How are you developing your spiritual practice?
When it comes to your spirituality, what is your practice, and what do you preach?
Perhaps the better question is: How do you know what you know?
In witchy circles, people have been discussing the term “personal gnosis” (KNOW-sis) lately. Personal gnosis is a person’s beliefs around the spiritual mysteries, magick, the unknown, religious knowledge.
When we were children, much of what we learned about God came from the adults in our lives. They imparted their beliefs to us, and we may have grown to accept them. Regardless of how we felt at the time about those beliefs, or how those beliefs shaped our lives, our understanding was limited.
Are You A Spiritual Seeker?
Developing your spiritual practice requires that you ask a lot of questions. Some of those questions will be uncomfortable. As you became older, you may have started questioning the beliefs about God, religion, and spirituality.
If you struggled with your sexuality and/or gender identity, those beliefs, once etched in stone, became uncomfortable.
You may have seen shadows or had the kind of dreams that no one else had.
You may have had advanced knowledge of things that came to pass, that no one else had.
You may have felt, tasted, or smelled things that no one else did.
Whatever your experience, you knew that you were different. Special, even.
And these experiences led you to become a seeker of spiritual mysteries. That’s probably how you found my Instagram page or YouTube videos.
I applaud you for going on this journey, as not everyone is brave enough, or willing, to take an alternative path.
Time To Be Discerning
That means questioning your spiritual knowledge. Even if you read it in a book. Even if your best friend told you. Even if you learned it from me.
Just like your childhood beliefs about Christianity may have evolved, I want you to think about your current beliefs around spirituality and magick.
It’s called spiritual practice for a reason. It is supposed to evolve over time, as you learn and grow.
Here are some tips for developing your spiritual practice:
Study What Calls You
In the realm of spirituality and magick, there are so many different topics: crystals, astrology, sacred geometry, sigils, etc. Whatever your experience level, you can always learn something new. Taking a formal magickal program is not necessary, although they do exist. If you want to learn something, the information is available.
Read At Least Three Books On A Specific Topic
Writing a book requires doing deep research into a topic, and an author will often include bibliographies and other resources that back up their writing. Even if you don’t read three entire books, you will be able to pick up the nuances between them.
The library offers old occult texts that you cannot find on Amazon.
Of course you can find information online, as well as a lot of plagiarism and incorrect information. Visit several websites and cross-reference information with books.
Do Not Crowdsource Your Knowledge
Using a Facebook group or message board to answer your questions will not give you the true answers you seek. People commenting can respond based on their knowledge, or what they find in a book or website, but it’s no guarantee that their answer will be the correct choice for you.
Just Do It
Perform rituals. Experiment. Learn the basics of rituals and spellwork, and then develop your own style. THAT is when the magick happens.
Use Your Intuition and Imagination
Spirituality comes from the heart. Even if you agree with something that you’ve read, or something that you’ve heard, the best way to learn what works for you is to do it. Over time, you will be able to tap into your own knowledge because you have done it yourself. This knowing is POWER.
Get A Teacher
Most of us are solo practitioners finding our own way. Many of us don’t have a spiritual community to lean on. Books don’t always answer questions easily. Some of us need validation that we’re on the right track, or that we haven’t lost our minds. For those situations, it’s helpful to have an experienced spiritual practitioner on speed dial. For that reason, I’ve started offering Witchy Tea Sessions. If you ever want to have a 30 or 60 minute video session with me on Zoom, I’m here. You can sign up at RedSoulflower.com/tea.
The most important thing to remember is that YOU are the boss of your spiritual practice.
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