Spirituality

Soul Path guest post on the spirit that moves me

Posted June 13, 2012 by Jo Crawford in Spirituality  | 

by Jo Crawford on June 13, 2012

the spirit that moves meToday I am honoured to be a guest on the Soul Paths: Women Answering the Call series for the spirit that moves me. 

In my post, Choosing Discomfort, I share how finding and listening to my intuitive voice has not always been the easiest path. Here’s an excerpt:

To listen to our inner knowing is to embrace discomfort.  The world we live in does not value intuition and personal power, particularly for women.  When we step out of the norm and follow our own inner voice, we become edgewalkers and rebels.  Being true to our selves is the path of discomfort…

Read entire post here.
 

 

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My Sacred Manifesto

Posted September 7, 2011 by Jo Crawford in Inspiration, Sacred Connections, Spirituality  |  36 comments

by Jo Crawford on September 7, 2011

My place of worship is not a church, temple or ashram.

It is at the shoreline where the earth and oceans meet;

It is under canopies of intertwined trees with grass underfoot;

It is under night skies with the moon and stars as stained glass windows.

Here – beyond walls and doors and dogma – I pray.

 

I do not kneel before one God.

I worship the Divine in all its forms -

Ganesha, Inanna, Mother Mary, Quan Yin;

Pebble, leaf, raindrop, bud;

My loved ones.

In each I find Source.

 

I do not limit myself to grape juice and wafers when taking communion.

I commune when I honor my body as a temple of the divine;

Make love with my beloved;

Sink into a bath with candles and oils;

Savor everything I eat;

Feel alive!

 

My hymns are the love songs I belt out on the freeway;

The music of my homeland that cause my hips to sway;

My morning shower tunes.

 

My spiritual teachers are a rowdy bunch of astrophysicists, mystics and bards;

Each offering a wisdom that transcends space and time;

And speaks to the sacred within me.

 

All this -

All this beauty of life,

I cut and paste into my book of scripture, that reads:

 

Life is bigger than the details of my experience.

Keep opening my heart.

Change is the only constant.

We are all made of stardust and we are all divine.

And above all, remember that we are all connected.

This is my sacred truth.

Photo by Rodney Campbell

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Returning to Source

Posted April 26, 2011 by Jo Crawford in Spirituality  | 

by Jo Crawford on April 26, 2011

I wrote this affirmation in poem form in 1998 while going through a hard break-up and it became a tender prayer to my sacred self.

It still gives me comfort as a reminder that no matter what turmoil I see in the world or feel in my heart, connecting with Divine Source is as simple as going within and remembering.

Follow your heart
Follow your path
Retrace your step
Back to your Source

I believe we all have divinity within us and the ability to connect to Source.

When I am able to quieten the chatter of my mind, block out assumptions and expectations, there is always a soft center of peace within.

It feels like a path of the heart – one that guides me home to my true self.

When I sink into her, anything is possible.

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Gratitude as a Path to Well-Being

Posted April 22, 2011 by Jo Crawford in Presence, Spirituality  |  2 comments

by Jo Crawford on April 22, 2011

Gratitude is a practice of being present, of being open and of being aware.

When you open your eyes and heart to what and who you have gathered around you, you cannot help but sink into a place of inner strength and joy.

I was first exposed to Gratitude Practice in 2005 while taking a course on Awakening Joy with James Baraz. This was during a period of soul-searching depression and I was desperately trying to find ways to feel happy and at peace once more. During our first class, we were instructed to exchange daily gratitudes with a course buddy over the 6 week course.

I’ll be honest, I was not too keen on this exercise as I could not fathom how expressing gratitude would have any impact on my sense of well-being. I grumbled to myself “Of course I’m grateful for, and aware of, my privileged life”.

Suffice to say, I was skeptical of this process.

 

But I’ll tell you this, focusing on what you are grateful for has a sneaky way of growing on you.

After a few weeks my daily gratitudes moved from the obvious, such as the roof over my head, a healthy body, and well-paying job, to more subtle signs of emerging happiness.

I found myself noticing the small signs of life and joy around me, feeling more connected to nature and appreciative of my existing relationships.

Quite simply, I felt alive and I felt connected – a major step in moving out of my state of depression.

 

Gratitude is like a flashlight. It lights up what is already there. You don’t necessarily have anything more or different, but suddenly you can actually see what is. And because you can see, you no longer take it for granted.
M.J. Ryan

I am grateful that I stumbled on this simple wisdom and am happy to share it with you. If you do not already, begin a simple daily gratitude practice in your journal or exchange with a friend.

Simply ask yourself, “What am I thankful for in this moment?”

I welcome hearing your experiences of calling Gratitude into your practice and what impact it has had on you and your approach to life.

 

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Season Wisdom :: Finding Balance

Posted September 20, 2009 by Jo Crawford in Seasonal Wisdom, Spirituality  |  3 comments

by Jo Crawford on September 20, 2009

September 21st marks Equinox – when the daylight hours are equal across hemispheres.

The Equinoxes have a sweet place in my heart as they are the only two days during the year when the earth is in complete balance.

The balance of light and dark, of inner and outer worlds, and the quickening of change is in the air.

As we approach this time of balance of our outer world, I have been reflecting on where I need to find balance in my world. As I reflected on how I tend to over schedule my life, I thought what better time to schedule a ME day.

For me that meant a day at home in pjs, chatting on the phone with my parents abroad, many small tasty meals and a luxurious bubble bath. I highly recommend scheduling time for yourself on a regular basis.

Do whatever you need to feel relaxed and centered once more – be it it alone or surrounded by your friends, family and pets.

Finding balance reminds me of the tarot card, Justice. This card is associated with not only finding justice in the legal sense, but also the balance of mind and soul. When this card shows up in readings, I often ask my clients what they need to cut out of their lives to achieve balance.  So on the eve of Equinox, ask yourself:

  • What no longer serves me?
  • Which relationships feel out of balance?
  • Do I spend more energy on obligations than what brings me joy?
  • Do I feel balance between work and play?
  • Am I feeling aligned with my spiritual self?
  • Am I eating a balanced diet?

If any of these questions bring up feelings of ambivalence, there’s some work to do on cutting out what no longer serves you and embracing what does.

May you feel at peace with the balance in your world.

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