It is the time of year when many systems of belief bring their focus to the dead. If you follow my writing at all you will know that I do not shy away from this topic. I do not speak of death gently because it is not a gentle thing. Death can bring about a gauntlet of emotions all at once. Honest eyes are always required when exploring subjects that pack such an emotional and thought-provoking response. Religion and organized beliefs specialize in making sense of what happens when we die. Bringing peace and understanding to the unexplainable is the business of faith. I don’t happen to align with any single set of beliefs, yet I find beauty and perfection in them all. The process of honoring and remembering our dead is one of the top reasons I can find to get on board with any organized belief. This isn’t out of fear but rather a community. For those who don’t exactly have that community, perhaps this post can bring a little bit of that strength and passion to you.

When many share a belief, it brings power to the idea. When many believe as you do, it affords a comfort that can’t really be achieved any other way. Still, I find flaws that prevent me from fully embracing any one set of ideas, and for those of you who share my sentiments I wanted to offer an alternative perspective. We are not bound by the physical. Not when we are talking about things of spirit. Many get caught up in what we are permitted to embrace due to the color of our skin, what genes hide in our blood, or the area of the world we might reside in. I respectfully reject this way of thinking. I believe if spirit calls you to something and it brings stillness and comfort to your soul, it is for you. People in the physical world simply don’t override spirit when it comes to things of faith and belief. People can’t own ideas. You can agree or disagree and that is fine. I believe we are all one people. I don’t accept we are a bunch of different groups that are separated and can’t mingle together. We are all one people. That goes for what we are permitted to believe. The only thing that sets us apart are the lines we create ourselves.

So, with that said, I do find I embrace little bits of all beliefs and practices. I do this not to steal, but rather because of the perfection and overlap of all “religions”. There are loose ends I can’t tie up in all structured beliefs. So, when I find one of those, I am always led to where the ideas overlap. If you look at what everyone believes and compare it all, we find so many similarities. I believe in us all, and our connection to that which we can’t understand. People say I am not allowed to do that. I have been accused of appropriation more times than I can count. I say, why can’t I? Where are the rules and by whom were they written? What gives them authority over what I believe? What makes them the authority over spirit?

Why am I telling you this? Well, when it comes to talking with spirit, people tend to think they have to be of a certain faith or in ownership of particular “gifts”. The guidelines they are taught to follow prevent them from seeing what is right in front of them all the time. They tend to not see their own connection to spirit. I call you to release what you think you know. The proof of spirit is personal. Our communication with spirit is uniquely individual. The rules of man can’t facilitate the connection to those we have “lost”. If we wish to align with spirit, to strengthen the bond with those who walk beside us; we do have to trust that we all can, and do, communicate with spirit.

That communication doesn’t always come how we think it will. I like to think of the process as similar to dialing a telephone. If I want to call my sister, I will dial her number. This connects me directly to her. We all have an energetic phone number. Our unique energy signature is what defines who we are. There is only one of us. If we think of someone, we establish a connection to that signature. This is the start of the process. Just like calling on a phone, the other side doesn’t always pick up. The choice is there, and they know someone is calling. Odds are if you call a loved one, they are going to answer.

We expect to hear a voice or see an apparition; we are prepared to notice something. That isn’t always how it works though. Rest assured that if you call a loved one in spirit, they are answering the call. That faith is what you have to build upon. The knowing that your call has been answered the moment you decide to make it, that is how you find your connection to spirit. It might be a feeling, a smell, a sense of something you can’t put your finger on; that is spirit. We must release the need to understand. We must release the desire for a message. No message would suffice. There are no words that can be stronger than the energetic connection of two souls. Feel the connection and know that if there is guidance you require, spirit is working to nudge you in the direction you need to go. We don’t need to understand we just need to have faith spirit that spirit is with us.

Instead of wanting something from spirit, perhaps try to think of it like a visit to grandma’s house. You go there just to go. You don’t expect anything. You show up and enjoy their company. You enjoy the comfort of being loved and feeling safe. You share a space together and that is enough. Treat this time the same as a visit. Share your stories of those you love and sit with the memories. Enjoy the visit, and embrace the comfort, because if you call, they will answer.

Sometimes people find it difficult to talk about loved ones in spirit. When things are difficult to speak aloud, it is often easier to write about it. Please share your memories of your loved ones in the comments. As you write, let go. Immerse yourself in the memory and relish in the truth of the moment. Do not expect anything. Just sit with the memory for a while and know spirit is always with you.