I am a huge fan of DIVING IN, keeping an open mind, and trying new things. Everyone has the capacity to go deeper and start questioning the world around them. I literally always say "I know nothing" (Jon Snow ;)) and that I also know everything at the same time, because we all have the answers within us - every. single. one. of. us. No one outside of you knows more about anything spiritual than you do. You just have to go deep and search for the answers.
People ask me all the time what prompted my spiritual journey and why I am so passionate about our personal inner work. In talking with different groups of people I have found that a lot of us have had similar experiences and have been impacted greatly by some of the same things! Below I am sharing the steps that started my spiritual journey and how they impacted my life in the hopes that you may find some inspiration or experience the same connection I did with these experiences :)
1) The Secret
Well this is no secret (lol) most people have heard of this famous book and the Law of Attraction. I watched the movie about this book (free on YouTube) and it was the first thing that made me truly question my ability to manifest the world I want around me. It also inspired me to start experimenting with my mindset and say "fuck it - what have I got to lose?"
2) Dream Board
I created this immediately after watching The Secret - and let me tell you - every SINGLE thing on my board I made all those years ago has come true.. seriously!!! I went to the store and bought cork board panels and thumbtacks with the very little money I had at the time (I was eating ramen and cocoa puffs at the time so this really wasn't a "smart" way to be spending my money lol). I then cut out magazine clippings and anything else that gave me inspiration that I wanted in my life. I got travel, house, and beauty magazines and just went to town. I cut out words that I wanted to "feel" in life and also placed a list of what I want in my life. I put a dollar bill on the board and added three zeros after the one in sharpie and wrote "$1,000 per week" - that was a lofty goal for me back then. I then placed this on my wall in my room and just let it be.
Years later - I now make much more than $1,000/week, and I have travelled to all of those places on my board - without even realizing it! I literally visited a spot in Bali that was on my board (that I didn't even know was in Bali) and realized it later looking back at the picture. Same with house furnishings, places I've stayed, and experiences I wanted to have.
This dream board really works - give it a try and just leave it there somewhere in your house. Start thinking about the things you want in your life and what you find beautiful and what brings you happiness and inspiration.. because - why not?
3) The Double Slit Experiment
Okay this one explains itself way better than I ever could and really is fucking INSANE. Like blew my MIND. Seriously - WATCH TILL THE END. If this doesn't make you question your reality and dive deeper, I don't know what will. Also quantum theory is crazy cool and I definitely went down a rabbit hole with tons of cool videos on youtube that really make you think.
This book is amazing, real and so so helpful. It was so unexpected for me and was discussing things I had never heard about or thought of before. It's a quick read and suuuper easy to understand. Click the link above to order a copy.
Next in Don Miguel Ruiz for me was The Four Agreements. Many people have read this book and I still recommend it as one of my top 5 books to everyone I meet. If everyone read this book, the world would be a much better place! Again super quick and easy to read. Click the link above to order a copy.
6) Mushrooms (yes really)
Now before you get all judge-y, scared, or jump to conclusions - I am not recommending you all to go out and do drugs and this is not something I do often AT ALL... but this medicinal plant truly changed my life and had me look at the world around me in a completely different way (literally and figuratively) and from a completely new view point. I was around people I 100% trusted and loved, and in nature, and stayed positive - and the world around me completely opened up. I felt connected to the earth and life around me in a way I had never known was possible. This plant medicine is used in studies healing people all over the world from various forms of mental illnesses because it truly has a profound effect. If you're not into it - great, if you are into it - great!
The power of living in the present moment and not identifying with the voice in your head - wow this book helped me in real life, day to day, and still does. Truly being present all the time is hard, heck it's hard doing it for even a few minutes let's be real, but when you do it you see the benefit immediately (and this is huge for you generators and MGs to respond in the moment!) Click the link above to get a copy.
Holy mama! This book - thank you Wendy Thorpe for writing such a personal and profound story and sharing this journey. This book taught me how to accept things without judgement and to go on the journey before me and DIVE IN - cause why else are we here? Click the link above to order a copy.
9) Meditation, Yoga & Breathwork
Meditation - I started meditating by listening to a recording that guided me through connecting my lower chakra energy to the crystal core center of the earth. Then imagining light energy flowing from above my head, down through my chakras, swirling with my root chakra earth energy, and then flowing back up through my body and out down my hands. I was to imagine these two flows of energy pulling me upward and downward the same time while being filled with light - and just sit in that, completely present, and completely connected. I have added some more to this meditation, but I still do this everyday and quickly throughout the day in any situation I need to feel grounded or in any beautiful place or experience I want to feel connected to and remember. This simple meditation changed my life and I keep building on it.
Yoga - I always hated yoga classes, I just didn't like the formality of it and it felt more like a workout and challenge for me rather than the spiritual connected-ness I wanted it to be.. that was until I started doing yoga at home! Seriously changed the game for me and now I can't live without it. All I do is focus on my breath and FEEL my muscles expand and relax going deeper into the poses - and I have never been more present. I started with the Let's Start Yoga ebook to familiarize myself with various poses and find my OWN flow. Finding my own flow in the poses has been so powerful and freeing for me (so different than having an instructor tell you what to do next) and I hope you try it and connect with your body in a new bold way!
Breathwork - Okay where to begin... breathwork is a type of meditation that uses the breath in a very specific way to help you meditate deeper and work with various energies and vibrations in your energy field. This has been POWERFUL for me to say the least. I discovered it with a group of close friends and it changed my life and helped me to heal unresolved baggage I had been holding onto.
10) Human Design
I discovered human design and was so ready to receive it. Finding out I was a projector changed my life completely. It provided a HUGE permission slip for me to just be myself and not continue to fight the parts of me that society told me were lazy or weak, but instead to embrace those things and let myself shine. I could finally release all of the guilt I had piled on myself each day when I would get burned out by noon and question my self-worth. Everything I learned about myself through human design had such meaning and resonance for me - like it was so spot on I couldn't deny it. I felt like I could finally breath.
So like with everything else, I said "why not - let's give this whole 'living by design' thing a try, what have I got to lose?" (well apparently a lot lol cause I was really living in my not-self theme). But it was immediate, I asked the universe (out loud) to show up and support me living true to my design and IT DID. Seriously. So I kept going, and going, and trusting, and using my authority and my life is so so so different and magical and EASY.
That's it! LOL just kidding there has obviously been way more that has impacted me throughout my life, but these are the highlights - that seems like a lot and spiritual journeys are different for everyone and should be! If this has meaning for you - AWESOME, and if it doesn't have meaning for you - AWESOME. Your life is meant to be lived by YOU, for YOU, and through YOUR perspective and I would LOVE to hear your journey, if any of this resonated for you or if you've had similar experiences in the comments below!
xoxo - (always)
Shayna