Spirit

In my opinion, the spirit wheel is the most important of all. Now, this isn't to minimize the other 3, but when we have this wheel in balance, you will find that it is the biggest and best resource of all. It helps point you to the right tools and areas to balance your other wheels. It's also a very personal and individual wheel, and one that can make us very uncomfortable to talk about.

I'm not talking about religion. I don't like religion. I don't think there is a big list of rules that we need to follow or we will be scorned, or kept in purgatory, or anything like that. I think instead, there's a whole lot we still don't know, but that we aren't governed by a big man in the sky ready to make us pay for our every sin. We are actually governed by love, unconditional love at that, but we have no idea what that really means. I think that connecting to our spiritual side, may not be the same for everyone. I think there are different ways to the truth, but I think eventually we all end up there. What that looks like for you, is going to be different than how I reached it. And you know, that's okay. My way works for me. You find what works for you.

I don't view spirit as religion. I want no part of that. I view spirit as connection, as relationship. I believe in God. I look up to Jesus and how he lived and loved, without conditions. I also believe in the Holy Spirit and that connection. All that works for me, but it's changed over time also. My relationship has developed and strengthened and we have a better understanding and connection with every passing day, even when I get lost in my ego and don't have a great day. Good news. I'm not going to be punished for it. We are all swimming in love, yet somehow we are all searching for love. We are like fish in a ocean, wondering where the water is. It's everywhere my friends. It's everywhere.

So, knowing how I feel, I need you to also know that this connection with something bigger than you, is an integral piece in overcoming depression and anxiety once and for all, and living up to your absolute highest potential. It has greatness behind it. It's like connecting into an "all-knowing" system, that will show you the closed doors, open new ones for you and bring you all the answers you ever seek. All you have to do is ask (and sometimes brace yourself for the answer). 

Just like the other wheels we have mentioned, mind, body and the physical wheel, there are many different ways to tap into and bring balance to this wheel. They all intertwine also. For me, spirit is the one that brings the answers to what I need to dive into the other 3. It's like my source for energy and answers and guidance, much like a toaster needs a source for electricity. Connect to it, however it works for you, but find some sort of connection outside yourself that is bigger than you. You won't regret it and once you do, you'll never feel truly alone again, because you aren't.

Below are tools and resources that may help you develop and balance this wheel. Start small, start with what resonates for you and seems easiest, but start somewhere. This one is simply the light switch you need to help light the rest of your path.

1) Journaling - We've discussed this in our other wheels also, and you may wonder how this connects you to God or spirit. It is my belief that anything you release, which writing helps you do that, is simply a step closer to God. It's helping clear some junk so you can see and hear better. During some of my heaviest healing, I wrote letters to God to ask for forgiveness. Sometimes I wrote angry letters. Sometimes he wrote me back. Writing is simply a very good form of communication for me, and if you are a writer, or connect well in this communication style, I highly encourage this avenue to draw you closer to God.

2) Sleep - This one applies to all wheels and there's no exception to this one. Sleep is just necessary in all avenues. If you want to keep that ego at bay, don't deprive your body of sleep. When my body is tired, my ego seems to know how to hit me at my weakest. My mind revs up with lies and old habits and patterns re-emerge. It's going to happen now and again, but do your best to keep it at a dull roar as much as you can.

3) Affirmations - Try these when you are ready. When you BELIEVE them! They won't work until you actually believe what you are saying. I use them now to remind myself of who I really am, and who I really am is part of something much bigger than I can see or even feel. I am whole. I am light. I am love. I am enough. I didn't believe those before, but now I do, so when I say them, I just reinforce and affirm that belief as my gentle reminder of who I belong to.

4) Meditation - Another tool that works for all wheels. Be careful with this one if your mind is weighed down with depression or anxiety. Ruminating is not what we are aiming for. You want to get out of your head. So, start small. Start with guided meditations, and if you can't ever get there, don't beat yourself up for that either. There are other ways to reach these points without sitting silent for hours a day.

5) Grounding - If we are all part of something bigger, well then nature is our playground. Use it to your advantage. Walk barefoot outside when it's warm, or touch a tree and absorb it's energy. If it's impossible to get outside, use your imagination. I like to imagine myself with a cord that leads right to the center of the earth!

6) Symbols/Signs - They are everywhere if you look for them! Did you know 11:11 is a sign or 1:11 or 4:44? How about birds? Songs? If you ask for answers, and get quiet and attentive enough to look for the reply, you will find them everywhere you look!

7) Prayer - Don't make this formal. Just speak your heart. Just have a conversation. It's hard to have a relationship with someone if you aren't talking.

8) Dream work - Your dreams are signs also. Your brain is going into REM state to process emotions and feelings that you are working thru. Your dreams can be very telling where you may be stuck at. They can show you who you need to forgive, who you need to reach out to, or what next steps may be. Ask a question before you go to bed and wait for the answer. Write down your thoughts and dreams before you get out of bed. Those lucid moments in the morning, before rising, are where some of my best ideas have come from. 

9) Music/Worship - This is a powerful way to connect you to spirit. I will often get songs downloaded into me after working thru a situation or painful event. Sometimes it's uncanny how on target they are. They help remind me, I'm not alone. It's as if God himself says, "Nice work sweetie. Let's celebrate now." You can use it all day, or just when you feel you need it. For some, music is the ultimate outlet that keeps them connected.

10) Nature - Again, nature is our playground. Get out there and enjoy it. I know we have winters that are not friendly. Not my favorite either, but do your very best to somehow grab some sunshine or breathe in the crisp air, or sit by a window and admire the snowfall. Almost every human, when placed in nature, relaxes. They decompress. Anxiety dissipates (if they let it). It's integral for our spirit to play there.

11) Sermons/Podcasts - Follow spiritual people who you resonate with and connect to. Fill not only your mind, but your soul with goodness and light. We aren't just what we eat. We are also what we listen to.

12) Creativity - Find your outlet. It doesn't matter what it is. Dance. Sing. Draw. Paint. Write. Play guitar. Craft. Decorate. Find what lights you up. When you do, it's like a lifeline drops down from heaven. 

13) Mindfulness - Start to train your brain to get in the moment. This of course helps your mind, body and emotions, but also it connects you to spirit. We aren't the past. We also aren't the future. We are now. This moment, which is gone. Now, we are this moment. Oh that's one gone also. The more time you bring yourself to the present, the more your brain will stop deviating. The more you grow that muscle, the less time you spend in your head and the more time you spend in your actual body, feeling what is there at this moment, and not worrying about what happened yesterday or tomorrow.

14) Bible/Books - Some people thrive on scripture and digging into the word. I'm not one of them. Don't get me wrong, I love the bible. Mostly I love what Jesus said, but I also feel it is subject to a lot of human interpretation. So, for me, it's not my connection source. I can't remember scripture to save my soul. Do I gleam wisdom from it? Of course. It's just not how I operate. I'm more of a book person. I read voraciously and make my own determinations on what works for me, or doesn't. When the student is ready, the teacher will come and I have found this to be the case in nearly every book I have dug into.

15) Visualizations - I have conversations with Jesus in my car. Yep, I imagine he's in the passenger seat and we are just driving along having some real talk. If I'm not in the car, then I'm on a mountain and there's God, walking with me, setting me straight or just loving me. They are powerful moments in time for me, and my brain doesn't know the difference. Our brains literally don't know if the screen in front of them is reality, or our imagination. So, you can powerfully affect your nervous system just by using your imagination. We tell kids to stop dreaming. Get your head out of the clouds, but if you ask me, we should spend a lot more time there.

16) Energy work - We are energetic beings. Our emotions are energy in motion. We are connected to a higher power thru energy. There are negative and positive ions all around us. It's hard for us to understand all the dynamics of quantum energy, but there's plenty of science behind it and plenty of people with evidence of just how to channel it and change energy fields.

17) Gratitude - You've all heard it before. Just be grateful. There's people way worse than you. You have so much to be grateful for. Yes, they are right, but that is invalidating. So, I'm going to tell you that it's okay if you aren't grateful. Do you need to get there. Preferably, if you want to get to the top of the mountain. If you are trying to achieve a high energetic field, which is gratitude and love, you are going to have to figure out what is getting in the way. I'll give you a hint at what it could be. Anger. Anger blocks gratitude. So, before you beat yourself up on why you can't find more than three things to be grateful for, dig into what's making you angry. Go into your emotions and start pulling the angry roots. Eventually, you'll find that being grateful becomes more natural (it's actually far more natural than anger).

18) Church/Study groups - Get involved in a local church if you are seeking community connection and some place to start. Go to several different ones and land where you feel the most comfortable. This is where I started. I've changed locations since, but every experience and every person I met led me to higher places and eventually deeper relationships with God.

19) Scents/Oils - Another one that helps all wheels. Some spiritual people burn sage or other herbs. Maybe you like candles. I like oils, since they are natural and easily diffused. Whatever it is that works for you, make it become part of your routine. It's the most underutilized, but yet scent is the most powerful of all our senses,

20) Kind Acts/Serving - Be generous. It doesn't have to be money. It can be with your time, or a creative skill. It can be tutoring. It can be listening. It can be kind words. It can be at  local soup kitchen. Find what lights you up. Go to a humane society and walk dogs. Give outside yourself. It gets you out of your head, temporarily. It gives you purpose and it's like getting another lifeline sent from heaven.

Finally, start small. Maybe you already have tried some of these and they didn't work. That's okay. Now you know what doesn't work. Try another, and I haven't listed them all, by no means. I'm giving you resources that I know of, but once you tap into that source, it's plentiful. Just find what gets you to turn the faucet on, even if it's a trickle at first. I promise, the more time you spend there, cultivating that relationship, the more the water, the more the love and the more peace will flow.

If you'd like more information on any of these resources, please feel free to reach out. You can also catch my podcast on this same subject on my podcast page.

Angela Miller is a "Wholistic" RN and a Human Potential Life Coach. She is passionately pursuing her purpose to help others remember who they are and how to become their best self using her 4-wheeled, balanced approach system.