Unexpected Spiritual Growth

In one of my daily readings last week, I read three different paragraphs that intimated that I could only grow spiritually by attending regular services at a religious center, by meditating on a very consistent basis and by pursuing learning and personal growth from published materials by “experts.” The writings implied that without these frequent prioritized sacred practices, my spiritual growth would be fitful and spotty at best.

Well, I’m not sure about all of that. The way the article was written, I temporarily felt guilty for not attending church every Sunday, for not meditating every day and for occasionally skipping my spiritual studies in favor of the novel that has me turning pages like lightening. I can see that I might feel ashamed because in the past I’ve been told, or told myself, that I “should” be doing all these committed practices on a daily basis to become a spiritually enlightened person.

What I know for myself however, is that some of my most spiritual moments have come upon me when none of the aforementioned circumstances were in place. And some of my impromptu spiritual awakenings have kept me close to a higher Divinity for a very long time. In fact, I have been blessed with many “Ah-ha” moments throughout my life that have dramatically changed my actions and my future from those moments forward.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying that regular, intentioned communion with a Divine Source is not helpful in feeling closer to God (by any name.) What I mean to say is that there’s nothing shameful about being a C and E church goer (you Catholics especially know what that means!) We don’t need to feel guilty about not meditating multiple times a day. And if our journaling and studying have fallen a little behind, it’s not the end of the world. A strong spiritual insight often serves as the beginning of the closeness that we crave from a higher wisdom and a source of peace and love. That closeness can be perpetuated daily by enjoying a field of flowers. We can prolong the sense of our own divinity by listening to a grand, moving piece of music. We can give and receive the great Love of the Divine with the heartfelt hug of someone we love.

So yes, get fed spiritually at a gathering with like-minded people. Practice your meditations and periods of quiet as often as you can. Guidance from the silence will move you to greater imagination, creativity and clarity. When possible, study something that helps you feel more enlightened about healthy physical practices, about peace in your relationships with every earthly being, and most of all, about the greatest Love in your own soul. But try not to get caught up in the pressure of the expectations from others or from yourselves. Blame and guilt can stifle the growth from your sacred practices AND from your unexpected spiritual moments. Your own intuition and inner guidance will get you where you need to go and give you what you need to know at all times and at all crossroads of your lives. Believe it.

Affirmation: I allow myself great passion from my unexpected spiritual awakenings. I now sustain my closeness to Divine Source with a variety of intuitive personal practices.

I now allow, acknowledge, accept and affirm that these things are so.