If the spirit withers, the body will follow suit.

When I think of this phrase, I always think of the old man who recently lost his wife of 50 years.

Within a few months, he goes from an active elderly man, to a frail wrinkly shell of a person. Soon after, he passes in the hospital bed. The doctor states that he never made it to hospice due to a “failure to thrive.”

Palliative care came right before his passing to invoke comfort cares and plans for the end of life. However, he wasn’t responsive—his demeanor resembled that of a stone wall.

The family must swallow the pill that Grandpa was giving up—not just in his heart, but in his spirit.

If we dissect the word thrive, most people think of overall health and livelihood. If we really think about it, this is derived from joy, love, creativity, and spirit. Without it, one cannot thrive.

How can we invest in the idea of health, if we don’t invest in ourselves? There is a purification process that takes place when our actions reflect our unconscious desires. Like a playful child, we will be filled with innocent light. The dark will appear, as it always does. But innocence serves as a boundary that protects us by emanating a giddy, hopeful perspective.

This is why I perform a daily grounding and aura ritual. When we practice grounding, we begin the process of merging our spiritual and rationale self.

Grounding gives us the foundation in which we can grow deeper into our visions. Every vision has a purpose, and with the proper room, it will naturally unfold—often revealing moments of clarity, where we find a belief that no longer serves us.

The aura serves as a boundary. If we focus on cleansing our aura during our groundings, we will begin to see our spirit’s true intent. Not the intent forced upon us by others, which is such a common occurrence in this day and age.

We as a culture have made huge strides in the movement of spirituality. The key focus should be aligning the conscious and unconscious mind by letting go of what no longer serves us or wasn’t ours to begin with.

Our actions must reflect and appease our spirit’s intent. Let’s nurture the seedling of the soul, instead of trying to be the prettiest flower in the field.

You are a wild flower, with beauty to show for those who seek it. Align with your spirit, instead of looking for things to compare and compete with it.

Act on your own behalf instead of the behalf of others. Tomorrow, when you awake, ask yourself: What can I do today to nurture my soul?

We can take this question for a brisk walk, meditation, or yoga session. These are all powerful ways to focus our mind on one subject, but also allow it room to grow. By pondering these things during a sacred activity, we can be rid of our innate fears of criticism and judgement.

The purification process is a windy road with many hills to climb. We will never know what the landscape looks like if we don’t take the first step and leap—gazing at its vast glory once we reach the very top.

A couple of months ago, I woke up feeling disconnected. I asked myself what I wanted to do to nurture my soul.

I knew I wanted to paint, but I felt so restricted by the canvas. I sat up in my room for 10 minutes and began meditating. I pictured the sun, casting down its everlasting sunlight.

This energy was converted to a beautiful golden glaze that enveloped my entire body and filled me with pure joy. It was through this practice that I felt like a child again, full of wonder and hope.

And to my surprise, later that day, I randomly experienced a moment of clarity. At that moment, I knew that I wanted to paint furniture that was as bright as my daughter’s capacity to love. I immediately set out to fulfill this spiritual request and I have been painting furniture ever since.

It fills me with the kind of joy that meditating creates. And as it turns out, my daughter loves to spend quality time doing it with me.

A physical empowerment will uplift us as we partake in the fruits of life. The energy of the golden sun will bask upon us. And our eyes will open, as if for the very first time. Because joy, curiosity, and a hunger for life will fill the well that was once dry.

If the spirit withers, the body will soon follow suit. 

If the spirit blossoms, the body will bear fruit. 

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