The Seven Dollar Spiritual Journey

By Lisa Jones

One of my biggest fears in life is missing it. 

There are retreats in far-off lands where you can go find your purpose in life. You contemplate deeply while silently scrubbing floors and you eat small, vegan foods; it all sounds very pure. However, I believe inner peace can be found between trips to the grocery store and unloading the dishwasher. This is great news. Since no one is offering to foot the bill for my pilgrimage, I need to conduct my spiritual journey more locally.

This is not an issue of religion; a spiritual exploration can exist within any religion—or no religion at all. It’s simply about examining what you want to get, and give, with your life. It’s about self-discovery, coming back to yourself when the world is pulling you in disparate directions.

This dovetails nicely with simple living because once you figure out what you want your life to mean you are one step closer to reconciling those ideals with your daily activities. It brings you one step closer to removing the emotional and physical clutter and getting to the heart of your life. What could me more simple than that?

Here are the things that I have found helpful in waking up to my life and living it the most meaningful way I can.

A blank book. Some days, my journal reads like it was written by a pre-pubescent girl; it’s rather humiliating. I write about something someone said and the contents of my lunch…hardly high-minded spirituality. Once in a while, however, I find that my subconscious has picked up the pen and something really meaningful and unexplored surfaces. Like that same pre-pubescent girl always knew, it’s very powerful to express hopes and dreams. Cost: $4.

A place. That corner near my closet is not a secluded ashram, but it is my space to sit quietly and shut out distractions. I could call it a shrine, but that sounds creepy—like it’s covered in photos of ex-boyfriends and pig’s blood. This is just a collection of things that make me feel peaceful, happy and connected; a rock from my favorite place in the world, a candle and a beautiful feather my husband gave me when I was having a particularly rough day. Cost: $0

A timer. Deadlines satisfy my logical side, so I like to journal or meditate for a pre-determined period of time. I know that I can set aside those minutes and still get the rest of my day accomplished. My favorite timer is a free app I got on my iPhone, but a good old-fashioned alarm clock works just fine, too. Cost: $0.

Candles or incense. Fire represents illumination, purification and new beginnings. If you need anything to get you in a spiritual zone incense will do it. I already had candles and I found some nice incense at Rebecca’s Natural Foods. Cost: $3.

Music. I love the Pandora station called “Ambient Radio.” You can download that software for free on your computer or access it though TiVo. Music integrates another sense to the process and drowns out any distracting real life noises. Cost: $0.

A library card. Explore the local library. You can find books on just about any brand of spirituality you are looking for: religious or secular, western or eastern, even books of the spirituality of pottery and painting. Whatever you are searching for, it’s out there. Here are a few of my favorites:

When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema Chodron
Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn
Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation: A 28-Day Program by Sharon Salzberg
A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle

But find what works for you—this is about your path, no one else can tell you how to walk it. If something doesn’t speak to you, just continue your exploration. It’s about the journey, not the destination. Cost: $0

Time. This is the hard part; set aside time for yourself. The amount of time obviously depends on your situation, but as little as 20 minutes can work wonders. Time is the most precious gift we can give ourselves. Make a standing (guilt-free) appointment with yourself and call it whatever you want, if you need to label it at all. Prayer, meditation, me-time, study, self-discovery—whatever. Just make time to go deeper than the grind of your daily responsibilities.

It’s easy to get bogged down by minutia but when you find time to look deeper, the rest of life becomes deeper, too. The every day becomes sacred when you turn off the auto-pilot. Caring for your spirit isn’t selfish. Always remember the airline rule; you need to put your own oxygen mask on first, before you can help anyone else.

So, just start by taking a deep breath.

Lisa Jones is a writer and a yoga fanatic with a serious travel addiction. You can find more from Lisa at her blogs Simplifying the Simple Life and Just here. Just now.