My Spiritual Practices

WOW! Sorry it’s taken me so long to get back to my blog, what I thought was going to be a short across-town move ended up being 600 miles! Ain’t life grand?

Anyway, recently someone asked me about my spiritual practices. Shoot, I guess I never thought of it in that way, so after some deliberation I decided to write a quick blog post.

So, what are my Spiritual Practices?

Above all, I seek to honor the Earth, all of Nature, all of Creation.

I meditate, but that’s not necessarily a spiritual practice. In particular I do guided meditations, because my brain refuses to quiet sometimes and it’s easier for me to follow along, at least at first. More often than not, I go off on my own to take my own journey, or doze off, or occasionally go out of body.

Lightwork is another facet of meditation to me, at a certain time I make a point to send healing to the world in general or specific situations if I feel called.

Reiki is a method for reaching personal enlightenment, and an energetic healing technique. It’s not associated with any religion, anybody can learn and be attuned.

I practice Shamanic journeying. The drumming puts you into an altered state, so it’s a good idea to have a competent and practiced guide around in case you drift off and start to snore. Also, strange journeys are always possible and it’s good to have a journeying veteran around to talk about it with. The advantage that journeying has for me is that I stay present much more than when I meditate.

Druidry is another way of connecting with Nature, inner knowledge, and higher wisdom. It’s about connecting with both the Ancestors and honoring the Spirit that lives in all things.

The ceremony I do is Native American inspired, but to many it looks like spells in Witchcraft.

Sooooo… are you a witch?

I don’t identify myself as a witch. I do all kinds of stuff, to some that would make me an eclectic solitary witch, but to me, I’m just me. I do my thing, and when I can, I help you do yours.

Let me take a moment to mention the difference between being a witch and being Wiccan. Wicca is a religion, albeit informal. Witchcraft is about practice, not worship. It’s a fine and fuzzy line. One can be either, or both. I don’t necessarily feel like I’m either, though I have a little guided experience with both.

I do identify with what most view as Pagan Gods and Goddesses. To me they are all facets of Great Spirit, the Infinite Light, The God and Goddess.

How does divination fit in to all this?

Before I read or dowse or engage in healing of any kind, I ask for presence and guidance, whether it’s for me or someone else. I allow only beings in alignment with the Infinite Light. If it is necessary to communicate or work with lower vibrational entities it is only done through the Infinite Light.

By the way, I’m also a complete science nerd. Metaphysics is the flip side of quantum physics.

Don’t try to figure me out, it’ll just give you a headache.

Think you want to work with me? cristine@theessenceofspirit.com

Or join me on my email list: www.theessenceofspirit.com/list

Just who am I anyway?

Yep, so I realized that my WHOLE internet and marketing image did not fit me anymore, honestly, maybe it never did.

I had it exactly the way I wanted it, beautiful and calm and serene. I love the beautiful and sophisticated pages out there with all the Light shining through, and that’s what I was trying to get across, but it’s not me.

Whenever I thought about posting an article or opinion about anything, I began to realize that my ideas just didn’t fit the image that I’d cultivated. As beautiful as that was, it just didn’t reflect who I am.

Sure, I Meditate and Journey. I Reiki and Earth. But I also cuss and get pissed, I’m loud and opinionated, and sometimes obnoxious. (OK, more than sometimes.) That’s human. It’s not about all this “rise above” bullshit, it’s not about banishing thoughts and feelings that people tell you are of a “low vibration”, it’s not about some sort of airy-fairy “I fart rainbows and crap sunshine” schtick. It’s not about walking around with your high-and-mighty nose in the air like your sh*t don’t stink and making others feel like less.

Don’t let yourself be pressured into trying to fit some spiritual mold that just doesn’t fit. Be YOU! YOU are the only one that knows your path, you are the only one walking it, you are the only one who CAN walk it. Read, learn, integrate the best of what you find along the way, but DON’T lose yourself trying to fit ANYONE ELSE’S idea of who you should be!

Don’t get me wrong, there are/were a few genuinely Enlightened beings that have graced this Earth (who they are and what constitutes Enlightenment are not up for debate in this forum), but that’s not what this life is for! It’s for dancing in the rain and making mud pies and sweating and swearing and crying and loving and hurting and starting all over, hopefully wiser.

It’s about BALANCE, it’s about being REAL.

Don’t deny your Shadow, it’s just as much you as anything; who’s to tell you where your shadow ends and your light begins? I you’re not hurting anyone, including yourself, BE IT, DO IT, whatever “IT” is!

Embrace all of you!

That being said, I shall endeavor to shake off the idea of “image” and “marketing” and just be the only thing I can: the real, authentic, messy, ME; and in doing so I hope to help as many people as I can.

From here on, I’ll be on a conscious journey of rediscovery, of revolution, of recreation.

Just so there’s no mistake, I’m a pierced, tattooed, tree hugging, bug loving, animal saving, crazy cat lady, geek, liberal, neo-hippie, flower child, LGBT allied, Earth worshiping, Spiritualist, Pagan, Alpha female Goddess! I like to sleep in and stay up late. I like to sleep in the sun and dance under the moon. I can be your best friend or your worst enemy, so if you don’t like it, **** off!