Blessed Unrest
"There comes a time in the spiritual journey when you start making choices from a very different place. And if a choice lines up so that it supports truth, health, happiness, wisdom, and love, it's the right choice." ~Angeles Arrien
As I look out my office window and watch untamed snowflakes swirl in a dizzying dance, I am reminded that winter is just a necessary part of the death and rebirth process.
Patience is in order.
Soon enough, beautiful flowers will erupt from the ground, birds will begin to build their nests, and there will be a sense of optimism in our hearts as the days grow longer.
This month, I’ve been thinking about spirituality and my relationship with it; how it has often felt barren and exposed, just like a farmer’s open field in winter.
I wonder when, exactly, I arrived at a place of blessed unrest in life - immersed in a movement that I have no recollection of consciously undertaking?
The first time I heard the term "spiritual but not religious,” I’d been hired as an event photographer for a fundraising gala supporting the formation of a new SBNR collective in West Michigan. Their mission offered a wake-up call to those seeking something “more” from life: a sense of peace, purpose, and personal growth through the mind-body-spirit connection.
The message felt magnetic; I was immediately curious.
Instead of being asked to subscribe to a rigid, outdated set of organized religious beliefs and practices that rely on amplifying the fears of a community, the emphasis was on nourishing your interior life and the greater connection to not just one another but all life on this planet.
What I realized at that moment was that there’s a religious-spirituality spectrum; you can identify as being just one or some combination of both. Being religious doesn’t automatically make you spiritual, and vice versa.
Mic drop. Eyes wide open. My reality shifted, and my spiritual journey began.
The process of discovering my individual practices and developing my beliefs has taken decades at this point. There are certainly stretches of time when it’s felt like my spiritual identity has been swallowed by cultural norms. I’ve had to course-correct many times in order to honor my highest-held sacred values of freedom, self-determination, courage, and kindness - without guilt.
Devotion to the higher power within is now interwoven into my whole being – not just in times when I feel lost or alone but every day as an active part of who I am as a person; it’s my way of gaining perspective and maintaining balance.
Spirituality recognizes that your role in life has a greater value than what you do every day. It can relieve you from dependence on material things and help you understand your life’s greater purpose. It also allows you to connect with others on a deeper level, fostering compassion and understanding.
At its best, spirituality supports us in living a meaningful and fulfilling life.
There is no one right way to be spiritual. You can find your own path through a variety of practices that resonate with you. Here are a few suggestions to get you started:
Meditation
Prayer
Journaling
Affirmations
Connecting with nature
Yoga
Breathwork
Movement
Sacred reading
Creative expression (painting, writing, music, singing, dancing, etc.)
Being in service to your community or for a cause you believe in
Whatever practices work best for you, make sure they bring you joy and peace; remove any sense of obligation without assigning guilt. And don't feel like you have to do anything – simply sitting quietly and being still can be incredibly powerful.
Clearing space, making time, and setting boundaries - in your head and heart - to explore what spirituality means to you will help you discover and honor the practices that will support your journey.
It's as easy as deciding to begin and letting your intuition be your guide.