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Learning spirituality is an exciting, enlightening and rewarding process, but how do you get started?
With all the information in the world at your fingertips, it can be a hard decision where to target first. And with contradictory beliefs, it can be hard to establish your own.
This post rewinds the process and brings the focus to the very beginning of a spiritual journey, making you ready for lifelong development.
6 Tools to Develop Your Own Spiritual Beliefs
When you first discover the world of spirituality, it can be exciting. There’s so many areas to delve into and new things to think about. Since there’s no shortage of information, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. Here’s some resources you can use to gain a sense of spirituality that feels true to who you are.
#1 Books
Reading books is a great start to introducing yourself to spirituality. Unlike a novel, you don’t want to rush through most self-development books, including spiritual ones. Give yourself time to digest the words and see if or how they apply to your life. Reading too much at one time can make everything jumble together, and you won’t remember the specifics of what each section is trying to teach you.
It can be a good idea to assign a certain amount of time to each chapter, say at least 3 days, or even a week. This gives you time to recall the information, and apply it to your life, if necessary.
There are books on a multitude of subjects: Everything from self-help based spiritual learning, to developing your psychic skills. If you don’t know what book to pick up first, I recommend trying a book by Dr. Wayne Dyer. Dyer’s books make spiritual information easy to understand, and he presents it in such a loving way, that you too will pick up on the loving energy.
#2 Online Sources
Perhaps more accessible than books, online sources can give anyone almost any information they need. Doing a simple Google search on your areas of interest can lead you to something enlightening. You can also search for some motivational speeches by spiritual speakers on YouTube. Another idea to use Pinterest to find info on your area of interest and repin anything that sparks your interest. Following spiritual accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Instagram can also help inject some spirituality throughout the day.
#3 Talking to Others
Start paying attention to the beliefs of others, and not immediately shunning out an idea just because you’ve never thought of it. Keep an open mind. When you’re speaking to family or friends, you can bring up a spiritual subject that interests you, and see where it leads. On the other hand, if you know the group won’t respect your beliefs, it can be best to find a group that does.
If you have no one around you that shares the same interests, seek them out. Go to places where they may hang out (Meditation centres, areas in libraries, yoga classes). If this does not work, you can go online. Find them in Facebook groups, on Twitter, Instagram or forums.
If you have any spiritual questions, try consulting others who you view to be smart in that area. This can include sending an e-mail to the author of a particular article you found interesting, or asking a psychic a parapsychology questions during a reading. There’s many options when it comes to connecting with others, whether online or in-person.
#4 Classes
If you are more of a hands-on person, perhaps you could try classes pertaining to a specific area of spiritual interest. Classes could include meditation, yoga, reiki, etc. You can also attend seminars or motivational speeches given by someone you consider to be very spiritually advanced.
If you’d rather try something online, there’s plenty of spiritual classes that connect you with other students. Try searching for some in your area of interest. If you’re pressed for cash, YouTube has a bunch of informal lessons and informational videos that are similar to classes.
#5 Audio
If you’re not a big reader, you can always listen instead. It’s a great way to uplift your spirits while doing chores, exercising or driving. The easiest way to do this is with audiobooks. You can search for books you like on Audible. If you have a library card, see if it works on the Libby app. Many libraries allow you to listen to many books for free.
Aside from audio books, you can also listen to podcasts. These allow us to hear another person’s point of view. Search the podcast section of Spotify to hear something in your area of interest. You may need to try out a few to find out which voices and people really capture your attention and resonate with you.
#6 Observation
The most simple, free and natural way of learning spirituality is to observe it. Spirituality is found everywhere. A good example of this in is nature. A flower blooming, leaves changing colors and the rush of waterfalls can be seen as miracles created by a higher energy. Many look past these seemingly simple things. However, if you pay attention, you can see the beauty in most things.
Besides nature, you can also learn aspects of spirituality by observing life in general. For example, instead of judging the person begging for cash, you can begin to wonder what circumstances may have led her to that point. When someone tells you a touching story, you can reflect on it and see what it may mean in the larger context of life. If you treat every relationship you have as a learning experience, you can experience a natural and humble spiritual growth.
Summary on the Spiritual Journey + Developing Your Own Beliefs
Remember learning is a process without an end. Never close yourself down to learning or think that you’re finished. Also, be open to the beliefs of others and take them into consideration. Even if you don’t agree with a specific view, think to yourself “that’s an interesting way of looking at it”.
On the other hand, you probably won’t accept all the beliefs of one person either. Just because you have a favorite author who you see as a spiritual master doesn’t mean you can’t disagree with some of their opinions. Don’t think every belief of one specific person is right; develop beliefs of your own and don’t rely on others. Then, once you have developed beliefs of your own, don’t be afraid to question them as necessary.
Questioning your beliefs in a healthy manner can lead to more growth and spiritual clarity. Most of all, don’t take learning so seriously. It’s supposed to be something that inspires and motivates you. Make learning fun and spirituality will come to you naturally.
