What is Spiritual Work?

The term “spiritual work” can be interpreted in many ways and applied to many things. Ultimately, spiritual work is about tuning into our spirit, finding life and love in it and cultivating it. Our desire is to find wholeness and bliss.

Spiritual work is a therapy, science and an art all at the same time. In this post, I’m going to share some types of spiritual work and how to apply them into your life.

Spirit is all mental. It’s not some imaginary spirit body floating around. Instead spirit is found within the mind.

From The Kybalion the Three Initiates say this,

“THE ALL” in Infinite Living Mind-the illumined call it SPIRIT!”

And again they write,

“The Universe is Mental-held in the Mind of THE ALL.”

But this is the point to fix in your minds at this stage: THE UNIVERSE, AND ALL IT CONTAINS, IS A MENTAL CREATION OF THE ALL. Verily indeed, ALL IS MIND! – The Kybalion

In other words, this reality that we are experiencing is what we call THE ALL. We are all a part of one creative being. We perceive reality through the mind and we are the mind of the Universe. It’s as if we are the day dreams of one Infinite Source of Being. Some could say it’s even a simulation.

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In the Bible it says,

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.” (John 1:1-2)

From the writings of Hermes Trismegistus we learn,

“That which sees and hears within you is the Word of the Lord,..”

Some even view this reality of existence as a sort of Matrix. What we are seeing around us is all coding. Scientists even say the matter that we perceive around us isn’t actually what we see with our eyes but instead energy vibrating at different frequencies.

So when we talk about practicing spiritual work, we are really talking about mental exercises. The word “work” means that some effort is required. Cultivating our spiritual life doesn’t just happen passively. We have to take intentional actions to manifest what we truly desire in our life. It’s all about transmuting the lead into gold through what is called spiritual alchemy.

Spiritual Practices

Before embarking on a spiritual journey we must first establish a foundation of spiritual practices. We can consider these spiritual practices as a method of spiritual work. Daily spiritual practices lay the groundwork for further spiritual work.

Spiritual practices are sources of healing that we should utilize habitually. By doing so, we can build a base of stability. Such practices include but are not limited to:

Meditation
Self-love and care
Reciting mantras
Affirmations
Chakra working

Types of Spiritual Work

Shadow Work

Shadow work is another form or method of spiritual work. This practice helps to bring our unconscious into awareness. While everyone has light, everyone also has a shadow side. This isn’t the same as being considered evil. Some people associate a shadow side of yourself with the devil or demons which isn’t always the case.

Our shadow is considered to be areas of our psyche that have been repressed for various reasons including trauma, shame, rejection and the list goes on.

Spiritual practices such as journaling and meditation help to raise our awareness, which in turn can give us a glimpse of our shadow self. It helps us to recognize our subconscious actions and the mental paradigm that it is derived from. Our shadow self can be seen through our unconscious habits and tendencies.

Clues of the Shadow Self

Have you had someone ask you “why do you always do that?!” but you have no clue what they are talking about? Sometimes you may even deny that you do it because it is all subconscious. This can be a sign of the shadow self.

Our shadow self can be seen through the reflection of others. There may be people that aggravate you but you just don’t understand why. They just rub you the wrong way. It is thought this happens because you see something in them that you don’t like within yourself.

How to Pull Back the Layers of the Shadow Self

When you become aware of when you respond like that you are able to dig deeper through journaling. Shadow work helps you to pull back the layers by accepting those subconscious actions and seeking to understand it. You can find many shadow work prompts regarding different themes of the subconscious all over the internet.

By becoming aware of our shadow self we can then integrate it into our conscious awareness and begin changing the paradigm. When you are unaware of your shadow self you are powerless and unable to change it.

The point of shadow work is to love and accept those unconscious tendencies and paradigms that have been programmed into our psyche. The shadow must be incorporated and not rejected. Through denial and rejection we only bury it deeper into our unconscious. We become wilfully ignorant at that point. That is when we begin living in our shadow.

Inner Child Work

Inner child work is another form of spiritual work that many practice. This method of spiritual work helps us to remember the true essence of our soul. Jesus told his disciples that “Unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God.” He also said that the kingdom of God is found within.

Remembering Your Inner Child

When we are a fresh born baby out of the womb we are in our purest essence. We are the blueprint of our birth chart manifest in the physical world. It is thought that your spiritual DNA is seen through the placement of the stars at the time of your birth.

So using astrology acts as a mirror so that we can see our true reflection. As we grew older we forgot many parts of ourselves. Along with that, many of us have experienced traumatic events that caused parts of our soul to flee as a survival mechanism.

As a response, we take on many coping mechanisms that carry on into our adulthood. For example, if you grew up in poverty like me, you may have struggled with a scarcity mindset. It stems from a lack of faith in the universe.

Journal Your Inner Child Healing Journey

Symptoms like that can be examined through inner child work which is similar to shadow work. Journaling is important to utilize when practicing inner child work. You can use journal prompts to help you identify parts of yourself that have been lost. It helps us to find our lost childlike wonder.

Have you let go of things that you really loved as a child because you had to “grow up?” Many of us have forgotten our creativity talents and abilities because we were forced to focus on survival instead. Identify the things that you loved as a child because it can help you to remember the essence of your soul. Begin drawing again! Sing again! Write again! Do what you love to do.

Ancestral Healing

Ancestral healing is another form of spiritual work that will change your paradigm. Studies have shown that memories of our ancestors are passed down through our DNA. These include great memories but also traumatic memories. It is called genetic memory.

Some consider ancestral trauma to be related to generational curses or karma. Oftentimes, we inherit habits like addictions or certain paradigms through our ancestors. It is thought that we are called to heal this ancestral trauma in order to experience our own healing and wholeness.

The Collective Ancestral Trauma

For thousands of years, mankind has suffered through traumatic experiences of violence through war. War is really a symptom of the sickness of greed that lies within our shadow. Through each traumatic experience, mankind has lost aspects of itself that were repressed deep within.

As a result of that trauma, parts of humanity have been forgotten. Some call this collective amnesia. Most notably, mankind has forgotten its true identity as Divine and Spiritual. We’ve forgotten the true power that we possess through our minds.

We have the ability to transmute lower energies into something higher and more optimal. Mankind can create heaven on Earth. We can return to the Golden Age. Through the Age of Aquarius, mankind will begin to transcend fear and cultivate peace and love among the global community. The dream is to literally bring heaven on Earth, a heavenly city.

Connecting With Your Higher Self

The Higher Self is something that I think we will never be able to accurately explain much like how we are unable to fully explain the Infinite Source, The ALL or simply put, God. We are unable to explain how the Universe was created and its purpose. However, there are many beliefs across the world as to what the Higher Self is.

Some consider the Higher Self to be a Holy Guardian Angel. Others believe that the Higher Self is the spiritual Self or Oversoul. It is thought that you can connect with your Higher Self through meditation. By doing so you can receive creative inspiration, downloads of gnosis and revelations.

In the Qabalah it is thought that when you experience the Vision of the Higher Self you are then led or given revelation of your Great Work or True Will. The True Will is the purpose that you were incarnated on this Earth for. It is what our soul desires to create and experience in order to evolve and vibrate on a higher plane.

Through this meeting with your Higher Self you can completely change the direction of your life. The meeting equips you to manifest what you truly desire. This experience also raises your awareness to what you perceive and enables you to see the Divine Plan of The ALL. Ultimately, it helps you to see the bigger picture of your reality.

Connecting With Spirit Guides

Connecting with your spirit guides can also be considered spiritual work. Some even call this ‘spirit work.’ By connecting with our spirit guides we can work to come in harmony with the spiritual plane of reality. There are energies that we resonate with and some that we repel.

To begin working with spirit guides you should investigate the archetypal energies that you feel drawn to and resonate with. The best and easiest way to begin connecting with your spirit guides is by reaching out to your ancestors. In my opinion, I believe this should be done before building relationships with deities, angels and other spirit guides.

Ancestors are thought to be the closest and easiest spirit guides to connect with because we are bound to them through our DNA. They are a part of us and live deep within our psyche. Their life gave us life through their blood.

Typically, you don’t have to convince ancestors to connect with you because they want to work with you. Throughout history, ancestors were thought to look over our well being especially since they want their lineage/life to carry on through us.

Energies of our ancestors are kept alive through remembrance of them. So by just remembering them alone can begin to connect you with your ancestors and make their guidance more readily available to you.

Connecting with other archetypal energies can be more challenging and unpredictable at times. However, there are other spirits that desire to connect with us like angels, patron saints, deities and the list goes on. Spirits that already want to work with you make it easier to connect with them.

Practicing Rituals

Rituals are thought to be the energetic bridge to what we desire to experience in this reality. The awesome power of rituals is that they embed the thing we desire deep within our subconscious so that the result naturally occurs. It’s not about manifesting things out of thin air but manifesting our desires from within.

As within, so without. The Bible puts it like this “As a man thinketh in his heart so is he.” So rituals are all about reprogramming the paradigm within our psyche.

Being a Spiritual Worker

Being a spiritual worker can also look differently to many people. When you say spiritual worker, some may automatically think of working with spirits like ancestors, land spirits, deities, angels, etc. To others a spiritual worker could lead to ideas of being a lightworker, shaman or teacher, healer. The list goes on.

Regardless, a spiritual worker is someone who is dedicated to helping the collective experience healing and ascension to the highest good. It is said that spiritual workers feel a strong urge and desire to do some great work that uplifts the collective. To some, being a spiritual worker is more of an art and something that they love doing. It just comes naturally to them.

Either case, there is a process to go through that teaches us lessons. In this initiation process we realize our innate gifts and talents. As you grow through your spiritual practices and begin to experience ascension, you will begin to gain insight into the Great Work that you are being called to.

This Great Work is different for everyone. To some this Great Work is about being a volunteer at a non-profit, authoring a book, being a mentor, motivational speaker, shaman, etc. You can see clues of this Great Work in your astrological birth chart.

Conclusion

Hopefully this has given you a good idea on how you can practice your spirituality more. There isn’t one right way. I recommend following your curiosity and the longing of your soul. They will never lead you astray.