Greetings!
For me, sometimes, living in the physical has been like standing in the bottom of a very deep, very dark, very empty well yelling, “Hello! Is anyone there? Can you hear me?” And all I could hear was the sound of my own voice echoing back at me.
Other times, it’s been like having one foot in the physical and one foot in spirit, feeling homesick, torn, divided and separated between the two.
Occasionally, it’s been like heaven.
There is very little guidance for most of us on how to heal and unify our spiritual self and our physical self. How to bring our physical lives into alignment with our spiritual lives. How to live a spiritual life in the physical. What does that even look like? Maybe saying prayers before bed as in our childhood? Maybe saying grace before meals? Going to church on Sunday? Is that all there is to living a spiritual-physical life? Probably not. I suspect that very few people walking the planet today have fully integrated their spiritual self into their physical life and body. I suspect that all of our lives would be very, very, very different from how they are right now if we were fully living as spiritual beings in the physical. It has been one of my personal goals in life to work on this conundrum. I know that I can tell you that I have struggled with it for almost as long as I can remember. Maybe you have, too. Or maybe you gave up long ago. Whatever the case may be, stick around a while longer and lets talk about our spiritual self and what it means to live a spiritual life in the physical.
I can look around and tell you what living a spiritual life is not about. My daughter woke up one morning recently to the sound of a car crash. She ran outside and a neighbor told her that someone had hit my daughter’s car and driven off – a hit and run. Thinking that the other car might not have made it very far, my son-in-law went walking and sure enough, there it was about a block away with their car’s tell-tale gas cap embedded in it. Oh, and did I mention that it was also sporting the Christian fish emblem on the back? I’m pretty sure that if the driver had stopped and asked, “WWJD?” the answer wouldn’t have been “RUN!” Why did they run? They were probably drunk and didn’t want to get a DUI. Or maybe it was a joy ride and not their own car or maybe they’re here illegally or they were driving without a license, without insurance or the car had stolen plates. Whatever the reason, I can tell you that living a spiritual life means walking your talk, even when it’s difficult, inconvenient, expensive or uncomfortable. This is an extreme example but it illustrates the physical-spiritual split that exists in the day to day lives of many people. What’s the solution? Well, if you can’t live up to the dictates of your chosen religion, then you might want to choose another one. Choose another one?!!! Yes!!! It’s more important for your insides and your outsides to match than it is for you to fit in with your culture, your family or any external standard, expectation or institution. It’s nearly impossible for you to heal and integrate your spiritual self and your physical self if they are at odds with one another. Bring them into alignment with one another and you can move mountains.
Of course, this may be easier said than done. There are a lot of factors involved in aligning your insides and your outsides as I so elegantly call it. What feels right on the outside may not be right on the inside or vice-versa. As with other aspects, believe it or not, your spiritual self can be wounded and damaged. There is an idea that gets thrown around in some circles that offers an explanation. “Any degree of separation (from God, source or self) can leave an opening for darkness.” Darkness, negativity, evil, interference, wrong-doing, mistakes, lack, limitation, misunderstandings, distortions, etc. can all be seen as different sides of the same coin. The end result is the same – problems in the physical. In fact, you can look at your physical body, life, experiences and relationships to determine the nature and current state of affairs of any or all of your aspects including your spiritual self. Many times, by simply healing the different aspects of yourself, you can greatly improve all aspects of your physical experience. That is one of the blessings of being physical. You get the opportunity to perceive what’s wrong and also the opportunity to do something about it! So, you’re wondering, how do you heal your spiritual self? I’m glad you asked. First off, you need to learn to discern your spiritual self.
Think of your spiritual self as a body very like your physical body that is not confined by physical laws, gravity or 3 dimensional reality. This part of you has the ability to span time, distance, space. It has the ability to be with God. I tend to think of the spiritual self as almost like a bridge between the physical and the spiritual realms. It is a part of you here but is also a part of God, therefore, making time to connect to God connects you with your spirit. Pursuing spiritual practices will also nurture your spiritual self. I would go so far as to say that just simply taking the time, daily, to acknowledge and pay attention to God and Spirit would increase your awareness of your spiritual self, strengthen your connection to your spirit and lead you to incorporate more of your spirit into your physical experience. You will possibly never perceive spirit if you never open your self up to the possibility of perceiving spirit. All it takes is willingness on your part. I know Spirit is just waiting.
Many techniques that heal other aspects can be used to heal your spiritual self such as meditation, prayer and forgiveness work. These spiritual practices and many others that have evolved over thousands of years through thousands of religions and spiritual traditions, are now at your fingertips. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to locate what is right for you. You could go to a different house of worship every weekend of the year and probably not run out of religions to explore in your area. Explore on the internet. Attend classes at the local library and check out spiritual and religious books, videos, CD’s & DVD’s while you’re there. Look everywhere with the expectation that Spirit will help you every step of the way. Open your self up to God and Spirit by assuming that you are never alone and talk out loud (or in your mind if others are around!) to Spirit. Ask questions, ask for help and expect that you are being heard and that you will be answered. You will know when you have found what you are looking for because it will bring you joy and peace. Your spiritual practice and belief system should feed and nurture you physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, energetically. You should not have to force yourself, be bored or unduly stressed by it. It should naturally flow as a part of you because you are a unique child of God, having a unique relationship with Spirit, walking your talk as only you can.
Love, Dawn
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