I don't know about you, but some of my greatest lessons have often come from some of the most unexpected people or at some of the most unexpected times and always in the most unexpected ways. And that's the beauty of wisdom that sticks like honey to your soul. It is always there to provide a sweet taste of the infinite connection you have to the origin of your own inner strength.
But I think that's the key, to always keep in mind that the gems can't find their way to you if you limit them via your own expectations. And I'll be the first to admit that when I really got in this whole “spirituality” stuff, I dove in head first and thought to be spiritual it meant you HAD to meditate, you HAD to be doing yoga, you HAD to be all positive and love & light 24/7. But the more I explored the outer edges of the New Age movement, the closer I actually got to my truth, which is true spirituality is not pretty and has nothing to do with anything more than it does this one thing…AUTHENTICITY.
Letting these things define what I thought I must label myself as was ironical as I had soon discovered, as it was completely opposite to the material I was learning and perhaps the biggest lesson in hypocrisy I have ever learned in my entire life. For it is in the New Age arena that I have met some of the most incredibly honest, authentically raw and real spiritual teachers who know their shit because they've been there and survived to tell their story. They are not afraid to make mistakes, to expose those parts of their lives that might not be so “guru-like”, and they are the same person to their clients as they are to their families. They are real! They are authentic…
And then there's those that I've come across that seem to think simply because they have mastered the lotus position or haven't eaten red meat in 25 years that they are above other people. There is nothing wrong with being an expert in your field and teaching others what you know, but once you allow yourself to be placed on the proverbial pedestal where you condone and justify the judging of others, your lessons have now become personal religious laws so to speak. And by this I mean, once you let a sense of superiority motivate you, your message isn't to empower others to allow them more self-control, but it sadly has morphed into an often subtle form of manipulation to keep people needing your specific message for strength, rather than learning to build and rely on their own.
I've seen and heard it way too many times people get shunned or judged for just being human and having real-life human experiences that we ALL go through in one form or another. And last time that I checked, the entire point of this so-called movement was to embrace what is often rejected by the social norm, to accept people as they are, where they are and to come from the heart, so that we may face the dark with courage.
Refusing to feel negative emotions or making yourself feel bad for thinking negative thoughts is not going to help anyone. Yet, in the spiritual community, we are often lead to believe we need to always be “love and light” all the time or else we must not be spiritual or enlightened after all. But it doesn't work that way. Enlightenment isn't just a point you hit and stop; it is an ever-unfolding realization of truth. It's just the first moment of awakening that feels eternal, and well I guess in true timelessness, it is.
Think of it this way…would you rather get on a boat with someone who is dressed all ragged, might appear unfriendly, but whom you know has seen hellish waters and storms and had to think fast and learn quickly how to survive and manage in those situations and now has that experience and inner strength. Or would you rather get in a boat with someone who has a nice new white sailing sweater and flashy grin, not a wrinkle in sight, not a callous on his hands, but he sure looks nice! 🙂
Yeah, I'll take Capt. Jack Sparrow any day too! And that's my point with teachers in the New Age movement as well. We need to remember that it's not about how many crystals you have, or how many times a week you do yoga. It's not about comparing yourself to others to make sure you're kale smoothies are up to par on Instagram. It's about remembering that feeling in your gut, that feeling you get when you are experiencing joy. FOLLOW THAT FEELING. It will lead you to your bliss, to your purpose and to who you were always meant to be.
And when we figure out who we are, we can finally start BE-ing who we are. We can end the need for self-polarization, thinking we must stay at one end of the emotional spectrum and never be sad or angry or upset, and finally let it be okay to be real, to be an authentic human. We can get away from the stigma that only positive emotions are okay and realize that nothing heals unless you look at it. And the more we look with our hearts, the more we see with our souls. And you can't get more authentic than that!
Tamara Rant is a Co-Editor/Writer for CLN as well as a Licensed Reiki Master, heart-centered Graphic Designer and a progressive voice in social media activism & awareness. She is an avid lover of all things Quantum Physics and Spirituality. Connect with Tamara by visiting Prana Paws/Healing Hearts Reiki or go to RantDesignMedia.com
Tamara posts new original articles to CLN every Saturday.
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