How does a spiritual practice work?
You probably have a good idea of why you would do one, or what you hope to achieve or create, but how does it function? I bring this up because I believe having some sense of this helps enhance the results.
For me, there are several components that stand out. As usual, it begins with consciousness.
Consciousness is one of the fundamental spiritual tools. It’s a critical part of almost all the work I do, and a prerequisite for so much of the other important elements of the spiritual path. It’s what allows us to be present to the fullest possible experience of ourselves.
Part of the purpose of a spiritual practice is to help us cultivate greater consciousness. It expands our capacity for finding meaning and connection which makes us more conscious … which in turn allows us to experience more meaning and connection.
Consciousness allows us to see the possibility for something to become a practice, and then also allows us to choose to show up fully, be open, and stay open to the divinity of the moment. For this to work we must choose over and over again, and that’s why it requires practice. The more conscious we are the more conscious we can be.
It is this commitment to regular, intentional engagement with the divine that helps balance out our ego. In this context, consciousness can be understood to mean the awareness of the reality outside the illusion of our ego. The ego loves the idea of pursuing enlightenment and thinking of itself as a higher being, but ultimately it is unable to prioritize anything else over itself, not even your soul.
A spiritual practice can be almost anything. Washing dishes, walking the dog, even making a point of appreciating nature. What turns it into a practice, to a great extent, is the intention. Once we recognize the need or opportunity, then all that is required is the label and the follow through.
Now you are tapping into the unseen, your inner realm, the level of your soul. The spiritual path is a world of abstract energy. That’s why we must train ourselves to tune into it – otherwise it can be easy to miss or misinterpret it. It is where we encounter the deeper meaning and purpose of our journey, not just the patterns of our ego.
Conscious practice converts our choices and actions into rituals, which is what allows that abstract spiritual energy to enter and infuse our “real” world. Rituals and intention help bridge the two realities, and create a place in us for this energy to be received. It is as though it has to go through a transformer to make it usable in this dimension.
If your spirit is prompting you to have a conversation about the relationship between your path and the tribe’s, I encourage you to get in touch with me.