Lately I’ve been trying to get more in touch with my spirituality.

When I was young it was very easy for me to see the magic in the world. I was always outside learning about different plants and what they could be used for, making “potions” out of clovers mashed with wild raspberries and trying to talk to the ducks at the pond like they were my friends. I felt so much a part of this world, a creature of nature just the same as the squirrels in the trees or the fish in the water. It was easy for me to feel like I was part of something bigger, like there WAS something bigger. It was never something I had to think about.

Of course, life gets in the way, and after a rough few years of having religion forced on me in a rather unpleasant way I swore off any spirituality whatsoever. I was a firm atheist, or so I told myself. I said I didn’t believe in anything at all. The truth, though, is that even while swearing up and down that there was no deeper meaning to life, no higher power, I could still feel that little girl inside me who believed in something more.

When I found tarot years later, completely by accident, it began to slowly open those doors that I had so firmly shut for myself for so long. It’s been a hard journey – even if it once was easy for me to believe in something, years of being conditioned to think one way and then more years of forcing myself to think another way have definitely done some damage. Still, I’m really enjoying finding little ways to tune into my spiritual side. It’s going to take a lot of baby steps to get me where I need to be, but the journey itself is enough to bring me some peace of mind.

Spirituality can mean different things to different people. For some, organized religion is where it’s at (and if that’s your bag, more power to you!) Maybe the higher power in your life is God with a capital G, or a goddess, or even the universe itself. Regardless of what it is you’re trying to tap into, though, I think there are certain things that are universal in terms of increasing the amount of spirituality in your life. If you’re looking for some little ways to be more spiritual, whether you’re just starting to explore that side of yourself or you just don’t have time for more than a few minutes a day, here are 8 of the things that I’ve been doing to discover more about my spirituality and get in touch with my higher self!

1. Meditate

I know, I know, this is the one you see EVERYWHERE, but people wouldn’t be so keen on it if it didn’t genuinely help! Meditation is so important for quieting your mind, which allows space for better thinking. My big problems with meditation are a) finding time and b) sitting still. I will say that something that’s seriously helped me get started is having a good meditation app. I use Calm, which has some paid features but the basic meditations are free. You can choose from a guided meditation or just use their timer, which wouldn’t be exciting except that there are a variety of calming sounds to listen to while the timer’s going, like the ocean or a breeze through a field. (Their website has these sounds too!) I’ve also heard good things about Headspace, but I haven’t actually tried it!

2. Tarot

Okay, so admittedly if you’ve never used tarot cards before, learning about it will take more than a few minutes in a day. But once you’ve got the basics down, you draw a card a day and see what it has to tell you! I keep a tarot journal where every night I’ll ask a question, such as “what can I do to have a better day tomorrow?” or something like that, and I’ll draw a card and write down how it makes me feel about the answer to that question. It only takes a few minutes, but it’s a great way to set your intention for the next day (or for the day ahead, if you do this in the morning) and it helps you get to know the cards better, too! Plenty of people use tarot to communicate with the powers that be, but for me it’s more of a way to communicate with myself – that instinctive, wise part of me that so often gets buried under all the little worries and thoughts of everyday life. If you don’t have a deck just yet, I’d recommend starting with the standard Rider-Waite-Smith deck – you can learn how to use it at LearnTarot.com!

3. Read a book

There are SO many resources about spirituality out there and so many different ways to practice it in your daily life. I know first-hand that it can feel overwhelming when you don’t know much but everyone else seems to have it together – like “wait, what is she doing with that crystal on Instagram? Should I be doing that too?? How much does a chunk of amethyst cost????” But you have to remember that it’s never too late to learn more – you’re arriving at this knowledge at the exact point in your life that you started being ready for it. Some people were aligning chakras right out of the womb and that’s their story, but it has no bearing on yours! So take a few minutes each day to read a book. Two that I think are amazing for the sort of spirituality I’m seeking have been 108 Days of Sacred Intention by Elle North (which also gives you exercises to practice each day!) and The Soul Searcher’s Handbook by Emma Mildon. Both of these cover a wide variety of topics and give you a digestible amount of information about each, so you don’t get overwhelmed!

4. Listen to your intuition

I feel like this is a major step towards becoming more spiritual, because your inner voice tends to want to guide you in the direction of what’s best, even if you can’t necessarily see that it’s best at the time. That little alarm that goes off in your head and tells you something’s not right, or that good feeling you get when you hang out with a certain person – listen to those feelings and see where they lead you. We place so much emphasis as a society on making “rational” decisions and not just acting based on how we feel, but sometimes what might seem rational at the time will actually make us miserable in the long run (like putting up with a crappy relationship even though you FEEL that something’s wrong, or not applying for that dream job that just popped up because logically your current job isn’t THAT bad…) The more in-tune you get with this little voice, the easier it will be for you to perceive your own feelings about a situation. If you listen to those feelings, you’ll be a LOT happier in the long run.

5. Listen to your body

What is your body telling you? I think that getting in touch with yourself is key to your spirituality. How do you feel? What parts of your body are tense right now? Are you in any pain? I suffered from headaches ALL THE TIME, but once I started paying attention to my body I realized that they came from the fact that I tense up my shoulders like crazy. If I consciously relax those muscles, the headache goes away! I also didn’t realize how bloated I was all the time until I started paying attention. I now know that if I eat salt before bed, I’m gonna wake up totally puffy. Learning these little things has helped me make changes that keep my body feeling much happer! Take some time to work out how your body is feeling. I think that learning the language your body speaks is key to developing your spirituality. Once your body feels good, your mind is in a better place!

6. Focus on the positive

There’s that quote “what you focus on, grows.” I’ve seen it attributed to tons of different people so I don’t know the actual source, but I’ve found it to be so, so true. And not even for any mystical reason (although that’s also a thing) – in the most practical sense, whatever you’re focusing on you’re bound to perceive more of. Ever notice how once you get a new car, it seems like suddenly you see other people EVERYWHERE with the same car as you? It’s because now of all the cars out there, you’re focusing on the one you have. It’s the same way for love, kindness, and all good things. Don’t get me wrong, I know it can be hard to focus on the positives if you’re having a crappy day, but you should try. It doesn’t take much time at all to be grateful for what you have, and it can even turn your whole day around! Appreciating the good things allows more good things in.

7. Tidy up

I keep talking about how clutter can negatively affect your mindset, but only because I’ve just recently discovered firsthand how true that is. Whenever my place is a mess, I feel frantic – it’s like the space that is supposed to comfort and rejuvenate me is instead just another source of stress. Clutter, to me, is like a big old in-your-face to-do list that makes it impossible to fully enjoy your downtime. How can you relax if you’re constantly being reminded of everything you still have to do? Take some time to clean up your space, even if it’s just the room you spend the most time in. This will make it easier to do really anything else on this list – reading, meditating, thinking, and tuning in to yourself are all way better when they’re done in a peaceful space.

8. Go outside

Take a walk! For me at least, a big part of spirituality is appreciating nature and our place within it. We’re citizens of the world and of this Earth, and it’s our job to care for it the way it cares for us! Take a look at your surroundings. What kinds of plants grow near where you live? What do they symbolize? There are a lot of elm trees in my town, which symbolize strength and intuition! That definitely makes me want to go do some witchery at the park sometime! ♥

These are the things that have made a difference in my life so far, but there are more things down the line that I can’t wait to explore and learn more about! What are some ways that you invite spirituality into your life? I’d love to hear about your journey!

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