Spiritual maturity will not be charted on a spreadsheet nor have percentages tallied in its favour. Yet tangible symptoms of spiritual maturity do lend themselves to a well-lived life. Here are ten signs of spiritual maturity to help you savour the moment and inspire you to learn more.
- You are selective about how to spend your time. What is time well spent? You seek mutually nourishing relationship. Also, rather than attending an event and being drained through obligation, you now choose to attend from a different standpoint: How do I best honour my friend or co-worker and share in their joy? Am I willing to give my cousin an entire Sunday afternoon of free time, a portion of the day, or am I deeply in need of rest? You determine what and how to best navigate and honour another while also caring for yourself, and you lovingly and authentically share your intention and RSVP.
- What others think of you has lost its grip. You rather like yourself and are less concerned about what the neighbours think. Well done, you.
- You are discerning in whom you seek advice and counsel. While you now have greater warmth for people, you also are more selective with whom you seek counsel. You have a trusted group of friends who provide insightful, open and well-intended feedback. You know they have your best interest and highest learning at heart. You listen to them with thoughtful consideration.
- You are mindful of neediness. You are ready to lend a helping hand, yet you also recognize overt neediness. You lovingly share and establish what you can and cannot do, while allowing space for your friend to have her experience. You recognize that, in this way, you support her by not completing the cycle for another go-round. Conversely, when neediness starts to arise in you, you are better able to watch the tendency and self-regulate disproportionate emotion.
- You seek diversity of opinion and you hold your own with love. You remain authentic in expression and empowered to share, yet are not frazzled when someone differs in opinion. In fact, diversity of opinion and experience interests you and grows your mind.
- You have self-respect–and humility. You have greater respect for your talents, unique expression and quirks, as well as fragile qualities. Yet, you do not have overwhelming need to showcase yourself. Through spiritual maturity, balanced proportion of self-appreciation and humility arise.
- You enjoy getting out of your own way. What may have once seemed a daunting, insurmountable task is now filled with steady intention: You welcome and embrace life’s curriculum as well as the path of transformation. It’s not always easy, but you have learned that the greatest challenges bring the greatest learning and reward.
- Spiritual terminology no longer carries baggage. Words to describe spirituality needn’t carry emotional charge. Terms like god, divine, religion, spirituality, the Tao, source and other words simply help convey or jumpstart an inner awakening that brings us to our more open, peaceful potential. The phrases are conduits to greater intuitive wisdom.
- When reading an inspirational book, you get it–experientially. Your intellect doesn’t struggle so much to understand the words. Instead, you sparkle with an experiential understanding of what is conveyed. Me, too: I get it! Also, if you read more rigid or dogmatic interpretations, rather than being swayed or demeaning, you simply translate into more inclusive or universal understanding.
- You remain empowered, should you choose to allow a spiritual teacher to serve. You are not enamoured of a spiritual teacher. A true spiritual teacher serves your growth, awareness and learning. You allow the teacher to be a key that helps to unlock continued and ongoing growth–until the training wheels are off and you can balance of your own accord.
Visit Karuna’s YouTube Channel for guided meditations and additional vlogs to nurture spiritual maturity.