Be your OWN spirit guide

 

Most of the time, when I delve into the spiritual community I find myself wary of the content. The internet, and the world, is overflowing with a mass of new age spiritual teachers who promise wealth, abundance, love, and success through the process of Manifesting or working with your Spirit Guides, but what does all of this really mean, and does it really work? 

And I, of course, have a few problems with these messages, but not for the reasons you may assume. 

Let's talk manifesting.

Manifesting first came onto the spiritual main stage through the book, 'The Secret', which teaches the universal law of attraction: like attracts like. You probably first heard of this law in one of your middle school science classes, as it applies to forces in the universe - but how does it apply to spirituality? In 'The Secret', the Law of Attraction is used as a tool to get everything in life you want. For example, if you focus on - or visualize - peacocks, the law of attraction states that you will somehow manifest (or attract) them into your life. IF you focus only on positive thoughts and visualize what you want in life, those things will be attracted to you. Now, I have no problem with the law of attraction. Actually, In some way or form I do believe in aspects of it. We all know that if a person focuses on negativity, then all they will see in life is negativity. But, can just focusing on what you want in life ENSURE that you will manifest it into your reality? Yes, and, no. 

Here's my perspective. 

The problem with the idea of manifesting is that it lacks action. As long as a person visualizes more money they will get it, but this is not true. In order to manifest positive change into your life, there needs to be equal parts visualization and practical action. And this is where you become your own spirit guides. 

When manifesting a positive change into you life, whether it be a relationship or new job, you need to sit down and make a list of ways YOU can lead the way. If you want a new job, start looking at job boards, update your resume, start attending professional development workshops in your area, or begin volunteering and making connections in your new profession of choice. Then, after YOU have put forth the positive changes into action, surrender what you can not control to the law of attraction. This is where visualization can work. Visualization can help keep you positively focused on the pieces you have put into play, and it allows for more positive experiences to enter your life. Manifesting, visualizing, or talking to spirit guides can help you incorporate positive energy into the aspects of life that we can not control. The combination of positive focus and action alongside visualization and manifestation is an incredibly powerful force increasing the life you want. But, never think that sitting back and merely visualizing everything you want  will help you get it. 

Spotlight on Spirituality : What to believe?

Sigh.....spirituality, where to start? First of all, I do consider myself a deeply spiritual person, but I constantly struggle between where my spiritual beliefs fall alongside with my beliefs in science and reason. If you are active in the spiritual community or in the spiritual YouTube community, you are aware that there are many, many, many different types of spiritual teachers active in the world today. Some teachers insist on the existence of fairies or dragons, and go so far as to even create YouTube videos entitled 'How to see a fairy'. Others claim that some people are actually souls of alien races (pleidians, andromedans, reptilians, etc) who are here to help aide the world in spiritual healing. A nice idea, but quite irrational. The more 'traditional' spiritual teachers speak of Guardian Angels or how to find your Spirit Guide. And then there are those teachers who preach the vegan diet to all of their followers, and seem to vilify any person who consumes meat. And...don't even get me started on Bretharianism! (the belief that a human being can live on only divine energy, and have no need to consume any food other than water) So, after all of this preaching, how is a reasonable person supposed to take any of these spiritual teachers seriously?!

First of all, I don't believe that fairies or dragons exist and I also don't believe that the vegan diet is the right choice for every person's body, which is why I consistently struggle between the diverse amount of spiritual teachings that exist  and my need to exert a sense of reasonableness in the world.
I can  not say for certain that there are definitively no human's who have souls from an alien race - but, to me, it seems highly unlikely. And I can also not say that there are no Guardian Angels or Spirits looking out for us, which is actually a belief  I have an easier time participating in, probably due to the fact that I was raised in a Christian household/society. But I guess that the double edged sword of spirituality, or any religion, is faith -  the fact that none of the beliefs can yet be proven by reason or science. Myths and stories of most religions are extremely unreasonable. Take in point the idea that Jesus walked on water. Any rational person knows that walking on water is impossible, and most serious theologians view the supernatural Bible myths as allegories for a larger life lesson, i.e. if you believe in the teachings of Christ you can achieve unbelievable feats - like walking on water. But, what I find funny about some spiritual teachers is that they may insist on the existence of fairies, but would never insist on the 'truth' of those supernatural Bible stories, when in 'reality', both are equally as irrational and unlikely.  So how the heck is a reasonable person supposed to be spiritual?

In my opinion, which isn't worth much, it is best to take the middle road. On the middle road, reasonableness and spirituality co-exist in harmony. The middle road allows for the understanding that science does not know everything about the Universe, therefore, making any sort of religious or spiritual absoluteness baseless. This leaves the door open for all possibilities. Yes there is a possibility that things like faeries or spiritual alien races exist, but only so far as we have not yet proven that they dont. Because we do not know anything FOR SURE, we can leave this door open for pondering existence, while not participating in a fundamentalist belief system. The middle road allows for the existence of all of these magical and supernatural beings, but in a theoretical sense. Do they exist? Do they not exist? All we do know for sure, is that we do not. On the middle road, the possibilities are endless. On this spiritual path I am constantly amazed by the possibilities that lie within our vast universe, and I only wish that I could live long enough to see some of the mysteries uncovered. In my opinion, the best spiritual path allows for the existence of these mysteries while promoting a life of harmony. Harmony with the Earth and each other, as well as deep introspection into personal emotional and physical health.

I don't mean to vilify any person's belief system, but I think that a dose of reasonableness needs to be injected into the current spiritual community. These best belief is one without absolutes and without a sense of reason, human beings are susceptible to getting duped into following a dangerous spiritual leader, one who may lead them down a path of destruction. (ex. Jim Jones)