What is your spiritual compass? Where do you turn to to understand your circumstances and to find meaning in your life’s journey? In order words, what are your spiritual beliefs? If don’t have any, why not? What is stopping you from connecting beyond yourself to God, Source, Creator, or Universe for answers and support?
When I talk about spirituality, I do not mean religion. If you have religious beliefs, that’s wonderful. Are they serving you? Do you feel less than because of your religious teachings? If yes, then it’s time to look elsewhere for what you spiritually believe in.
Unfortunately, in my opinion, most religions keep people from truly connecting with God. They teach that God is a punishing God. They want to remove you from directly connecting and forming your own relationship with him. They do this by telling you that you are sinful. That in order for you to receive salvation, you need to repent your sins. Again, this is not done between you and God. Religion creates a middleman – priest, rabbi, pastor, clergy – that you go to to confess your sins or seek salvation through. This is not connecting to God. This is affirming you are not worthy to connect to God, and nothing can be further from the truth!
I am not saying you can’t connect directly with God through your religion. I know many who pray and hear God and have a beautiful relationship where they feel supported and loved. If you have created this for yourself, then continue to do what supports you. For many, religion will feel restrictive or diminishing.
When children are raised in a specific religion, there typically comes a point in their life when they start to question what they have been taught. This is normal and a good thing because each individual person needs to find their own spiritual compass and what it means to them to be in relationship with God, Source, Creator, or Universe. You get to choose what you believe in because your truth is the only thing that matters.
I started questioning my Greek Orthodox teachings at an early age. As a young woman, in a Greek patriarchal upbringing, it was evident to me that indoctrinated religion was propagated by men to keep women in a submissive role. Men were only allowed to become priests. Women were not allowed inside the altar. Women were told they couldn’t touch the icons or receive communion when they were menstruating. This seemed ludicrous to me. How was this connecting with God? It wasn’t.
For myself, I took a very alternative route to finding my spirituality and my connection with God. I sought out indigenous teachings and energy work through Reiki and other modalities. I was interested in Eastern philosophies, understanding chakras, and shamanic teachings. It was a mishmash of different books, courses, trainings, retreats, and travel.
Photo by Mikhail Nilov on Pexels
This, of course, will likely not be your path, but I hope you decide to embark on one in order to find a deeper connection with God, Source, Creator, or Universe. You can do this by listening to what interests you. Go to the book store and see what books peak your interest and start reading. Take courses or go on spiritual retreats. Take what resonates and leave the rest behind. This is how you will develop your own spiritual beliefs. Meditation is another great place to start to connect and listen to your own higher knowing about what spirituality means for you. Have open conversations with people about their spiritual beliefs and again take what resonates as your truth and leave the rest.
My spiritual journey and beliefs have developed over 40 years. There are still new things I am learning and incorporating into my own personal truths about how we have come to be here as spiritual beings experiencing a human life, understanding my connection to God, Source, Creator, Universe, and engaging through prayer and ceremony to support my healing and growth.
I hope you take the time to start to seek out your own answers. If you already have developed your spiritual beliefs, don’t stop there. Keep learning, questioning, and growing!
Find out more about Reiki, shamanism, and other spiritual teachings in the multi-award-winning book Embodied: How to Connect to Your Body, Ignite Your Intuition, and Harness Universal Energy for Healing.
With Blessings,
Vicky xo