6 Steps To Spiritual Awakening In The New Year

Each January, as the New Year comes around, we have the opportunity to renew our commitment to personal growth. Now is the time to refocus your life on what matters most: the authentic expression of your inner truth. Virtually all of life’s dis-harmonies and imbalances arise from a state of incongruence between our internal and external realities. Aligning these two aspects of our being is much easier than you might think. The secret is to recognize, understand and express the intuitive connection between our personal being and the universal, cosmic Higher Self.

The six steps below, followed in order, and practiced regularly, will attune your being with the pathways of universal expression, and give you the awareness and power to create the blissful, creative life of your dreams!

SEE ALSO: Can You Leave Your Comfort Zone?

Step One: Be Still

Halt. Stop. Do nothing. That is the first mantra of an awakening. In order to hear the voice of God, the Universe or our Higher Self, we have to quiet the din of twenty-first-century life. Practice unplugging. Make time to meditate daily, even if it’s while you are on the bus, or in bed at night. Do less; clear your schedule of unnecessary activities and embrace the joy of spending time with your Self.

Step Two: Get Into the Flow

Once we have made space in our life to connect with our Selves and Intuition, it’s time to get those juices flowing. Physical, emotional and mental blockages impede the expression of universal energies, and prevent us from manifesting our best life, so create a weekly ‘energy workout’ routine for body, mind, heart and spirit. To get and stay attuned, practice one or two activities from each area below on a regular basis:

• BODY: Yoga, QiGong, Mindful Eating, Gardening, Walks in Nature, Dance, Exercise
• MIND: Meditation, Mantra Practice, Mindfulness, Listening to Music, Using Malas
• HEART: Journaling, Making Art or Music, Creating a Vision Board, Writing Poetry
• SPIRIT: Practice Gratitude, Send and Receive the Joy of Being, Smile

Step Three: Recognize Your Intuition

With our energy clear and flowing, we are now, more than ever, open to receive our inner guidance. Our Intuition is our connection to God, the Universe and all that is beyond our state of consciousness. Our Intuition knows everything. It’s our best friend. And it always is pushing us to our highest potential.

That’s why we need to start honoring that still, small voice within, and the many ways it guides and affirms us. Begin keeping track of the way your Intuition talks to you, including:

• An unexplained sense of knowing
• A gut feeling, or emotion that may defy common sense
• Inspiration, a new idea or epiphany
• Unusual sensory experiences, like visions, voices or phantom smells and physical sensations

Step Four: Learn the Language of Your Inner Guidance

Once we are aware of our Intuition, we need to practice working with it. We don’t wake up one morning and magically know how to use our Intuition. It is like learning any other language, it takes practice and time. And the more we use it, the better we get.

Try some of these methods to flex your intuitive muscle, and get to know what your Intuition is, and is not:

• Practice with positive-energy oracles, like the I-Ching, Intuition Cards or the Osho Zen Tarot
• Record your dreams and early morning epiphanies before your mind takes over
• Practice giving guidance and messages with friends to get the feel for when you are right or wrong
• Find a local Intuition Development group to work together and share experiences

Step Five: Live Your Truth

What happens once we have learned to understand the language of our Higher Self? We must choose to follow it. This is the most important step. Our spiritual growth and evolution depend upon our free will to choose what is right and best for our soul’s development. First, we become aware of Intuition; then, we actualize it. We bring our inner truth to the outer world. Follow that dream! Don’t settle for less! It may be scary at first; we may have to take risks or make changes, but that is what our journey is all about.

Step Six: Love All

The beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega, is always to love. This is the destination of all journeys and the purpose of divine expression. The giving and receiving, the sharing of love between all beings is the supreme manifestation of all life. By greeting each day, each experience – good or bad – with acceptance, gratitude and a loving spirit, we participate not only in our own expansion of consciousness but that of the world.