Where to begin with spirituality and adding it into your life
You know, I have heard a lot of people say to me “I want to start being more spiritual, but I don’t know where to start”.
Something that's interesting is often we don't realise that we are spiritual. If you start being more present to your surroundings and find a practice that works for you (meditation, journaling - whatever it may be), that is being spiritual.
The Google definition of spirituality is “the quality of being concerned with the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things”.
So, all you need to do is, connect with your soul, your higher self, your spirit - whatever you want to call it. Of course, it is all about finding the guidance and the tools that can help you get there.
Connecting with my logo was a spiritual experience
The first time I showed the logo I designed for Essential Shift to some of my girlfriends’ for feedback and it was way before I totally embraced and showcased spirituality in my business. Some of them told me that this logo was deeply spiritual. I didn’t realise it.
As some of you know, I had the privilege of growing up in a family where homeopathy, integrative medicine, western approaches of meditation, chinese medicine, acupuncture, Qigong, EFT energetic healing, etc. were the way to go. So some time, I’m being woo-woo or spiritual without realising it.
Indeed this logo represents the fact that I believe that what you think (in your head/mind), what you feel and are passionate about (in your heart/spirit/soul), and what you are creating (with your hand and will) are deeply connected, hence the logo of my business Essential shift with the 3 circles, which represent these 3 elements.
The reason I'm sharing that story is because some of you are really connected with the Earth, you want to protect the Earth, you're all about sustainability and that's spiritual.
The way I define spirituality is ‘ the experience of oneness’. It is about being one with the Universe and yourself. It is about being at peace and of service. It is about helping other people, being kind and connected within and with everything around you.
It is also the experience of becoming a better person, taking heart led actions. It is about finding inner-peace : a path of fulfillment and contentment.
It is also about how spirituality addresses the question of who you are and why you are here. Do you believe you are here for a purpose, a mission?
So where to begin with spirituality and adding into your life?
It’s not just about the outside manifestation of spirituality: speaking with trendy words, buying crystals, etc.
It’s about connecting deeply within. How do you find this stillness? This inner truth? This deep connection with your higher consciousness? Your unconditional love? Your heart?
In the silence, this space that you have as a divine vessel in this life, you will find your own spiritual approach.
I often encourage my clients to start with the elements to find this connection within themselves and with their outside world.
Also known as Space, Ether is the element of spiritual Connection. It can be physically described as the vibrating field of energy and information that exists around us and within us, it is the place from where our greatest ideas are born.
We invoke Space/Ether for guidance, to comprehend life's mysteries and to practice unity consciousness, knowing that we are intricately connected to all of life, the seen and unseen.
As human beings, connecting to ether was once instinctual, however in this day and age, with so much artificial distraction and information bombarding our senses, humans have largely lost the ability to connect to this divine source. Ether exists within us as intuition, energy and spirit. It is the space from where our epiphanies and grandest ideas arise.
Ether is the vitalizing force of our spiritual body, enabling immense personal growth through the process of remembering your true nature, realising how connected to all of life you are.
So start by making space, prioritising your own spiritual ritual to connect with your own energy, higher self and intuition. It is all in you!
Finding a ritual you feel called to learning about
We tend to look outside of ourselves for rituals inspiration where we could find inspiration.
But what about honoring your roots (which is the first step of the Goddess Method - G: Grow your roots) and connect with a ritual that you were doing with your parents, siblings, grandparents, relatives, friends etc. that nourishes you:
Was it drawing?
Writing in your journal?
Singing?
Dancing?
Meditation?
Bushwalking?
Cooking?
After looking inside for inspiration, you can download my ritual guide if you need inspiration for rituals based on those activities that you loved doing as a child and transform them today into aligned rituals.
Finding a spiritual guide you resonate with
I met my first spiritual guide when I was 5 years old. I was hyperactive & hypersensitive and couldn’t sleep. If we have to put a word on it: I’m ADHD.
My parents decided to take me to a spiritual guide, a friend of theirs, who prepared my mum for giving birth naturally, with whom my dad was practicing qigong, etc. He was in a big house in the middle of the forest close to my parents small village in the south of france where I grew up and I will go and see him weekly and meditate, learn energetic cleansing techniques, Qigong, EFT, etc.
I went back to see him when I was under huge stress in my teenage years and early twenties with my studies and exams. More about this in a previous post.
To find each of my other spiritual guides, I was setting an intention to find them. For instance, on the New Moon Circle about 12 months ago, I mentioned when we shared our intention that I was looking to find a new spiritual guide. One of my friends shared with me instantly the contact of someone in Switzerland that she recommended. She has no website,IG, Facebook etc. It would have been impossible for me to find out about her otherwise. I started working with her and since then I’ve opened a whole new spiritual connection with myself, which my clients directly benefit from.
Another spiritual guide I had is Amma. I didn’t look for her. I wanted to experience what life was like in an ashram and one of them recommended that I visit Amma Ashram in Parayakadavu. Out of all the spiritual places I’ve been in India, I felt deeply connected with her energy. The first time she hugged me, it was such a powerful energy flowing through my whole body. I've already mentioned how I’ve been in her ashram in India ~16years ago. I discovered the power of chanting as a key spiritual practice for me. I’ve since then seen her yearly in France and now every 2 years when she comes to Australia. She is becoming more and more popular so she is less accessible than before but she is still important in my life and her teachings are so heart centered.
But don’t always look for a spiritual guide in India or anywhere outside of your inner circle. My auntie and my dad have been deep spiritual guides for me. If you want to hear more about them and what they brought to me, listen to this podcast interview with Ruby Lee.
I always encourage my clients to be clear with their intention, write down in their synchronicities journal for the synchronicities and then take action if it resonates deeply with your heart.
The way to be sure that the spiritual guide is for you is to connect with your heart and fill an expansion rather than a contraction. When you do that money, time, location and all the other excuses that we may be in the way for you to commit with that spiritual guide will disappear.
Connecting with yourself and the guidance
Something to do that I encourage you to try is to find one of the rituals that is helping you connect with your inner guidance, wisdom, intuition, inner guru and channel it.
You can do that via one of those (non exhaustive and prescriptive lists - find your own magic & approach):
Scripting from your higher self
Oracle Cards to channel the message that you need to know
As mentioned, start a page in your journal with synchronicity & guidance and then be curious to find out what is happening.
Final thoughts
Enjoy, Have fun.
Spirituality needs to be integrated in your lifestyle, not disconnected.
What is the one daily practice that you are ready to commit to NOW? Write it down and try it.
If it is not working out for you, allow yourself to change and choose another spiritual practice.