Self-Care

Self-Care and Healing from a Spiritual Perspective

Content provided by: Elizabeth Wood Willey is a Certified Healing Touch Practitioner (CHTP), spiritual director, educator, retreat leader, and author of the book, "Footprints of the Soul, A Creative Guide for Spiritual Journey Groups and Individuals"

The root word for healing is haelen, an Anglo Saxon Word that means whole, implying that body, mind, and spirit need to be reconnected and integrated. Here are some ways to enhance your spiritual journey by weaving it into your daily life:

Don’t travel alone.  Form a spiritual journey group to share stories, practices and support each other’s growth. 

Draw your spiritual journey and share it.  Through visually representing your past, present and future experiences you will more easily see patterns of your life, and gain insight into where you are now called to grow. 

Commit to a balanced spiritual practice using a variety of ways of connecting to divine essence.

1. In the morning, mentally review your day and break it down into segments.  For each part of the day, leave time to pause to ask for blessing and guidance.

2. In the evening, review your day.  If there were times you felt disconnected, reflect why and then release them.  Honor the sacred times of your day with gratitude and seed your unconscious with these blessings.

3. In the course of a week, make sure you have times of silence and stillness, times of music and movement, times of creativity and times of deeply connecting to others.

Connect to the energy of the universe.

1. Tai Chi, Yoga, Qiqong or your favorite form of dance are a good ways to tap into the natural flow of the rhythm of the earth.

2. Another suggestion is to sit very still in an outdoor setting watching one part of the scene very intently.  You will begin to feel yourself energetically merging with your surroundings as you focus your mind and senses.

Let go of what no longer is for your highest good. This is the time when you need to be on the receiving end of Healing Touch!  Healing Touch is an energy therapy in which practitioners consciously use their hands in a heart-centered and intentional way to support and facilitate physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health.  This therapy uses the gift of touch to influence the human energy system, specifically the energy field that surrounds the body, and the energy centers that control the flow from the energy field to the physical body.

Open yourself to divine guidance. 

1. Turn to your body for insight into your inner realm through meditating with an area where you may be experiencing tension or discomfort.  Ask what information or guidance it may have for you. 

2. Watch for signs from the natural world as metaphors for your support and growth. 

3. Be tuned into images or scenes that draw your attention and deeply touch your spirit. 

Deepen compassion for yourself and others.  Use the Buddhist practice of Metta meditation, by deciding what you most need at the moment and offering it to yourself first.  For example,  “May I find peace of mind.”  Next offer it to those closest to you, then your acquaintances, then strangers, and finally those who have hurt you.

Elizabeth Wood Willey is a Certified Healing Touch Practitioner (CHTP), spiritual director, educator, retreat leader, and author of the book, Footprints of the Soul, A Creative Guide for Spiritual Journey Groups and Individuals.  She also serves on the Universal Health Solutions Board of Directors.  You can learn more at www.footprintsofthesoul.com.


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About Elizabeth Wood Willey
Elizabeth Wood Willey is a Certified Healing Touch Practitioner (CHTP), spiritual director, educator, retreat leader, and author of the book, Footprints of the Soul, A Creative Guide for Spiritual Journey Groups and Individuals.  She also serves on the Universal Health Solutions Board of Directors.  You can learn more at www.footprintsofthesoul.com.