Perks of Spiritual Minimalism

When I first discovered spirituality, I remember how excited I was to ‘look spiritual.’

I would change up my entire wardrobe to look like a ‘divine feminine goddess’ with bohemian outfits and kimonos. And I would spend all my free time browsing for things to buy– crystals, sound bowls, tarot cards, anything that would help me “become” more spiritual. 

I would learn from various spiritual coaches and books, and try to seek answers from so many outlets: from astrology to human design to akashic records. 

Although it can be really exciting to first stumble across the dazzling world of spirituality, I realized later how overwhelming and exhausting ‘spirituality’ can eventually become.

Instead of seeking for inner peace and contentment, spirituality can become an endless quest to always search for “more”: whether that is to manifest more material objects or consume more ‘spiritual’ information on social media. 

Spirituality then becomes another one of things to “pursue” rather than a refuge for us to surrender to inner peace. Under the guise of spirituality, New Age Law of Attraction teaches can detour us away from inner contentment as well, while makes us addicted to buying more stuff/manifesting stuff– which only makes us further trapped in the physical reality instead of finding the Truth that’s beyond.

In other words, we are taught the opposite of what it means to be peaceful right now. Rather, we are taught that peace and happiness are on the other side of your next purchase, your next manifestation, your next “quantum leap.” 

When the truth is, our inner happiness is not correlated to how many things we have, how much money we have manifested. Yes, money can be used pursue our spiritual needs (for it provides our basic needs and comfort). However, the external things outside of you (e.g. manifestations and money) cannot fill the inner void within us. 

Learning to fill in that inner void by yourself, through yourself is spiritual minimalism. It is what allows one to find the inner riches that lives within us.

And instead of chasing/striving for things that are outside, we create the things we love (whether it’d be building a business, a creative project, relationships) from an internal fullness rather than out of feeling “lack.” 

To me, after dropping the consumeristic nature of spirituality, it has allowed me to be more resourceful, creative, and joyful.

Personally it feels lighter and more freeing, as if I am unloading a baggage that I’ve been carrying all along with a name tag that says “spirituality.” It feels like my soul is now free to express herself and finally be herself– because she is no longer attached to the identities and notions of being spiritual. 

And how I finally experienced that inner freedom is by living in alignment with the following tenants:

The practice of letting go 

One reason why a lot of NewAge spirituality teachings can become burdensome and hard-to-keep-up-with is because we are taught to “add” things rather than simplifying so you can find the truth of who you are.

And so, instead of letting go of what is NOT the Self, what it teaches is about accruing more things/manifestations and then identifying ourselves with them. And even if we let go, it is for an end outcome (to manifest xyz) rather than for the deeper longing to know thy Self.

The truth is, we cannot experience our true nature (i.e. inner tranquility, stillness, and peace), when our surroundings+minds are constantly occupied with “stuff.” Our thoughts and things can become things that clog up our system from fully experiencing the Divine that lives inside of us. 

Listening to Spirit through the body

Earlier in my spiritual journey, using divination tools (such as tarot decks) and consulting external knowledge (e.g. hiring spirituality coaches) have been really helpful. One, it helped me learn to trust the Divine and two, it helped me connect more to my intuition and thus find my unique soul path. 

However, I realized later on that when we are using someone else/ or something else outside of us to give us clarity and guidance, it can become a block to discovering our true selves ourselves. We become reliant on the outside for answers, and when we are constantly in this place, all it leads to is more confusion and doubt, especially when different people/tools say different things to us. 

Which is why in the work I do with my clients, I help you connect with your own guidance so you can trust yourself and life, instead of needing to constantly seek outside for answers.

When you learn to use your intuition, and trust that, you find that you are always clear on where your path is and you always knows the answers to what you want.

And even if you consult the outside for support, it is merely just to supplement what you already know, rather than feeling like you are incomplete without someone else/something else outside of yourself. 

Channel your creativity

Creativity teaches that pure abundance comes from being minimal.

In fact, you cannot be creative when your attention is occupied by so many possessions and things to think about. Creativity comes from extricating yourself from everything that you don’t need, so that you can finally listen to the nudges of what your heart wants to express. 

To me, I realized that the more that I am creatively expressed, the more I become fulfilled with inner contentment, thus not needing many things to satisfy me. In fact, all I need is a laptop or a pen and paper to write near the trees each morning and doing that itself makes me so happy.

Creativity teaches me that all you need is to be an instrument of God, and let the Divine give you all that you need and want.

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As you begin living by these tenants, you will realize that to truly be happy and fulfilled, in fact you don’t need much. This goes the other way round: which is that if you are happy and fulfilled, you don’t need much either.

So in essence, what I’ve found is that spiritual minimalism leads to a happier life, and a happier life leads to being minimal too.

However, all of this is not to say that having material stuff is “bad” and trying to speak from a spiritual high horse. But rather, I say this with love to you that your soul has the riches that are deeper, more abundant, and more fulfilling than things that you could ever buy.

And for that, you can’t attain it through “chasing” and “seeking” for external stuff. Rather, it comes from connecting to your innermost being that has always had more than enough…