Many people come to me when they start to feel a “calling” (you know, that nudging!). Some experience it through an awakening, an intense influx of energy. Others start to feel unhappy with their current situation and begin to realize that there is actually something bigger “out there” but they're not quite getting it.
Most often it takes a tragedy to jolt people into finally “hearing” their spiritual calling.
I, myself, had to experience a deep, personal tragedy before I realized that, if I continued to ignore my calling, I was only heading one way – to disaster on all levels – emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
What is Spirituality?
The next question I'm asked (and faced myself when I started my spiritual journey) is ‘What is spirituality?”. When my own personal tragedy took place, I questioned the purpose of everything.
At that time, unwittingly, I didn't realize that I was about to embark on one of the most challenging, most fulfilling, and most enlightening journeys of my life – my own spiritual journey.
My partner was the first person to trigger the button. Quite simply, one day, while I was battling with this tragedy, he asked me who my spirit animal was. Without thinking, I gave my answer. Dumbfounded, I looked at him, realizing that somewhere deep down inside of me, I knew there was a spirit animal just waiting for me.
It was waiting for me to accept its presence and thereafter, its love and support, and guidance. With this little nudge, I was then taken to my next teacher on this journey of mine, my kind Scio healer. She directed me to a remarkable and special shaman whom I'm now honored to call my spiritual teacher, Lionel Berman.
My spiritual journey was now in full swing and it was through shamanism that I took my first, tentative steps towards exploring my spirituality.
Get yourself a copy of "Animal-Speak: The Spiritual & Magical Powers of Creatures Great & Small". This book by Ted Andrews will open up a whole new world for you and help you interpret the signs and messages of your animal totems.
What Spirituality Means for Me
It didn’t take me long to understand that spirituality, for me, is all about being connected with all that is around me, both physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It’s the acknowledgment that there is a Great Spirit whose energies feed and nourish my soul (and everyone else’s!) every single moment of the day and night.
It’s the realization, beyond great relief, that there’s a Universe that surrounds me (and everyone) with love, protection, and support. It’s the understanding that there is something divine and powerful in the Universe, something so beautiful, something so full of pure, divine light and it exists in each and every one of us.
It’s an “oneness with the whole”. It’s the connection with the deepest part of me. It’s being in tune “……. with God (the Great Spirit, a Higher Being, whoever it is that you believe), Nature, each other, and ourselves”.
It is an Existence
I borrow from my favorite tarot card deck, the Osho Zen translation of “Existence”:
“This naked figure sits on the lotus leaf of perfection, gazing at the beauty of the night sky. She knows that "home" is not a physical place in the outside world, but an inner quality of relaxation and acceptance. The stars, the rocks, the trees, the flowers, fish, and birds--all are our brothers and sisters in this dance of life. We human beings tend to forget this, as we pursue our own private agendas and believe we must fight to get what we need. But ultimately, our sense of separateness is just an illusion, manufactured by the narrow preoccupations of the mind”.
If I can live in “Existence” with all, then I know I have received the lessons my spiritual calling intends for me to learn. And, I give thanks, with deep gratitude, daily, for this calling.
if you're starting on a spiritual journey of your own, I highly recommend getting the Osho Zen Tarot: Transcendental Game of Zen. I use this deck to pull a daily spiritual message every morning and I also use them to help my clients have a more in-depth understanding of themselves.
How to Recognize the Signs
I always tell my clients it's like having someone persistently knocking on your door, "Tap! Tap! Tap! Anyone home?". You can ignore it. Some people do - for many years. But that tapping eventually gets so loud and so persistent, you have to go and answer it.
That's your soul calling saying, "Okay, time's up. I've let you wandered long enough. Now, it's time to heed your calling". But what is our calling?
In one answer? It's your true purpose, your life purpose, the reason for your existence.
Here are some other signs telling you it's time to answer your calling, to live it, and to BE it:
You're feeling restless and no longer satisfied with your job, where you live, your partner, yourself.
It's a deep "knowing" that there's something better "out there"
You know your true potential is not being tapped into
You're feeling unfulfilled, depressed, and frustrated
You know there's more to life than what you're living now
You feel as if you're "missing" something
You're suffering from burn-out
You're constantly angry, resentful, and irritated with everyone, everything, and with yourself
Your ears are always ringing
You're seeing the same numbers all the time
You're having intense dreams
You keep bumping into people who tell you to "find yourself"
You're searching for the meaning of life
These are just some of the signs but the biggest one is when you find yourself saying, "I know there's more to life than this".
Watch Dr. Bryan Dik talk about finding ways to use your career to live your purpose.
5 Steps to Take to Bring You Closer to Your Calling
When clients come to me and tell me they're searching for more meaning, I recommend they do the following (and these were the very things I did to find my true purpose):
1. Start Meditating
Meditation is the doorway to your soul. Through mindfulness, you'll be able to access what's holding you back. You'll find clarity, peace, and focus. Through meditation, you're learning to come back to your soul. You're bringing all those thoughts, positive and negative, to the fore and you're putting them into some kind of order that will serve you.
Meditation grounds you. It's the tool for connecting with your Source. It's the safe place you can go to whenever life gets overwhelming, confusing, and exhausting. Through meditation, you unlock so much potential.
Dr. Joe Dispena's book, "Becoming Supernatural: How Common People Are Doing the Uncommon" is a phenomenal book if you want to discover how to tap into your true potential using meditation.
Become one of those "common" people and start doing the uncommon!
2. Take Action
When you start hearing your calling, something has to happen. This means going through a change process. For way too long, you've been unhappy. Now, you need to think and decide what you're going to do. Once you take this step, you're on your way to taking relevant action.
Hiring a life coach is one of the most empowering gifts you can give yourself. This kind of action will help you through the change process and make sure you maintain the action. A life coach will guide you through the process and get you up and over the mountains, so you can celebrate the victory.
Taking action is key to finding your life purpose.
3. Discover Your Own Values System
Discovering your own personal values system is one of the most empowering ways of working towards your life purpose. Too often, we live according to everyone else's values. This is only normal. After all, our greatest influence growing up were our parents (or guardians), teachers at school, and other people we associated with as we grew up.
But are their values our values? Most times, no. By listing your own values that resonate deeply with YOU, you're acknowledging what's most important to YOU. I call my Values System my compass that guides me whenever I need to make a decision. I turn to my own values to tell me what is right or wrong for me.
By finding your own values, you can start to live your life according to your calling.
4. List the Things You Love Doing
Making a list of the things you love doing will tell you what your soul enjoys doing. Are you actually doing any of those things? Can any of them help you live your life purpose? If you love helping other people but you're working behind a computer all day, someday you're going to resent that computer!
Look back over your life. Was there any time in your life when you actually did something that you loved doing? But had to move away from it because of financial reasons, getting married, or moving to another country? Are you ready now to go back to that thing you loved so much but turned away from because you chose another path?
Sometimes, we allow ourselves to lose touch with those things we love to do. By making a list, you're reminded of what made you happy and fulfilled. Maybe it's now time to ask yourself, "Am I now ready to do what I love doing?".
Listen to your heart sometimes and tell your mind to follow suit.
5. Be Honest With Yourself (and take responsibility)
We're very quick to find excuses. We blame others for holding us back or we justify a situation from stopping us from doing what we love to do. Instead, we should be taking responsibility for our own actions.
Responsibility is the key to your freedom. When you decide to be responsible for all that has happened and for what CAN happen, then you're well on your way to living your life purpose.
That persistent tapping on your door? Be responsible and answer the door. Then, take the relevant action.
Final Thoughts
It's not easy heeding your calling. It means facing the fact you're not happy with where you are now. Hearing that persistent "knocking", and "knowing" something is missing from your life can leave you feeling fearful. It means you have to make a change.
For many of us, change is frightening. But, what if I was to tell you that change is all about clearing the clutter so you let the healing take place? And, once all that junk has been cleared up and you're in the midst of healing, new gifts emerge. How's that for tapping into your true potential?
By heeding your calling, you're living your life true to your SELF. Only then, will you find the true meaning of life.
This post was originally published on February 14th, 2021, and updated on July 11th, 2022.