Recently a reader asked me this question: “Sometimes I feel like I lose track of my spiritual self. I go through my day doing what I need to do to pay the bills and exercise and spend time with my family, and then occasionally I realize it’s been months since I felt connected to my spirituality. Do you have any advice or tips for staying connected?”
I do! Let’s discuss…
Identify the Parts that Matter
First it’s important to get a lock on what you consider your spiritual side. What does that look like for you?
Is it attending a religious meeting? Meditation? Practicing astral projection or lucid dreaming?
Is it reading books, going to seminars, or being in an online group with people just like you?
Is it writing or speaking publicly about your beliefs? Teaching others on the path?
When time is somewhat limited due to all the responsibilities you have, you must pinpoint and hone in on the aspects of your spirituality that are most important to you so that you can ensure you incorporate those aspects instead of the ones that don’t matter as much to you.
So make a list and get clear on how you define your spiritual side.
List the Ways You Want to Connect
Next, list the activities and practices that allow you to experience your spirituality.
For example, if you want to discuss your spirituality with others of like mind, do you want to do that in person or online?
If you like reading books, make a list of the books you want to read.
If you want to increase your connection to the other side, do you want to do that alone or work with a teacher?
Identify your spiritual modalities so you’re clear on what you want to do.
Set Aside Time
This is the big one. You may know exactly how you want to connect to your spiritual side but feel like you don’t have enough time in your day or week to do it.
So you must make an appointment with yourself and set aside time or it may never get done. Don’t keep pushing it to the back burner.
Adopt habits that will support the ways in which you want to connect.
For example, if you want to connect with your spirit guides or higher self and you’ve decided you want to do that alone instead of with a group or teacher, then perhaps you can do a meditation 10-15 minutes before you go to sleep. Or you can do it upon first awakening.
If you want to read certain books, decide on a reading time that you keep like it’s an appointment.
If you want to go to a seminar or retreat, book the travel and buy the tickets. Put it on the calendar and go!
Honor your time commitment with yourself the same way you get to work on time (hopefully!) or exercise or take your kid to soccer practice. The habit will propel you forward so you make progress on your spiritual goals.
Express Your Spirituality with Others
A good way to maintain a connection with your own spirituality is to spend time with people who have similar philosophies.
You’ll have someone to talk to and bounce ideas off of. Someone who can share their insights and perhaps enhance your own understanding of a spiritual concept. Perhaps even a future romantic partner who has a compatible identity.
If you’re very introverted and you don’t want to discuss your beliefs openly, you may be able to find an online discussion forum and maintain your anonymity as you still connect with others who share your journey.
Check In Periodically
Your beliefs and desires may change over time, so check in once in a while to see if your current spiritual practices are still working for you.
Perhaps you want to take a break from reading books.
Perhaps you want to expand or contract the time you spend in meditation.
Perhaps you want to leave theory behind and try doing intuitive readings for friends and families.
Take stock of your program and make sure it still suits you. If not, make changes, make a new list, set aside a different day or a different time, connect with different people, explore new spiritual concepts.
Being in tune with your spirituality is important. It’s always there under the surface but if you can make it a conscious activity and give it time, attention, and focus, it can really make a positive impact on your life and the lives of those around you.
