Personal Growth is often compared with peeling away the layers of an onion. As we do, we get closer to the core of our being; that which is indestructible, immutable, permanent. Here we meet our true essence, the source of our safety and security. How we build a connection to that inner world is through meditation, prayer, being in nature, writing, exercise, art and music. All of these are also spiritual practices; ways in which, by the very act of connecting with our center, we meet with that which is intangible, yet brings such a deep sense of peace. Whether you call it God, the Universe, a Higher Power, or loving energy, our connection with this can only be made through ourselves.

I remember many years ago coming to that realisation when I first entertained the idea of asking for help from some ‘thing’ outside of me; when the emotional pain I was in was so great that I was finally ready to let go of having to do it on my own. Instinctively, I knew the only way I could connect with something outside of myself was by connecting to it within. And it was such a comfort to realise I wasn’t alone, that I could ask for help and become trusting that my ‘prayers’ would be answered ... even if not immediately or in the way I had envisioned.

No doubt, spirituality is a very individual thing. Our society has been referred to as being soul-less;individuals, at times, as spiritually bankrupt. We are suffering from a ‘sickness of the soul’ and many of the challenges we are faced

with are our attempts to be united with our spiritual selves. Without even knowing it, this is what’s missing when we are seeking to fill the emptiness we feel inside. Whilst I didn’t have the words to describe it as a teenager, I am certain my time spent hanging out in my tree was motivated by this need. And I still remember the soul-searching conversations I shared with my peers at the time.

Building a spiritual connection also requires a willingness to listen to your inner voice; to actually hear what it’s saying and to act consistent with it. How often do we get hunches or messages from within that we ignore, only to regret later? Even though we may not be ready to act on the information, paying attention allows us to more fully know and honour who we really are. People ask me how they can trust that voice, how to know whether what they are listening to is their intuition. The simple answer is to pay attention to how you feel. Distinguishing between your intuition, which is only concerned with your highest good, and the voice which constantly judges you, is easy – the former is the voice of love; the latter the voice of fear.

If we would listen to ourselves, be still and quiet, we might discover (perhaps to our surprise) that who’s hiding beneath all that ‘stuff’ is an absolutely gorgeous human being. Then who knows what beauty we might attract into our lives?

This first appeared in April 2001 in my Newsletter ‘Straight From The Heart’.