5 Things I Appreciate About My Previous Spiritual Paths

Many people who leave the religious beliefs that they were brought up in harbor a great deal of negativity towards that religion. There are few who can look back on that journey and pick out a few aspects of it that can be appreciated. 

Why should we "appreciate" something we walked away from, you ask? Well, for one thing, that path that we WERE on helped to bring us to the path we are currently on! So, in many cases that path was a necessary part of our journey to bring us to the path we may be on currently. And there's something to be said for that! 

Here are 5 things that I have come to appreciate about the spiritual paths and religions that I was a part of before coming to my current spiritual path!

1. Those paths taught me the meaning of DOGMA!

From Wikipedia... Dogma is an English term transliterated in the 17th century from Latin (Latin dogma) meaning "philosophical tenet", derived from the Greek 'dogma' (Greek δόγμα) meaning literally "that which one thinks is true" and 'dokein' (Greek dokeo) "to seem good."

As I journeyed on my previous paths, it became very clear to me that we were to accept particular "truths" without question. Oh, I know, there are many people in those previous paths that will shout out 'No! Not true! You are always able to question!' But to them I say hogwash! I had seen it first-hand that certain questions were frowned upon or simply left unanswered as the inquirer was made to feel "less than". 

I have seen dogmas defend themselves regardless of the alternative facts presented. And I have seen faithful believers cling to dogmas, creating a false sense of security in their lives. 

And it was in seeing these things that I began to fully understand the meaning of religious dogma and how significantly it impacts the lives of so many people. In this knowledge, I became even more adamant on questioning everything that was presented to me, as I began to equate religious dogma to the image in my head of a horse with blinders on. 

2. Those paths gave me a foundation of "religious knowledge".

I've always believed that knowledge of any sort is powerful. And so it has proven true with religious "knowledge" as well. Despite the fact that I may not subscribe to the "knowledge", having that background has helped me to question things that I had formerly accepted as truth. Had I not had this indoctrinated education, I would not have been able to put some of the pieces together to even begin to question them. 

As an example- if I were to look at a major religion that I have little knowledge about, and someone were to state a "fact" about that religion; I would not be able to debate it or discuss it with considerable certainty as I have little knowledge of those "religious facts" (as they are taught). Knowing the historical basis of certain religions has helped me to see a BIGGER PICTURE in regards to religion and its place in history. 

3. One path showed me the reverence of RITUAL

Fun fact... I went to Catholic High School. I can recall having to attend "chapel" and often bailing out of it to hide out in the Guidance office... or anywhere really! Well, this one day I had nowhere to go and we were all corralled into the chapel. As I surely wasn't interested in what was being said, and couldn't hear most of it anyway; I was whispering about something completely off topic to the friend sitting at my side. It was then that one of the teachers pulled me aside and explained the importance of showing respect and reverence despite the fact that I may not follow that path. 

From that point on, I would attend and sit in respect. And in doing so, I observed those "rituals" and the more active participants. I realized that when performing a ritual of ANY sort, one is showing respect, not just to the faith, but to the energies and deities that you are calling upon. This respect for the reverence of ritual practices made it a natural progression for me when I began to show reverence for my ancestors while on my current path. 

4. My previous religion showed me that what someone does within church walls is not as meaningful as what one does outside those walls.

I can remember sitting in a service years ago and hearing the preacher flat out tell everyone that "we do no good while sitting here, the only real good we can do is that which we do outside of these walls". He then went on to say that it didn't even matter that all of us were sitting in that church if what we did outside of those walls didn't show others that we live our beliefs. 

This was probably the last time I even sat in a "church" to be honest! For it was then that I had the epiphany that how I lived my life was of far greater importance. This realization instilled in me the importance of "living my truth". 

5. I appreciate that one path taught me to "Avoid the Appearance of Evil"... and here's why!

I can remember arriving to an evening church service in my beat up Dodge Aspen with newly applied Grateful Dead stickers plastered all over it. Oh, the looks I got! At the time, I was young and absolutely had no idea what the big deal was! Finally, one of my friends pulled me aside and explained the "evil" in that music and why it "didn't look good" that I had those stickers on my car. 

He went on to share a (hypothetical) story about a man who is seen parked in front of a liquor store even though he had been going into the adjacent food market. Explaining that because he happened to be parked in front of the liquor store, should someone impressionable see his vehicle there; it may cause that impressionable person to lose their faith. 

Hmmm..... well, I can tell you it didn't change my mind about the stickers OR the music; but it did bring to light a more powerful message in my eyes. People will judge you based on what they see, even if they aren't seeing the whole picture. 

What are some of the things that YOU appreciate about the spiritual paths you have been on in your life? (The ones that you are no longer following that is!)

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Push Through the FEAR... Go LIVE!!

"Push through the fear... for what lies on the other side is success". 

This simple quote has been one of my go-to mantras for the past year or so. On the surface, it is simply a quote. Nothing more. And many may wonder how a simple quote, thought of regularly, can actually produce tangible changes in ones life. 

A while ago, my spiritual mentor gently encouraged me to begin doing "LIVE" Facebook videos. The mere thought of that scared the shit out of me! In retrospect, I'm not really sure exactly WHAT I was afraid of. Oh, sure, I had my "reasons"! 

"What if nobody showed up?" Or even worse... "What if ANYBODY showed up?!?!" "What would I talk about?" "What if someone asked a question and I didn't know the answer??" 

I'm not really sure WHY these issues were my concern, but for some reason, they were. And the thought of pressing that LIVE button left me with a knot in my stomach that was akin to an ulcer! 

So, even though I knew in my mind that my fears were unreasonable, the fear itself was valid. It was real. And through the months... yes, MONTHS... of contemplating this task... I began to realize that this particular fear was holding me back. Even more than that, I was ALLOWING this fear to have power over me!

I realized that I wasn't getting to the root of this issue. I wasn't able to figure out WHY I had this particular fear and WHY this particular fear seemed so out of proportion to any other fear at the time. And each time I would do a Channeling Session for myself or Meditate and connect with my own Spirit Guides for insight I would get the same response: Just do it, Push through. 

Just Do It!

Finally, one day, I looked at this quote yet again and decided to "just do it". Enough of trying to analyze it and get to the root of the issue. Because, quite frankly, my own avoidance of a task was beginning to annoy ME!!! So, I started by doing a sort live session in one of the smallest and inactive groups I have! I then moved on to slightly larger groups and for just a little bit longer of a time. Before I knew it, I began to actually LOVE doing videos! 

From that point on, I realized that whenever I got that "pit" in my stomach, that irrational "pit" of fear; that was my cue to break through that "fear barrier". I had to trust that only in breaking through it, would I be met with success. 

I challenge you to think about that one thing that you are afraid of doing. Put all of your "reasons" aside and just "DO IT"... even if it means that you are doing it AFRAID. Push through, get it done and meet me on the other side! 

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Making Connections

Making Connections. This is something so often talked about. I hear it in entrepreneur groups speaking of making meaningful connections with people in business. I hear it in my spiritual community in regards to making solid connections with our ancestors, spirit guides and deities. One is very much on the physical realm while the other is clearly on a more spiritual plane. As above, so below and thus both being of equal importance. 

Often times, spiritually minded people may neglect to nurture their relationships on the physical plane. We spend quite a bit of time connecting with our guides in meditation; and experience the incredible bliss that offers, that we spend more time seeking THAT and less time "dealing with people". 

Alternately, there are those who spend a great deal of time developing relationships "in real life" (or IRL, as I've come to know!) that they either neglect or just don't find time to work on nurturing their spiritual connections. The connections with other humans on this physical plane brings joy and a feeling of belonging. Furthermore, we actually LIVE on this plane of existence, and, let's face it.... our ideal clients are other humans, not spirit guides!! 

As a spiritually minded entrepreneur, I have come to realize the importance of finding a balance in our connections. For me, as an Evidential Medium and probably as an introvert; I find making those spiritual connections a whole lot easier than making those connections on the physical plane. But, I know for many others... (those more extroverted than me).... making spiritual connections and taking time to "just sit" and meditate can be as daunting for them as making physical connections can be for me!

What are some ways you find that balance between maintaining your spiritual connections and still nurturing and growing your physical connections?

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Spirit Guides... say whaaaat???

We've all probably heard people talk about their spirit guides, but what - or who - are they actually referring to when they say that? 

It's been said that Spirit guides are incorporeal beings that are assigned to us before we are born that help nudge and guide us through life. They're responsible for helping us fulfill the spiritual contract we make with ourselves before we incarnate. (link here). And I believe this is an excellent description of who or what spirit guides ARE. 

Do they speak to us? Can we speak to THEM?

Spirit guides are here to help us to navigate through this life of ours. They are always available to us if only we take some time to listen to what they're saying and connect with them. They communicate with us in a variety of ways, primarily through our "sixth sense" or intuition. When you get those gut feelings (clairsentience) it is often the result of your spirit guides sending you a message about something or someone. 

Sometimes, spirit guides will speak to us by showing us physical signs. You may see a bumblebee at a time of year that bumblebees shouldn't even be around. Or you may see repeating numbers pop up each time you look at a clock or when you get a receipt back from the store. Looking up the symbolic meaning of the things you notice will help to clarify the message the spirit guides are giving you. 

Other times, our spirit guides may come to us in dreams. This is why it's important to keep a dream journal near your bed; so you can write it down as soon as you wake up and before you forget the dream! Later on, you can research the symbolic meanings of the various aspects of your dream to get clarity on the message! 

If you haven't already noticed, there's a theme here... Spirit tends to speak in symbols! This can make it a bit challenging for many people to determine the actual message, but the symbolic meanings are often easily found online when you take the time to look into them. 

So, how can you better connect with YOUR spirit guides? 

The key is to pay attention to the signs! Trust that the messages that you're receiving through your intuition or dreams is coming from a place of unconditional love and support for you. Speak to them. And even more importantly, ask them to show you signs and help give you direction. Alternately, you can easily find fabulous spirit guide meditations or sleep hypnosis tracts on YouTube which offer a guided method to connect with your guides. This is particularly useful for many of us who may have difficulties with meditation or even focus. 

I challenge you to make one small effort to connect with YOUR guides. 

Before going to bed at night, focus on a question. Ask your guides to show you a message in your dreams. And when you wake up, write it down right away! OR... ask them to give you a sign during your day regarding your question and make sure to pay attention as you go about your daily activities for any signs you may encounter. Be sure to thank them for the signs! 

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