Are you aware that the year 2021 is the year of The Hierophant?
The Hierophant can be defined as people who guide others to a higher power. However, instead of relying on other people to guide us, my personal take is allow our souls to guide us on our spiritual path.
Hence, this year is about deepening our connection to God/Source/Universe.
If you ask, why do we need to deepen our connections with the higher power?
My answer is for us to be in alignment with who we truly are at soul level and eventually to realize our purpose.
How are we going to deepen our connection to God/Source/Universe?
1. Set your intention
2. Choose a spiritual practice
3. Dedicate your time
4. Track your progress
5. Have an accountability buddy
Let's expand each step.
1. Set your intention
Two years ago, I had learned about setting intentions.
Since then, I realized that when I set an intention to do something, most of the time, I ended up doing that something. And the reason why I don't do some things is because I didn't had the intention to do those things.
I personally feel setting intentions is powerful. It feels a lot like I am making an agreement with myself that I intend to keep.
Making an intention can be subtle or it can be intentional.
I find being intentional about my intentions resulting in me achieving what I want by the end of the day or week or month.
Now that we are in the new year, I am sure that some of us have created new year's resolutions.
I have created my intentions for this year around my health and fitness, mental and emotional health, spiritual, love life, career and quality of life.
Since we are on the topic of spiritual connection, I would like to share one of my spiritual intentions.
One of my spiritual intentions is to pass the fifth initiation in my ascension journey by 30th April 2021. (Fifth initiation is 100% light in all of my chakras). I had passed the fourth initiation (80% light in all of my chakras) in October 2020. I learned this ascension journey from Verna of Alphaimaging.
What are your intentions for 2021?
2. Choose a spiritual practice
Choose a spiritual activity that works for you.
I am aware that many would choose meditation.
If you have given it a try and you struggle with it, perhaps find other spiritual practices. Google "spiritual practices" and you will find websites and books for you to refer to and read.
If you have tried meditation and you don't prefer it, then don't do it.
Don't force yourself to meditate just because other people are doing it.
Instead, what I highly recommend is for you to do is to discover your own personal way of connecting to God.
Whatever ways you connect to God, as long as you feel that you are connected, that's it. It may not look the same as how other people connect to God. What matters here is that your way of connecting to God works for you.
I remember the day that I accidentally discovered a unique way of connecting to God.
I was at a beach on a quiet afternoon. I sat on a log and I just looked out at the sea. As I stared at the waves crashed on the shoreline, from out of nowhere, I felt my consciousness merged with the sea. Immediately I felt I was one with the sea and one with everything. It was one of the most profound experiences that I ever had.
If this is the first time you've heard about this and you find it odd or weird, believe me, I know and I am aware of how odd or weird it sounds. I used to be there as well.
That is just one of the ways for me to be connected to God. I don't do it often because I don't go to the beach that often. Meditation and prayer are some of the ways that I use for me to connect to God.
The specific spiritual activities that can help me to achieve my spiritual intention that I mentioned earlier are the following:
Meditation with my team of Ascended Masters
Healing with Ascended Masters
Inner work ranging from gratitude, forgiveness and releasing negative thoughts and feelings
The other spiritual activities that I do to connect to God are prayer, doing self-reflection and journaling.
Here are what to look for when choosing a spiritual practice.
Keep it simple. Do not overcomplicate your spiritual practice.
I know there are people who would light candles, set up alter, sit in a certain way to start their spiritual practice, etc.
There is nothing wrong with doing all of that.
Do them if you feel doing these small pre-ritual things help you to prepare your mind.
If you are like me, I much prefer to keep it simple. I just sit on my chair, closed my eyes, I set my intention to connect to God and meditate right away.
Find a spiritual practice that works for you.
There is no point in doing a spiritual practice if it doesn't work or it doesn't feed or nourish you spiritually speaking.
It's important to do what works for you.
If being in nature or surfing or prepping a meal helps you feel connected to God, then do that as your spiritual practice.
It doesn't matter that it looks different from everybody else. If it helps you to connect to God, that's it.
(Remember the story that I had shared earlier? About my consciousness merged with waves and I felt one with everything.)
However odd that sounds, it works for me. I don't judge it. I just accept that's one of the ways for me to connect to God.
Avoid thinking your spiritual practice as a chore.
It's important for you to not feel forced when you are doing your spiritual practice.
If you feel forced or looking at this as a chore that you must do, you wouldn't be focused and dedicated to do them.
Just imagine feeling forced to do house chores or exercise or meditate, most of us wouldn't be excited to do them. We most likely to be in resistance and we don't want to do them.
Instead, view this as your personal time to be with God.
Just like some of us have personal time alone with ourselves or time with our spouse or family, friends, you name it.
What are spiritual activities do you want to do?
3. Dedicate your time
What I am saying is take 5, 10, 20, 30 minutes, an hour, 2, or 5 hours for you to focus on your spiritual practice.
If you prefer quick and short and yet you are still able to connect deeply with God/Source/Universe, that's wonderful.
If you need more time, that's fine too.
My take is quality is preferable to quantity.
How much time you take is entirely up to you.
Once you have decided (how short or long is your spiritual practice) then decide on when do you want to do them.
Personally, for me, I block a minimum of 30 minutes up to 2 hours and sometimes more for me to complete my spiritual practice. I do them in the morning as part of my morning ritual. That's just me and that's how I prefer it.
I want to clarify why at times it takes me up to 2 hours or more is because I do several different meditations and sometimes I feel like giving myself time to just enjoy the meditation.
When and how much are you going to dedicate your time to your spiritual activities?
4. Track your progress
What has helped me consistently do my spiritual practice (besides having the intention) is by tracking them.
I created a tracking list for 31 days. (Check the picture below)
The numbered columns represent dates of the month.
Create a tracking list similar to the above for yourself.
Put all of your spiritual practice and any other activities in the first column. One Spiritual practice or activity in each row. Once you have done that, print it. Use this list to keep track of your daily activities.
I printed mine and have it on my table that I always pass by every day. It's impossible for me to miss it.
I check this list everyday and put a tick on the items in the list or practices that I've done for the day.
You can do the same too.
What I find is that when I track my progress, I'm more likely to do my spiritual practice and it also helps to motivate me to do them so I can put a tick at the end of the day.
How will you track your progress?
5. Have an accountability buddy
An accountability buddy is someone whose willing to hold you accountable.
An accountability buddy knows what you need to do or what you want to achieve and you are more likely to do what you need to do than having to explain to him/her why you didn't.
Let me share that I don't have an accountability buddy for my spiritual practice.
However, I do have one for my fitness activities.
We hike and cycle together once a week.
I find that it's a lot more fun to do an activity with my accountability buddy.
Hence, I "show up" more.
There are many articles on the internet that cover what to look for when choosing an accountability buddy.
I personally would choose the following:
1. Someone that I trust
This helps me to be open and have an honest conversation without fear of judgments.
2. Someone who has experience in the area that I'm working on
This helps me to feel confident that this person can guide me while I'm going through the ups and downs in the area.
3. Someone willing to give honest feedback and communicate lovingly
I prefer to receive honest feedback even though I know that most of time, it hurts my ego.
However, what I much prefer is someone who can communicate my shortcoming lovingly. It helps me disarm and not get defensive over them.
4. Someone who can be non-judgmental about my relapses
I am aware that being judgmental doesn't help anyone.
Whenever I relapse, most of the time, I already feel bad about myself. I am already judging myself and I don't need someone else to pile on it.
Having an accountability who understands that my relapses isn't the end is wonderful. Instead of trying to cheer or help me to get on track right away, being with me and being neutral about my relapses can help me get over it quicker.
5. Someone who cheers for me when I make progress
It's no secret that we all love being cheered when we make progress or achieve something.
It feels great to have someone who cheers for us.
For those who thrive on external validation, this certainly help to boost their motivation to achieve more.
For me, I feel valued, appreciated and also validated.
Who is your accountability buddy?
In Conclusion
Having read this blog, have you thought of a few spiritual intentions for this year?
If you aren't interested in setting up spiritual intentions, perhaps you can set your intentions in fitness and health or recreational activity, or in any areas that you are inspired to make changes in 2021.
I wish for you lots of joy, love, health, wealth, miracles and blessings.
Happy New Year.
Peace & Love,
