Back in part 1 I talked about my growing realisation that I could really direct my Spiritual Growth in exactly the same way I would plan my career or run a business.  Which is not to say I want to take the mystery away...absolutely not!

I just want to organise myself in such an effective way that the mystery can flow more easily.

At first this whole process seemed so huge and full of possibilities I couldn't get a grip on it.  But after some thinking and processing and writing Lots of Lists I came up with a Plan:

1. Goal Setting

First I needed to work out what I want for my spiritual life.  The options are endless but I want to make sure my goal is something I can really visualise and do something concrete about.

I would like to achieve a full integration of my Life into one seamless, authentic, abundant and Spiritual whole.

To me a goal is something I want to achieve based on who I currently am.  Which is why I think you need to periodically review your goals and check they are still Your goals. I expect around December time I'll review my goal and see if it is still for me.

2.  Strategy

I love strategy!  It sounds terrifying but actually very very simple.  Strategy is just a plan for making your goal happen.  A Spiritual Strategy is making your goal happen in a way which is spiritually fulfilling and mindful.

Looking over my goal I realised my main problem with integrated living is twofold: 

One... I deliberately turn off my spiritual side when I go into the office - logic and rationality are required, joy and glittery fun are a hindrance.

Two... I don't value my office life as much as I should because I have conspired to suck all the shiny, fun and spiritual stuff out of it. 

I think that an integrated life would really flow more easily without these two obstacles.

Both of these things are within my power to change.  What is my strategy for changing them? I decided that my plan for making these changes must have several attributes:

a) action steps
b) be within my power to carry out
c) be clear and achievable
d) translated into my day to day reality.

SARK has this awesome concept of micromovements to get you started on things.  If you want to knit a jumper but can't get started just go and pick up the needles and find the yarn.  After that things just flow.  I am taking the same approach of small steps, easily managed here.

So I came up with this set of actions:

3. Resources

I checked in with myself...Do I have everything I need to achieve what is on my list? 

In this case I do, but I might have wanted some more information or education, support from a friend, a special tarot deck etc.

If so I would have made a list of resources and where I could get them from (but then I *really* love lists!)

4. Checking In.

I can write all the pretty plans I like but if I don't review how I am doing then they will never really happen.  Life will always keep getting in the way.  So lastly I put together a quick, daily/weekly type check-in sheet and diarised weekly time to spend really thinking about my plan and how it is going.

The beauty of this is that I can make my planning sheets completely tailored to fit my life, my dreams and what gets me creatively inspired.
I expect I will go through all the steps again and again and for all sorts of different projects and plans and ideas.  I love the fact that even though I am writing a plan like this it actually increases the amount of time I will spent connecting with the Divine and listening to myself.

I know this is all achingly, simply stuff and some of my learning goes into far more detail and levels of complication.  But I find that simple tools are often the best to start chipping away at your ingrained habits, in the past when I have tried to insist on a regime of 1 hour of meditation and 1 hour of yoga a day I have never maintained it. 

The reason I failed was because the change was too drastic, it didn't suit my life and it wasn't really what I needed to do to achieve the goals I hadn't realised I held. 

Baby steps where I track my progress on brightly coloured worksheets?  That I can work into my life and I'll enjoy it too!

This is an ongoing process for me so I shall be posting back with my results, how my reviewing went and the next set of steps I need to take.

I would love to hear about how others are handling their own spiritual development so drop me a comment below!   
3/1/2012 10:17:25 am

Good luck with this, it sounds attainable.
I know what you mean about conspiring "to suck all the shiny, fun and spiritual stuff out of..." work. I tend to play a lot of stuff down as I work with kids and an only as a sub at the moment. Best wishes for getting your shine on!

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3/1/2012 03:48:39 pm

Thanks Cat

I am finding lots of ways at the moment to bring the shine back into work...without standing on a table and shouting "I am a Pagan" (which would be rubbish as it would just make everyone feel uncomfortable). I am starting to pull together an article for submission to Wild Sister on the same theme but if don't want it I'll post it here eventually.

Good luck with doing the same with the kids!

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3/1/2012 10:36:30 pm

I saw this quote posted by a friend this morning and thought of you...

"We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned,
so as to have the life that is waiting
for us.
The old skin has to be shed before the new one can come."
- Joseph Campbell




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