When I was a child, I did NOT like going to church. Five of us, my mom and four siblings (my Dad refused to attend) were lined up in a slippery cold pew in our clean uncomfortable clothes, wondering why we had to be quiet. It was so hard to sit still. “And listen,” my Mom said. But how was I supposed to understand anything when they were speaking Latin? It sure didn’t make sense to me.
As a young woman, I felt that the Roman Catholic church failed me. I grew more and more attached to nature where I felt peaceful and connected to the people and the energy around me. I was happiest on a snowy ski slope or basking in the sunshine as I studied my kinesiology books.
Spirituality as a word or a concept didn’t really enter my life in any strong way until I became very ill at age 38. Then, I began to find my sense of it and I found its value in healing.
I also noticed that people didn’t talk much about it or openly share their experiences and questions about it. Here’s my take on it now. I see three main aspects of spirituality that are most misunderstood in our culture.
Myth #1: Spirituality Requires Serious Deep Introspection
Yes, spirituality requires introspection. But it does not need to be serious, or deep.
Being spiritual doesn’t require a ritual that commits you to continuous serious, deep introspection. That can be part of your rituals, if you like. Or some days you can throw your rituals out the window –– and then return to them the next day! It’s all good.
Your connection to spirit is an awareness. And like everything else in your life, it is an evolution, a yin and yang, and it is constantly evolving and shape-shifting.
Spirituality can be fun. It can be light. It can be joyous. It is freeing, playful, and full of opportunity.
Myth #2: Either You Are Or You Aren’t Spiritual
Not true. Because you already have a very strong spirit. There’s no ‘before’ or ‘after’. There is no ‘on’ or ‘off’.
There might be days when it feels more ‘on’ than ‘off.’ There may be periods of weeks or months where everything feels completely turned upside down.
But there’s no turning point, or moment in time when everything suddenly transforms and changes –– no single point in time when you are finally free and able to live your best life.
Your life is an evolution. It is always in motion and it is always in progress. There are always glimmers of positive and negative, up and down, no matter the stage.
Spirituality is a journey, not a destination. So you are always on the path. You will never begin and you will never end. You will simply be.
Myth #3: You Are Here On Earth To Suceed
Actually, no you aren’t. You don’t need to check certain boxes to be a ‘goodperson’, or the ‘right person’, or a ‘successful person’.
You don’t have to have beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that fit in with what our culture expects, what you were taught, or even what you believe yourself.
Notice if you might be caught up in frameworks, similar to what you might find in established religions, driving you to achieve XYZ or be ABC in order to be spiritual or achieve enlightenment.
Striving to meet external expectations or fulfilling someone else’s list of things to do, or be, or have, is not true spirituality.
Being spiritual is not about achieving anything. It is not about being anything, other than BEING YOURSELF.
Truly being connected to your soul does not have any checkmarks to fulfil. It only has yourself to turn to and to ask, am I showing up fully and completely on my soul’s path right now? It is only your awareness, your willingness to turn inward, and your willingness to grow into more of yourself.
These three misconceptions make up a lot of the challenges that people have with spirituality.
You don’t want to feel like you are dragged down with heavy rules and expectations, or that you are wrong about anything. You don’t want to be told what to do, how to be, or how to show up.
You just want to enjoy your life and be yourself!
So be open to shifting your views of spirituality. Maybe it’s time to let more of it into your life and see what energy that provides for you and your health. Imagine what a strong connection to your spirit might do for you!
