15 myths about spirituality

When I went through a so called spiritual awakening (although I believe there is not just one, as it's an ongoing process), I first had many misconceptions about spirituality. In this article, I want to summarize the main misconceptions and beliefs from my personal view. Spirituality doesn't mean anything concrete, it depends on what you make out of it and what it means for you. Having misconceptions about spirituality can hinder you from activating your inner gifts and step into your full potential. Sometimes it can even hold us back from manifesting. So gaining clarification helped me accelerate my inner growth journey. Those points are not a generalization but are intended to serve as a source of inspiration only based on my personal experiences.

 

When I started out I thought I had to do Reiki or yoga. I forced myself into Yoga classes. Ironically, I was a very inflexible person, often leaving me more stressed after the yoga session than before. Those position names alone were far too complicated for me to remember. The downward dog, the fighter… all I knew so far was the little and big spoon - jokes aside! What I'm saying is, it's more than doing a pose. It's about exploring who you are.

It doesn’t mean you have to do something special. Spirituality means you embody more of your spirit. In other words, you are more of your true self. That can be applied in daily life. Sometimes people escape on a retreat in a foreign country only to return and fall back into their old reality. There has to be a balance. There is no escape possible. You need to face your current reality.

Obviously the more you release, the less you actually need. And the more you usually have a preference for healthy food. But it’s not forced or a prerequisite, it’s a natural feeling. A natural pull to feel drawn towards healthy food, not like “I need to be vegan now in order to be spiritual.” Trust me, I’ve observed people who really struggled with this because they trust another one more than themselves.

I remember one day when I felt very ungrounded, my intuition told me to eat a fish. I was shocked, but that was the moment I realized you need to eat the food you feel drawn towards, not what a “spiritual guru" or "teacher” tells you to do.

It means embodying more of who you truly are. If you don’t know yourself or your own soul, how shall you even make friends with other beings? Of course they always support you, but if you focus on yourself, you’ll eventually meet other beings quite naturally without forcing the connection. Too often, people channel their ego, not Archangel Michael, especially when channeling is based on expectation.

I used to admire channelers who could see a lot. All I could see at the beginning was black. I thought I wasn’t spiritual enough. Then I discovered my own gifts, or at least my own ways of how to perceive my intuition. Even at the beginning of my journey, I couldn’t see images, it was more of a feeling. A voice. And I noticed that it's as beautiful. Never compare your gifts. Later, you can discover and activate more inner gifts.

Honestly, if you feel like telling the other one he’s an arsehole, then do it. It can be healing to be your true self. It’s not about being good. It’s about being real in the moment. And no, I’m not advocating acting like an arsehole, but if you always try to be nice and good, you’re most likely acting out of your limiting patterns, also known as a people pleaser. You're most likely not your true self when you say yes to everyone and everything even if it doesn't feel aligned.

I sometimes don’t meditate a lot throughout my day, but I know how to shift my energy. On other days, I keep a meditative practice for hours. So you see, it depends on you, your mood and your energy levels. In other words, you can still have a "regular" or worldly life.

...unless that’s your preference. Spirituality and a material life can go hand in hand. How and why? You’re here to remember more of who you are and you’re more than welcome to create the life you desire. That means you create things you like or that support you. There’s nothing wrong with it. A mobile phone is as spiritual as a pen and as a yoga course. Everything is spiritual. Everything started with a thought, a vision and is created with your life force energy. You most likely may opt for a more sustainable life, caring for other humans, animals and nature too, but it doesn’t mean you have to give up your material life just to be "more spriritual".

In my experience, I have more challenges than ever before. But the challenges are of a different quality. It’s not the challenge of fighting with a client or co-worker over a useless topic. It’s rather about overcoming a fear or limitation. Why is it often so hard? Because you can no longer blame another one. You realize it’s you. Your limitation. You have to take over responsibility for that. But you know, if you overcome that challenge, it will take you to the next level of growth which, quite frankly, is a beautiful process.

Some people make you believe it’s all about love and light. Erm, no. It’s about balancing polarity. There is light and darkness. If you always claim to be light, you may provoke the darkness to feel attacked and experience it a lot stronger, wondering why you can’t make your life work.

Yes, sometimes, if there are addictive patterns or any deep limitations, we may have to dive deeper, but if I’m honest based on my personal experiences: Sometimes all it takes is a clear decision. You can choose how you wish to feel in the next moment and what you wish to do or which action you would take without practicing a difficult healing technique. It’s about awareness.

No. It’s a continuous journey of self-exploration. There are no real limits, so there aren’t limits to our consciousness levels. We can always expand. Sometimes it can happen that you have new realizations that override your previous way of seeing the world.

I used to believe that there is just one answer until I realised there isn’t. There are so many perspectives. What truly counts is your own experience, not that of another one. Imagine someone living in Pakistan would say something different about Planet Earth than someone living in the Maldives or someone living in Germany. Our experiences are different, and so are opinions and truths. There isn’t one truth. There are many facets.

In the end, it’s not about leaving old concepts and putting yourself in a new box. It’s about being more of who you truly are in each moment, being the best or most joyful self that you can be. Not how someone else expects you to be.