Why owning spiritual novelties does not make you spiritual

Rock Crystal Peter Handke | Flickr Commons

Making things crystal clear

Let me just start this piece with a disclaimer: my house and bedroom are covered in crystals, intention candles, evil eyes and Buddha statues. And tucked away in drawers, one can find my assortment of essential oils, herbs, tarot decks, instruments and incense.

I love my things. However, owning these really fun knick knacks does not make me a spiritual person. I am a spiritual person because I work hard and take time out of my day to devote time to myself and connect with my spirit, not by playing with my super cool things.

Over the past two years, it has become somewhat of a trend to proclaim oneself as a “spiritual person” and to dress to fit this stereotypical aesthetic that did not necessarily exist before the categorical influence of TikTok and Instagram took the world by storm.

Social media is now flooded with videos of girls in their floor-length skirts dancing around outside to Stevie Nicks and people shuffling tarot cards declaring that the one that flew out of their hands was meant for whoever is watching, accompanied by the #spirituality.

This is not spirituality. This is a stereotype that people are participating in to make it seem like they are something they might not be. Don’t get me wrong, I am sure a fair amount of these people who make “spiritual TikToks” actually do practice spirituality, but at the same time, I am sure the other half of them do not.

Now, I am not by any means trying to gatekeep spirituality because that would be quite counterintuitive. I just think that it is such an important aspect of life and more people deserve to truly understand the depths of it and not be misled by a TikTok aesthetic.

I have worked at a local crystal shop for about two years and I have customers come in almost every day and ask about whatever the trending crystal is this month on TikTok.

These people (from my own personal observations, mainly teenage girls) come into my store believing that by simply owning this crystal, they are magically going to fall in love or stumble upon a load of cash or “find themselves.”

While that is somewhat of a good mindset to have, the crystals and all of the other items are not going to solve all of your problems. These things meet you halfway. These things act as positive and motivating reminders, however, they cannot possibly do all of the work for you. They are toys.

Spirituality is such a vast concept that cannot be entirely explained in one whole book, let alone an article. But to break it down, spirituality is about an individual’s connection with the divine, the universe, God or whatever higher power you believe in.

Spirituality is learning to allow this higher power to work in your favor and learning to not resist the beautiful yet painful process of life. It is understanding that everything happens for a reason even when things seem to not be going your way. Spirituality is finding gratitude even when you are in what feels like the worst situation ever.

Spirituality is, again, taking time out of your day to connect with yourself. It is practicing things like meditating, journaling, communicating, performing acts of kindness, finding a creative outlet, participating in physical activities, allowing yourself to feel your emotions, self-care and simply ensuring that you feel good.

Spirituality is by no means an easy task like putting on a flowy skirt and dancing barefoot in the grass to “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac. Spirituality is work. But this work is worth it.

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