✨ You Already Know the Answer ✨
7 simple questions to ask your Higher Self about spirituality
Thunder — yikes!
The whole house shook and Tim and Holly scurried under the bed. I prayed that my unfinished Seaglass Christmas manuscript would be spared, just in case a stray lightning bolt hit our house and fried our computers.
After the sky cleared, I was relieved there had been no catastrophes. I wrote for a few hours, then took a break to watch television, only to have my program interrupted by the horrific news about the burning of Notre Dame.
Hang on — wasn’t “The Maid of Orléans” statue in Notre Dame?
This was significant to me because when I was a Catholic schoolgirl, I chose Joan of Arc as my confirmation name. (I thought the name would remind me to be brave.) I’m no longer a Catholic but I was feeling emotional about the statue and I closed my eyes and prayed.
I spent many years questioning my Catholicism. I wondered why I never felt peace and joy when I came out of mass. Surely, there had to be something better!
When I was a teenager in the early Seventies, musicals like “Godspell” and “Jesus Christ Superstar” were popular and I found they stirred something very deep within me.
Hope and shame, mostly.
At the time, my family life was difficult and so I escaped to a coffee house for teenagers called “The Back Door,” which was basically a large room connected to our Catholic church. This is where I played my guitar and sang “Day By Day.” It was dark and lit only with black-light posters and I felt safe there, like I was in a womb.
This was also the time I began reading the Seth books and The Magic of Believing by Claude Bristol. That book made a great impact on me and was my introduction to creative visualization, although I now realize I had practiced it all my life.
My “Jesus Loves You” period was short-lived after some family members ridiculed me, saying I was only pretending to be pious, and so I spent the rest of my teens being angry at God.
My agnosticism lasted throughout my twenties. Occasionally, there would be a friend who would try to get me involved in a bible study group, the Mormons or the Hari Krishnas. I didn’t want any part of it. I felt God had abandoned me (if He even existed at all) and I was so angry that I wouldn’t listen to religious Christmas carols during the holidays nor allow a nativity scene or an angel ornament on my Christmas tree.
I would love to tell you that one day a beautiful angel appeared to me and there was harp music as she proclaimed that I was loved by God and the angels and that’s when I began my great spiritual journey. I would love to. However, my awakening was nothing that dramatic, although I do work with angels now.
Actually, the most significant thing I can remember is the day I purchased You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay. I was about 30 then. Louise talked a lot about self-love and forgiveness, two things I desperately wanted — and sorely needed. Her book marked a turning point in my life, as did books by Sonia Choquette, Denise Linn, and Wayne Dyer, which helped me improve my self-esteem and accept my healing and intuitive abilities.
For over 30 years, I worked on achieving self-love, forgiveness, and how not to be a victim. I’ve read a lot, listened a lot, and I feel I am clearly on the right path.
Writing is a spiritual journey
I’ve written articles about entertainers, politicians, and wrote prose and humorous essays, too. But it wasn’t until my first visionary fiction novel, Inn Lak’ech, that I really changed gears.
I had learned about the Mayan expression, "In Lak’ech", which means "I am another yourself" or 'You are another me and I am another you." That’s when all the bells and whistles went off as I was guided to write about a way station for soul families.
Inn Lak’ech is about 15-year old Elm Sunday’s spiritual journey. In this book, I included some of the lessons I have learned on my own journey because I wanted to inspire readers to open their hearts and minds to see the bigger picture. I wanted to share the message that we are all connected.
I admit I found it more challenging to write my Mad About Hue memoir because I was reflecting on my own past. There was no fantasy here; everything I wrote about really happened. But I found that digging deep into my shadows and reliving some of the worst times in my life was surprisingly cathartic, allowing me the opportunity to recognize the positive changes I have taken since those painful experiences.
For me, writing is a spiritual journey, one that often leaves me feeling cleansed and grateful. It is an amazing adventure where I continue to explore the “whys” and “hows,” to make sense of this planet and its inhabitants.
Hopefully, writing is also helping me become a better human.
Before you write about spirituality, it helps to know your own spiritual beliefs. Here are seven “starter” questions:
Do I believe in a Supreme Creator?
Do I believe we are all connected?
Is there a spiritual leader or person I admire?
Do I prefer to practice my spirituality in private or as a member of a like-minded community?
How much time am I willing to devote to studying and practicing my spirituality?
Am I open to explore subjects like meditation, self-love, and shadow work?
Which of my special abilities and gifts can I use to help others?
Blessings,
Eleyne-Mari
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Beautiful, Eleyne-Mari. Writing is a spiritual journey for me, too, actually!