Excerpt from "The Power of Your Spirit"

Unless we maintain a daily practice of connecting with our Spirit, we won’t feel its presence and support in our lives. My grace in life was learning early on how to connect with the Holy Spirit within on a daily basis. In fact, I was shown how to make it the foundation of my existence through many practices that have been so reinforced by repetition that they are now woven into the very fabric of who I am.

One of my favorite daily traditions, for example, was first introduced to me when I was a child in Catholic school and reinforced years later while I was a student working with my spiritual mentor Charlie Goodman. The practice was to recite the Lord’s Prayer—the Our Father—out loud every morning. I started doing this in the first grade, and it’s still part of my regular morning routine. This ritual immediately connects me to my Divine Source, my Creator, and leaves me feeling grounded, balanced, and confident as I begin a new day. Another daily practice is one my mother introduced to me when I was no more than six or seven years old: before I go to sleep each night, I thank my unseen spiritual guides, ancestors, guardian angels, and all Divine helpers for the assistance, support, and blessings they bestowed upon me throughout the day.

These are just two of many practices used for connecting to Spirit that have been handed down to me by my mother; my spiritual teachers and mentors; my wise elders; and at times, by life itself. All have become a cherished part of my being. Some practices I’ve kept the same, doing them exactly as I was taught to, and others have evolved over the years. The constant, however, is that not a day goes by without my taking the time to anchor my awareness in Spirit, with gratitude and wonder, and ask the great Creator—the Giver of all life—to lead me in this day.

After much reflection on how I’ve been so lucky to have such an intimate and powerful connection with Spirit, it became obvious that it was the result of my daily focus. Each day (sometimes several times a day), I pray to, invoke, or meditate on Spirit for guidance, direction, and leadership; and then I completely surrender to its force.

Thankfully, these days more and more people are open to living a spiritually empowered, positive, and peaceful life. We’re much more willing to entertain the notion that we create our own reality and aren’t simply victims of circumstance, as evidenced by the wildly successful films The Secret and What the Bleep Do We Know!? We’re more willing to explore and even speak with others about spiritual possibilities. And yet, in spite of these encouraging signs, we’re still suffering with, and causing some of, the worst personal and worldwide violence and earthly destruction that humankind has ever known.

Incidents of suicide and drug addiction have spiraled out of control, for example. The environment is under siege. Our relationships with each other (and among nations) are blasting apart. So even though the idea of spiritual awakening and personal empowerment sounds appealing and even possible, the actual shift in consciousness we need to make in order to go from victim to Divine co-creator has yet to be made. We all must take a big step forward—if not a leap—to actually jump-start the transformation that everyone desires and the world so desperately needs.

So how do you remain in constant contact with your joyous, loving Spirit when life doesn’t feel joyful at all? There is only one way to succeed in connecting with your Spirit, and that is to make it the most important thing in your life, because it’s the endless source of supply for all your needs, on all levels. This practice should become as automatic as brushing your teeth or taking a shower. You must anchor Spirit in your life through daily, repetitive techniques such as breath awareness, meditation, setting your intention, expressing gratitude . . . and most of all, surrendering to the flow of life.

Just as plugging a computer into an electrical source gives it the power it needs to run, you must also "plug in" to Divine Source regularly so that your heart remains fully charged. Remember that even though you might be sophisticated and clever, and perhaps are full of ideas and creative expression, you don’t generate your own power. No one does. You need to tap into a greater Power Source in order to function at optimal levels. Whether or not you believe or accept it, you depend on a greater source for your life force other than your limited "ego-mind." That power also doesn’t come from other people (through seeking their approval), as you probably have been taught in the past.

It’s no wonder that people distrust, feel threatened by, and fight with each other. Those who are disconnected from Spirit often tend to manipulate and control others to feed off of their energy in order to sustain themselves. This is achieved through intimidation, guilt, shame, flattery, bullying, and whatever else the ego resorts to. However, authentic power comes from the Divine Creator, who loves everyone unconditionally. When we realize this and begin to plug into this True Source of ceaseless power, we can heal all sense of unworthiness and separation.

With daily practices that reorient your attention away from the fear that arises from the ego, your sense of inner peace returns. When you surrender your attention to this higher force and allow it to direct your life, magic begins. Synchronicity replaces struggle. Doors open instead of close. Your relationships improve instead of break down, and you’ll notice that the people treat each other like friends instead of enemies. When you connect to Source, you realize there is enough for everyone, so the need to be ready to battle disappears.

This is a huge shift in perception for most people and takes more than a decision to fully accept and embody. Such transformation requires an entire reordering of your life. You must want to make this shift so intensely that you rearrange your priorities, examine and change your beliefs as needed, implement new habits and behaviors, and entertain different thoughts on a daily basis. You must create yourself anew.

The way is not complicated once the decision is made, however. It simply involves a new set of personal priorities and committing to a daily practice of surrendering yourself to the guidance of the Spirit within. Once you do so, your positive personal experiences will provide the motivation to continue. Each day surrendered to Spirit is a day lived as an authentic and holy being, rather than another day endured as an artificially controlled and fearful soul.

If you’re ready to reconnect with your kefi—your beautiful, peaceful, holy Spirit—simply decide right now to leave the past behind and commit to the consciousness and daily practice that your transformation requires.

Sonia was educated at the University of Denver and the Sorbonne in Paris, and holds a Ph.D. in metaphysics from the American Institute of Holistic Theology. She resides with her family in Chicago.