By Raelyn Williams PhD
The process of moving up in consciousness and enlightenment is not linear. A person goes through stages. These stages involve an oscillation similar to a sine curve, moving up and down again, each time reaching greater peaks. As the person ascends further in consciousness, it becomes necessary to shed old layers of the self. This is particularly true regarding past pain, trauma, and negative emotions or thought processes. Emotionally this can take a toll and cause feelings of going backward or slipping. Each time a person purges unnecessary aspects holding them back, rising higher becomes possible. Some practices can help ease the process.
One thing that can help lessen feelings of going backward is consistently evaluating the personal environment. As a person ascends, situations, people, and even work situations no longer match the stage they’re in. Some people will naturally see themselves out of the way. However, evaluating regularly those people and situations can save heartbreak later. Be honest about whether these elements are harmful or supportive of the current growth. Depending on the particular situation, goodbyes may not be temporary. However, certain things or people can only return if there is growth. By letting go, lessons are learned and no longer repeated. This also allows new people and situations to have an opening.
Healing is one of the most important practices to lessen the downward curves. Past pain and emotional struggles slow down the ascension. Some pain is easy to identify; some are more apparent in thoughts, emotions, and behavior. Pay attention to negative and destructive patterns. Dig in and find where it comes from when a pattern is recognized. Often, these patterns have roots in the past. For example, the tendency to feel inadequate often comes from someone who triggered these feelings in one form or another. Identifying the culprit provides an opportunity to address these roots. Then, the process involves correcting the negative patterns each time they occur. Also, healing requires feeling. Locking emotions away keeps them around, causing havoc.
The final practice is maintaining spiritual health. This can be done in multiple ways. Meditation is always important. Taking a few moments to take in deep breaths, counting to two with the in-breath and two with the out-breath, provides a physical and psychological reset. Another important technique is grounding. Go out and walk with shoes off in the grass, seeing negative emotions running back into the earth. This helps cleanse your energy. The last spiritual maintenance technique is seeking help from someone on the journey longer. They may have suggestions on how to move blocks in the journey.
By taking an active approach in pursuing the practices, the dips in the ascension curves will lessen. These aspects happen naturally. However, by taking the active approach, it is possible to mitigate large dips that can feel very destructive. The process of shedding past selves can be rough, but healing, evaluating the environment, and attending to your spiritual health can make a drastic difference.Raelyn Williams, Ph.D., is a general (nonclinical) psychologist. She has been reading tarot/oracle cards for over 20 years. Also, she is a certified reiki master, meditation instructor, spiritual life coach, and certified hypnotherapist. Her gifts help her help others overcome obstacles, including trauma, and head down the path of ascension.
