My Religion
Spirituality
The definition of spirituality is different to whichever person you speak to who practices the religion.
I personally define it by having the same qualities as Christianity with believing in Jesus/God and having the same qualities of Buddhism, which has the same practice of spiritual development and meditation.
This religion ables me to have a sense of connection to something bigger than myself whilst also making me ask the important questions like, what is the meaning of life? and how can I be better connected to the universe and my surroundings within myself?
You can also connect Spirituality with star signs, spiritual healing and tarot card readings.
Spirituality
noun (U)
The quality that involves deep feelings and beliefs of a religious nature. rather than the physical parts of life.
How I got into Spirituality.
In 2010 I was introduced to Spirituality (as a religion) by my mum, whom all her life was drawn to finding more information about meditation, mindfulness and spiritual readings. There was never a right word or religion for what she was looking for, until
2010 when the word Spirituality came up which finally enabled her to explore the practices and beliefs of the religion in a safe and supportive community.
The day she told me that she was going to start practicing spirituality
I'm not going to lie. I did look at her in a funny way. This was only because I didn't get the whole concept and importance of what spirituality was until I was much older to understand.
Not to mention spirituality is sometimes exaggerated as a joke to some people who hear of it for the first time; people either believe it isn't a real religion because they'd never heard of it before or that it was run by a bunch of 'hippie's'.
But trust me when I say, that misconception couldn't be further from the truth.
Why did I become a Spiritualist?
I believe that the whole concept of being able to do peaceful meditation in order to ground oneself, praying to my spirit guides and guardian angels in order to look for guidance and support whilst also believing in the typical spiritual theory, ' If you believe and visualise something happening in your head and work hard every day to imagine it...more times then any, it will most likely happen' and even being at one with the universe.
I began to be even more convinced that Spirituality, as a religion, was a very positive and peaceful practice that made the more sense in my mind; it enabled me to explore much further within myself in order to make me a better person.
How Spirituality helped me through treatment.
The moment I was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, I wanted to give up my faith completely and turn my back on everything that I'd learned about spirituality. I had many enteral battles with myself, trying to ask the complicated questions that I knew I wouldn't get the answer to like, why didn't my guides warn me? Why didn't god warn me? and why did I have the misfortune and bad luck of having a sort of cancer that would destroy half of my face?
I just lost faith in everything I'd known completely.
Fortunately, my mum ( who wouldn't make me give up on my faith that easily) decided to call all her spiritual friends to give me spiritual healings (like reiki), asked many spiritual churches in the area to write me in their prayer book to pray for my health and wellbeing whilst also, organising every Wednesday a special group prayer live stream on Facebook that saw my friends, family, loved ones and even people around the world in the spiritualist community. That showed lodes of people come together around the world and light a blue and pink candle for my health.
Pink = self - love, compassion and well-being.
Green = Luck, health, prosperity and well-being.
I can't even begin to describe to you what sort of boost in my confidence I had when I saw how many people supported me during this difficult time; seeing as I am a true believer of the saying, 'If you pray or wish for something and put it out into the universe, then it would most likely come true' . This meant that by having my friends and family support and pray for me and light the candles every Wednesday whilst also, having people around the world (whom I had no contact with) all pray for me at the same time. I strongly believe that all those prayers and thoughts helped make me overcome my cancer; when you make a large group of people pray at the same time and for the same person, most of the time this makes the prayer/wish more powerful, and for that, I couldn't be even more grateful.
How meditation helped me heal (and kept me sane).
I am the sort of person who normally can't keep still and I like to be active at all times, so when the concept of doing meditation was given to me, I have to admit I was a bit apprehensive.
I was especially scared of being left to my own thoughts; I didn't want to get myself in a depressive mindset by being left by myself and not having no background noise to distract me from what I was feeling.
But when I began to put all my fears aside and try meditation properly, that was when I realised how therapeutic it was.
How do I start my meditation sessions?
. I first make sure that I am in a comfortable and quiet environment (most of the time it is in my bed).
. I then take deep breaths to allow all of the muscles in my body time to relax and unwind.
. Then I do a quick prayer thanking God and my spirit guides for the day to then ask them that the next day is even better.
. Next, I take a moment to do more calm breathing exercises to then start visualising myself in a nice and beautiful garden with bright colours and positive energy.
. To then visualising myself sitting down on a bench whilst I imagine myself talking to my spirit guide about my problems and issues whilst also, asking for some further guidance on what I should do next.
I also find meditating to a voiceover on Youtube or to calm music as being another effective way in getting me in a peaceful state of mind.
You can also get a free meditation app on your phone for a helpful step-by-step guide if you prefer.
I discovered that by doing meditation whenever things got a bit hectic and unclear to me, It left me a more sane and calmer person; this allowed me a chance to not only have a peaceful state of mind but also, to become more positive and open-minded regardless of what distressing things were happening to me at the present moment.
What are the main practices of Spirituality?
1. Prayer
This is considered very powerful in the spiritual community; we believe that when we pray it not only allows us a sense of harmony, balance and peace but also whenever we are in a time of suffering or crisis and ask for healing, we believe that our prayers are so powerful that we would be heard. (especially if its a group of people praying for the same thing).
Prayers also offer thanks, praise or even a chance to express our emotions, thoughts and feelings to our guides and our God/creator.
2. Meditation
This is used to relax one's mind and become completely at peace with yourself whilst also listening to your own thoughts and feelings whilst being in a calm environment.
The simplest way to meditate is to focus on your breathing and relax your body and clear your mind of all distracting thoughts.
To meditate you don't have to be religious or pray to God/a higher being you can just do it for fun.
3. Visualisations
The word 'Visualisations' is a very important practice in the spiritual community; it is used to focus your mind on a picture of what you want in life, to then seeing it as already been done in your mind eye.
Native people (our ancestors) have always said that the majority of the human race are visible leaners. This means that we learn best by seeing things and watching things being done. (this includes people who are visibly impaired because even though they can't see, they still use their imagination in their mind to visualise certain things)
How I used the 'Visualisations' practice during my cancer and operation journey is by visualising my tumour getting smaller, my body getting stronger, my medicine healing me and my face getting better. This not only put me in a more positive mindset but it also took my mind off of how ill the treatment was making me, to start visualising the end goal of what I would achieve when all this was over.
Having a positive attitude especially in a tough time like this went a long way. It especially helped when I wrote my aspirations for the future and my goals for the week so that I had things to look forward to.
Reiki - What is it?
The word 'Reiki' first originated from Japan and stands for, 'universal life energy' which is also one of the main practices of natural healing. This practice is most commonly known (in the hospital world) as complementary therapy and is thankfully offered to a lot more hospitals around the world for cancer patients.
The aim of a Reiki practitioner is to ensure change and balance to the energy fields in and around their patient body whilst also allowing them to help on a physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual level.
A typical Reiki treatment is fairly simple. The patient would remain fully clothed whilst they are asked to lie down on their back against a pillow, the practitioner would then cover the body with a blanket ensuring the patient is comfortable and relaxed, the practitioner hands would then be carefully placed near the patient head/body (not touching them), they would then ask the patient to do some deep breathing with them and get into a very calm and relaxed mindset whilst they continue with the session.
Reiki often happens with calm and peaceful music in the background and leaves you feeling very relaxed and your body more re-energised then before. I was lucky enough to have a mother who practised in Reiki and so whenever I had my chemo breaks. I made sure I received Reiki because it was so peaceful and beneficial for my health physically and psychologically.
Many cancer patients in the past have stated that after they have had the Reiki treatment (that is now available in certain hospitals around the UK), it helped relieve them of stress, helped cope with difficult situations and overall helped with their wellbeing.
I want to point out that even though some people have said that Reiki helps with certain types of pain, sickness and nausea, it will not cure whatever you have if it is really serious. So it is always better to still seek medical help and advice.
Mindfulness
This is another very important practice that spiritualist people use in their religion.
It means to be fully aware of where we are and what we are doing whilst not being massively overwhelmed by all of the stuff going on around us. Mindfulness allows us to be aware of what is happening with our emotions, our minds and feelings instead of being mindless and automatic to what we are feeling.
When I had cancer and even when I was in the hospital having my operations, I found that all of the anger and the negative thoughts that were creeping in on me left me feeling suffocated and alone.
It made me become more stressed then I needed to be.
It wasn't until I became more mindful and began to realise what I was doing was when I decided to block all of that negativity out and focus on getting better.
This is why mindfulness is important; when I stood back from my thoughts and was aware of the negative pattern it had, I began to notice that none of it was worth it and so I then tried really hard to get back into that positive mindset and visualise the future and what I wanted it to be.
Mindfulness
noun
a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.
Crystal healing
Crystals throughout history have been used for their unique healing abilities and energetic power. It is believed that many different types of Crystals have minerals that hold a certain type of energy inside of them, which is why many people use it to help their physical health and wellbeing.
Crystals have the ability to clear and remove any type of negative energy from your body, push and energize your body and even balance your mindset.
A normal Crystal healing (or a holistic/natural therapy) would include placing the healing crystals around any parts of the body, wearing them, meditating with them or even having them in your house to ward off any negativity or bad vibes.
When I was in the hospital having treatment or having my operations. I found that by having certain types of Crystals like, 'Quartz' and 'Moonstone' (which was very good for cleansing any unwanted energy I didn't need) and the red, 'Ruby' Crystal which was very good for re-energizing the mind and body (especially after I was healing from a big operation or chemo dose) '. I found that by putting these (and some other) Crystals under my pillow or around my neck really helped me heal; whenever I touched them or placed them on my cheek. I felt the healing energy working in my body and it left me in a more calmer peace of mind than I ever was before.
If you want to find out my information about Crystals and what they do go on https://www.consciouslifestylemag.com/crystal-healing-guide/ .
You must be thinking I'm insane for thinking Crystal healing actually works but trust me. It 100% does! I can't begin to tell you the number of times my head was all over the place whether it was on chemo, after my operation or living with my face constantly changing that I found that having my Crystals near me, it gave me the breath of fresh air and a peaceful state of mind that I desperately needed.
