Welcome, to Health & Wellbeing Magazine's Spirit Keeper monthly column.  We are one year old!   This is the place where you will discover tips and practices for creating, developing and maintaining a personalised self-care practice.

We are in our 2^nd year of this column, and I am expanding upon different exercises (rituals) which are spirit centred, mind centred and body centred.  Each month will also come with a monthly challenge.  The idea is to prove to yourself and your own clients' the power of specific exercises (rituals) in integrating mind, body and spirit.  After all, for there to be change within the world, we need to be the ones who are embodying it and grounding it.

In this month's column we are focusing on the mind centred practice of reading and studying knowledge, applying the knowledge in order to gain experience and wisdom.

Metaphorical Story Demonstrating the Importance of Reading & Studying in Spiritual Living

Once, there was a Truth Seeker named Yasmina, who lived on the arid plains of Ignorance. The challenges of everyday life fuelled her discontent with what appeared to be a life without meaning.  She craved the high, cool air of the peaks of Spiritual Insight, where the sacred well of pure understanding flowed.

The Barren Plain & the Hidden Map

Yasmina began her journey with only the rough compass of her own intuition. The path of truth seeking was frustratingly slow, marked by shifting sand dunes of doubt and mirages of easy answers. Many nights, she would gaze at the distant, star-crowned mountain and weep, believing the climb was too great.

One day, sheltering from a scorching storm of confusion, she stumbled upon a small, crumbling ruin – a forgotten Library. It was not a grand building, but a hidden vault of scrolls and ancient books, each one an intricately folded map or a coded journal left by travellers who had successfully reached the summit of spiritual truth before her.

Reading and studying these scrolls and books enabled Yasmina to begin the path of seeking for the truth and meaning of what it means to be human and living on planet Earth.  Reading and studying helped Yasmina to start walking towards the star crowned mountain, of spiritual wisdom and understanding.

Reading was like finding the maps. Each map showed the hidden trails through the valleys of suffering, the reliable bridges across the rivers of philosophical paradox, and the secret, sun-warmed ledges where others had rested and gained clarity. Without these maps, exercises and rituals, Yasmina was doomed to wander in circles, never solving the spiritual understanding to humankind's problems and which had been solved millennia ago by many other truth seekers.

Studying was the act of tracing the lines of the map with her own finger, committing the symbols of wisdom to memory, and testing the terrain in her mind. It wasn't enough to possess the map; she had to internalise the wisdom to make the journey her own.

The Alchemy of Accelerated Insight

Yasmina spent years in the library gathering an enormous backpack of knowledge. Yet, the final ascent to the peak of the star crowned mountain still felt daunting. The insights she gained from reading and studying were rich, but they remained intellectual, a magnificent collection of facts, not a living realization. She had all the blueprints, but the structure of her soul was not yet built.

One day, while meticulously cleaning a brittle, copper-bound text on ancient spiritual practices, she uncovered a secret: the Sensory Accelerant. The text explained that the mind could only climb so high, but the spirit could leap when she actioned the knowledge in order to embody the knowledge. To do this, she needed to connect the intellectual maps she had gathered with the foundational language of the cosmos.

This language was expressed in rapid, focused sensory input—the very elements often used in spiritual rituals:

The Sound (The Vibrational Key): Yasmina began to intone the truths she had read as mantras, repeating them aloud in a specific rhythm. The physical act of generating the sound—the vibration in her chest, the careful shaping of the vowels which bypassed her analytical mind. The Sound turned the dry fact into a deep, resonating truth that settled directly into the core of her being.

The Colour (The Emotional Spectrum): Yasmina learned to associate each spiritual principle with a vibrant hue. Compassion was a shimmering emerald or rose pink; fearlessness a fiery, deep red gold; unity a radiant violet flecked with white. As she read and studied, she would hold these colours in her mind's eye. The Colour turned abstract concepts into felt, immediate emotional realities, giving her insight warmth and life.

The Movement (The Embodied Truth): Yasmina began to use simple, powerful movements – a focused stance, a sweeping gesture, a specific dance – to embody the principles she was learning through reading and studying. When reading about persistence, she didn't just understand it; she became a sturdy, rooted tree. When studying surrender, her body loosened into a flowing river. The Movement cemented the wisdom into her very muscles and bones, transforming theory into physical being.

By fusing the knowledge gained from reading and studying with the ritualistic input of Sound, Colour, and Movement, Yasmina no longer had to think her way to the star crowned mountain. She simply became the path on the mountain. The climb that once looked so daunting, was now a joyous, accelerated ascent of inner knowledge, wisdom and understanding of the importance of the heroine's journey.   Naturally leading her to the summit and the well of pure understanding.

She finally reached the summit of the star crowned mountain and realised she had developed spiritual insight in her journey of seeking the truth about spirituality.  She no longer had a head full of knowledge, her soul was now ablaze with understanding. Yasmina understood studying and reading books were the necessary framework to gain initial knowledge of the inner journey, the spiritual path, from others who had gone before.    The sensory practices and actions were the living fire which melted the metal of intellect into the gold of true wisdom.  Daily life on Earth now had meaning and structure. She finally grasped humankind are spiritual beings having a human experience, not human beings seeking a spiritual experience.  And with this wisdom she was able to carry out her daily activities with grace, presence and inner peace.

Studying & Learning

Each of us has a unique way of processing information.  In times past, knowledge about spirituality was passed down by teachers to student orally.  As humankind began to develop more skills and learnt how to record the hero's journey towards enlightenment, scrolls and tablets were created to preserve the knowledge and wisdom.  From scrolls and tablets came manuscripts and books.

Today in the 21^st Century a truth seeker has so much knowledge available to them about the spiritual quest for inner peace, that it can be quite confusing to know where to start.  The internet has so many conflicting pieces of information about the pros and cons of different techniques said to develop spiritual understanding and many people on the internet sell themselves as the expert on the path of spiritual awareness.  Add to this, any comment you make on the internet in a thread or forum is quite likely to be misunderstood by someone who then uses harsh words to diminish your natural curiosity and desire to be a spiritual seeker.

As a spirit keeper, I stumbled onto the path of seeking what it means to be human through being constantly ill and having my family tell me that they found me to be frustrating, irritating and a nuisance.  In 1988 I had a series of mystical experiences which led me to the meeting of my spiritual 'mother and guide'.  Mary introduced me to the power of reading, studying and the importance of learning knowledge as the foundation of all spiritual understanding and wisdom.

A truth seeker needs to be curious about the truth they are seeking.  In my case I wanted to understand why I was always so ill.   This naturally led me into studying and learning what health is and discovering health is much more than physical wellbeing.  My learning and studies of complementary therapies naturally led me into the psychology and philosophy of spiritual traditions.  Between 1988 and 2009, I read, studied and absorbed an inordinate amount of material on mind, body and spirit.

In 2002 I found myself in personal development – learning about the power of mind, attitude and action.  In 2006 I discovered the importance of embracing the shadow and how to find the meaning within challenges of daily living.  In 2010, I spent a year studying and learning to know, love, heal and free myself from the perceptions I had about who I am and the meaning of life.  In 2011, my life took an unexpected twist when I met my life partner, and I found myself having to live the knowledge I had uncovered in my years of reading and studying.  Intimate relationships it would seem, are where one can really apply the knowledge of healing, understanding and empathy.  All of which are part of the spiritual seekers' quest for inner peace.

In 2017, whilst working at a GP Surgery, I stumbled upon the understanding that not all healers are clinicians.  Not all healers need to be a practitioner.  Instead, they can be healing facilitators in quiet conversation with others.  This understanding totally changed the way I showed up as a healer and spirit keeper.  In 2025 I discovered healing can be done through photography as a healing art, not only for myself but also for patients who needed to see Mother Earth's beauty as a way to pause the thoughts for just a moment.

The journey to inner peace, is not a linear and smooth road.  It seems to be a road which has smooth areas and many rough patches too.  My explanation it is like this is because without studying and learning one is not able to increase knowledge of different perceptions.  Knowledge of different perceptions expands one's awareness.  When one's awareness is expanded, one is better able to be discerning.  When one has more discernment, then taking action becomes less fearful.  Less fear within the mind and body leads to feeling peaceful with each moment of life.

Without studying and learning one is often afraid of living life fully.  Studying and learning helps to develop our human potential and skills which we can use to improve the quality of life and living.  Studying and learning enables us to seek understanding and meaning of life's experiences.  Studying and learning helps to improve understanding of the mystery of life.  However, it is action of the knowledge we gain through studying and reading which creates the movement and momentum along the road of knowing, loving, healing and freeing oneself from perceived chains of difficult experiences.

Photo by Soundtrap on Unsplash

What is the Difference between Reading & Studying?

There is a slight difference between reading and studying and I think it is important to highlight the difference in order to recognise how both can become a sacred act on the path to being a Spirit Keeper.

Reading

Reading is a fundamental skill that involves looking at and comprehending written text. It is a receptive process where you decode symbols (letters and words) to extract their meaning.

• Focus: Understanding the text as presented.
• Pace: Can be fast (skimming for the main idea) or moderate (reading a novel).
• Examples: Reading a newspaper article, a novel for enjoyment, or a sign on the road.

Studying

Studying is a focused, goal-oriented process that includes reading but goes much further. It is an active process of deliberate practice and effort aimed at truly internalizing and mastering a body of knowledge.

• Focus: Analyzing, evaluating, connecting, and committing information to memory for future use.
• Pace: Typically slow, deliberate, and involves stopping to process or perform an action.
• Examples: Preparing for an exam, mastering a new skill or complex subject, or creating a presentation.

Studying often employs specific, effortful techniques like:

• Active Recall: Testing yourself without looking at the material.
• Spaced Repetition: Reviewing material at increasing intervals over time.
• Elaboration: Connecting new information to what you already know.
• Note-Taking/Annotating: Marking up text, writing summaries, or creating outlines.

A spirit keeper loves to improve their knowledge and understanding of what it means to be a spiritual being having a human experience.  Reading is a mind centred practice which enables each of us to contemplate and reflect on the words of the writer and the philosophy.  Reading sacred texts is common to all people who have an active spiritual practice.  However, reading only spiritual texts limits one's ability to learn about the difference of perceptions and levels of awareness.  One can still be a spiritual seeker and read books on healing, business, religion, politics etc.

To make reading a sacred act, one needs to be able to find the time and space to read, pause, contemplate and reflect.  This could be in a favourite reading chair, commuting to work on a train or when travelling.  The intention is to read to gain wisdom.

A spirit keeper understands the importance of having appropriate direct experience and qualifications when they are working with individuals in a professional capacity.  This is where studying and qualification are important aspects of supporting direct experience, values and beliefs.

To make studying a sacred act, one needs to be actively engaged in education through professional and personal development.  Business already understands the importance of improving skill and understanding of specific industries.  Especially if it is a fast-paced evolving industry.  Spiritual traditions understand the importance of improving skill and understanding as this enables one to use head, heart and hand to assist ourselves and others in walking through life.

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

Reading, Studying & Learning Improves Head, Heart & Hands

Every healing facilitator is keen to help others to return to a state of wholeness in mind, body and spirit.  However, one of the most important dictates of psychology and philosophy is the concept one needs to become the thing or state of being one seeks to see / experience in the world.

One area which I believe reading, studying and learning definitely affects is how healing facilitators show up in their practice.  A practitioner who has learnt knowledge (head) by rote will not be as affective in their healing practice (hands) as the practitioner one who has embodied the knowledge and developed empathy and compassion (heart).

Very simply, the hands (practice) of a healing practitioner who has learnt healing knowledge by rote, is unable to create heartfelt connection with the individual they are serving and will only treat symptoms.  The hands of a healing practitioner who has embodied the knowledge of healing and who has also developed heart (self-love, empathy and compassion) will naturally treat symptoms and help the individual to feel heard, acknowledged and understood.

One thing that stands out in current healthcare practices, whether it is conventional or complementary, practitioners who actively read, study and learn have greater connection with their patients / clients and better healing results than those who do not.

Summary & Conclusion

Therefore, to improve the quality of one's healing practice, the spirit keeper and healing practitioner needs to ensure their healing practice demonstrates head, heart and hands being in alignment.   This can only happen when one is willing to become a lifelong student (disciple) of their particular healing speciality.  Reading, studying and learning can all become sacred acts on the path towards wholeness and embodiment of specific qualities and characteristics.

Monthly Challenge

If you are an active practising healing practitioner, I would recommend you are actively reading and studying as part of improving your knowledge, skills and ability to be discerning both individually and in your professional capacity.

What type of books can you be reading daily if you are not using the power of reading as a sacred ritual?  One chapter a day, pause, contemplate and reflect on the chapter's information, guidance and wisdom.

What are you currently studying in order to improve your knowledge and qualifications?  Personal and professional development demonstrates to your clientele how seriously you take your healing practice and their wellbeing.

Next month …

In next month's column we will be focusing on the mind centred practice of journalling and emotional intelligence.  Journalling is a powerful tool in the Spirit Keeper's toolbox as well as being one of the keys to unlocking emotional intelligence.

Until next month. From one kindred spirit to another – be safe, be well, be authentically you.

In gratitude

Kathleen