Have you ever heard people say, I’m spiritual not religious and wondered what the heck they meant by it?
Most likely, this person went on a spiritual journey and found their own relationship to the all and to the “higher self” versus an indoctrinated one born out of custom and tradition.
A spiritual journey has different meanings for different people. A spiritual journey can be framed from a religious perspective or rite of passage. Additionally, it could look other-worldly like an extra-dimensional kind of experience as an out-of-body experience.
Your spiritual journey could even unfold from a drug induced hallucinogenic trip; as would be the case with ayahuasca; a treasured spiritual aid used by many shamans and indigenous peoples from the Amazon.
The Start of Your Spiritual Journey
Your spiritual journey can start unintentionally or from a point of unawareness. Whichever way the journey begins for you, one thing is clear, life will answer your inner most calling. Moreover, it will introduce you to new experiences and situations that can have life long impact.
As you begin your spiritual journey, you will start to see your reality through a different perspective. You may begin to operate at a higher level of awareness that gives your reality new meaning. In addition, you may begin to journey into a life of higher consciousness and expanded awareness.
Many people go through a period of inner exploration that requires some degree of isolation. Personally, I find that the greatest challenge in finding your spiritual dimension is in being able to incorporate your spiritual principles into your daily life and this modern world, as well.
As a consequence of your spiritual search, you will encounter many synchronicities in your life. Information will come to you through various modes. You may find it in books, media, conversations with others or just by engaging all your senses. Some information may come to you intuitively, by way of dreams or just a “gut” feeling or a knowing.
The Unintentional Spiritual Journey
Your spiritual journey may start unintentionally where you may not be conscious that you are seeking greater meaning in your life. You may also feel that something is missing in your life. Perhaps, you are not feeling at your best, physically, mentally and/or emotionally.
An unintentional journey toward becoming more spiritual is often the result of a catalyst or catastrophic event in your life. These events could have been experienced through the death of a loved one, a divorce, or the result of some illness, to name a few.
As you venture into the unknown, doors will open to new ideas, experiences and perceptions about your reality.
Ramona Diaz
A personal crisis can trigger a desire to dig deeper into the core of the cause and shift your view of your reality. This journey into the depth of your disruption can catapult you into finding meaning and purpose in your life. Furthermore, as you venture into the unknown, doors will open to new ideas, experiences and perceptions about your reality.
The Intentional Spiritual Journey
Coincidentally, your spiritual journey can also start intentionally with awareness. Perhaps, you have been thinking about life and your existence for some time. You may conceivably, have a list of questions in your mind that may look something like this:
- Who am I?
- What’s my life’s purpose?
- What is our biggest distraction in this life?
- What am I missing?
- Is this all there is?
- What happens after death?
- Are we alone, or are we more?
- Is current religion serving its’ purpose?
- How do I attain the greatest wisdom? Who will it serve?
- What is GOD? How to describe GOD?
Your spiritual quest is a continual process that requires consistently doing the inner work. For instance, this work involves looking at your relationship to yourself with regards to beliefs and thoughts of who you are. In addition, evaluating your relationship to others and all things to arrive at an understanding that we are all connected and come from the same source. In fact, we arrive at the understanding that we are all One.
Taking care of your spirit by consciously working toward becoming more enlightened and aware of all that you are connected to will bring about the shift in consciousness that you are pursuing. If you are interested in reading more on the benefits of becoming more spiritual and why it matters you can read my other post here.
As you move away from the typical social and traditional customs, and societal “thinking” norms, you move from being unconscious to being more conscious and fully aware.
You will begin to understand the “mysteries” of life as you experience a more expanded version of yourself and come to understand that who you are includes all parts of life.
Scenario of a Spiritual Quest
Lets look at a scenario of a person who decides to go on a spiritual journey. Let’s imagine that person is you.
You are living a “normal” life like everyone else. You live with a family unit that has certain expectations of you. So, there is an expectancy that you will follow certain established traditions, beliefs and customs. In addition, there are societal norms, laws and regulations that you must also follow.
The Circle & The Spiral
The circle is safe and comfortable, but it keeps you in your comfort zone, limiting your growth. Your life path is predictable, similar to a linear equation going from point A to point B, from birth to death, that ultimately forms the circle of life that we have learned to live by and accept.
Now, one day you have an awakening of a certain nature and realize that you want more from life. As a result, you begin to see that the circle is a closed system that makes new information very hard to get in. Consequently, it just keeps repeating the old patterns that have been taught, accepted and espoused as truths.
You decide to step out of the circle to find new meaning and purpose to your existence. Coincidently, some people literally take off on a physical journey, however, this is not necessary. You can figuratively leave the circle, that paradigm and belief system to expand your awareness of your existence.
As you leave the comfort zone, you enter the spiral. In essence, the spiral is an open system where information moves freely, hence, you have access to information that would not have been readily available to you in the circle. In addition, spiritually speaking, the spiral represents our connectivity to the divine. It also, represents evolution and growth of the spirit.
So, in this new configuration, you are able to move upward and into a new dimension of your being. To put it another way, you go from an ego based reality to a spiritual one. Hence, this sets the stage for your spiritual journey and your one on one experience with the divine.
A Way To Consciously Begin The Journey
If you think you may be ready to start a spiritual journey or simply want to explore the subject more, The Power of Awareness, is an in-depth mindfulness training program created to help you take the next step in your personal and spiritual evolution.
Are you feeling like you wake up to an endless list of “To-dos” and go to bed like you haven’t accomplished anything?
Or you wake up to a day full of meetings and interactions with others, yet you crave for a deeper sense of connection?
The Power of Awareness course consists of 26 video trainings full of mindfulness concepts, community mentoring, a lifetime access and a Certificate from the University of California, Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center and the Awareness Training Institute.
When you begin to understand the transformative, healing power of mindful awareness, you dramatically shift the experience of your life, the people in it, and the world itself.