When I was little, I did what came naturally to me. This included collecting pretty rocks, playing mermaids in the lake, and setting out spoonfuls of honey for any fairies that might be nearby. To six-year-old Kate, those activities were a way of connecting with nature more magically.
Besides connecting with nature, my parents also made sure I was educated in the Christian faith by bringing me to Sunday school. I did this for a few years before eventually not wanting to anymore. After this, I was left questioning what my spirituality meant to me. We still celebrated Christmas and Easter every year, but I never prayed or read the Bible, so would I call myself a Christian? At the same time, things like crystals and astrology began to take hold of my interest. I didn’t know what it all meant, but I did know that studying these more “spiritual” practices made me light up inside.
If middle school was the period when I began dipping my toes in the water of these practices, high school was when I kicked things into high gear. My weekends were spent combing Pinterest, YouTube, and any blogs that I could find. At this point, my interests also included energy healing, meditation, chakras, moon phase energy, shadow work, and even tarot cards. These practices felt very natural for me, just like how I felt when I was a child, like they were what I was meant to do.
So, I did what anyone excited about anything does: I started bringing it up to my friends. I had hoped that they would be excited for me and even share that they also liked some of these practices. While a few did share an appreciation for astrology, and I already knew that my best friend also shared these interests, I was also met with judgment from some friends whom I trusted deeply.
I remember first seeing this judgment when I was shopping with one of my best friends at the time. We were in a little shop in the mall when I saw a crystal set and exclaimed, “Oh my goodness, these are so cute and Capricorn-themed! And I don’t have any of these crystals already, this is perfect!” To this, my friend said, “Ugh, you like that crystal B.S.? That’s so weird.” After this and for a long time, I no longer shared my spirituality with those I loved because I didn’t want them to ruin something that I cared so deeply for.
After a falling out with that friend, I realized how ridiculous it was for me to not share my spirituality just because I didn’t want to be judged. If people were going to make fun of me for this, were they really my true friends? I owed it to myself to be authentic, even if that meant going against societal norms. If your friends don’t love you for every aspect of yourself, they don’t need to be in your life. As soon as I started to develop my spirituality more fully and embrace that side of myself, I finally began to feel free. It brought me back to the mindset I was in when I was a child and did these activities, which I would now explain as me beginning to explore my spirituality.
These practices help me connect to both the natural and divine world, which is exactly what I was trying to do when I was a young girl. So don’t turn your back on yourself just because what you’re most passionate about isn’t the most common thing to love. By allowing yourself to accept and nurture the passions that light you up inside without the fear of judgment, you free yourself to become your most authentic self and to unlock your full potential.
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