I choose to live my life in the same way I prefer my cocktails, spirit forward. A bold and full-bodied approach, engaging all my senses is what I’m after. I believe spirited living has always been my intention, but I must admit, much of my life was focused more on matter. To put it simply, my heart was always aiming for that higher plane of spiritual awareness,  but what others thought of me by social and societal standards mattered too much. I was often apprehensive about being “too much” for most people’s taste and wanted very much to be liked and accepted. I desired to be beautiful by societal standards and therefore made most of my decisions based on what was expected of me and how I thought I should look and act. A fairly typical dilemma in today’s society, I know, as it was throughout the ages…rising to a challenge or shrinking to fit depending on what the situation called for. And that’s okay, for to survive in this great, big world it is necessary to be able to adapt. Finding the balance between spirit and matter is the great challenge of living well.
So how is it done? Intention, practice, patience, and letting go. Along my spiritual journey, I have longed for structure, practiced organized religion, needed to escape structure, tear down social constructs and ideals and walk my own path. This has happened in a somewhat cyclical pattern throughout my life depending on how much support or freedom I needed to thrive. I am in a clearing of independent thinking as of late and it suits my needs perfectly, for now. One thing I do know is that I don’t really know anything. I do, however want to learn and grow and live in the great Mystery and so I press onward, spirit forward.
One way I practice living spirit forward is by exercising my intuition. This can be nurtured in many ways and it involves all of the four steps mentioned: intention, practice, patience, letting go. When arriving at a crossroads in your life, whether it be a grand one or a minor decision, intuition plays a big role. Ask yourself, what is my intention, or to put it another way, my desired outcome? If your mind isn’t presenting a clear answer, your body will definitely know. Quiet yourself and pay attention to your breathing for just a moment and notice how your nerves feel when you think about the different options. If there’s apprehension, is it coming from fear? Why are you afraid? The “why” is important. If you practice quieting and listening enough, you will become good at understanding your “why” and can make a better decision for yourself as to what you need versus what you may think you want. Patience may often be involved in a long term decision because instant gratification very seldom serves our needs. Letting go is definitely the most challenging step in this process because it is the necessary pivot point in making a decision. Once made, it’s time to let go. I personally struggled with this and often still do, but I’m getting much better at it through continued practice. Don’t second guess yourself for days or years after a decision has been made. That’s simply tormenting. Live forward, spirit forward. Trust that the next challenge ahead will either support or remedy the previous decision you made because that’s the way life works. You can’t undo something that’s already been done, can’t unsay something that’s been said, you can live and act forward and build upon what you’ve learned thus far.
Living spirit forward is about being kind, brave and wise, taking steps into life with a growth mindset. Knowing that each day is not to be plodded through but a fresh new opportunity to learn. I personally enjoy working with tarot to support my spirited living. A card a day is usually all it takes to inspire me to create the lesson I am to learn. Most often I am not seeking an answer to a question but merely asking the Universe, what energy am I to work with today? This practice has helped me to expand on what I see and experience in the form of lessons. It helps keeps me focused on the awe and wonder that life presents as opposed to the mundane grind of merely existing. I do hope to inspire you to choose to live more spirit forward, dear reader. There is a world of magic waiting to be explored for the spirited. I invite you to inch closer to your sense of intuition and explore the magic in you!
So mote it be,
Stellaluna

A suggestion if you’re interested in choosing a tarot or oracle deck to work with on your own:
simply search, notice what attracts you and choose that one to start. There are so many beautiful decks out there, so much instruction and support. Seek and ye shall find.