SpiritWise, Pathways to Spiritual Awakening: Modalities-Switch it Up

“The spiritual life does not remove us from the world but leads us deeper into it” – Henry J.M Nouwen
Within the history of spiritual practice, strong cultural ties kept cultural or religious spiritual practices clearly defined and differentiated from each other. Travelling across cultures was purely for Empire or Wealth creation, rarely exchanging or studying cultural practices. As cultures came under attack, that aspect of the culture that was most precious, often the religious or spiritual practices and items that defined the beliefs and rituals of the society, were hidden or purposely destroyed. This kept beliefs sacred, hidden, protected and pure. However, being primarily verbal, song, story, symbol, it was also easy for the beliefs, meanings and objects to be lost or destroyed.

Over the years, as cultural boundaries have blurred and blended, so too have the belief systems. Belief, like any cultural norm, must make sense for the culture to which it belongs. If the culture changes or evolves, then so does the practice. In this age of blended cultures and the internet and travel, it is only natural that spiritual beliefs and practices blend, evolve, and morph into blended forms. Forms and practices that meet the needs of the different cultures, generations and identities.

A lot of our established practices are now blended. Consider: Yoga with Meditation, Breath Work, Chakras, and Mindfulness are typical examples. Meditation with Healing, Guide Connection, Crystals, Chakras and Breathwork, Reiki with Chakras, Crystals, Essential Oils and Energy Work. Few of us question these combinations as we know they work together and understand that they are complimentary. People combine Astrology with Tarot, oracle or spirit guide work—pendulums with Tarot or Reiki. The combinations are endless. The essential factor in developing your collaborative practice is whether it works for you and seamlessly integrates.

Let us unpack that. If I asked you how they work together or why you choose to do this, can you answer me with something other than: “I don’t know; they just seem to work together.” While the first time, you might put together some combinations instinctively, and it bears a promising result or good outcome. To use it in your practice, you need to understand why it is working for you. If you go to someone’s class or and they use a combination but can not answer the question of why they use the combination or why this combination works. You know that the person you are working with is not an elevated practitioner. Instinctively blending practice, but perhaps lacking in the reflective process of understanding their practice. To integrate a practice, a person must understand it, and this is how you advance your skills and understanding.

As you explore combinations, ask yourself:

Do you feel comfortable working with the different modalities?
Have you worked out analytically and ritually how they work together to support each other?
Can you describe how they work together?
Do the results repeat themselves?
Can I recreate the outcome with different combinations?
How did the person or pet respond to the various elements?
How did I feel after finishing the session?

We all want to attain and maintain a high integrity and skill level. Combining elements into a practice is a way of expanding our knowledge, our skill sets and honing our techniques. Nothing beats the joy of discovery and opening up new pathways to explore. So be bold, be open, have fun and stay safe. Learn from others, choose your sources carefully and work to understand how these blended practices support each other. In this way, your practice has integrity.

It is only natural that spiritual beliefs and practices blend, evolve, and morph into blended forms.

Michelle Luehman, Our Expert (Former)

Michelle Luehman is a healer, guide, spiritual coach and philosopher. She combines her innate spiritual work with what she has learnt through her spiritual studies and business skills.