A crisis of faith or just another stage of development?

Is there any validity to the spiritual world or is this just another attempt at avoidance from the trials and drudgery of everyday life?

Watching soaps, obsessively following sports, following the religion of celebrity - are these a construction of society to distract the masses from their true purpose?

Or are they forms of distraction engineered for those who prefer to live a flat-line life, free from the downs but ultimately also free from the highs?

These are questions that frequently arise to those going through personal and/or spiritual development. Pushing yourself to, and sometimes beyond, breaking point.

Self inflicted chaos is a process that the ‘questioners’ rather than ‘those who prefer to accept’ will always go through and one that if viewed positively can be a rewarding stage of the journey.

Pressing the 'self-destruct' button every once in a while just to test their own belief system and to push themselves to react altering their position and viewpoint. This is merely part of the process of deconstruction, re-alignment and development of the self. A method for clearing out the emotional and spiritual closet to allow room for the new you.

Additionally risk in your life is a healthy element that provides you with those experiences that define your limitations, your fears and your personal boundaries. Once defined these boundaries can be pushed and pulled, tweaked and tested with the aim of developing your ‘self’ – clarifying and defining your path and purpose.

These risks don’t have to be the ‘jumping over the cliff’ kind of risks but simply by trying new experiences that make you tingle with trepidation. Say yes to encounters and events that would normally result in an automatic no.

Fly a kite, go a walk in the rain, buy some crystals, read a book on a subject that you know nothing about – or maybe try writing a blog (make sure you send me a link). The resulting connections will make themselves apparent - and in ways you’d never even dreamed.

Breaking through the constraints

Treading the alternative paths of life often bring you into areas of confrontation and direct opposition. How many times have you heard those people who are ‘different’ being referred to as freaks and weird?

To label anyone a 'freak' or 'weird' is simply an acceptance and an extension of the constraints that these people are able to see beyond and discard as society’s baggage.

If you experience a downbeat encounter it is vital to your development that you rise above the negativity of the experience and learn from the feelings it manifested. This gives you the opportunity to integrate the dark aspects of yourself and raise your emotional condition.

Personally, I have always been attracted to the 'misfits' of life and find their (our?!?) stories so much more insightful - as though they are at times imparting or channelling knowledge from source. This appears to be down to them having stripped, or had stripped from them, the constraints of organised society which in turn has removed their barriers to their higher self and the greater truth.

Often I find myself discussing life with total strangers and introducing people to alternative paths. Frequently this chance meeting passes on that missing piece of information that has been stalling a particular theory I have been working through and the connection provides new direction for my personal discovery.

Each and every one of us is on our own personal journey and should adopt those words and concepts that feel right for integration into our own belief system. If there are elements that don't fit then leave them be and move along. Maybe they aren’t meant for you but may strike a chord with another on a comparable search.

If the terminology doesn't fit don't be so shallow to dismay the ideology behind it - see beyond the word and embrace the wisdom.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and take care.

Damian