The Journal of a Spiritual Seeker, Illness as a Spiritual Lesson
Hello Seekers,
This message carries over from the one I posted yesterday about physical pain and transmutation, but this one is a little more tender. I can feel the energy of how unwell I was when I had this conversation with the Light, and how much I was struggling physically. I’m uplifted now, as I was then, by what was said. But I also want to hold space for the ways in which our hardships are hard. In the last decade, most of my challenges have come through my physical body, but I’ve also experienced a lot emotionally and mentally, and that is never less hard.
This message from the Light has me thinking about coping mechanisms and self care. We had our first snow yesterday — a lovely, fluffy blanket of white that is already starting to melt away. Season changes hit my body pretty hard, as much as I enjoy each and every one, so this snow is serving as a good reminder for me to put a few important care pieces in place to be sure I’m ready for days that require more rest.
Do you have something gentle that you can do almost always that brings you joy and also feels kind of productive? For me, it’s crochet. I can do it laying down, which is very important, and most of the time I can do it even if my hands hurt. And as a bonus, there’s a sense of accomplishment having made something I can give to someone to show them my love. In today’s message from the Journal, the Light encourages me to keep going on a crochet project I was working on for a friend’s artsy flea market shop. I was making these really cute little unicorns, and every time I finished one, I would take it over to show my great-aunt and great-uncle, who we were cooking meals for at the time. Those unicorns brought us all a lot of joy. (There’s a photo below!)
To be completely honest, I also really enjoy forms of relaxation that provide no sense of accomplishment whatsoever. I guess there is some satisfaction when I finish a jigsaw puzzle on my iPad, but the cropsies game where I match up vegetables with cute faces until I run out of lives just is what it is. Doing these things while watching TV or listening to an audiobook is almost always guaranteed to make me feel better no matter what.
In sharing this, I just hope to encourage you to find or remember a few things you can do even when you feel terrible. These are the things that carry us though the hard days and into the days that aren’t as hard.
Wishing you all the most harmonious and balanced healing journey,
Jodie
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Q and A with the Light, Nov. 12, 2017
Me: I ask the Light: what is the physical — these challenges I’m dealing with?
It is a transmutation process. You are working on transcending the physical, but before you do, you must allow these blockages to fall away and transmute.
Me: My energy started to sink. Why?
Because you’re tired and weary. Your body is currently experiencing unpleasant physiological sensations. Rise above this. Rest, and continue to use the physical as a catalyst for growth in the spiritual bodies. The physical healing will follow.
Me: Is the pain transmuting for me?
Yes.
Me: How?
By burning through energies you no longer need, but have to neutralize. The pain is neutralizing in a way that doesn’t require you to examine or evaluate. It’s a process you can just allow to happen through release and trust and light.
Me: Did my soul choose to learn about pain? Is that part of this?
Pain and healing. You are learning to heal, too, so that you can help others who are experiencing similar spiritual paths find their way. This is part of what you were called here to do. You are developing tools that you will share with others to help them cope with and overcome chronic illness. You are not your body, your body is just a vessel for your spirit to have a physical experience in, so you are not either your pain or illness. These physical sensations are helpful for experiencing a deeper level of your humanity — they can be at least. They can be an opening to understanding and compassion. They can help you connect to others on a deeper level.
There is also a peace in surrender that exists with these chronic issues, an acceptance of what IS. Where you are right now. Today.
Tomorrow could be different, but you can’t live for tomorrow. You can, however, make the most of today. You feel unwell, so you can take the time to rest and enjoy the rest. Do the things you enjoy during times of rest. Watch your stories and make crochet unicorns that will bring joy to the people who see them.
Even in your worst physical times, you have found ways to give to others through crochet, and enjoy your time with stories. This is positive.
Don’t think about tomorrow, or what all your tomorrows will bring. Just trust that what you need will be. And be flexible enough in yourself to allow the space for that to be.
You are learning to rise above all this. It is a good lesson and will serve you well. Rejoice in it and be grateful for this process. This is the place to go when you are feeling frustrated.
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Exercise: Begin each exercise by grounding and protecting. For more information on how, see this post.
Make a list of the things you enjoy doing that you can do no matter what the circumstances. Keep it on hand and refer to it often. Remind yourself to do the things that bring you joy when you feel unwell, so that it becomes a default. Sometimes, when I’ve been going along pretty well for awhile, and then I have a bad day, I wander around for a bit like I’m lost. And then I remember I just need to go lay down with a story. Keep your coping mechanisms up to date so you don’t waste time feeling unwell and wandering around forgetting how to deal with it.
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A brief note: This journal and its exercises are simply a means to help you find your own flow. There is no pressure to follow them exactly or read each and every one. It does not need to be read in order either, so if you miss one, don’t feel like you’ve failed or fallen behind. These messages are here to hold space for you as you discover and evolve within your spiritual practice.
This is the first volume of The Journal of the Spiritual Seeker, and I’m presenting it here on The Devic Connection website, serialized over the last 10 weeks of 2020, with weekly roundups via email (you can sign up in the box at the bottom of this page if you’d like to receive these.) If you’ve just arrived here and would like to start from the beginning, here’s the link to the first post.
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We all need help with clarity …
Sometimes, things come up in the healing journey that we can’t quite manage by ourselves. I’m fortunate to have people I can call on to help me gain that clarity. And I’m also in therapy, which helps immensely with processing the psychological and mental health issues. If you find yourself getting stuck on this journey or having something come up that you need some guidance on, please do seek help. An internet search can help you find a qualified mental health practitioner for those psychological issues. And if you’re looking for help from the Light on the spiritual questions, I have some availability for readings. (Read more about that here.)