Making Spirit Personal
Hello to my return journeyers. A warm welcome to my semi-constant journeyers. And, a very special welcome to my new journeyers.
I am so glad you’re here.
If you’re here for the first time – thank you for choosing to be here. If you’re here again, welcome back. Today, I’m choosing to share about my experience of creating relationship with Spirit.
Creating relationship with Spirit is a personal path.
Spirit is the term that I prefer to use to refer to that which is greater than us but unites us together, of which we are a part. For me, Spirit is comparable to Source, Creator, or the Divine.
When referring to the intangible aspects of a being, I prefer to use the term Soul. In my healing work, the Soul is more than the character, personality, persona, or archetype of the person in my healing room. The Soul is the vital life force of the being before me. Sometimes, Soul is used to describe the psyche or essential aspect of one’s being. Sometimes, the Soul is one’s essence or truest aspect of Self.
I believe many of us live a soul-starved life.
The Soul craves nourishment.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Shen (I prefer the term Soul when referring to an individual’s vital essence) is the part of you that allows you to feel connected to both the mundane everyday aspects of life and the sacred aspects of all existence. The Soul or Shen connects you to your purpose or what some would call destiny. The aspect of Self known as the Soul/Shen supports you in being aligned with your truest Self and walking (or moving along) the path of life from a place of authenticity. Your Soul allows you to dream, to imagine, to co-create your reality, to set intentions, and to experience both the mundane and sacred aspects of life as wondrous.
The state of your Soul is an indicator of your overall health and well-being.
Too often, the individuals who find themselves in my healing room on my healing table are dispirited. Individuals in this state have a difficult time showing up in the world in the way they deeply know that they can and cannot seem to connect with themselves, others, Nature, or the world.
The state of your Soul is reflected in your eyes. Eyes that sparkle indicate the Soul is in relatively good condition. Kriket always had clear, sharp eyes. Whenever I was in her presence, it felt as though she could see right into me, and there was always a little twinkle in her eyes. Eyes that are dull and empty indicate that the Soul needs healing. The health and vitality of the Soul/Shen is what allows you to practice awake awareness. Your Soul shares relationship with Spirit in the broader sense and vitality of your Soul is necessary for healthful perception and enlivened intuition.
For me, creating relationship with Spirit was secondary to seeking Soul healing. When I first stepped onto this path, my Soul felt shattered, fragmented, and disconnected.
Creating relationship with Spirit (the divine, Creator, Oneness, Source…etc) is one way to nourish your Soul.
How can you create relationship with Spirit (that which is greater than you, but unites us all together of which you are a part)?
Practice awake awareness
Practicing awake awareness is being with and in your moment-to-moment experience. Many of us, myself included, spend a significant amount of time in either the past or the future rather than the present. Awake awareness is the ability to be in this moment that is happening right now with your whole being. More than likely, if you’re listening to this blog recording, you are also doing something else concurrently (scrolling your phone, driving, working…). No judgment here – I have been known to switch between tasks a time or two or become lost in a train of thought that has left the Future Station. Too often, the demands of our current world ask you to be overly available, responsive, and productive and rob your Soul of the art of practicing awake awareness and being fully present right here and now.
Focusing entirely on your breath – this inhale and this exhale – is one way to practice awake awareness. This inhale. This exhale. Another way is to listen to a drumming track available on The Shaman’s Path and to journey.
Another way to support your Soul in healing is to:
Set clear intentions
My return journeyers, you know that the intention that you hold while journeying is very important. Your intention becomes a guiding light in the journey state and as you travel through the Spirit World (alternate planes of consciousness).
Above all else, making Spirit personal has been the most Soul-healing practice for me.
I have grappled for most of this lifetime to connect to any sense of what is greater than myself and this existence. I have experienced profound moments of connection, such as hiking Berg Lake Trail fully immersed in Mother Nature for three days, backpacking Thailand for six weeks, falling in love and witnessing a being die in my presence. And I have experienced moments of absolute disconnection from Spirit through heartbreak, abuse, death, and personal wounding.
For all the experiences that I have had, Death has been my greatest teacher both in this world and the Spirit World. There are many faces of Death, many unravellings, undoings, and endings that you and I will experience in this lifetime, my dear journeyer.
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Journeying, the practice of entering an altered state of consciousness with the support of the rhythmic percussion of the sacred drum, has allowed me to connect with that which is greater than myself. This connection to Spirit has been deeply healing for my Self and my Soul.
I hope you have found something in my mental meanderings that has spoken to your heart, your Soul, and your being.
If you feel called to explore further, you can explore my Gathered Wisdom section at theshamanspath.ca for gifted resources such as a drumming track and guided meditations.
I hope to see you there.
As always, thank you for your kind attention.
Until we meet again in this time, this place, this space, happy journeying.
-Heather
