We’re all on a spiritual journey; even the homeless guy sitting on the corner asking for handouts. In fact, that homeless man may be living through a much more intense spiritual journey because he may be here to experience humility in a way that your soul did not find necessary for you to have to work through. Your level of awareness of your particular journey may be greater than the person sitting in the office next to you, but that person’s consciousness is expanding too.  And so is the jerk who cut you off on the road earlier.

Since we are talking about spiritual journeys, once you are on that path, the way is often tricky and fraught with unpleasant experiences. “Wait, what?” You may be saying, eyes wide in disbelief: “I thought spirituality was all about love and light; bliss and peacefulness. I thought all of my dreams would come true and that I’d start earning more money!” Well, that is a good possibility, but not before you do a little work first. When one embarks on the conscious path to deepen knowing and expand awareness, all that has been buried has to surface, be acknowledged and accepted as part of who you are, then released and healed. (See my article about moving through a healing crisis here: http://thefigleaf.tumblr.com/post/89901464835/moving-through-a-healing-crisis) Finding oneself, and ultimately realizing ( actually, re-membering) that we have innate wisdom within us, buried under lifetimes of old beliefs and patterns is hard work. It involves looking deep within yourself, accepting all of the choices that you have ever made. It requires forgiving yourself and everyone that you thought had ever hurt you. It demands loving yourself; your whole self exactly as you are in this moment, without conditions. And more. Yes, more.

It’s a choice to journey consciously, and it takes courage and trust. It’s something that we are all doing, and consciously or not, it still takes courage and trust. When you are not conscious of being on your spiritual journey, life just seems unfair, tough, and as if everyone is against you. Conscious or not, your soul is leading you to a state of expanded awareness. So that jerk who cut you off on the road today is expanding in awareness just like you are, but he’s probably not aware of it; he may just feel like life is too stressful, and he took it out on you.

Seeking your own deeper self is an undertaking that is well worth the hard work and the potential struggles. Peace to you on your journey.