Psycho-spirituality is something I’ve been delving into over the last few months and it’s a term that I strongly relate to when it comes to my own spiritual practices and beliefs. I’m not a religious person, I don’t believe in a god or practice religious rituals, I just enjoy thinking about the bigger picture and wondering what else is out there that we don’t yet understand. What does it all mean and what questions can I ask to find more answers for myself?
Because I practice Witchcraft people tend to have pre-determined assumptions about me and my beliefs. The fact is Witchcraft is just a practice, it’s not a belief system. Witchcraft helps me to make internal thoughts, emotions or feelings that are tricky to grasp mentally, into something more tangible. My spirituality comes from the intention to better my mental wellbeing and that’s why psycho-spirituality aligns so perfectly with me and it could align with you too!
What does psycho-spirituality mean?
Psycho-spirituality is the merging of spirituality and psychology. It’s the perfect amalgamation of science and believing in the mysteries of the universe. The combination of these two things can help you to not only uncover the problems you battle mentally every day, but it can also help you better understand those things and find meaning or clarity around them.
Spirituality on its own can encourage things such as repression, avoidance or naivety as you are always thinking about the bigger picture and never about yourself personally. Instead of dealing with your issues head-on, you may find that you are always running away from your problems and chalking it up to living a more spiritual life. For example, a meditation on its own doesn’t do anything other than relax you temporarily. In high stress or anxious situations, that’s great, but on a deeper level, it’s like putting a band-aid on an open wound and expecting everything to be fine.
However, meditation with intention, with the knowledge gained from looking at things from a psychological perspective, will be much more beneficial to your long-term mental health and wellbeing. Spirituality is the medicine, but psychology is the diagnosis and you can’t pick the right medicine if you don’t know what’s wrong to begin with.
How can psychology work with spirituality?
I’ve been fascinated by psychology for years, there was a time when I seriously considered becoming a psychiatrist! Psychology is the science of the mind and gives us answers as to why we think and behave in certain ways. It is the study of both the conscious and subconscious mind, something I’ve delved even deeper into since becoming a tarot reader.
On its own, psychology can help us to dig out what is wrong or what is causing the issues we face on a conscious level. Just like we go to our local GP if we have pain or physical sickness, we go to a psychiatrist when we are struggling with our mental or emotional health. A psychiatrist then figures out the cause of your issues, showing you why you are the way you are and bringing clarity to why you think, feel or behave in the ways you do.
Journaling teamed with Tarot reading is the perfect way to expand your self-care routine. Get to know yourself better than ever with Tarot journaling.
However, when we only pay attention to our own psychology it can become overwhelming, as you will always be uncovering what’s wrong and not actually doing anything to treat those things. You’ll eventually end up with a huge pile of things you know need fixing but no actionable ways to do just that. That’s when you would introduce spirituality.
You can take your psychological findings and treat them with spirituality. Obviously, if things are very bad or serious mental illness rears its ugly head, then spirituality will only help you to cope and find meaning in your situation, it won’t be the cure. For example, I take anti-depressants to treat my anxiety disorder and clinical depression, which helps me keep my mood level and feeling like a normal functioning human being. I then use spirituality to help me understand the root of my problems and what role they play in the bigger picture of my life. It helps me to see the lessons I can learn from these negative beliefs or thoughts and how I can look at the present from a different perspective.
How to use psycho-spirituality in your daily life
The best way for me to help get you thinking about how you can use psycho-spirituality is by explaining how I use it in my own life.
I often make time to sit down and try and uncover the problems that lie deep within. I use things like meditation and more prominently, journalling, to do just that. I’ve had a few sessions of therapy on the NHS in the past few years and they always offered little tasks to work through, in order to uncover the truth of my anxiety or depression. I made a note of these and I still use them today.
Once I’ve identified these things, I get to work with my spirituality. I personally use Witchcraft to deal with these issues as I’ve found it the most effective for me personally. The main way I use it is when I’m going through a depressive episode, where my mood is very low or my energy levels are very unstable. I use a burning banishing spell to identify the main side-effects of my episode, writing them down on a piece of paper and then burning it. It works every time to set me back on the right path and I always notice my mood lifting day by day once I’ve done the ritual.
On the one hand, this acts as a psychological cleanse, where I’m subconsciously telling myself to let go of what I’m holding onto. However, it’s also a spiritual practice, as I tend to use herbs and the four elements to ground me in the present moment, connect me with the natural world and seek the energetic support of the universe, to help give me the energy to bring my intention to fruition.
Where to start with psycho-spirituality?
I would recommend starting by researching the most popular theories of psychology, especially the works of Carl Jung and Jungian Psychology. This is the branch of psychology I’ve found compliments the metaphysical and spiritual world best. Then you can start looking into how Jungian Psychology bleeds over into the world of spirituality. Tarot is a great example of how Jungian theories are used in divination, as it often uses Jung’s personality archetypes and his ideas around the ego, personal unconscious and collective unconscious.
Ever heard of 'Esoteric Practices' but no idea what they actually are?
Here you'll find a beginner friendly introduction to what are classed as 'Esoteric Practices' and how you can start to integrate them into your normal well-being routines and habits.
Ever heard the word esoteric or the phrase esoteric practices and thought… what the hell are esoteric practices?
It’s basically a fancy word for having a niche interest or a specific understanding of something.
The term esoteric has been adopted in the spiritual community in a more philosophical sense, it is used to describe a practice or a person who seemingly has a deep knowledge of the universe and the lessons within it and actively works to connect with those things.
When it comes to modern spiritual practices, such as working with crystals, witchcraft, manifestation and other things of the like, we can often run across the term esoteric being used, as those things are often only practised by those that have a unique interest or connection with them.
Esoteric is an adjective and can be used in the following ways:
1) understood by or meant for only the select few who have special knowledge or interest.
2) belonging to the select few.
3) private; secret; confidential.
Somewhere over the years it has been swayed to lean more towards the spiritual, meanings someone that is on a journey towards spiritual enlightenment. Hence why things like energy healing, manifestation, meditation and the likes are deemed as Esoteric Practices.
Western Esotericism
Now, western esotericism refers to what we’re looking at, it’s the term we use to group specific beliefs, philosophies and traditions. Many of these will have been prevalent throughout various western religions such as Judaism, Christianity, Catholicism and Paganism.
If you do a bit of research around this subject, you’re bound to get to a point where you just feel completely confused, so here’s my own personal definition of esotericism as I see it.
Esotericism refers to a number of traditions, philosophies and practices, that focus inwards on the human beliefs, spirituality and wellbeing. It’s a very philosophical idea that gets us to ask the bigger questions around our own purpose and effect on this planet, from a spiritual perspective.
This is why I firmly place Tarot reading in the realm of Esoteric practice, because it is the perfect tool for diving deep into what it really means to be human. It allows us to approach our own personal spirituality in a way that removes barriers and defensive mechanisms.
What Are the Esoteric Practices?
I see a lot of what I do and what I preach to be grounded in esotericism. Everything I do from a spiritual perspective aims to help me grow as a person and develop a deeper knowledge of the universe and my place within it. This gives me more clarity, confidence and understanding of what I’m put on this planet to achieve.
Some of the most popular modern-day esoteric practices are:
Tarot reading – There are a lot of esoteric theologies and doctrines that go into Tarot, from Kabbalah to Astrology. If you continue to dig into the many areas of tarot, you’ll be able to uncover a whole new world within the cards. This is something I touch on in my Tarot Directory meanings. It’s also something I teach in the Energetic Tarot Advanced Tarot Course, helping you deepen your meanings and expanding the wisdom of your Tarot readings.
Meditation – Used by Buddhist monks to find enlightenment, this is a practice that helps you to delve inwards and explore the inner psyche and subconscious. It has its roots in religion and spirituality, but it has since been adapted into a Westernised form of mental health management.
Reiki healing – This is growing in popularity in the Western world, however, it originated in Japan. It involves laying hands on key energy centres within the body, basically along the same lines as chakra balancing and healing.
Akashic Records – The Akashic Records are said to be a collection of universal thoughts, words, emotions and intent to have ever happened, happening or will happen. People who access the Akashic Records have the ability to look into the life of a soul and see its history, present and future.
Astrology – You probably know your star sign already, but you are made up of more than one. We have a moon sign, a sun sign and more. Astrology is a pseudoscience that divines information around who we are as humans, based on the positions and movements of celestial objects, such as the stars and planets.
Witchcraft – Growing in popularity (just take a look at WitchTok on TikTok) Witchcraft contains multiple esoteric practices all rolled into one neat package. From alchemy to astrology, divination to astral projection, it’s a great way to add more esotericism to your life.
How Can You Use Esoteric Practices in Your Daily Life?
Now that we’ve established a few practices, let’s have a look at how we can actually use them. The best way that I’ve found is to simply make time for them in your normal schedule.
For example, I make time in my day for 10-minutes of meditation a day, plus I subscribe to the Witchcraft subscription box Witch Casket, which helps me carve out time to get my witchness on.
You can start small with things like consulting an oracle card every day, or picking out a tarot card to explore your thoughts, feelings and mood on that particular day.
Even making time to just learn more about esotericism and its many practices and theologies can help expand your mind and explore your soul. The key thing to remember here is to make time to question the universe you live in and your place in it. Look beneath the surface to find hidden knowledge and meaning.
As spiritual entrepreneurs, we need to make sure we take care of ourselves on many different levels. Whether it’s looking after our physical body, our mental wellbeing or our spiritual health, we need to make sure everything gets some love and attention.
When it comes to looking after my own wellbeing, there are 6 different areas I like to make time for. It may sound like a lot and you may think ‘Cat, I do not have time to maintain 6 areas of wellbeing!’, but I’m here to show you how you can ensure all parts of yourself are being well cared for in a time-efficient and intentional way.
> “A person being “too busy” is a myth. People make time for the things that are really important to them.”
— Mandy Hale
Area 1: Physical
It’s one of the most well-known areas and for many, one of the easiest to let slip into nothingness. I won’t lie, cardio workouts make me want to instantly lie down and nap, but I know I feel better and I can do more when I look after my cardio fitness… I hate it.
I also make sure to do one exercise class a week that is fun, for me it’s aerial hoop, for some it may be pole or if you’re stuck at home, there are a plethora of online exercise videos to choose from. Physical health isn’t just about looking good or keeping your body in good condition, it can have a knock-on effect with all the other areas we’re going to be looking at in this post. Physical exercise can boost your endorphins helping to lift your mood, it can also force you to breathe more deeply, helping you feel calmer and get more oxygen into your bloodstream, making you feel more awake and motivated.
Area 2: Mental
Something that we are all very aware of at the moment and rightly so. Our mental health can be one of the trickiest things to take care of. I always liken it to trying to keep a mound of sand in your hands whilst juggling, at least that’s what it feels like for me.
The key to taking care of your mental wellbeing is to take breaks. Force your mind to stop, relax, unplug from the information filth cauldron that is the internet. A lot of the issues we see today are because we are constantly pushing information into our brains at a rapid rate, so do something where you have to focus on just one thing, like reading, sewing, gardening or even watching your favourite show.
Area 3: Emotional
Our emotional wellbeing can often get lumped in with our mental wellbeing and that makes a lot of sense as the two are closely connected, but they are not exclusive. Your emotional wellbeing often requires some dedicated time and attention, as it has its roots in your subconscious.
Your emotions control how you feel, your mental wellbeing controls how you think but how you feel can influence your thoughts, this is where it gets tricky to separate the two. However, when taking time to take care of your emotional wellbeing, we need to delve into that subconscious and the way we do that is through mindfulness meditation, journaling, gratitude lists and shadow work (facing and working through the darkest parts of ourselves).
Your spiritual self-care should aim to create a connection between you and the universe in which we live. It’s all about recognising what we don’t know and may never know and coming to terms with that. It’s about exploring our faith, our philosophical beliefs and how we feel about the world and the people in it.
Not only should we focus on forming a relationship with the universe, but we should also be focusing inwards in order to uncover and tap into our own personal power. As energetic beings, we are capable of so much more than our conscious mind allows us to believe, so taking time out for some spiritual self-care can help to build confidence, create a much healthier relationship with self and even open your eyes to new perspectives.
Area 5: Creative
Creativity, whether you think you’re a creative person or not, is essential to being able to process and express difficult emotions. This is why so many artists, poets, playwrights and actors have deep dark troubles. Granted back in the day some of the great artists had various diseases that made them crazy, but they still managed to use creativity to unleash some of their deepest emotions so you have no excuse.
Even something as simple as doodling in your notepad can help you get that creativity moving along nicely. Creative self-care can be the key to unlocking difficult emotional memories, self-limiting beliefs or even fears we never knew we had. Freewriting is great if you’re not good with a pencil or a paintbrush, or even just creating visual mood boards can help, Canva is a great tool for this and you can just save the images you love and drag and drop!
Finally, we have our intellectual self-care. Now, the trap we don’t want to fall into is overloading ourselves with information, which can be easy when we fall down a YouTube rabbit hole or go on a Google rampage. In order to take care of our intellectual health, all we have to do is challenge ourselves in an intellectual way. This can be grabbing a puzzle book to fill out in your break times, taking a short online course in something you’ve always been fascinated with or researching about a specific subject you want to know more about.
Taking care of your intellectual wellbeing can help you to discover new perspectives on the world, yourself, your career, your wants and desires, how you treat others and so much more. Plus, keeping our minds focused in this way links back to that mental self-care from earlier.
How to combine them all together
You may have noticed a few commonalities as we went through each area, but here are a few things you can do, as a busy spiritual entrepreneur, to give each area care and attention without having to take hours out of your day.
Freewriting – The idea behind freewriting is that you just write down everything you have in your head without censorship. This helps with your mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing all at once. You could even do this in the form of a short story, adding in that creative element.
Dancing – Whether it’s a Tik Tok dance or a professional dance class, dancing can help you be creative using your body and help to get your heart pumping. This can take care of your physical, mental, emotional and creative wellbeing.
Reading non-fiction – Picking up a history book, a book on an academic subject or a self-help book can be a great way to not only take care of your intellectual wellbeing, but it also tackles your mental wellbeing. Depending on the subject it can even address your emotional, spiritual and creative wellbeing. If you grab yourself an audiobook, you could listen to it while running or in the gym, adding in some physical self-care.
Sex/Masturbation – Yep we went there. Sex or some one-on-one time with yourself can be a great way to not only reduce stress and tension in your body, but it can also help you learn more about your own preferences, likes and dislikes. Plus you open up that Sacral chakra, which is the seat of your creativity and emotional wellbeing.
Scheduling in specific self-care time is something all business owners should do, after all, your business relies on you in order to succeed and it can’t do that if you’re burned out. To give the most to our projects, we have to to give an equal amount of energy to ourselves in order to balance the scales. How do you make sure to stay balanced when busy?
