The word “spiritual” involves so much more than any one particular belief system or religion.

Spirituality vs. Religion

There’s this thought out there that the word spiritual equals religion. It’s simply untrue.

Your spirit is your energetic presence in the world and is available to tap into and use as an expression of God’s creation. Everyone has one! And being spiritual is not about worshipping a particular god or idol, it’s about the action you take to change who you are in this world. It’s about owning your power, whether that means you believe in God, Spirit, Jesus, The Buddha, or any other force out there that helps you connect with your center or the core of who you are and were created to be. When you do spiritual work, you are combining the teachings of all of these positive teachers and influences in your life, even if you don’t realize you’re doing it, because their messages are similar–heal with love. And when you do that, you approach life and yourself with love.

And that can have a profound impact on anyone’s spirit.

Your spiritual practice isn’t only about religion.

It’s so much more! AND your spiritual practice DOES play a critical role in keeping you from burning out and being stuck.

Religion: “The belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.” or “a particular system of faith and worship.”

Being religious does not mean that you are spiritual. You could certainly be religious about attending church, yet still not do any of the outside work to actually impact who you are as a person. And you certainly don’t have to be religious to be spiritual.

Spiritual:  Impacting the essence of who you are–mind, body and soul–in a positive way.

Spiritual Practice:  Any practice that is done intentionally to affect the essence of who you are and how you engage in the world around you.

Spirit:  The animated external essence or energy of who you are as an individual.  Your energetic presence in the world that connects you with others and your environment and is available to tap into and use as an expression of God’s creation.

Some Spiritual Practices

Devotions/Bible study

Meditation

Yoga

Morning pages/Journaling

Connecting with partner/family

Connecting with friends

Drawing/Painting/Creating

Time in nature

Affirmations/Thought or Mindset work

Reiki/Other Energy Work

Massage/Acupuncture

Manicure/Pedicure/Facial

Other:_______________

What else? What do you consider now spiritual practices in your own life?

Perhaps your spiritual practices are rituals.

Ritual:  A sacred way of putting your spirit and authenticity into a habit to give it more meaning in your life. An intentional act that results from an increase in the amount of attention or energy you put into it.

Why is this important to you or in helping you get out of distraction, chaos, burnout or being stuck spinning your wheels?

These are the things that are going to contribute to enhancing your efforts to do just that. They are going to keep you focused, moving forward, or being still when necessary and are going to keep you from feeling depleted.

Super important times to make sure you are creating space for spiritual practices

• Luteal Phase of your Menstrual Cycle and Waning Moon Phase
• Period/Menstrual Phase and New Moon Phase

Daily Practices

In my opinion, spiritual practices need to be done every day. Your spirit is with you all the time and always impacting those around you AND the way you see, hear and feel in this world. And they are especially important during a couple phases of your energetic rhythms cycle.

So here’s your nudge to start thinking of the word “spiritual” a little differently. It’s absolutely not religion…it’s much more. Yes, your religion could be a spiritual practice, but it’s not the ONLY thing that’s impacts your spirit.

What are some of the spiritual practices you already use or maybe even want to get back to or start practicing?

Takeaways:

Health – Your spiritual health is more than your religion and requires your attention. It’s the self care you make time for that impacts the essence of who you are and the you that shows up in this world.

Harmony – When you are intentional about them on a daily basis, you’re better able to flow through life even when unexpected things come up.

Happiness – Consider this week, what’s 1 thing that you can do regularly that makes your heart sing? This is a good place to start with cultivating a richer and more content spiritual life.

Resources:

To know where you are in your Energetic Rhythms Cycle, download the Daily Rhythms Tracker.

Join the Energetic Rhythms for Intentional Living community here.

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#26: Tapping into Your Creative Self
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