What is a Spiritualist?

Spiritualist
by Katherine Ari July 24, 2009

As readers navigate around my blog, there is a section to the upper right about me. A storyteller is pretty obvious, but some ask what is a spiritualist? A Native American elder told me many years ago that being Native American meant being in harmony with Nature and being connected to God or the Great Spirit in everything you do. In the Bible of the New Testament, Jesus taught two great rules – to do unto others as you would have them do unto you, The Golden Rule, and to love the Lord thy God with all your heart in everything you do. Being connected to God in everything I do and to love God with all my heart is the same thing to me.

For most of my adult life, I have been studying religions and spirituality. The most important thing I have found is that in all religions or belief systems there are common truths. These truths are interpreted differently by different people, and different dogmas or religions evolve. The problem arises when one group decides their understanding is the one and only way to understand God. We have separatism and wars and hatred and judgment – all things completely in opposition to the basic teaching to love God in every thing we say, think, or do.

For that reason alone, when I say I am spiritualist, it does not mean dogma. It does not mean that I subscribe to a particular set of rules or requirements. I am not going to preach at anyone or judge or condemn. I believe if you have a chosen religion or church that makes you happy, then that is good. If you have a church but don’t always agree with what they say or find yourself going but coming home angry or feeling guilty, then perhaps you should find another spiritual home.

Yes, I use this blog to talk about my own ideas and interpretations. I have a traditional upbringing and know a lot about scripture from the Bible though. And as you can find any scripture in the Bible to back up your beliefs, you can also take anything I say in my way and go to the Bible and find it says what I say. I do NOT believe in literal Bible. I believe in the metaphorical meanings of scripture as well as teaching or writings from other religions. Again, Truth is Truth.

Everything I do and everything I think and everything I say is Spirit led. Even when I write animal stories or essays, the decision to write that story or post that story is because of an inner prompting that I consider my inner God voice. For some reason I am compelled to share that on that day.

What is God? God is Love. God is the Creative Force in the Universe that is the beginning and end of everything. It is everywhere in everything. In the Science of Mind, those three sentences in some form are the first step of a Spiritual Mind Treatment or Affirmative Prayer. They are also Truth and rarely would any positive religion disagree with those words. The argument starts when the next thing another group says is that God is angry, vindictive, biased, spiteful, conditional, and condemning. For me, God is Love and anything fear induced is NOT God. You cannot feel God if you feel fear.

I do believe, I know, that we are all here on a spiritual journey. We are here to learn and to grow. We are here to feel Love and to give Love. I suppose the atheist would disagree, but then I really don’t know. I must admit that because I have always had some kind of belief in a power that created the universe – something had to get things started somehow – that it is really hard to understand atheism. The ones that make it on the news are usually very angry, argumentative, and stressed out because the reasons that ARE on the news is because they are fighting for their rights. I am open to discussion about the subject because I would like to know what that means to the atheist.

My “About Katherine Ari” column also includes Life Coach. My approach to coaching or guiding is first and predominantly Spiritual. I love to work with young adults and older as well helping them find their path and making decisions that will help them fulfill their reason for living. That is always a spiritual journey to me, and most of the time, when I am working with someone, they feel that way too. Sometimes I get intuitive impressions. Sometimes I use Oracles, Tarot, Spirit Guides, Hypnosis, Past Life Regression, Celtic or Shapeshifting, or Numerology to add to my directions or suggestions. Ultimately, the answers are within each individual. I am NOT a guru or Know-All teacher. My goal is to help others find what is inside. I don’t have all the answers and I am still learning myself.

I ask, “What are you looking for? What do you want to learn? How can I help you on your life journey?” I am a Wise Woman Spiritual Guide and I draw from several different techniques or modalities – whatever works for the moment and time. When there is a next time, the client’s dreams may be the focus and the next, a profound contact with an animal or bird. And maybe I just need to let you talk and process.

I remember one time over 30 years ago going to my own therapist and spending the whole time talking, over two hours. I ended saying I didn’t feel like I did much work that day, just rambled on and on. She said, “No, you were processing a lot and I am impressed with what you are learning on your own. You are doing great.” I left and drove home thinking about what I had been talking about and realized she was right. I was beginning to see the “light at the end of the tunnel” and it really felt good having someone to listen and let me do what I needed to do for my own healing and growth.

I have been very fortunate to work with other spiritual helpers and teachers. But then since everything I do IS spiritual, then everyone I meet brings me a spiritual lesson – even when I don’t think that is the case at first. There is always a spiritual lesson.

Everything I do is Spirit Led.
I do not subscribe to any dogmas or set of do’s and don’ts.
I take a spiritual approach with my clients and my writing but do not try to convert anyone to my beliefs. I share them and listen to their beliefs.
There is One Great Universal Power in the Universe and everything is connected to that. This Power is everywhere all the time in everything and it is so magnificent that it can “speak” to me in my ways and I am open to receive the message of the One Power, but I do not believe it is a man out there in the sky.

I am a Spiritualist.