Several years ago, after receiving my 1st Degree Reiki Attunement, I felt like a whole new world had opened up to me. It was as if magic was suddenly real and I had a world full of it to explore. I wanted to learn everything I could about Reiki, but I did not want to stop there. I wanted to learn about all Chakras, crystals, meditation, affirmations, manifestation…the list went on. I took in as much information as I could.
Then one day I realized that my list of completed courses and certifications was growing impressively, but my actual spiritual practice had become stagnant. I was taking in a ton of great information but failing to apply it. I had acquired all sorts of new tools to care for myself and nurture my spiritual growth, but they were just sitting there in my toolkit, unused. It occurred to me that knowing 10 different ways to meditate would do me no good if I never actually took the time to meditate.
I have come to know that this is a pretty common issue. Our receptive and active energy processes become out of balance. We get stuck in a state of receiving information, but then fail to act. We forget that the two must go hand in hand. We cannot act in our best interest without having the proper knowledge first, but the proper knowledge does us no good if we do not act accordingly.
When I realized that my practice had stagnated and that I was gathering all of this information, but then not using any of it, I knew I had to make changes. I took the following steps to turn my spiritual education into a workable spiritual practice:
1. Pick one main area of focus at time. There are so many different modalities and practices it can be hard to decide where to put your focus. Make a list of everything that interests you. Then prioritize your list. Decide if each item is something you feel really drawn to work on and include in your daily practice now, if it something you know you will want to include in your practice in the near future, or if it is something that you think you may want to practice someday, when and if, you find time. Focus only on the things you can imagine incorporating into your daily practice now. Save the list and return to it periodically to see if your interests and priorities have changed.
2. After learning something new, take time to practice it. If you are going to take the time to learn something now, take the time to practice it now. If you choose to learn a healing modality, practice it for self-healing daily until if feels comfortable and natural to you. If you choose to learn meditation, practice meditating every day. If you choose crystal work, spend time with your crystals every day. Balance the amount of time you spend learning with the amount of time you spend practicing. Do not store the information you are learning away to practice later. There is no time like the present.
3. Add only what resonates to your routine. After you have learned something new and have taken the time to really practice it, you will know if it truly resonates with you. How do you feel after practicing? Does it feel natural or forced? Does it bring you joy or feel like work? If it resonates with your soul and feels right to you, find a time to schedule it into a daily, weekly, or monthly routine. If it does not resonate with you, do not try to force yourself to make it part of your routine. Let it go and move on to something else. The knowledge and experience you gained will still be there if you decide you want to try to pick it up again later at a time in your life it may better resonate with you.
Have you accumulated knowledge without using it? Remember, the knowledge you obtain is only useful if you put it into action and practice it. Decide what speaks to your heart and soul and truly brings you joy. Schedule the practices that resonate with you into your regular routines and move on from practices that do not feel good and natural to you.