5 Simple Ways To Start Your Spiritual Journey

It’s ironic how a lot of people are not comfortable talking about spirituality, and yet our soul is the reason why we are alive here on earth.

Years ago, when I started seeking beyond the life I knew, I didn’t know where I was heading and what was waiting for me on the other side. But I knew it had something to do with discovering my true self and purpose. I simply took one step at a time and trusted the guidance of the universe without knowing what I was really into at that time — the start of my spiritual journey.

— the journey I’ve kept to myself for so long until I created Shifting Psyche.

Finding someone who can understand or is willing to understand what you’re thinking, feeling, and experiencing about spirituality is something you might constantly struggle with. Aside from the fact that it’s a topic people usually avoid talking about, the process of spiritual journey is also unique for everyone, where no two journeys are the same.

It is a path you need to discover for yourself, and the beginning can be overwhelming if you don’t have any idea how to start on a spiritual journey. So let’s start with a few basics here.

What Is A Spiritual Journey

Spiritual journey is an intrinsic part of the soul, where it goes through awakening and remembering its true nature. It isn’t about religion or submitting to a strict set of rules to get closer to the Source (or God), but having freedom from the standards of the world and paving your path towards authenticity and purpose.

“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” ~ Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

I love how de Chardin described the spiritual side of ourselves with the quote above. It opens up a new way of understanding why certain thoughts and feelings can’t be understood by the mind, but only by our spirit. It gives a deeper sense to our existence when we realize that all of our experiences are part of a spiritual journey, including the things we thought were not holy or ‘spiritual’.

Before we incarnated as humans, we were spiritual beings first. We are souls that decided to exist in physical form to learn the lessons we need to heal and evolve. However, on the day we were born, we got disconnected from our soul and forgot our true nature. We are spiritual beings discovering what it is like to be human.

How To Start On A Spiritual Journey

The spiritual journey starts when we reconnect with our soul through different paths of awakening. It doesn’t have to be like the traditional magic we learned from legend stories (or Harry Potter) because spirituality is not about making the impossible possible, but rather ‘a way of life’. What’s important is your intentionality, dedication, and patience to make it a part of your life. 

Here are 5 ways to start on a spiritual journey.

1. Read Books On Spirituality

Educating yourself about spirituality is important. Reading books on spirituality will give you new knowledge, perspectives, and wisdom to heighten your spiritual awareness. It will give you clues on what to expect in a spiritual journey based on the experiences of people who went through it, especially when you have nobody to support and guide you.

At the start of my spiritual journey, I often desired for a mentor who could guide or teach me the things I couldn’t understand or wanted to know, but I never had one. My go-to places instead were libraries and bookstores to read books that could open my eyes to new truths nobody had told me about. Through reading spiritual books and applying the lessons in my life, I was able to gradually heal and transform my life from the inside out, even without a real person to journey with.

Spiritual journeys can be lonely, and books are your go-to friends, whether you need some clarity or something you can relate your experiences to. If you are looking for spiritual book recommendations, I wrote an article about my 5 best books on spirituality, where I shared my best reads yet.

2. Meditate

Meditation is an act of connecting to your soul and acknowledging that you are a part of a bigger Consciousness (or God) that is responsible for all creations.

There are different ways to meditate. You can meditate by praying, quieting the mind, or listening to guided meditations. It helps to increase awareness, clear the mind, and raise your vibration, which are all essentials when embracing a spiritual life.

You can try different meditation techniques as you start on your spiritual journey to find out what suits you best. There is no right or wrong way of meditating as long as it serves the best of your intention and it makes you connect with your soul.

I have tried several ways to meditate, and each of them has unique benefits to me. My choice of meditation usually depends on my mood and what I need for a particular situation; however, listening to guided meditations is what I’m most comfortable with. It allows me to transport myself to the other side of reality, where I can reunite with my soul intimately.

The key to a successful meditation always lies in your ability to silence your external world and be one with your inner self. Its goal is to feel and hear your soul and become familiar with its presence.

3. Learn And Practice Yoga

There are different types of yoga, and how you decide which practice depends on your needs and how it serves you. Do your research and practice one type of yoga at a time to know what fits you best.

My first yoga experience was Kundalini Yoga, which is a combination of body postures, breathing, and chanting mantras to awaken the kundalini energy within the body. A friend suggested that I try it out when she intuitively sensed I was suffering from severe stress and energy depression, and thought that kundalini yoga could help me release them.

In my years of yoga practice, I learned to deeply understand what it means by ‘our body, mind, and soul are one’. Bending my body while focusing on breathing and stillness allows my soul to awaken from a deep sleep. When I am in an aligned state, I become more creative and authentic when writing, something I struggled with for years. 

Yoga, in general, is a practice of aligning the body, mind, and soul to strengthen your connection with your inner self. It helps the mind to focus, be present, and become aware of your physical and spiritual self. 

4. Journal Your Thoughts And Reflections

Having been exposed to several religious practices since I was a little girl, I thought that a spiritual journey is boxed in certain rituals like praying, lighting candles, or volunteering in church activities. But as I went on my spiritual search, I learned that God can be found and experienced through anything — even in writing.

Journaling or writing our thoughts and emotions longhand allows us to reflect and deepen our relationship with ourselves. Writing becomes a spiritual practice when we do it through ‘honest expression of our thoughts and feelings’ without judging ourselves. Journaling is a practice of authenticity and non-judgment, which are essential for spiritual growth.

You don’t have to be a writer to practice journaling. Your thoughts and emotions are more important than good handwriting and grammar. It is about embracing an introspective lifestyle to know yourself deeper and strengthen the connection with your soul. Journaling is a simple yet powerful way to start a spiritual journey because it has no rules or a guru to follow. Your guide will unfold as you stay consistent and nurture honesty within yourself.

[READ: 5 Rules On Writing A Journal For Flow & Authenticity.]

5. Use Positive Affirmations or Mantras

Words affect our thoughts, emotions, and reality. Using positive affirmations or mantras is a powerful tool to reprogram our minds and align our spiritual frequency with the energy of love and peace.

Spiritual journey isn’t smooth and oftentimes, disheartening. You need to make a conscious effort to shift from discouragement to empowerment, or from darkness to light, each time. One way to do this is through uttering words of goodness, beauty, and peace and letting them sink into your inner self without a doubt.

It takes time and practice to learn the use of positive affirmations effectively. To utilize its power, you have to treat it as a spiritual discipline rather than an option to ease fears only when you need it.

Affirmations can also be used to deepen your connection with God. When I was starting on my spiritual journey, I used to whisper through my mind or lips phrases like:

“I am here to fulfill my unique purpose, not to compete.”

”My soul is a portion of God’s energy. I am sacred and divine, too.”

”I am Love.”

Uttering words is like casting a magic spell. They have the power to change us for the better if we know how to use it for good intentions. The power of words depends on the amount of trust we put into them. The greater the energy of belief you give to it, the stronger it affects your thoughts, feelings, and reality.

“Spirituality is a journey that we never finish.” – Akiane Kramarik

A chapter of our spiritual journey takes place in the physical realm, but when our body dies, our souls don’t and continue to walk onto the other side. The first thing you need to remember as you start on a spiritual journey is that it is infinite. It is an endless quest of remembering our true nature and acting upon the mission we need to fulfill, rather than a race or competition to show our potential.

Spiritual journey doesn’t always look like ‘spiritual’. It could also manifest in our habits, way of life, arts, work, and how we treat the people around us. It is not only for the chosen ones but for everyone who participates in the most mysterious thing on earth called ‘life’.

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