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You don't think of your spiritual self as being tied to your physical health, but the moment you or someone close to you is at risk health-wise, it becomes more and more a go-to arena.
With my litany of issues this past summer with sudden diagnoses of hypertension, diabetes, and bilateral Bell's palsy, I had to put the brakes on and rest, heal, and eliminate all the stress I could so that changes in my lifestyle could lead to healing and health.
During that forced time off, I found myself meditating again, doing my nightly prayers, and spending lots of time outside with nature, photographing the insects and flowers, sunsets and sunrises, planting things, putting my hands in the dirt, and contemplating the philosophical aspects of life and what makes me motivated to overcome obstacles.
It isn't until you're faced with mortality that you feel your childhood exposure to faith rising up and you begin to ask yourself if it had satisfied your soul or just confused it. Do you belong in organized religion where you are given parameters and visions of your connection to the Divine? Or do you find your soul doing things you love? Helping others? Meditating? Practicing love for mankind? Praying?
There is no right or wrong answer to that one, only the permission to explore. Our lives are so mechanized these days and ruled by communications equipment like cell phones and computers, overextending, and overscheduling that we lose sight of our soul's needs.
Some ways you might explore your spiritual aspects -
Go to that church you notice every time you drive by and are curious about.
Reexplore your faith of childhood.
Volunteer or take on someone you know who needs help and offer it.
Be a good fairy by paying for someone in line behind you's meal at the drive-thru window.
Create with music or art, writing, or dance to explore your connection with the universe.
Pull out a telescope and study the night sky.
Spend time with a baby or child.
Write in a journal.
Practice meditation or prayer daily.
Create a place in your home designated to stop and connect. Place an open Bible or crystals, plants, photos of people you love, or religious figurines. Simply sitting in this spot is like being in church, forcing you to only do one thing while you're there.
Begin a dialog with whatever/whomever you see as your Maker.
Treat yourself as if you are your own child. Massage your muscles, lotion your body, tuck yourself into a warm bed, allow yourself time to renew.
Watch videos online of people who experienced near-death. Their stories tell much that put things into perspective.
Consider a talisman or religious symbol to wear on a necklace, whether it's a cross, a triskele, ankh, or crystals.
Join a Bible study group.
Take time to sit and listen to music that moves you.
It goes without saying that, as we age, and as we face mortality in ourselves and those around us, our spiritual aspect becomes something we must address.
Putting things in perspective, seeing your health crises as a challenge, connecting with a power greater than you, or finding that greater power from within, are critical to make changes and focus on what really counts in life -
Being versus Doing.
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