Pop culture & Spirituality: How do you participate when your tastes change?

Before I opened to Spirit I blindly gravitated towards gossip magazines and randomly looked at whatever news stories were given top billing. I watched a lot of different movies, even paranormal horror movies and violent “shoot ‘em ups”. I also read classic fiction, arts criticism and was generally up on world events. I have to say that when I began opening to Spirit, all of that changed. Suddenly I was not so interested in judging celebrities, reading about excessively materialistic lifestyles or what someone's new boyfriend was like. I even lost interest in my favorite authors and stopped reading the newspaper. I felt like my entire perspective on the world was changing and I wanted it to, so I refrained from falling into old habits. I started asking myself, how do I grow and still participate in the culture around me? Do I stop reading anything but spirituality related titles? Do I only watch family friendly movies? Do I stop reading gossip magazines? Then I began to realize that it's not so much about what you read and watch, rather what your point of view and intention is you when you do so.

How about you?? Do you find yourself having very different perspectives on the stuff you watch? Are you suddenly more sensitive to violence or movies about paranormal experiences? Since opening to Spirit you, too, may not find quite as much satisfaction in those old habits. In fact, you may go through a period (or periods) where nothing quite feels right. You are neither here nor there with pretty much every way you used to spend your time. It may begin to be difficult practicing some of your old behaviors with your new spiritual perspective. So, how do you navigate through this?

Law of attraction

As your vibration raises, you change your relationship with everything in your life. This includes the way you spend your leisure time and what you seek out for entertainment. You will experiences shifts in what appeals to you. As your vibration changes, you will be led to different things that match your new vibration. This is the law of attraction at work. Maybe you used to go to clubs and bars and suddenly that's not so interesting anymore. Maybe your gossip magazines are lacking in appeal. But you don’t quite know what does interest you. This is normal. It's part of growth. You need to release old things in order to let new things in. It may feel a bit uncomfortable, but trust that these feelings are just more evidence of the work you are doing and the growth you are experiencing. Give yourself time to make these changes, trust your instincts and don't rush to judgment. You will seek and find new interests, integrate some old ones and let some go.

Take on a new perspective

Ask yourself what your motivation is for seeking out your media choices. Are you looking to criticize and judge? What needs are your media choices filling for you? What messages are in them and how do you feel about that? Sometimes the choices we make are reflective of fixed pictures we have about ourselves and about the world around us. How does what you watch and read reinforce the ideas you hold about how the world works? What do they say about how you view yourself in the world? Do you have a particular fascination with war or celebrity hook-ups or the newest fashion trend? Why do you think you gravitate towards that particular thing or issue? What need within yourself is that choice filling for you? Spiritual growth is an opportunity to take on a new perspective of the world around you, to see everything in this new light and to clarify for yourself what you do and why. I don’t feel like there’s anything wrong with reading gossip magazines or having guilty pleasures, but there is something missing when we just go along with what’s presented without questioning and knowing for ourselves what it’s value is to us. It’s also not about shutting out the world and living in a bubble – we are human beings and there’s nothing wrong with enjoying a few guilty pleasures in life. Maybe you enjoy reading US magazine in a hot bath at the end of a long day – I know I sometimes do! And who doesn’t love a good blockbuster sometimes? It’s not really about what you watch – but understanding why you do and being clear about what the content really is.

Growing spiritually makes you see the world around you differently. You form your own core set of principles and articulate your own unique perspective. This is empowering. As you embrace your new perspective, you will see more and more how you stand out as a singular, precious and powerful individual Spirit.

with love,

Ashley