Maintaining A Sense Of Spiritual Direction During Your Daily Travels

Here in New York State, August is a month where our actions focus on summer vacations with an intention of packing our bags and heading off on journeys in search of rest and relaxation . It is interesting to note that if we compare our spiritual journeys with our vacation journeys, there are similarities between the two. Both center on reaching a specific destination aimed at helping us enjoy the world around us. In working with Mind, Body and Spirit, we can approach our spirituality with the same mindset that we use for our vacations; that is, we want our spiritual journeys to have that same sense of adventure. If we apply this mindset to our daily actions, the question then becomes; during our ongoing spiritual development, how do we keep our sense of direction as we move farther down our spiritual paths?

Similar to your vacation planning, you will want to start by making sure you have everything you need for your continued spiritual travels. In examining the tools you have available, be aware that in working with the categories of Mind, Body, and Spirit, your approach can be broken down into three separate actions. You can use Mind, to strategize, Body to listen, and Spirit to reflect. All three areas can then be strengthened using the voice of your dreams and intuition , since both are uniquely tailored to your own personal energy and circumstances. Therefore, the guidance they bring also takes on the symbolic role of being your travel agent, so to speak.

Now, as you focus on the direction and destination of your spiritual travels, you are working within the realm of Mind. In this case Mind can be thought of as your compass. In working with Mind, you will need to ask yourself a key question; during your spiritual travels, what spiritual or emotional need is actually steering the direction of your journey? While this may sound like a strange question, the point here is that similar to our vacations, we also bring “baggage” along in our spiritual travels. The difference is that the spiritual baggage you carry may be rooted in the past experiences which can leave you constantly looking backward for your spiritual direction rather than forward. Baggage in this case is not necessarily a bad thing, as with our clothing it is a form of identity. But, also like our clothing, there is a specific environment where it works best. What commonly happens, is that past spiritual paths keep us focused on only moving in one direction. Just as a plant basking in the sunlight will need a bigger pot to allow root growth, over time we too, will need different environments in order to spread our spiritual roots.

When we travel new roads during our vacations, it is not uncommon to occasionally take a wrong turn and get lost. Similarly, during your spiritual journeys the same wrong turns can occur. It may feel as if you are traveling in circles while you find your spiritual direction once again. Understand that these periods are not about having lost your faith ; instead they are indicative of a change in your personal energy or circumstances which has affected your view points and current direction. What can be nerve wracking about these wrong turns is that they occur when you least expect them. Our struggle in dealing with them is created by clinging to a specific spiritual direction for ourselves. Instead, see yourself as a person who in working with Mind, Body and Spirit, is constantly moving toward something new and refined. Similar to the tan created by the sunlight encountered during your vacation, your spirituality will also symbolically change your appearance as you spend more time working with the higher vibrational energies it brings into your daily life. As your appearance changes, it is only natural that the direction of your spiritual journey may also change as well.

During our vacation travels, sometimes we need to stop and ask for directions. In working with Mind, Body and Spirit, this action falls into the realm of Body, and can be a great opportunity to use your dreams and intuition (travel agent) as a guide. The key here is in being able to recognize the information that keeps you looking forward rather than backwards in your journey. This means that you want to be flexible in using the intuitive information and feelings that your dreams and intuition will bring to you. In working with your dreams, look to see how your dreams illustrate your past, present, and future. During your dreams, how do you see yourself? Do your dreams show you moving forward or are they making you aware of roadblocks holding you back? As with a roadmap, dreams are useful for steering waking life actions because they illuminate the twists and turns you may encounter on the way to your destination. You can also use your intuition as a guide by paying attention to the feelings generated by your dreams, because they also will guide you to the proper path.

Now, sometimes during our vacation travels we encounter roads that are being repaired or under construction. In your spiritual journey these areas of rebuilding fall under the aspect of Spirit. Think of Spirit as being the “vehicle” for your journey and it is the area in your life that is most affected by construction. Part of working with Mind, Body and Spirit, includes an awareness of the constant self-improvement process that spirituality evokes in us. It is this self-improvement process that guides us closer to the higher vibrational energies we seek during our spiritual travels. So, as you encounter these areas of construction in your spiritual journey, keep a focus on where your energy is being directed. For example, is it being used to create a new path that allows you to leave the past behind and move toward a better future? As with the signs you see during your vacation travels proclaiming road construction to be your tax dollars at work, you want your personal energy to be used in the most efficient manner available. Therefore, you want your personal energy focused on improving your future journeys rather than be mired in past experiences.

In the quiet of the early morning, I start my day by sitting on the porch watching the sun rise. During the solitude of those moments, I think back to the many paths I have walked in my spiritual travels. As I sip my coffee and watch the sun's rays cut through the morning mist, I can only think that each journey brings me closer to finding the answers that I seek. Yet in my travels, a lesson is constantly being made clear; life is not about always getting everything right. Instead, life is an opportunity to experience everything the world around us has to show, so that as we reach the end of our journeys, there is not one once of regret left for us to hold.

Excerpted from the book: Reflections On The Art Of Balance – practical wisdom for balancing your life through mind, body, and spirit, by Edward Bonapartian.