Methods to become more spiritual (2014)

Column: Otherkin and Draconity Advice
Author: Jafira

Regarding how to become more spiritual, I am no guru or professional so I can not speak authoritatively on the matter, I can only speak from my own experiences. I will give what advice that I can. there is no one way to become spiritual, its subjective to an individuals needs and tastes. There are a variety of methods that you can try and what helps some people may not help others. I would recommend trying out different paths until you find the one that helps you connect best on an emotional or spiritual level. Nature: For a few years in my early twenties I associated myself with a spiritual traveler claiming to be a Cherokee medicine man, during the time that I spent with him we would often go to local mountains or wilderness, sometimes even just to a nearby park or field. Sometimes he'd play soothingly on a spirit flute, but mostly we would just sit under trees or on some rocks and simply listen in silence to the world around us, we would enjoy the clouds, sounds and scenery. We felt that the trappings of modern life and the mendacity of daily responsibilities distanced us from the spiritual. I learned that returning to nature once or twice a week and appreciating its beauty and essence would draw us closer to the earth, our personal and external energies, and to the creator. I was often warned to always have a balance in all things, that to lean too far into the spiritual would be detrimental to my daily life, but to lean too deeply into daily life would be detrimental to my spirit or soul. I was taught to always find some time for nature and to keep a balance between the two worlds. As a dragonkin I found the time I spent in nature personally uplifting, it felt natural, when lounging in the wilderness or staring at the clouds or mountains I would often visualize myself as a dragon, flying or lounging as I once had in prior lives. It always helped me to feel more connected to my perceived past and would be emotionally invigorating. In short, just getting outside and exploring, resting and connecting with nature can bring us closer to spirit. Many Native American and old European mythologies were nature based, another famous example is Buddha who discovered enlightenment while mediating under a bodhi tree. The energies of spirit always flow through nature, all one needs to do is seek to connect with it. Music: I have personal a love for music and when I listen to songs of any genre I tend to sense an energy in them, some are positive, some neutral, some negative. It is my opinion that the music that is emotionally uplifting or connective to you on a personal level can give a good spark to your spirit, ignite the imagination and emotions and when combined with visualizations or interactions with subjects that are spiritually important to you, can lead to a highly connective or invigorating experience. Meditation: (I always fall asleep.. meditation doesn't work well for me outside of nature.) I have bad luck meditating unless I'm outside listening to nature or focusing on calming myself from a stress or problem. I have difficulty clearing my mind or keeping focused, either my mind drifts to random thoughts, I day dream about flying, or I fall asleep.. so I cannot speak well on this. But meditation is obviously a quick and helpful path to become more spiritual, it focuses the mind and spirit and disconnects from reality allowing calm and clear thought. Guides and lessons can be found online, its always an option or something to try. Reiki and Chakras: This subject is also not my forte, though my mate is quite versed in the study of such and I can always ask her if any questions should arise. Reiki teaches that the physical body has seven spiritual energy pools through which your spiritual energies flow back and forth through. These seven energy pools are called Chakra, each Chakra is effected by different emotions or pains we experience in life. If we accumulate too much of a particular negative emotion or trait it can clog one or more chakra and prevent the free flow of spiritual energy throughout the body. Its the spiritual dimension or side effects of psychological pains or emotions on our bodies. Usually the only way to cleanse a chakra is to find the emotions that are clogging it and work through them. If you find yourself continually depressed or lacking spiritual motivation or connectivity with no obvious underlying reason, it may be an unseen chakra issue. Prayer: Growing up in a religious family this one may be quite obvious, as all entities physical and non must come from a source, all things are interconnected, call it God, the creator, great spirit, divine consciousness or what have you, there must be a source of all spirit, and man, dragon or spirit, we that exist must be interconnected and of the same energy as that which created us. To pray to that source is to connect to that source and in so doing, all things within spirit or reason can be possible. The Arts and Creativity: Art, Music, Writing, and all other creative expressions are the emotions of the mind and spirit put to paper, vision or sound, creativity through whatever your talent may be is the expression of the spirit and is a great way to feel connected, in my personal opinion there are fewer better paths to connectivity as a dragon then to be reminded of your inner spirit through a form of creative expression.. Just Sense: The world is comprised of energy in all life and in all things, it is simply a matter of opening ones mind to the possibilities and understanding. In all things try to sense or visualize the energies within, start small with plants, the energies that flow through the wind and in the streams, then move up to that of pets and friends, from there to the unseen and beyond. As well, feel and sense yourself, both as you exist, and as you feel you once were, shape the energies with your mind, sense and feel, visualize the unseen and let it be felt. May you fly high on dragon wings ~Jafira Dragon

Published:  10/13/2019