Paige Bradley
There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.
Leonard Cohen, Selected Poems, 1956-1968
An issue can be defined as anything that disturbs one’s peace. It could show up in the form of a challenging situation, a hardship, an illness or a disagreement with someone. Essentially, any situation that is disturbing the client’s inner wellbeing, as evidenced by a complaint, negative emotion or reaction. A spiritual coach can set the stage for the client to reframe their issues as blessings. This can be done by asking the client questions to prompt awareness of the issue’s potential blessings, benefits, learning opportunities or directions for growth.
Some possible questions for reframing issues as blessings are:
This approach reinforces a learning orientation to life while seeking to explore the present blessing, or opportunity, available to the client. As an example, if the client’s issue was feeling guilt or regret, the blessing could be gaining a newfound awareness or conviction for what he or she would do if a similar situation arose again.
In his book, If Only… How to Turn Regret into Opportunity, Neal Roese, Ph.D. suggests,
regret is essential for healthy living, as it offers a sharp signal that tells you when you’ve got to change your strategy, alter your course of action, and start thinking outside of the box. (2005, p. 36)
Conscious Choices
Learning lessons from a challenge or issue, in and of itself, is valuable. But, ideally, the client’s learnings are cemented with tangible growth. Growth can begin by making conscious choices. The spiritual coach facilitates the client in the process of making conscious choices. It is essential for the client to create an intention connected to what the client wants, how they want to be or what direction they want to go in. The coach asks the client to clarify a clear, positive intention and then assists the client in devising action steps to move them in the direction of their intention.
In his book, The Seat of the Soul, Gary Zukav touches on the importance of conscious choices. He writes,
The decisions that you make and the actions that you take upon the Earth are the means by which you evolve. At each moment you choose the intentions that will shape your experiences and those things upon which you will focus your attention. These choices affect your evolutionary process. This is so for each person. If you choose unconsciously, you evolve unconsciously. If you choose consciously, you evolve consciously. (1989, p. 29)
Gratitude
Gratitude is a tool which advances the learning process toward completion. In the process of a spiritual coaching session, the coach asks the client if there is anything they’d like to express gratitude for, in relation to their issue and learnings. Gratitude can encompass gratitude for lessons learned, for awarenesses gained, for the person’s teachers and their role as spiritual allies, for the client’s willingness to learn and grow or even for the emergence of the issue in the first place.
The positive energy created by gratitude can, over time, lead to a space where the reaction to issues is less disturbing and more neutralized, perhaps even welcome. Because the client appreciates that blessings can always be found and embraces them.
In her book, Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Out, Marci Shimoff says,
gratitude is a way to incline your heart toward joy. Everyone has both challenges and blessings, but focusing your heart’s desire on your blessings will make you far happier. (2008, p. 126)
Conclusion
Life is about learning and human beings are souls with a spiritual curriculum. The issues and challenges people experience in life are divinely designed to create opportunities for lessons to be learned. Spiritual coaching reinforces the concept of a learning orientation to life and supports client learning and growth.
Reframing issues as blessings, conscious choices and gratitude are spiritual coaching tools which lead to the evolution of a person and their consciousness.
Bibliography
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Carter-Scott, Chérie. 1998. “The Ten Rules For Being Human” from If Life is a Game, These are the Rules, by Chérie Carter-Scott. Accessed November 27, 2012.
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