It has become common for clients to seek me out to "grow spiritually." Often they come in expecting me to give them insight into the acupuncture channels, or their Power Animals, or somehow say something that will magically make them more intuitive.
I often disappoint them.
I tell these mentees that spiritual growth does not come from learning a new technique. If a Reiki practitioner wants to learn other energy work such as IET, that's great. It's another tool for their healing toolkit to help themselves and others. However, this is not spiritual growth.
Spiritual growth is when we expand beyond our boundaries. It happens when we face our Edge. This means facing some of our internal fears.
The limits of what we feel is possible and who we feel we are are defined by our fears. These fears were created from our wounding (either things that have happened to us directly, or things which were handed down to us by our families or culture). To grow spiritually means to challenge these boundaries and move beyond those limits.
For instance, spiritual growth can look like facing a long-held fear of being ostracized for being weird or different, and all that comes with that fear. Maybe we have to deal with the pain that came from being bullied as a kid, or having received some negative feedback for expressing a contrary opinion to a parent or authority figure.
When we challenge our Edge, it feels that we are risking our safety. It's common to fear facing ridicule or potentially being outcast from our tribe. There's a chance we'll lose friends. Challenging our Edge means challenging the status quo, and what we've accepted as truth.
This can absolutely be very scary. However, if you have the courage to face your fears, you have the potential to transcend them.
On the other side of staring down your fears, it is far easier to be who you really are. It is a greater self-acceptance and ease of walking loudly and proudly in the world. It often can mean a shifting of our relationships or coping mechanisms. This growth often comes with powerful insights and accompanying thoughts of, "What the hell have I been doing this whole time?"
It is on this journey that the deeper spiritual truths reveal themselves. *THIS* is how we learn new soul-level perspectives, and deepen our connection with our intuition. When we push our boundaries, we are suddenly free to be clearer with Spirit, and to hear Spirit more clearly.
Spiritual growth is a journey that happens within. It is not going to a teacher and having them show you new energetic techniques. Those can be really helpful tools, but without spiritual growth, they will be applied within the same limiting box that you exist in.