Honesty of Choice. Your invested energy, time and money.

Honesty of  Choice. Your invested energy, time and money.

Looking, honestly, at how you spend your time, energy and money (money is a symbol of energy invested—you are paid for your time and energy) can be an essential tool in Spiritual Development and Personal Growth. “I don’t have the money” is probably the most global response people use to get out of doing something they don’t want to do.  And it is a fine excuse to use. No one can argue with it. However, most people are in denial of where and how they spend their time and how much they invest in activities other than personal Spiritual Development. Most people prefer to present themselves as a victim of circumstance rather than take responsibility for their choices. The excuse of “I can’t afford it” can become a blurred line where you lose a sense of what is actually true for you versus when you are using it as a way to lie to yourself. What started out as a way to get out of situations with others can, and so often does, morph into a victim stance that one adopts as a way to live life, and that adversely affects you especially regarding when it comes to your personal ethics, integrity and growth.

“I cannot afford…” therapy, to eat organic, a workshop, etc. is often stated when a more honest look at priorities would reveal that you are making other choices that have nothing to do with “I cannot afford it.” A polite lie to others may be socially acceptable, but there is no reason to politely lie to your Self, or to Spirit. Lying to your Self is a deterrent to personal growth. It also tells Spirit to back off, that you do not want to look at something, or make a conscious choice. I have seen people state they cannot afford something for personal growth then, literally, minutes later, comment on a trip they plan to take, or state they are going to commit hundreds of dollars to purchase a buy out on essential oils, or state they will pay in full for an overseas trip (a more appealing workshop in an exotic location) that will cost thousands of dollars. These are not bad choices.  What is disturbing is that the individuals do not state these as their choices. Even more disturbing is that the individuals are unconscious about these contradictions.  When questioned, or shown that this is what they “chose,” after getting over feeling or acting defensively, they are shocked. Shocked to discover they are unconscious about their choices.  If you are on a Path of self-growth and/or Spiritual Evolution, the most important tools are mindfulness, self- awareness, and honesty to your Self and hopefully to your Teacher or therapist or Shadow Work partner.

Crystals, travels, essential oils, eating out, spa days, vacations, re-decorating your house are all wonderful choices so own them. Do not tell your therapist, Teacher, Spirit, or most of all yourself that you cannot afford to do something that forwards your Spiritual Path until you are willing to take an honest look at what really are your current priorities. Want to do some work on your Self, your growth, and your Spiritual Evolution? Start by writing down where you spend money and time, on what activities, how much you actually spend on it all. Add it all up and have the courage to look at and more importantly own your choices. Why? Often people complain to me that they are not growing, or they want to develop their “gifts.”  The areas of our life where we invest our time, energy, money, and attention, grows, expands. If you spend money on drinking, driving around for a weekend of fun,  buying crystals, getting your hair “done” or beautiful and expensive “yoga wear” (I am talking patterns here, not the sometime occasional event), those are your priorities. Own them. Then you will not be able to “complain” to yourself or others about why your Spiritual Path is not progressing as fast as you wish or that your Gift (sadly often a euphemism for “I don’t have to work for it”) is not earning you the money you think it should (immediately, with little or no time invested). Instead you can start telling yourself and others that you are having a great time with your life, trips, your hairstyle, your crystal collection, your essential oil collection, or the trips you have planned. Own your life! Stop peddling lies to yourself. Why not tell people you have having a great time and having fun with your choices?!

If you cannot have the courage to be honest with yourself, Spirit cannot help you. Your Teacher cannot help you. Spirit is always a choice. Spirit has to be invited in to your life and how deep you invite Spirit into your life is completely up to you. One of our biggest free will choices is that we determine how much we wish to be connected (or not) to Spirit. That is why I always suggest the prayers “help me,” “show me,” and “thank you.” Those are ways to tell Spirit that even if you are being a brat or being resistant, you really do want Guidance and Help from Spirit and that you are indeed listening (to the best of your distracted ability) and are indeed willing to invest the time and energy needed for your Path and your so-called “gifts.”  Having a good life does not mean you are not Spiritual. It means you have having a good life, and having fun. You can have a good life and also spend a great deal of time on Spiritual Development. However, lying to yourself and others in order to appear pious, or to excuse the choices you are making that embarrass you or “ruin your image” as a so-called Spiritual Seeker will derail your development.

I invite you to up your courage in being honest. Tell Spirit, tell your Teacher or therapist or group, “Yep, I am not going to classes or a workshop, I am going to Vegas” or “I just spent $50 on another yoga pillow so I cannot now afford to go to a class for Spiritual Development.”  If you cannot start there, how can you ever expect to begin to clear out with shadow work? If you are so busy manipulating how you look in the eyes of others, or even manipulating your own self-image, where will you find the time to be with Source? If you are so afraid to be seen or known for whom you truly are, for your choices, you will not have the courage to face what Spirit needs to show you in your meditations and your Seeking.

Journey On