Developing Spiritual Awareness

abracad, May 23, 2012 · Categories: psychic development, spirituality

What is Spiritual Awareness?

Throughout history people have consulted shamans, oracles, witch doctors and others believed to possess "supernatural powers". These days greater numbers than ever, aided by advances in communication and computer technologies, are seeking advice from psychics and mediums and attending Spiritualist churches.

This suggests two things: 1) life often seems so overwhelming that it is necessary to enlist external help, and 2) a belief in (or, at the very least, acknowledgement of the possibility of) some greater power or intelligence existing beyond the physical realm of this world and our present life. Indeed this acknowledgement of some higher, mystical, reality seems innate to humankind, with organized religion the best known of its manifestations.

What may be less obvious to those consulting psychics and mediums is that with a little effort and self-discipline they could obtain the guidance they seek without recourse to a "middle man" and would likely make their lives much more satisfying into the bargain.

As Pierre Teilhard de Chardin said: "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; We are spiritual beings having a human experience." Having (been?) chosen to incarnate, we enter a far denser state than our true Spiritual essence, a world governed by physical laws. And yet that window of contact with our source remains ever open, and its discovery forms part of our reason for being.

How Does Spirit Communicate?

Because the physical realm must follow the laws set down at its creation, and we must devote considerable energy to physical survival, communicating with our source is difficult. But within the physical laws lies a mechanism (hinted at by the theory of quantum mechanics) by which Spirit can, albeit very subtly, make its presence known. We simply have to become more aware of the media by which its message is conveyed.

The Meaning Behind Dreams

The most common opportunity for Spiritual awareness is through our dream state. This is something we all experience on a daily basis, a time when conscious concerns and inhibitions are put aside.

Often dreams are merely the brain tidying its desk while freed from responding to the usually incessant barrage of sensory input. But within the filing frenzy, Spirit can make itself known and may be recognized either by a particularly striking or intense dream, or by a theme that occurs repeatedly, perhaps in a multitude of variations.

Get into the habit of sleeping with pencil and paper by your bedside, and record your dreams (or, if you think you don't dream, feelings) on waking. If you have a particular question in mind, donâ€™t be afraid to ask for help in your pre-sleep prayers. Be prepared to â€œthink outside the boxâ€ when interpreting dreams.

Signs, Symbols and Coincidence

Another way Spirit manifests itself is through signs, symbols, and coincidence (the distinction can often be blurred).

A symbol is something that represents some other more complex thing. Symbols may be universal to our species or culture, or personal to the individual. Eg, the presence of (white) feathers symbolizes the presence of angels. Symbols can work both ways, exposure to a symbol may convey some meaning to us, but invoking a symbol may serve to bring its meaning into our sphere of experience.

A sign is a particular manifestation, possibly of a recognized symbol, that conveys some message. Signs are the result of Spirit manipulating apparently random systems in order to communicate something to us (this is the rationale behind cards, runes, I Ching and other divinatory tools).

One day while feeling particularly eaten-up by some trivial earthly concern I was walking and happened to notice a 3-legged cat. I'm not particularly a cat lover but was struck by how, rather than feeling sorry for itself, it just accepted its adversity and got on with its life as best it could. Whether Spirit caused the cat to cross my path at that time, or simply prompted my interpretation of its presence, it was a profound lesson.

An often reported manifestation of signs is through the letters on vehicle license plates. We just need to raise our conscious awareness to become more open to the subtle signals that surround us.

Coincidence is the unexpected occurrence together of two linked events, eg thinking about someone just as they call. Coincidences happen all the time and many are simply manifestations of the law of probability, eg if you often think about your son at college and, while thinking about him, the phone rings and it's him. But significant coincidence can be Spirit's way of letting you know it's there, eg if you haven't seen or thought of an old school friend in 20 years, and you dream about them, and next day they call.

Automatic Writing

A traditional method of invoking Spiritual awareness is through the medium of automatic writing. Before experimenting with this allow yourself a "buffer" period between the demands of the world and your invitation to Spirit to draw close.

Find a place where you won't be disturbed, disconnect the phone and doorbell, and just chill. If it helps, put on some music, it doesnâ€™t have to be somber, or new age, but whatever gets you in the right mood. The idea is to draw your mind away from earthly concerns to allow the quiet voice of Spirit to be heard.

Take a pencil and paper (or, if you prefer, switch on your computer and open a blank screen). Write, type, or draw whatever you feel. You might get words pop into your head - write them down. Or you might feel like just scribbling with the pen (or bashing the keys of your computer), don't try to control your actions - just do it. Or you may want to draw something, again maybe you'll see it in your mind and consciously try to reproduce it, or your subconscious (moved by Spirit) might just take over.

Automatic writing is an acquired talent, the first few times it may not produce anything at all. Don't give up; persevere, eventually you will get something meaningful.

Being Open to Spirit

Despite being clothed in flesh, we remain essentially Spirit. The connection to our Spiritual source is never broken, and our guides â€œback homeâ€ want to stay in touch and help us make the best of our journey. The physical realm generates a lot of mental â€œnoiseâ€, usually drowning out the ever-present (but much weaker) Spiritual signal. By simply taking the time to turn down the volume from the material plane, and making the effort to observe the subtle influence of Spirit, we become more open to that vital message.