Dear Soul Arcanum:
I am a 38-year-old single mom. I work in the mental health field, am studying the healing arts, and have a long history of being intuitive. I also come with a history of abuse and have worked hard for many years to live a stable and healthy life. This year I made some changes that included leaving my fiance and moving to another state. I know in my heart of hearts I am exactly where I am supposed to be. Many wonderful opportunities have come my way to make all of these changes possible. Here’s the part I am having a hard time understanding: Before I became more stable and healthy, I used to experience times when I felt very connected to Spirit and had feelings of hope. Now that I’m older and in a much better place in my life than ever before, life seems rather dull, and I often find it difficult to tap into the positive feelings of Spirit. Is this common depression due to all the recent changes in my life, or am I suffering from spiritual disconnection? What can I do differently to jumpstart some positive feelings toward Spirit? Many blessings and thank you!
– Lisa
Dear Lisa:
Most likely you’re just in a phase of integrating what you’ve learned in the past and enjoying some of the fruits of your labors before your next big adventure begins. It’s like when we start a new level of school: At first, it’s thrilling and unnerving, but after a few months, what once seemed exciting has become a dull routine.
For quite some time you had some really big, dramatic challenges to chew on. Now that you’ve managed to build a solid foundation for yourself and things are going more smoothly, you’re more content but life seems less exciting and meaningful.
Many people are unknowingly addicted to the emotional highs and lows of lots of drama. Constant angst makes them feel alive and gives them something important to do. They think they want life to get easier, but when it does, they sabotage themselves because life seems boring, or they wonder why, now that they have everything they thought they needed, they aren’t as happy as they expected to be. Of course, as we evolve, it’s natural to experience less drama, hardship and conflict since we’re gaining wisdom and our vibration is rising, which empowers us to create what we want in our lives.
People who struggle with depression for long periods of time suffer from a lack of strong desire. Life is actually too easy; what they need is a big challenge. When a crisis arises, people who couldn’t get out of bed to go to work can suddenly leap into action. It’s passionate desire that makes us feel alive – not the fulfillment of that desire.
There is a certain point in everyone’s spiritual development when what you’re describing is common. After we’ve conquered the basics of survival and pulled ourselves together emotionally and psychologically, we may have no idea where to go from there. At this point, we must redefine our sense of meaning and purpose in life because we’re ready to shift from focusing on keeping our heads above water to empowering other people.
Through our own suffering and struggles, we develop compassion. Once we’re out of pain and hardship ourselves, we can help people who are still in it. Some people have a natural desire to be of service to others, while others don’t really see the point. If you remember that when you leave this life, you’ll go through a life review, and how well you loved yourself and others will matter more than anything else, then you’ll see that there is a lot in it for you if you devote yourself to being of service.
Please also remember that depression can often signal the beginning of new spiritual growth and awareness. Depression turns our focus inward, away from the endless distractions of the outer world. Our desire to leave this emotional pain behind motivates us to ask new questions and find new answers. Eventually, we emerge from depression on a higher level of experience, with new personal potential. It’s natural for boredom and depression to arise during a period of relative abundance and stability because it’s at these times that we can work on making inner progress.
Our higher selves are constantly pulling us toward the realization that we are already whole and always connected to the Divine. It’s the ego that feels lost, dissatisfied and separate. When one pursuit after another fails to fulfill our longing for something greater, eventually we recognize that we’ve been chasing our own tails the whole while – that we’ve had what we are longing for all along.
The answer, then, is to know and remember this truth. By recognizing that we’re in ego when we’re unhappy, we can remember to shift our vibration higher and focus on the one thing that has been with us from the beginning – our own Divine nature.
Here are some more tips for cultivating the habit of feeling alive, passionate, inspired, and connected to Spirit:
- First make sure your physical habits encourage well-being, happiness, personal power and high energy. Eat fresh, high vibration food, get regular exercise, get enough sleep, etc.
- Meditate to uncover and connect with your true nature, which is always content and at peace. Recognize that you determine how excited you are about life, and you determine the quality of your connection to Spirit. The same feelings of magic and excitement you experienced in the past are always available to you.
- Read spiritual books, especially books about near death experiences, the afterlife and the law of attraction. Watch movies like Joe Versus the Volcano, Shirley Valentine, Under the Tuscan Sun, Contact, Patch Adams, etc.
- Live on the edge. Ask yourself what you would do if you could do anything, and then go for it. Reach for dreams so big that they thrill you a lot and scare you a little.
- Find ways to help people who are struggling with challenges you’ve overcome. Begin to teach. Organize a support group or book club for spiritual seekers, or find some way to help people who are a step or two behind you.
- Experiment with spiritual subjects that interest you. You could focus on manifesting amazing things, join a mediumship development circle, try some EVP research. Push the envelope in terms of what you believe is possible.
- Actively dialogue with Spirit. Ask what you can do to move forward and manifest a sense of connection, wonder and excitement about life again, and then watch for signs to come to you.
- Remember that if you’re bored or feeling lifeless, you’re not fully awake. The Universe is an incredible place! There is so much to learn about, so many places to see, people to meet, things to explore. The possibilities are endless. If you’re not seeing anything to be amazed at or excited about, you’re not really looking. There is always something new to learn or invent.
- Volunteer at a children’s hospital, a hospice or a prison. Nothing will make you feel happy and grateful like being regularly reminded of how truly blessed you are.
– Soul Arcanum
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