Am I growing?

The journey usually starts and ends with an epiphany, if we sit and think about it for a while. Maybe for you it's been constant bolts of enlightenment or a collection of unwanted moments of darkness. Whichever, we are reminded through the process to keep an open mind. Brought to our knees even by the truths of the Universe. What does it take for our soul to grow? How do I know when it's happening?

Shedding is a painful process. It feels better than that hopeless situation from before, but not quite what we imagined as a successful outcome. I dare you to ask yourself what is missing? What hasn't changed? Perhaps you find yourself in a comparable situation because you are exactly where you are meant to be.

The growth of our soul involves the temptations of our past, the revelation of our deepest wounds, the lessons which cause us to face ourselves, and the physical manifestations of our progression. Something so involved will often require every ounce of our time, attention, and emotional capacity.

If we cannot find the answer on the surface, then we must look deeper. As we assess our surroundings (for some of us, in hypervigilance), we must also assess ourselves. Give yourself 15 minutes MINIMUM to assess your total well-being using this guideline:

1. Call your undivided attention to your physical health over the last two weeks. Have there been any changes to bodily function or physical appearance? Are any symptoms new, unaccounted for, or simply being ignored?

2. Call your undivided attention to your mental health over the last two weeks. How have your thinking, processing, and attention been? Think about how your sleep patterns and quality of sleep have played a role.

3. Call your undivided attention to your emotional health over the last two weeks. Consider your mood and interactions with friends and family. Did you process challenging emotions in a way that felt safe and constructive or conflicting to your values and further damaging?

4. Call your undivided attention to your spiritual health over the last two weeks. Can you identify meaning, purpose, and direction for your life? Contemplate on your true level of satisfaction with your experiences and outcomes.

I invite you to use this guideline as merely a tool along your journey of self-assessment. If you are called to write, talk, move, consider, cry, scream, or give up during your assessment, take it as a message from your higher self. Growth is uncomfortable, yes...but, the peace and enlightenment along the way make the shed worth it.

As always, we all serve as the experts of our own lives and the choices therein.

In healing,

-Amira