So, let us settle in, get comfy, and prepare to raise our collective energies together.

Defining Spirituality (Beyond Dogma)

Spirituality, simply, is the connection you have with the Creator, the Universe, God, Source, Spirit, or whatever title resonates with you. Before we go forward, I must mention that I lean towards the Creator, the Universe, and Source as interchangeable labels for divinity.

I grew up in a Christian family and I was very involved, serving and volunteering to the point of becoming a youth group leader trusted with picking our worship sets. I know what it's like to be fully committed to a religious group—every event, every service, I was there. I worshipped, prayed, and dove headfirst into that life after a profound revelation of the relationship. So, by no means am I taking a dig at or taking away from anyone's religious practices. I'm rather offering a deeper perspective from someone who's been at many points on the spectrum of religion and spirituality.

Religion is a personal or group-influenced system created to uplift and worship a singular god or many gods. It can also be defined as an activity someone is extremely enthusiastic about and does regularly (according to the Cambridge English Dictionary). This definition highlights more of a practice than a relationship, which might make the line between religion and spirituality seem hazy or unclear.

However, both religion and spirituality are connected, but they operate on entirely different playing fields. You can be 100% religious, caught up in the motions, routines, and rituals, and neglect your spirituality. Conversely, you can be spiritual, intensely focused on the connection between your energy and the energy of Source, yet not fully present within your own life. I truly believe both extremes are dangerous if done in totality. There's nothing wrong with leaning into one more than the other for a time, but balance is essential to feel whole within your body.

Think of it this way: you can prepare a bowl (you) of chicken noodle soup and only have noodles and chicken (religion), or you can prepare the "same" bowl and only have the broth or soup base (spirituality). But when you combine them equally, you get a bowl that's so perfectly balanced that every spoonful has some broth, noodles, and chicken. This makes for an optimal experience, giving you the best of both worlds throughout your entire bowl of soup.

Ultimately, spirituality is the way you live your life every moment of every day. It's a more intense connection to divinity than what pure ritual and routine can provide. It takes the knowledge of divinity and puts it into action through self-love, compassion, and ultimately, a lifestyle. We are meant to stay connected to the Creator, as this ties into our own energy and allows us to find peace, support, love, guidance, and feel uplifted.

Navigating Life's Labyrinth: Growth Through Adversity

Life truly is a series of turns, shifts, and obstacles, much like a labyrinth. I believe, as many others have said before, that Earth is a giant school designed to teach us the lessons we came here for. In this world, we operate in four dimensions: length, width, height, and time. This simplifies our experience, making it easier to identify and learn lessons. We don't know everything, and we don't need to, to gain knowledge, skills, and success on our spiritual journeys. That's the beauty of this human life: we can believe and trust that even when we are unsure, uneasy, or simply confused, the Creator will have our backs.

There are many things in this life we cannot, no matter how hard we try, control. These include people, places, and things that are not our own being – your children, your parents, friends, family, your partner, the weather, traffic, flight delays, those who act out against you, and countless more. A friend who I consider a spiritual guide often tells me, "Stop mindf*cking everything into submission." What she means is to let go of everything outside your control. We have the free will to create the life we've always wanted, so why waste mental capacity on things we cannot change? We only have control over our own actions, and we must take responsibility for them.

I was discussing this the other day with another friend, and we spoke about individuals in situations where they genuinely have no control. These people might be at the mercy of outside forces and unable to leave their circumstances, such as children who are not independent or those in slavery or legal matters. For them, it can be incredibly hard, if not impossible, to do what is necessary to thrive despite unfair and unfavorable circumstances. I have deep compassion for people in such situations, and I hope they are able to find escape, help, or asylum. Yet, even in these circumstances, people have found ways to cultivate their spirituality to guide them to a solution or simply to help them survive. This profoundly illustrates how vital it is to be connected with the Creator and to trust in the plan for your life.

"Okay, Jamelah," you might be thinking, "that sounds great and all, but it seems harder than you make it sound." And you'd be right. It is difficult to commit to yourself, your growth, and your goals, regardless of how big or small they may seem. This is because, as humans, we naturally favor familiarity. In ancient times, survival meant sticking to what we knew, never straying from that path, as it might get us killed. Fortunately, we no longer live in times that require this type of thinking. Unfortunately, this part of our brain is still very much functioning. So, we must take extra care to break habits that no longer serve us and build new neuropathways, enabling us to persevere through opposition.

To do so, we must begin by understanding why we keep repeating the same actions that lead us into the same situations. We have to actively choose each moment to do something different. It's important to start small and stay consistent in our efforts. This will allow us to make long-lasting changes and, over time, will show your subconscious that change isn't going to kill you, but help you improve your life.

Activating Your Power: The Practice of Faith

Building off the momentum of understanding growth through adversity, it's time to talk about faith. To have faith is to have strong confidence in someone or something. It is, literally, the basis for many religions around the world. Without faith, these institutions would falter. Similarly, it's vital to have faith in the Creator and trust that They are constantly working behind the scenes for your greatest good.

Again, this can be hard to grasp because we cannot perceive Source Energy with our human eyes. As I mentioned earlier, energy is formless; it's more of a feeling you get rather than something physically tangible. Yet, we breathe air and do not question its existence. We cannot hold air in normal conditions, nor can we see it as it's seemingly invisible to our natural eyes.

In the same way, we must trust and believe in the Creator as They guide us deep into the life we crave so fiercely. We must ask for guidance and trust that our answers are coming in divine timing, even when our physical lives don't yet reflect our desires. The Creator's timing is not the same as ours; we must be energetically aligned with our blessings to receive them. The most amazing thing about our blessings is that we are not in competition with anyone to receive them. We simply need to be ready when they come, and they will come once we align and follow the path laid out for us. What is truly meant for us will find us when we are ready, and only the Creator truly knows when we are ready to physically hold what we have asked for.

To align, we must begin by identifying what makes us feel expansive and by finding wholeness within ourselves and our relationship to Source. We must be diligent and intentional about our actions, making sure to take all necessary steps to get closer to our goals. Again, if we do not know, we can ask for guidance; this will nourish your soul and strengthen your relationship with the Creator.

Tools for the Journey: Nourishing Your Spirit

To nourish our spirits, we must find ways for Source to speak to us. This can manifest through meditation, prayer, intuitive movement, studying sacred geometry, exploring angel numbers, reading spiritual texts (like this one!), listening to inspiring speakers, dream study, and clearing your energy of negativity. The list goes on and is by no means exhaustive. Personally, I engage in many of these practices and more, like journaling by hand to externalize my thoughts for analysis. Using our hands to create also profoundly nourishes our spirits, as we are made from Source Energy, which is creative by nature. This can be expressed through sculpting, painting, writing, cooking, fixing things, building, and countless other hands-on activities.

We can also create with our minds by using our imagination and envisioning our desired outcomes. Our brains cannot discern between a real experience and a vividly imagined one if there's intense emotion behind it. This is precisely why visualization is so important. Athletes, leaders, performers, and everyday people utilize it to manifest the life or outcome they desire. They do this by vividly envisioning the outcome and truly feeling what it's like to accomplish the goal. This tells their brains that the action has already been performed, making it more obtainable in the physical realm. When we think about movements, feelings, and other people, our neurons fire in a way that mimics actually experiencing what we're imagining.

This, my Adventurers, is the "secret sauce" to obtaining the life you truly desire. Flexing that imagination muscle isn't just for children or "creatives" like me; it's for everyone. We are meant to tap into that power at will, as it resides within our own willpower. I cannot stress this enough: if you are capable of catastrophizing situations, imagining how a conversation will go, planning your day, or daydreaming about an upcoming vacation, you are more than capable of imagining anything you want. To make excuses about why you can't, or for some reason don't have time to do so, is to rob yourself of your dreams. You are taking an important and wonderful part of yourself and shutting it off. It's like having a house and refusing to use the running water you already have, choosing instead to wait for it to rain. Yet, you live in a desert where it only rains, maybe, seven days out of the year. That's a whole lot of bull if you ask me. I want to get clean, I want to cook pasta, I want to use the restroom in my house, don't you?

The Infinite Journey

This spiritual journey is a lifelong one. Do not get discouraged if your pace feels "slower" than you wish, and do not falter when you trip and fall. Give it your all; I promise it's worth it. When you begin, it will be hard, but think of it like pushing a car: once you get that momentum rolling, it's much easier to gain speed. And even if it stops, you now know what's necessary to start again. It's simply a matter of choosing to continue when you've lost traction and fallen flat on your face.

Prove to yourself that you are resilient and that you care about your life. Doing so shows the Creator, too, encouraging Them to move your blessings into position for you to receive them when you are truly ready. Trust me when I say it's far better to be ready than to receive something you can't yet hold and then lose it. That, I believe, is far more painful than the wait itself.

That is all for this post, dear Adventurers. If you found value or enjoyment in this message, please consider sharing it with someone who might benefit. Remember, we are all on this journey together, and the more companions we help guide, the brighter our collective future will be.

I encourage you to share your thoughts in the comments below or reach out to me through the Contact Me page or via direct message on my social media accounts (linked in the site’s footer). I look forward to connecting with you and reading your insights as I prepare for next week's adventure.

With Love,

Jamelah Luckett

P.S.- On a personal note, I recently had the opportunity to experience a bit of Garrain Jones through his Zoom Workshop, and his charisma and passion is truly inspiring. He has a workshop coming up next month in June, north of Austin, TX, focused on empowering artistic and creative individuals – something that resonates deeply with my own journey of exploring my inner child. If you're interested in joining me (or even if you're just curious!), you can sign up through this >>Link<<

As a big bonus, if you sign up through this link, you'll get 50% off, and it will also help me get funds towards my trip or a future trip with this group. It's a win-win situation!