24 Feb Three Ways To Claim Your Spiritual Authority
When working with our intuition, it’s easy to to get into the mindset of wanting a spiritual wisdom source to tell us what to do. Whether we are accessing the Akashic Records, channeling our Higher Self, or working with our Spirit Guides … we want to know which path is the “right” or “aligned” one for us.
Of course, all spiritual wisdom sources acknowledge US as the ultimate authority of our experience. Which can lead to an interesting but entirely unproductive dynamic.
Spirit is waiting for us to lead the way. We want Spirit to lead the way. And together, we end up going nowhere!
We have to remember that our spiritual resources are here to support us … not to lead us. The Universe listens to the energy of our choices, and RESPONDS by delivering like consequences into our experience.
If we don’t recognize our own spiritual authority, we may find ourselves constantly scanning whatever events and consequences pop up in our lives for clues as to what we are “supposed to” be doing, or what the Universe “wants” for us. Meanwhile, the Universe is waiting for US to choose what we want, so that it can act on our behalf!
Here are three ways you can powerfully claim your spiritual authority:
1. Listen To Your Inspired Desires
We tend to talk ourselves out of what we truly want. Because, quite frankly, our true desires aren’t always sensible and practical. In fact, what you want for your own life may be really weird to other people. Your desires may seem frivolous, overly materialistic, or even anti-social.
But it’s exactly those weird, off-kilter, socially not-so-acceptable desires that are the frequently the keys to our most authentic and abundant self-expression.
You can create whatever you want in your own experience. Does that mean you can create it overnight, without any effort? Of course not. The Universe is not a fairy godmother. It will give you what you want to the level that YOU give yourself what you want, by taking action towards your desired outcomes.
If you’re not taking action on your own behalf … neither will Spirit.
2. Pay Attention To Indicators Of External Authority
There are several language clues that you are acting – or thinking – based on an external source of authority.
The most obvious of these are the words “should,” “supposed to,” and “have to.”
Whenever you find yourself using these words, either in your thinking or out loud, I would invite you to pause and ask yourself … “According to whom?”
Remember, according to Spirit, you are not “supposed to” do or be anything. You have free will for a reason! Your purpose is your authentic self-expression. So whenever you ask yourself what you are “supposed to” be doing … ask yourself instead what you truly WANT, right now.
Granted, maybe you “have to” finish a presentation after dinner according to your boss. That’s a very real external authority that you have agreed to abide by, in exchange for your income.
But most of the time, when we are using the words “should,” “supposed to,” and “have to,” we are letting some external perception of authority make our choices for us.
As soon as we make choices based on an external perception of authority, what we are telling the Universe is “I am not in charge of my life.” And then the Universe has no other available response but to deliver experiences that affirm that we are not in charge of our lives!
This is how the spiral of disempowerment and victimization begins … but it is one that we can step out of at any time, by claiming what we truly want for ourselves!
3. Live Into Your Quirks
We so often make ourselves wrong for the aspects of ourselves that have proven inconvenient for others.
For example, maybe we are really direct and often speak truth that people just do not want to hear! In the wrong environments, this can make us incredibly unpopular! We may grow up hearing “You can’t say those things to people,” or “I can’t believe you said that, I’m not your friend anymore.” If you get enough negative feedback, you may decide that you are wrong to be as direct and truthful as you are.
But in the right environments, and the right people, being direct and truthful makes you a trusted, valued advisor! In fact, your ability to cut through bullshit may make you incredibly successful.
So look at your quirks. Maybe you have an extraordinary need for solitude. Maybe you have a ton of varied interests and are a true jack of all trades. Maybe you constantly want to bring people together into community. And while people may have told you throughout your life that you “should” be more social, that you “should” find an interest you can stick with, that you “should” be able to spend more time alone … what if they have all been wrong your whole life?
When I was growing up, my parents often said I was “strong-willed.” It was not meant as a compliment! Having a determined child with a lot of will power was probably often very inconvenient for them. All through my teens and early twenties, I worked very hard at being more compliant and easy-going. But in reality, I was simply in the wrong environment! I was studying to be an opera singer, which involves a lot of doing what you are told. The director tells you what to do, the music director tells you how to sing, the costume designer tells you what to wear, and centuries of performance practice give you very little wriggle room for authentic self-expression.
And then I started my own massage therapy practice, and eventually began giving readings … and started my own modality, which is now Soul Realignment. And the more I stepped into being a spiritual teacher and growing this community, all the determination that I had previously been criticized for became a huge asset!
We are responsible for choosing environments and circumstances for ourselves that allow us to be valued for who we are. But all too often, we make ourselves wrong instead. We “work on” what others have described, time and again, as character flaws or deficits. We try to make ourselves more convenient for the environment we are in … rather than simply choosing a new environment for ourselves.
And every time we choose to be something other than who we are, we are telling the Universe “there is something wrong with me.” And of course, the only response the Universe can deliver into our lives is that “there is something wrong with you.” And so, we drift further and further away from our Truth and inner authority.
Remember, Spirit supports you unconditionally in all your choices – even the ones you make against yourself. The Divine Love from which we were blessed with free will doesn’t judge or limit us, even when decide that we are wrong, or not in charge, or in denial of what we want. The Universe cannot argue with your authority. It can only respond, unconditionally.
To your wisdom,
Andrrea Hess