3.3
February 16, 2016

Living with Spirit & without Rules.

girl art watercolor spiritual

I never liked rules.

Let me restate that: I hate rules!

In fact, I have fought my entire life against any force that may even mildly threaten my free spirit!

What I have discovered as I explore my own spirituality is that there should be no rules about how to be spiritual or live a spiritual life.

No right or wrong way.

Being whole is being you. And, being you is being spiritual. It’s something you already are. It’s something inside of you.

It’s always there.

Anything that brings you closer to who you really are contributes to your spiritual being. Being spiritual is about finding your own way.

What brings you closer to health and happiness?

Often we try to define the “how” we should be or “what” we should do in order to be spiritual. How to achieve this seems to be a great area of exploration, research and debate. We are sold other people’s beliefs that if we do this or that, our enlightenment will happen faster.

Have you ever looked at someone and said to yourself, “Wow, they must be spiritual” as they post Instagram pictures in colorful bohemian clothing while sitting in a meditative pose on a mountain top?

Yeah, me too!

Well, that works for them. It’s okay if that doesn’t work for you.

Wearing bohemian clothing, dancing in the woods under the moonlight and protesting for peace does not in itself make you spiritual.

You can be a strict Catholic, devout Buddhist or extreme atheist and still be a spiritual person, living a spiritual life. You can smoke a pack a day, have a diet solely consisting of meat and potatoes, swear like a truck driver and still be happily connected to your inner light!

You don’t have to be a meditating, organic-eating, hot yoga practicing, chanting guru with no material wealth to be spiritual. You can be a diamond loving diva with a passion for Louis Vuitton handbags (cough, cough, like me!) whose moods are as unpredictable as the clouds above!

For some, drinking a glass of pinot noir and smoking a fat dooby after work brings them closer to peace—closer to who they were meant to be in this life. Closer to themselves.

If you have found a good way to live a life of love, laughter and kindness, you are spiritual and living a spiritual life! What you look like, have or have not accomplished, what you believe or how  you do it is secondary to what you feel inside.

If you feel happy, then there you go—you are one of the more fortunate people living on this precious earth who has found a brilliant way to connect to your soul’s natural rhythm.

If you are feeling a deep connection with yourself, you are living with Spirit.

It isn’t about having a to-do list of full of certain techniques, exercises, or rituals. Spirituality is so ever-changing, ebbing and flowing like the currents of the wind. It isn’t a stagnant concept.

Part of honoring your spirit is growing, shifting and allowing ourselves not to have to do things a certain way, every day. This is where not having rules involved with a spiritual practice is important. Rules put pressure on us. If we break our own rules (for example eating that Big Mac if we are vegan), we end up feeling shame and guilt.

Following a practice of some kind is wonderful, but there must be room for movement. Guidance is great, but a person must be willing to customize, alter and enhance their spiritual ways if they are having a bad day or it doesn’t speak to them any longer.

I always tell my clients: if it doesn’t resonate with your soul, don’t do it!

I am a Shamanic healer who loves glitz and glamour. I drop F-bombs when I’m mad, eat anything from ramen to Whole Foods and love my BMW and mountain home. I wear anything I want, and some days, my so-called “spiritual” practice and words of wisdom fly out the f*cking window!

Being spiritual, for me, is being me at all times!

Accepting myself, loving myself so that I can give freely to others is how I live a spiritual life. I journey to alternate realms in the spirit world every day, but that doesn’t make me more or less spiritual than someone who does not do this.

My way is not your way.

Your way is not my way.

By living our deepest truths, we are instantly “spiritual.”

When you are exactly you, you are accessing your soul’s energy. An infinite well of love. No one is in charge of how you do this but you. Do what works for you without the pressure of what you feel you should or should not do. Some people are promoting an “image” of a spiritual person, but they aren’t sincerely feeling and living a life of gentle love and compassion.

For example, growing up there were a lot of people who went to my church who were hateful and critical people. Were they feeling pure love and connection to their soul?

If you aren’t feeling good on the inside, looking or acting like you’re “spiritual” doesn’t matter! This is your life. Live it how you want.

You do you, and I’ll do me, and we will live a life with spirit and without rules together!

 

Author: Sarah Norrad

Editor: Catherine Monkman

Photo: jeronimo sanz/Flickr 

 

 

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