The What, When, Where, How, and Why of Spiritual Growth
I would like to preface this particular blog post with love and compassion for all of you. Spiritual Growth, to me, is the most important work that a soul can undergo, but it takes courage and stamina to keep moving forward through the lessons and the work that it entails. I can tell you that I know the journey well, and there are many others out there that know it, too. We are all here at this time to assist you in your personal evolution, so we did the heavy lifting on ourselves with the help of those who came before us, and on whose shoulders on which we stand. Below is one explanation of the journey of Spiritual Growth and how we move out of suffering and fear to discover all the love, forgiveness, and compassion that is there waiting to be uncovered inside of your own, beautiful hearts.
To begin, the “What” of spiritual growth is the emotional grist for the mill inside of each of us. It is the suffering that we may have felt at the hands of others or perhaps by the actions of ourselves. This causes the painful rift and separation from what we need most from ourselves and others: Love. The rift may be born of the misunderstandings, ignorance, and the inability to cope with life as it is, and how that lack of coping leads others and, yes, ourselves, to act out in harmful ways. Sometimes it is hurtful words that pierce our hearts and souls, other times it can be physical abuse that the body sadly remembers and stores in its cells. It can come out of hatred, fear of differences, how we were raised, cultural biases, and the resulting low self-worth and self-hate. What I have observed over my lifetime, is that we will all be broken by life at some, significant, inflection point. This brokenness is the “what” that becomes our spiritual homework to heal and to grow from emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually. When this happens, we actually have the most amazing opportunity, even if it does not feel like it. We can change the trajectory of our lives at times like these! Please let me explain, the “what” that we may have hidden from ourselves for decades, because it is just too painful to remember, is exactly what we need to go bravely into and examine fully. It has been like a persistent toothache, and it has been negatively influencing us and how we relate to the world since it happened! This ”what” calls each of our hearts, minds, and souls to unearth it, to remember it, to heal it, and then, God bless us, to grow from it. It is heralds the season of our “Spiritual Spring” and it is high time, the “When”, to go inside of ourselves for the tilling of the soil of our souls. Our work is to remove any rocks, sticks and stones, and panful debris before we create room in our hearts to plant new seeds of love, compassion, and forgiveness to grow. And I promise you, they will grow and change your life.
The ”Where” of Spiritual Growth is deep inside of each of us. All that we need to know is stored within each and every one of us with no exceptions. Whether we go seeking out this knowledge is our choice. If we choose this journey, we will need to allow ourselves to go deep inside our memories, wherever they are stored in our physical bodies, our emotions, our minds, and/or in our hearts, and our energy systems. It is the deepest form of personal, spiritual archeology. We will need to allow ourselves to allow the pace to be determined by our psyches and souls, while allowing gentle, organic access to these places where we have held our woundedness. Most often we seek help from a professional to guide us through these deep digs needed to uncover the finds of our emotional history. And as we brush off each artifact, each shard of our wholeness, this is where the healing begins to take place. We will identify our finds and begin the process of understanding how they got there and why. It will take time, love, and gentle patience to access all the locations the pieces of our souls are buried within the recesses of ourselves. We have already had more than enough self-judgement, rushing away from ourselves, and dealing harshly with our pain.
We have many choices as to “How” we will go through our spiritual growth. The options availed to us in this century are expansive and ae even still expanding. We need to keep in mind that this “How” may also change over time determined by our needs and our growth. There is a myriad of mental health practitioners, wholistic health practitioners, alternative wellness practitioners, and many forms of spiritual healers. There are new psychological techniques, like NMDR for PTSD and trauma, out there that are well worth exploring. We also need to keep in mind that everyone’s journey is unique unto themselves. Judgement needs to be put aside as we find our way to “HOW”. Choosing healing modalities can be done with well-intended advice from outside of ourselves and by listening to our inner selves. Allow yourself time to research a practitioner thoroughly to see if they are a good fit for you. You may even have an intuitive feel about each possible candidate. YOU can even buy a half hour of their time for a consultation to see if they are right For You. Remember, you and you alone are in charge of who you allow into your heart and mind.
One safe and important “how”, that I highly recommend for anyone, is to learn silent or guided meditation. Hands down, in my sincere opinion, a meditation practice is The Number One, Most important “how” that is crucial to Spiritual Growth. I have found it to be The Single Best vehicle for deep, inner reflection and connecting with our souls. We learn to be with our entire selves, warts, and all. We feel what we are feeling inside of ourselves, we connect to ourselves in the most intrinsic of ways, and we learn to “just be” with ourselves. Through a consistent meditation practice, Self-Understanding, Self-Acceptance, Self-Forgiveness, Self-love, Self-Worth and Self-Esteem are waiting inside of each of us to be rediscovered. By going inward, we can find all the fragments of ourselves and lovingly put them back together for a purer reflection of just who we truly are as a human and spiritual being. This is the treasure trove that is waiting for us, if we just sit with ourselves for 20 minutes a day in meditation.
Another important “how” is called spiritual healing or energy healing. This is a modality that allows, layer by layer, for the excavation of any blocked or unhealthy energies stored in the body, mind, emotions, and soul to be released and transformed. I have had the good fortune in my life to work with my Mentor, Elizabeth K. Stratton, one of the foremost, Psychic Energy Healers and Spiritual Counselors of her day. So, I have first-hand experience in this deep, life changing work. I have walked through the chaos and the war within myself with her loving guidance and I truly know from whence I speak on this topic. She healed my life and then mentored me to be the Spiritual Healer that I am today. I am forever in her debt and hope to carry the torch forward to light the way for those of you who are seeking your spirit within.
Lastly, we come to the “Why” of Spiritual Growth. I could tell you the truth that it is our soul’s destiny to come here to Earth to learn and grow spiritually. I could tell you that I believe that this is the single most important thing in life that we can do. I can also tell you that the most radical thing that we can do is to change ourselves from within, and that by doing so there will be the most dynamic ripple effect throughout our families and even the world. All of this is the truth as I know it to be. But I will offer this more down to earth and practical “why” for you – why continue to carry the burden of pain and suffering inside of yourself that will only serve to fester and grow inside of you until you are in severe mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual anguish like I, and so many others were or actually are??? I personally went through the dark night of the soul for many, many years. I tried every known allopathic remedy out there, but it wasn’t until I went inward, with Elizabeth’s tireless and loving guidance and spiritual healings, that I finally found and healed myself. From this work, I have grown on an exponential scale spiritually and I am living the best years of my life as a result. I wish this for you and for all beings on this planet and then some!
So, with this, I leave you all with the blessings of our Creator and the Angels that guide you. Please know that they are here supporting you every step of the way and that you are never alone. As an added bonus of spiritual growth, as you connect with your Spirit within you will also connect to your own Guardian angels and Guides when you are ready! They are happily awaiting the day when they can offer you direct guidance from them!
With much love,
Jean