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Spiritual Development

hollies-place

Updated: Jul 25, 2023

I think this topic can sometimes feel a little intimidating – people are often concerned if they're doing something the “right” way, if they've picked the best courses, if they're developing at all or just imagining it! I would like to give my take on this from the perspective of someone who is very down to earth and not at all interested in fancy labels.


First and foremost, do what feels right for you, go with the flow of whatever you're guided towards - you might feel like you want to pick flowers and attach your own meanings to them (I like this idea), or you might want to look at pictures on postcards, you may be drawn to place your hands on someone/something to try and heal – don't hold yourself back just go for it! We mustn't allow ourselves to get wrapped up in what we perceive could be right or wrong, because that's all it is – a perception, and yours is the only one that should matter to you. Books and courses can be great for steering us on our paths a little, to help us gain a foundation or a new perspective, but I do not believe they should be waved around like a gold star proclaiming an elevated ability in anything! They say that a driving test is really the start of your learning to drive, not the culmination, because real learning comes from physically getting out and driving and through years of experience. Spiritual development is the same – you develop and grow as you experience life and all its lessons. You begin to see repetitive signs, hear a song repeatedly or perhaps have a recurring dream, these little nudges should be acknowledged. Sometimes you may be able to decipher a message from these signs, but I feel that most of the time they are just reminders that we're not alone – spiritual calling cards if you like.


Symbolism is something very personal and individual in my view, if an image is meant to mean something to us then it should resonate. Dreams are often highly symbolic, but don't go grabbing that Dream Dictionary to interpret yours, think instead about how an image makes you feel, perhaps it provokes a memory rather than a feeling? A book will only give a generic interpretation that may make very little sense to you. For example, if I see a dog in a dream or meditation then to me it's a very positive image, as, like most people, I associate dogs with loyalty and companionship and that is likely the interpretation you'll find in any Dream Dictionary. But what if you're afraid of dogs, what if they fill you with anxiety and fear? My interpretation would confuse and make no sense to you, because it is my understanding from my experiences, not yours.


That leads nicely on to the subject of tarot and oracle cards in spiritual development ….


My advice would be before you do anything with a pack of cards, put away the guidebook, as I feel this can be a real block for your intuition and can make you very reliant on reading it. You do not need a to read the book and learn all the definitions of all the cards – they should speak for themselves (if they don't then they may not be the right deck for you). As I mentioned before regarding symbolism, the images in the cards will speak to you in a way that they may not others, or even the guidebook – the clue with that is in the word itself, it is meant as a “guide” not an absolute. When looking at a card, whatever comes to mind, whatever you feel, is the right interpretation for you.


I find cards an incredibly useful tool for personal development, I rarely use them for predictions, instead I like them to steer my course somewhat, or draw attention to an aspect of myself or my life that I need to look at a little more closely. I enjoy writing and find myself channelling as I write down what each card means to me and where it is nudging me. We all channel in different ways so explore and find what works for you. Cards can be especially useful for Shadow work which is always worth undertaking (I will try to write more about that another time) and incredibly beneficial. Tarot and oracle cards are not just fortune telling decks, in fact they're anything but in my opinion. There are lessons that can help you to explore the cards and better develop your intuition with them and in this instance a book or course is useful as a development tool.


I admit I have had a rather limited experience of spiritual healing, especially in terms of giving someone else healing, but one of the experiences I did have during a course, nonetheless, put me off exploring it again for many years. I won't go into great detail, but this particular course was for general development, it wasn't purely focused on healing, that was just one component. The Lady running the course asked if anyone in the group already had experience of giving reiki healing – everyone except me put up their hand up and straight away I felt uncomfortable and like an absolute amateur among others who knew exactly what they were doing. Nonetheless I began following instruction, imagining a column of healing white light being sent down to me through the top of my head (my Crown Chakra), I stood for a moment trying to concentrate on it and feeling very unsure of what I was doing or meant to be feeling. Next, I placed my hands over the top of my human guinea pig's head and suddenly Bam!! - the energy hit me. I started to sway slightly and suddenly felt very lightheaded. I stood trying to keep my grip on reality, not wanting anyone to know that I had obviously messed up and had no clue what I was doing. At that moment the resident cat awoke from his nap, he strolled over to within a few feet of me, sat down, looked at me and began to meow! I don't think I have ever felt quite so self-conscious in my life, and I desperately wanted the cat to be quiet and go away, but he clearly felt that energy too! After what seemed like an age, I snapped out of it and tried to carry on just as I'd been instructed, I went through the motions and felt absolutely nothing. Today I think I understand what happened, but it knocked my confidence severely and is a good example of how a course can slow your progress. I got a certificate that day saying I had passed the course with flying colours! I'm not suggesting that you should never attend a course but choose it carefully and don't place too much importance on it, use it as the tool it should be to enhance your development.


Life has had a funny habit of pushing me to work on my development alone and it is a bit of a shame because there's a lot to be said for bouncing off other people and feeling a part of something, but it hasn't really hurt me, if anything it's made me more confident, not to mention somewhat less light of pocket – books and courses can become very expensive. Also be careful not to fall into the trap of buying everything you can to progress your development – you don't actually need a hundred decks of cards or a thousand crystals, pretty as they are.


Finally, I want to reassure that there is no right way or wrong way, just your way. Have some confidence in yourself, try different experiences, different tools and remember that even seemingly negative experiences can be a good lesson, so don't despair if things aren't quite slotting into place, just keep at it.



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