Taking the spiritual path

Spirituality – Some may think of Tarot Cards and Angel Messages, others might associate hours of meditation with it.

Spirituality can have various shapes and forms and it basically is what you make it to be.

In my personal practice and evolvement, I have tried many things; from shamans to crystals, tarot readings and other witchy rituals up to the use of medicine plants and mushrooms, to ayahuasca and much more.

I simply needed to try out everything before finding out what is right for me. I ended up becoming a Yoga teacher and Tantra practitioner, integrating shamanic rituals and long meditation sessions into my (almost daily) life.

So, let me take you on my personal journey and find out why you absolutely need to become a spiritual person, too – no matter in which shape or form.

I started meditating 7 years ago and let me tell you I found it difficult beyond words to get the hang of it.

My goal was to sit in silence for only 5 minutes – and those 5 minutes felt like hours. It was just so difficult to sit in silence and be in the NOW. The present moment, up to this day, is still one of the most challenging parts in meditation. And I think also in life generally. Think about it; When you are having your first morning tea or coffee, what do you think about? Are you only enjoying the coffee/tea, or is your mind already planning the day ahead? To me it was, and often still is, the latter. Also, when we are in the car, are we driving the car, or are we thinking about our meeting already? Maybe daydreaming about something or thinking about a difficult conversation we have had?

It is just really difficult, to be where we are, right here and right now.

It takes a lot of practice to be able to be aware of the present moment as it is.

But why practice it? Why do we need it in the first place?

One of the reasons is for us to be able to see things as they are. In the buddhist tradition it is called “Vipassana”, and the buddhist monasteries offer vipassana retreats to give us the feel of it. Those retreats consist of hours of meditation and selfless service. When meditating in a steady posture, it is very likely for us to feel bodily sensations and discomfort. In Vipassana we learn to dissociate with the sensations we are feeling. We are not our sensations, emotions or discomfort, and by acknowledging that we are not that, we dissociate from suffering, which will lead us liberation.

The thought of suffering and how it is inevitable in life is a big thought in yogic, tantric and buddhist traditions.

In Yoga we find the concept of “Avidya”, which means not seeing things as they are. If we feel pain and say “I am in pain”, it means we are associating ourselves with the pain at hand. Instead saying “I feel pain”, we realize that there is a sensation, but we are not our sensation.

So, meditation and awareness is the go-to tool to distance ourselves from our feelings, emotions and sensations and allows us to bring things into perspective, not only during meditation but also in everyday life. This was probably my biggest accomplishment when starting meditation. I know meditate usually for 40 minutes and every single time my leg falls asleep. It is a super uncomfortable feeling but I now got used to it and know this is a sensation that will eventually pass. I managed to dissociate myself from that feeling of discomfort.

A really great book on awareness is by Nevill Goddard, it is called “The power of awareness”. Highly recommend it.

I think it all starts with meditation and an increased awareness for us to be able to dive deeper into the spiritual realms of self-discovery and personal development.

When we conquer our mind and learn that we are not what we think, and that thoughts and emotions arise and pass, we are setting the path to growth.

To me, this is what spirituality is; it is nurturing ourselves and being kind to ourselves. It is learning to control our emotions and explore ourselves in multiple different ways.

I have always been extremely interested in psychology and love to interweave spirituality, esoteric practices and psychology together. To me, all of these are interconnected and I like to be realistic on things.

Now let me explain the tarot cards, which is something that is more on the esoterical side of the spectrum;

Instead of thinking of tarot cards as this magical tool to predict the future, I think of these cards as a tool to really activate your subconscious mind.

Tarot Cards are a tool that will speak to your intuition, and since they are rather vague in meaning, there will always be a situation that one is handling right at the moment, that will be associated with the cards.

So, using tarot cards is using your intuition to get the insight you are searching for.

In the end, it is a psychological instrument, wrapped up in beautiful art that stimulates us to dive deeper.