Although I was raised Catholic, I never connected with it, despite (or possibly because of) years of Catholic schooling. While the education was great, I was ready to leave behind the religion I knew the day I graduated. Since I associated God with religion, I didn’t know how to have faith outside of religion. Plus, I had some underlying Irish Catholic guilt issues so pursuing other religions wasn’t really an option. 😉
A few years ago, when I went to my first energy healing session, I asked the healer not to use the G-word with me after she asked my level of comfort with it. She grinned and understood where I was coming from. She also suggested that would change for me someday, as it had for her. Whatever.
Several years later, it has changed. Before I go further, however, let me clarify that I am not anti-religious, and I respect those who have religious beliefs. Raised in the same environment, my sister walked away with a connection to the Catholic Church, which I admire in her, yet I didn’t. It just didn’t work for me.
In my journey over the last few years, I have discovered faith and belief outside of religion. It’s a game changer – to say the least. But it was a slow and skeptical journey.
After years of believing in nothing, I experimented with meditation after an accident. It opened me up enough to believe that there was some kind of universal energy out there. So I bought The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Choprah. Several years later I finally opened it. 🙂 Not only did I read it, but also I began practicing the techniques Deepak shares in the book. Major shifts began happening in my life, including one of my biggest professional accomplishments, and to say I was an underdog in the situation is an understatement.
Next, as I was in the process of developing my intuitive skills, a friend recommended Ask Your Guides by Sonia Choquette. Reading about spirit guides and angels felt more interesting to me than reading about G, who I still associated with hell, punishment and other religious concepts that didn’t resonate with me.
In the book, Sonia outlines the many levels of spirit guides that are available to assist us any time we need it. (You can check out one of my previous blogs for an example of what I’m talking about.) I was enormously skeptical and therefore began putting these guides to the test. I instantly felt more peace. I felt like the weight of the world wasn’t on my shoulders alone. Some invisible beings were out there helping me. Even if it made me sound wackadoo (a quote from one of my client’s today 🙂 lol), I felt better.
I was working my way into my own form of faith through universal energy, guides and angels but still steering clear of G. However, my curiosity was growing as I felt shifts in my life. Then Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch was recommended to me around the same time I found myself in a situation that was 100% out of my control, a rare and scary moment for me at that point in time.
That book shifted my thinking, even if I don’t necessarily agree with every word of it. God doesn’t care if I use the F-word? Sweet! (One of my occasional guilty pleasures. What can I say? We’re spiritual beings having a human experience! 😉 ). God doesn’t mind that I used a nickname, G, in this blog so I don’t scare off those who are skeptical, like I used to be?! While those are playful examples, I did find some concept of a God I could relate to and have a relationship with. It took time to release some of the concepts that had been drilled into my mind for years. I also had to give myself permission to accept what resonated and release what didn’t, a new concept for me when it came to faith. But now I can say the word God, and feel good about it, without having to kneel on a pew or pray for my sins. (I prefer kneeling at yoga and praying at home.)
Looking back on this journey, I had nothing to lose and everything to gain. Today I see so many clients who are in a similar position as I was years ago. Anxious. Overwhelmed. Confused. Controlling everything. From my experience, developing belief in something will help release the weight of the anxiety and other emotions you’re feeling. Why carry the weight of the world on your shoulders if you don’t have to? Ask the universe, or whatever else you think you could believe in, for some help. See what happens. 🙂
