A life area many of my clients want to work on is their spirituality. But what do we mean when we talk about spirituality? Is it a religion or is it something broader than one’s conventional belief in a God?
When I’m asked what it means to be spiritual, I always encourage the person asking the question to explore what the concept means for themselves. Does it mean going to church every Sunday or is it sitting in nature connecting with all that is around you?
The answers can be far-ranging depending on your personal belief around the topic. When I ask my clients what spirituality means for them the answer is often, “I’m searching for a deeper meaning in life.” Most of them believe there’s a Higher Being that doesn’t necessarily go by the name of God.
It could be as simple as believing in a spirit guide or guardian angel. Or, connecting with the Great Spirit or a source of energy that doesn’t have a name. It’s just IS. And, for many of us, it’s connecting with the Source that is YOU.
But whatever you believe in, once you’ve decided you want to follow a spiritual path, the next question is, “How do I live a spiritual life every day?”
What Does Spirituality Mean For Me
For the sake of this article and for sharing my own personal ways of living a spiritual life, I will define my take on spirituality. Spirituality is an extremely broad concept which is why I get such wide-ranging answers when I ask someone what it means to them. Unraveling what it means for me personally meant unpacking these vast perspectives.
One common answer that always came through and which resonated with me, in the beginning, was the search for meaning in life. It involved something bigger than myself and connecting with it. It was about understanding my place in the universe and how it relates to my own human experience as a physical being.
Traditionally, I understood spirituality as having a religious connotation which is why I was an atheist for a long time. I battled to believe in the conventional “stern man with the long white beard sitting up in the sky punishing us for our sins” concept. This man’s name was God.
However, as my search for meaning in life became stronger and I was introduced to the shamanic way of life, I began to view spirituality in a whole new light. I became comfortable with the idea of God as a way of connecting deeply within myself. I also learned to respect that the conventional God played an essential role for those who believed in Him.
Spirituality for me is about connecting with all that IS around me being nature, humanity, and with my own true essence. It’s about evolving my own levels of consciousness so that I may truly live with compassion and love for myself and all that IS around me.
Why Living a Spiritual Life is Essential For Me (and could be for you)
In order to connect to my true Self and with all that is around me and to practice love and compassion to the best of my ability, I need to live a spiritual life. My spirituality needs to be integrated into my daily life so that I can achieve a degree of balance. And, this means being in harmony with a balanced mind, body, and soul.
Too often we focus on the material or physical, neglecting the mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of ourselves. This results in dis-harmony with oneself and with all that IS around one.
I, like everyone else, believed living a spiritual life would be hard work. The idea of going to church every Sunday, praying every night, and following the Ten Commandments seemed tedious and required taking up a lot of my time.
That was when I believed spirituality was a religion dictated by God. And, for many religious people, this is how they live their spiritual life – with love and abundance.
But, when I found my own spiritual connection that resonated deeply with my soul, I realized it didn’t have to be hard work. In fact, it’s lots of fun and empowers me to live my daily life with gratitude, love, and harmony.
Admittedly, when something happens to rock my boat, my spiritual practices take a back seat. But, I’ve learned over time, that in order to survive the rocky times, I need to be more spiritual than I normally would be. Therein lies the challenge and it does take hard work to keep the momentum and connection going.
What Does It Mean to Be Spiritually Connected?
Traditionally, being connected spiritually could have meant having a deep and unwavering belief in God. But, there are other ways of being spiritually connected. These could include the following:
Feeling deeply connected when listening to a beautiful piece of music or looking at a piece of art that stirs your soul.
Walking through the forests or on the beach can give you a sense of spiritual connection.
Watching the sunset or sunrise could be an immense moment of spiritual connection.
Working with others towards a common goal could give you a deep sense of spiritual connection.
When you’re in tune with humanity, nature, and a Higher Being while touching base with your own Source, you are deeply and wonderfully spiritually connected.
When I feel a deep sense of love, compassion, and gratitude for something or someone, I feel I am spiritually connected. My Being suddenly feels lighter, full of energy, and joyous when I am spiritually connected. And, I also know I am safe, protected, and loved.
That is what it means to be spiritually connected – for me anyway.
Ways to Live a Spiritual Life Every Day
Here are some ways you can integrate spirituality into your daily life so you can feel spiritually connected as often as possible.
Practice Meditation
The practice of meditation was my first introduction to exploring spirituality and has become my daily ritual for feeling spiritually connected. There are different ways of incorporating meditation into your daily life and here are some ideas:
On waking and before you start your daily routine, close your eyes and meditate for five minutes. I simply use these five minutes to take deep breaths and to clear my mind for the day ahead. It’s amazing how well my day goes whenever I start my day with this short meditation.
Set an alarm on your mobile to go off every hour. Use this time to stop whatever you’re doing and close your eyes. Meditate for a minute, taking deep breaths. While I don’t follow this practice myself, I had a client who did this without fail every day.
Find the best time in your day to meditate for an hour or longer. I like to meditate either an hour before I go to bed or at the end of my workday before I have dinner. This is always a deeper meditation and at times, includes shamanic journeys.
I love this meditation cushion set from Leewadee Store.
Cleanse Your Working Space Every Day
Stagnant energies can zap your energy and result in less productivity when working. I now start my day by cleansing my desk and workspace with my large eagle feather. The act of moving the feather over my working space removes any negative energies that have built up over time and cleanses my office for the day ahead.
I sometimes like to burn an incense stick to aid in the releasing of old energies and bringing in fresh and revitalizing energy. I am currently using this set of Satya Incense sticks in my office whenever I do cleansing or I work with clients.
Spend Time in Nature
Every day, I make sure I spend time in nature. This can be as simple as spending my lunch break out in the garden listening to the birds and enjoying the beautiful flowers. I love to look at the blue sky and watch the clouds drift by. And, whenever there’s a breeze or gust of wind, I listen to the messages it brings.
Even if you don’t have a garden or access to a park close by, looking out the window and looking at the sky is a good way of connecting with nature. Keeping a plant in your office and tending to it every day is another good way of spending time with nature. Why not get this beautiful OMYSA Mid Century Plant Stand for your indoor plant? It's stunning!
Do Some Yoga Moves
Yoga is a wonderful way of connecting spiritually and it can be done anywhere. Develop your own yoga routine or pick out some of your favorite postures and practice it every day. My partner finds yoga does him wonders in mind, body, and soul and no matter what is happening at the office he always finds five minutes to close his door and do some yoga moves.
Yoga can also be meditative so you can integrate the two practices at the same time and see the benefits of becoming deeply and profoundly spiritually connected.
Pull a Tarot or Oracle Card Every Day
Pulling a tarot or oracle card every day is a wonderful way of connecting with yourself and your spirit. Tarot and oracle cards can be used to give you words of wisdom, or advice, or simply inspire you with a motivational message for the day.
These messages can ground you while giving you direction and focus for the day ahead.
Take Note of Signs
This is one of my favorite ways of being connected spiritually throughout the day. I make a conscious effort to be aware of signs. These could include the white feather that lands at your feet as you step out of your car or the same number repeating itself throughout the day.
Signs come in the form of birds, insects, and animals that you don’t normally encounter every day. And, when you start to notice the same words everywhere, you can be sure that’s a sign to take note of!
Get this book by Kyle Gray, "Angel Numbers: The Message and Meaning Behind 11:11 and Other Number Sequences." to help you interpret angel number signs.
Write a Gratitude Journal
Journaling is a wonderful tool for reflection, working out problems, and finding solutions. It’s also a way of capturing everything you’re grateful for. Practicing gratitude is empowering and helps you to connect with your spirituality.
Spend every evening before going to bed writing in your gratitude journal. Make sure you list at least five things you’re grateful for every day.
Final Thoughts
Living a spiritual life every day needn’t be complicated. In fact, the simpler you keep it, the better you’ll be able to connect on a spiritual level. One more spiritual practice I encourage anyone who wants to live a spiritual life is to live in the moment. NOW is the moment of power – don’t forget that!
This post was originally published on June 1st, 2021, and updated on August 26th, 2022.
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