast like it is the last thing you will ever taste.
You are your own guru
Teachers are amazing. Mentors are incredible. Healers are irreplaceable. I’d be lost without them, particularly at the beginning of my spiritual journey.
It is the same thing with spiritual tools. Numerology blew my mind. Astrology, something I once considered pseudo-science, struck awe in my soul. Tarot unlocked doors in my psyche that I didn’t know were there. They have all provided invaluable blueprints for this difficult path more than words can capture. But these tools are ultimately just a few of the infinite roads back to myself.
At some point, you must come to the realisation that you are the one you’ve been looking for.
Whatever their profession, whatever their teaching, whatever their particular flavour of service is — every spiritual guru’s main contribution is to pave the way for you to follow. The journey is still yours to take. Your journey may take you down a different fork in the road. If it does, perfect. You may be here to create something new.
Furthermore, spiritual teachers are not only found in those with the “spiritual teacher” label. Let nature be your teacher. Let your daily life be your teacher. Let the person who cuts you off in traffic be your spiritual teacher. Literally anything and anyone can be your teacher.
Ultimately, gurus reflect back to us what is possible for us. In this way, we can be grateful, but we don’t need to rely on them. We can become our own gurus.
Anything can be your spiritual practice
Spirit is not found only in ashrams and meditation centres and spiritual awakening circles. Spirit is everywhere.
If spirit is the essence of all matter, why should there be any separation between the two?
Spirit is in the ring of a child’s laughter. Spirit is in the soft sway of a tree at twilight. Spirit is in the moment you lock eyes with a loved one. Spirit is in the steam of a freshly boiled kettle. Spirit is in the device you are using to read this.
Sometimes my spiritual practice is meditation, yoga and tarot. Other times, it is reading children’s fiction, masturbation and lying in bed staring into space. (Don’t worry, not all at once.)
Knitting can be your spiritual practice just as much as Hinduism. Dance can connect you to the Divine, as can Daoism.
Anything that deepens your connection to self is a spiritual practice.
There are no rules — don’t listen to dogma or gatekeeping.
Learn to tap into your intuition. Listen to that still, small voice.
Follow the breadcrumbs that it leaves for you.
You may resonate with different things at different points
Something wrong for you at one stage may be the exact medicine you need during another. It doesn’t mean one is better than the other, it is simply what is most appropriate at that moment.
For example, ayahuasca is not for everyone. Ayahuasca is a type of plant medicine borne from the Amazon. Great for purging and healing deep traumas, it is commonly described as “10 years of therapy in one night”. But not everyone has the spiritual maturity for plant medicine. It is not just another weekend party drug, or an inner work ‘hack’.
If taken prematurely or without proper support from an experienced shaman, it can leave one scarred — shutting them down further rather than opening them up. Stories of psychotic breakdowns are not uncommon from those who are not ready. This does not mean ayahuasca is bad — the benefits can be incredible, eye-opening, magical— but it does mean that the decision must be made carefully.
Personally, I know that I’m not ready for it. But who knows what the future holds?
You are allowed to change. You are allowed to want different things. You are allowed to grow out of people, places and things. You are allowed to change your mind on something you once had staunch opinions about. It’s a sign of growth.
Consider the contrary: Imagine if you had the exact same mindset at 18 years old and 60 years old?
Now that would be weird.
Spirituality is primarily about your own connection to the Divine.
If a book, guru, course, teaching, religion, whatever, is taking you further from that rather than bringing you closer, it’s the wrong direction for you. Even if it’s the right path for millions of others, only you know what is right for you. In this moment.
Take what resonates, disregard what doesn’t. Including for this article.
❤
