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This summer, a friend of mine shared her frustration about feeling underpaid at work.

She was convinced she deserved a raise and decided to manifest it. She pulled out all the stops: an elaborate full moon ritual complete with incense, cinnamon, sage, and candles. Her faith was palpable, as though she could feel Spirit working through her to bring abundance into her life.

And as it turned out, she did manifest the money within a month. She got her raise.

“It worked!” she told me with excitement. And for a moment, I felt her joy and celebrated with her.

But then, last week, I received a text from this same friend. She passionately disagreed with my thoughts on the importance of spiritual growth in societal choices. I had shared how heartbroken I felt over the election, seeing it as a step backward for humanity—a choice for a leader whose values seemed to undermine compassion, unity, and love, all in the name of fixing the economy.

I couldn’t reconcile it. How could someone who believed so deeply in Spirit’s ability to guide her financial manifestation completely separate those beliefs from the broader economy?

That’s when it hit me: this isn’t just my friend. This is happening across the spiritual community. And it highlights a glaring disconnect.

The Spiritual Dualism We’re Missing

Many in the spiritual community embrace rituals, energy healing, astrology, and the power of manifestation for personal gain—whether it’s love, money, or success. But when it comes to applying these same principles to the larger world—politics, the economy, or social justice—it seems to go out the window entirely.

I understand why this is difficult. To believe that spiritual energy can impact the greater world requires a radical level of surrender. It asks us to trust on a collective level, not just an individual one. And trust is a risk.

What if your faith alone isn’t enough to heal the world?

What if others don’t join you?

What if the scales don’t tip?

It’s easier to focus on the personal—our own healing, our own abundance—because it feels tangible, within our control. But that’s where we’re missing the mark. By focusing solely on individual growth, we’re exacerbating the very dualism we claim to transcend. We separate the “woo” from the “real world,” as though they aren’t inherently connected.

The Courage to Trust Beyond the Self

Here’s the hard truth: collective healing starts with individual sacrifice. Someone has to be willing to take the leap first and trust in Spirit on a deeper level, even when the outcomes are uncertain. It’s uncomfortable, and it’s messy. But without that trust, without that risk, we’re just perpetuating the same walls that keep us disconnected.

What I see in the spiritual community is a reluctance to apply spiritual principles to the everyday choices that shape our reality. It’s easy to say, “I’ll trust Spirit to bring me money,” but much harder to say, “I’ll trust Spirit to help heal this world, even if it costs me comfort.”

We’re waiting for someone else to make the first move, to tilt the scales toward healing.

But if everyone waits, nothing shifts. And our faith becomes hollow—just another tool for self-serving gain, instead of a force for collective awakening.

Bringing Spirituality Into All Aspects of Life

Spiritual growth doesn’t stop at the edge of our personal lives. True spirituality flows across all aspects of existence, from our relationships to our work, to the choices we make about leadership and the future of our world.

If we believe in the power of energy, in the interconnectedness of all things, then we must also believe that our collective energy matters. And that requires us to live our values—not just in rituals and ceremonies but in the way we show up for each other, for society, and for the earth.

So, the next time you light a candle to manifest abundance, consider this:

Are you willing to trust Spirit in the harder places too?

Are you willing to let your spirituality guide you not just your dreams but also the collective healing, even when it asks something uncomfortable of you?

Because the truth is, we are all connected. And the healing of the collective starts with the courage of the individual.

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