Achieving a “Living” or Fully Integrated Spiritual Practice

Article Highlights:

• Are you a Pillar to Post person?
• When “practice” becomes integrated

You can read about my brand new session in full here, it’s discounted $30. Or scroll to the end of this article for a brief description of all the sessions I offer.

Dear Spiritual Practitioner,

From time to time – including this morning – someone asks me what my daily spiritual practice is. Or they might ask what my day looks like spiritually, or what my favorite spiritual practice is, or my most successful one.

It’s an interesting topic to ponder and of course the answer has varied over time as my spiritual life and practice has changed and developed. It’s the same for you, I’m sure.

This morning, in reply to the recent query about this, I had an interesting thought I decided would be fun to share here to spark your own answers to this question. I’ll keep my answer short and sweet today so you can carry on further in your own reflection, and less in mine.

Today’s answer for me is this, “There’s one spiritual approach or practice that’s lasted over the longest time regardless of other techniques changing. I would say it’s my most successful one – the one that has netted me the best results and consistent spiritual growth over the years. My key words for it are “Pillar to Post.”

Essentially it’s a determined practice NOT to let the day be one of rushing from Pillar to Post. Noticing this happening, I’d say mentally or aloud, “Pillar to Post” and pull back, pause, take a breath or maybe a break of minutes or more. In that breath or pause or moment all I do is remember who I am and why I’m here.

I’m light and life on-going, currently expressing in physical form, for the purpose of remembering this and letting that have real physical expression in my human life. In the past I’ve used different fun techniques to interrupt my Pillar to Post tendencies such as setting reminders every hour etc.

These days, however, it has a constancy of its own and brings itself forward many times a day, even many times an hour. It has less of a flavor of remembering and more of a flavor of noticing my longing for it.

The result of this is that I don’t have to make myself interrupt Pillar to Post all the time in the old way. When it’s happening now, I feel my yearning for deeper connection and opening and I move into that. A heart opening occurs then, I often sigh and sit down and close my eyes.

I feel my real connection. I let myself stop what I’m doing and do what I yearn to – not as a commitment or a practice – but because I long to! And I let it be short. Long periods are not necessary. They’re not even as effective. Numerous short periods throughout the day feed my soul continually and beautifully.

What began as a concerted spiritual practice of interrupting the grip of distractions to have short periods of connection has flowered and borne fruit, becoming a natural movement and rhythm in my life.

That’s my answer today: My most valuable spiritual practice has been that of consistently interrupting the busy end-to-end flow of each day by repeatedly asking myself to break, remember who I am and connect with my expanded being. It’s a practice that has now become acting on my longing for open-hearted connection when it so frequently arises in me, satisfying it, and letting it express then in everything throughout the course of my day.

So my Pillar to Post practice is still on-going but has changed. It’s no longer only a valuable exercise but is an integrated process contributing to, and even creating, my way of being in the world. It’s become a “living” practice, one arising out of an integrated frequency within my daily expression.

As you muse about your own answers I can’t help but wonder about your process. I know it’s been varied and interesting and, yes, masterful too. What are your answers for today? I look forward to hearing your thoughts if you happen to have time to reply.

Much love,
~ X💗Mayet