Lost, Found and Awakened- Charting My Spiritual Journey

My spiritual journey – from being a warrior to a healer

It is rightly said that healers are spiritual warriors. They fight for the good of others, using their intuition and wisdom to guide them. Although often underestimated, healers have the strength and courage of champions; they have overcome the darkness and risen from their deepest fears, much like the Phoenix rising from the ashes. They use their compassion, understanding, and strength to help others through their darkest moments and guide them back to health.

The power of empathy

We often think about empathy and spirituality as two separate topics, but they are actually quite intertwined. Empathy is the ability to feel what others are feeling, and this can be a powerful tool for understanding others on a deeper level. When we connect with someone spiritually, we open ourselves up to their energy and feelings in a way that can go beyond words. By understanding and connecting with others’ emotions, we can build stronger relationships and create more meaningful connections. Being an empath, I have always been labelled as a highly sensitive and overly emotional person who has tears rolling down her cheeks at the drop of a hat, at the most trivial of things.

But being an em-path is not a weakness, it rather gives me the power to ‘feel’ everything around me. Empaths are capable of deep love, intuition, creativity and strong connections. I call it a power to make people feel heard and validated perhaps for the first time in their lives.

Related Read: Circle of Kindness

My tryst with spirituality and how it helped me grow

Twelve years ago, during one of the lowest phases of my life, a spiritual Guru entered my life to walk me to my mind’s gateway. This door had always been there, think of it as a door that was jammed, unopened and what was behind it or beyond it, was potentially unexplored. He helped me realize my gifts, and introduce me to the world of Spirituality, Healing and Astrology.

After five years of my ‘Deeksha’ or initiation into this new world, my life drastically changed. I got married, moved to the USA, and started counselling on spirituality, working with a Manhattan-based fashion giant alongside. Every piece that I had struggled to place, just found its spot in the puzzle naturally. That was the power of manifestation that not only helped me heal myself but also many others using Vedic Astrology, the world’s oldest and most accurate form of astrology and Reiki.

So, let me share the experiences that I have gained over this journey, and hopefully, many of these will resonate with you, as you make progress in your very own spiritual journey.

Spirituality is recognizing and celebrating that we are all inextricably connected to each other by a power greater than all of us and that our connection to that power and to one another is grounded in love and compassion. Practicing spirituality brings a sense of perspective, meaning and purpose to our lives.

Brené Brown

Starting your spiritual journey? Here’s what you need to know

Some of my go-to tips and tricks for beginners who are just starting out on their spiritual journey or are simply interested in living a life of mindfulness are:

Gratitude

Start your day with a grateful heart. Show gratitude for small things, big things and everything in between. A grateful heart acts as a magnet for miracles and is one of the most efficient tools for manifestation. Being grateful is not just a method of showing kindness to others that benefits them. It is also about leading a happier and more fulfilled life.

Related Read: 14 reasons why we should be grateful , Practicing Gratitude: Oder Amidst Chaos

White Light Meditation

Another great everyday practice is what I call a ‘White Light Meditation’. I personally have hugely benefited from it especially during my initial days when meditation was particularly a new practice for me. The visualization of white light has transformative abilities combined with basic breath work that can help us move through many obstacles on our path and heal a multitude of problems. You can start by meditating once or twice a week for at least 15 minutes. In the beginning, it’s completely normal to find it difficult to concentrate or probably go in and out of your meditative zone. Understand that meditation is not something that will happen overnight or something that will be automatic from the onset. Think of meditation as a good technique to help you notice your surroundings, your mind, and your feelings and in turn, find a better sense of peace. It takes time and it takes practice.

Some points to remember and follow for a successful session of meditation are:

• Find a tranquil spot, sit in a cross-legged position (also called a lotus position or Padmasan) and place your palms facing upwards on your upper thigh. The goal is to be comfortable, so you can choose your posture accordingly. 
• You can sit in any room of your home, and not necessarily a dedicated meditation space. 
• You can begin your practice with 10-15 minutes a day and slowly work your way up.
• There’s no right or wrong way to do a meditation, as a beginner, you can keep it simple, and concentrate solely on feeling relaxed. 
• With your eyes closed, start concentrating on your breathing pattern. Take deep and long breaths. With every breath, feel your body get more and more relaxed. 
• Concentrate on every body part, and visualize tension or stiffness leaving your body. Imagine your body becoming lighter with every breath.
• Neglect any thoughts that may come and go, it’s natural for your mind to drift away at times. Simply, ignore the passing thoughts and bring your focus back on your breath. 
• Now visualize a white beam of light entering the crown of your head, and filling up your entire body with white light. This light goes into all your body parts from head to toe. With more and more practice, this light should eventually start channeling through all your chakras creating an endless loop between the universe, your body and the earth. 
• Remember that meditation is an everyday practice and it takes time to fully be able to dive deep into it, so don’t feel disheartened if your mind is unable to focus or visualize in the beginning.
• Gradually work on increasing the amount of time you dedicate each day to your practice, eventually find a suitable time so you can incorporate your practice in your daily routine just like you brush your teeth, or take a shower everyday. 
• Maintain a meditation journal that records your thoughts, feelings, changes and progress that you’ve witnessed for yourself since you began your spiritual journey. 
• Quick tip: A tiny dab of lavender essential oil on my pulse points helped me calm my anxious mind whenever I found myself unable to align my body, mind and spirit. 

Grounding or Earthing

A few more practices that worked wonders for me are grounding and affirmation exercises. 

In spirituality, grounding is the process of becoming fully present in the moment and being connected to the earth. It is a way of connecting with deeper aspects of yourself and helps you stay centred during times of stress or chaos. There are many techniques for grounding, each one unique to the individual. By learning how to ground yourself, you can improve your health and well-being, and connect more deeply with your spiritual path. Grounding is one of the most important foundation exercises in any spirituality practice. It is about being in direct contact with the energy of the earth.

Being grounded allows for root penetration into the earth’s electromagnetic field, a free flow of energy from this field into our own electromagnetic field and vice versa. It helps to “untwist” our seven energy centres or chakras. As these seven energy centres are balanced, we begin to connect with our potential through positive affirmations which can be powerful tools for grounding or earthing.

Alignment is a vibration, a movement of energy that feels at once grounded, centered, and enlightened and propels you gracefully forward toward what feels good and meant for you.

Kris Franken, The Call of Intuition: How to Recognize & Honor Your Intuition, Instinct & Insight

Techniques of Grounding

Grounding or earthing can be done in many ways. It would depend on your choice. Here are some examples:

Walking barefoot

Walking barefoot connects our human energy circuits to the earth’s surface energy currents. When we walk barefoot, our bodies align with the earth’s natural energy field. It is an excellent way to place yourself in touch with the earth’s life-giving energies, which are incredibly important for healing body, mind and spirit, helping us feel balanced, peaceful and centered. It is a great way to start the day and can be done almost anytime of the day.

Making physical contact with Mother Earth

Lying down with your back touching the floor and stretching both arms and legs, opens our energy centers to Mother Earth’s currents. You can also do this exercise by lying with your back on grass or soil.

With crystals, rocks and minerals

Crystals are simply rocks that have shapes, which are based on the way they grow inside Mother Earth. Because of this, crystals have energetic properties that connect them with other people and places. They can be programmed to align themselves with your unique frequency or energy signature.

Through Yoga

Connection with Mother Earth is very important for grounding or earthing because it makes us feel whole. Every yoga position has symbolic meaning and intention and the first and last asanas of every routine are usually shavasana (corpse pose). Shavasana, which is most effective for grounding/earthing, involves lying down on the earth’s surface with your feet together and completely relaxed.

Once your body starts to align with the universe, you will notice a lot of miracles happening around you. I always looked for signs, synchronicity and patterns in my day to day life. Every time I see a sign, I feel that I am in direct contact with the Source, that it is speaking to me and guiding my way. I still remember some of the subtle yet powerful signs I received years ago which made so much sense eventually. 

Follow the signs of the Universe and trust in them

A ‘date’ with my first sign

On a cold November morning, I was going on a potential date with someone who had come all the way from the USA to meet me. I was stuck in the Delhi traffic and cursing my stars. I was thinking about his first impression of me, and how he might just perceive me as someone who is not conscientious and is unpunctual. While these anxious thoughts ran through my mind, I asked the universe to give me a sign that everything is going to be okay. Then suddenly I heard a knock on my car’s window and saw a little girl selling a heart-shaped balloon. It instantly brought a smile to my apprehensive face. At the same time, I thought why would she be selling a heart-shaped balloon in November? But I still bought that balloon from her and drove off to meet this guy who had been waiting for me for over an hour now. Then we met, chatted and left with a mutual liking for each other. Before leaving, I gave him the balloon without knowing the future of this relationship, or where this first meeting would lead. 

We constantly stayed in touch even when he returned to the USA. After around 10 months, he proposed, and flew down to India and we got married on Valentine’s Day. Now when I look back, I can connect the dots. The red heart-shaped balloon was just my sign from the universe that I have found my forever valentine!

Related Read: The PIE effect of relationships

Learning to read the ‘sign’ language

This was one of the biggest signs of my life. I notice such signs every day now. I have a better understanding of them now. The signs are less ethereal and more integrated into our day-to-day lives. They are subtle, indirect messages that can be gentle or loud with an obvious presence.

The universe could communicate with you when you are in the shower or washing dishes, or through a random song on the radio or a license plate of the car in front of you! They could very well be in the form of a dream or vision too. The idea is to be receptive and open, trust in the process and have faith that the universe has your back.

I believe in signs….what we need to learn is always there before us, we just have to look around us with respect & attention to discover where God is leading us and which step we should take. When we are on the right path, we follow the signs, and if we occasionally stumble, the Divine comes to our aid, preventing us from making mistakes.

Paulo Coelho, The Zahir

Practising Affirmations

Lastly, let me talk about the affirmation technique that I used to put my desire into the universe and then watch it manifest. Start your day with positive affirmations. You don’t need a complex technique to follow initially that has been trending on social media lately. You just need a clear mind. I always wrote my affirmations after my meditation practice in my red diary.

I know you’re tired but come, this is the way.

Rumi

Affirmation is known to improve one’s mental health and is backed by neural science. Affirmations are not a replacement for medical treatment, but when practised regularly with intent it has been shown in some cases could help manage symptoms better than traditional means such as medication or therapy alone!

Some general but powerful affirmations that you can use are:

Affirmations work wonders in weaving your thoughts into a beautiful reality. There are many things that happen in life and they all have a specific time to occur. A daily affirmation is a great way to start your day on the right foot. By affirming your positive qualities, you can set the tone for your day and remind yourself of what you’re capable of. Affirmations are also a great way to combat negative self-talk and build up your self-confidence.

You can’t control when something will be, but you should always trust the process because it brings about what’s best for us eventually. The way we live our lives is through faith; trusting the Divine plan for each one of us regardless of its early or late arrival.

Finding myself

I know how it feels to be lost, I know how it feels to be trapped with uncertainty, I know how desperation smells like when looking for answers. I understand how difficult relationships can be at times, I can relate to the failures of professional life, and that’s exactly where my motivation comes from to help other people find answers. Just like my Guru walked into my life when I needed him the most, I would want to be able to walk into peoples’ lives to give them the answers they are looking for and to provide them with the guidance they have been seeking. This is what I believe is the purpose of my life, and my story of how I was once lost, found and awakened for life.

About The Author

Alisha Sharma is a design graduate from the National Institute of Fashion Technology and has worked as a visual manager for Saks Fifth Avenue in New York before pursuing her innate calling. She was initiated into astrology and Reiki by a Guru in India, and then she went further to become a Master reader, Reiki Master and teacher as well as a certified Life coach.

She has completed a course from the prestigious Harvard University in Hinduism. She is also an ordained minister of the non-denominational church and has initiated many LGBTQIA community marriages.

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