It is only when we are in the darkest holes that we see the brightest lights...

The view from Slemish, overlooking Ballymena, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland. Copyright Orla Allen

Spiritual Journey

We all have our own personal experiences with regards to our spiritual journey. Some just touch the sides or scrap the surface and others immerse themselves and dive straight in, living breathing and eating their spirituality. For me personally, it has slowly over a number of years became my whole life. I have always been spiritually open and I actively question everything. Even growing up as a Catholic in Ireland and later spending time in the Church of Ireland in the North, I never took the word as law but followed what felt right in my soul.

When you are told as a child that some stories are simply that, a story which represents a symbolic truth, you no longer read the bible word for word but rather look deeper into the hidden meaning and the purpose of the stories. For me organised religion served as a guide of moral value, a code by which we should live our lives as good people, loving and helping one another.

After listening to a catholic priest talk about money and how he didn't feel it was right that the children in the school should have their education paid for them by the chapel when their parents weren't coming to the chapel each week and making a donation, was a turning point for me. This was the Chapel where I was christened, made my first confession, first holy communion, confirmation and one day I had hoped to be married there, I couldn't listen to this unspiritual, unloving attitude from this priest at the Sunday mass. What life lesson was I to take from it? Where was the divine inspiration?!

Upon returning to the North where I lived, I discovered the worm had truly turn, as I listen to the minister speak week after week, I became more and more disillusioned by what I was hearing. I loved singing in the choir and helping with the Beavers and Scouts, so I stayed with the church for the time. I wasn't sure where my spiritual path would take me next but knowing I believed in a higher power yet no longer believed in the humans representing the higher power. It wasn't long afterwards that I had my second major life changing encounter with spirit.

The first being experiencing my Granddad's passing a few years before while I was in Scotland and he was back home in Ireland. This time it was my father who stepped forward and blended his energy with a gentleman whom I had never met before. While I knew I was looking at a complete stranger, I recognised my father's spirit within him. I was working at the time and I spoke with him as much as I could and everything he said was amazing. I was amazed and freaked out and afraid to leave when my shift was over because what if this was the only time I got to speak to my father again!

My Dad had always promised he would find a way to come back and let me know he was ok. Looking back now I realise that in so many ways my Dad knew a certain amount about how he would die.

When I met up my now husband and told him about what had happened, I realised it was my Dad's anniversary and that confirmed all that had happened was in fact real and I wasn't losing my mind.

There were times before that and many times since, when my Dad reached out to me from the world of spirit. But this was the point which allowed me to see that there was so much more to spirituality than just religion,

At that time I knew nothing of mediums or spiritual churches, It would be another few years before my Dad gave me a message through a medium during a tarot reading. The proof and evidence were amazing and blew my mind. It left me in tears and no doubt at all that life is truly eternal.

Someone once told me my life was like a tree with different branches and twigs shooting off in different directions. If that is the case then this is simply a root growing in that tree holding the tree firmly in place and keeping me grounded,

I have so many stories I could tell you of experiences I have had and how they have lead me to this path I'm on. But if you stop and look back at your own life then you will see that you too have lots of foundational roots leading you to the path you are on now. You have even created a few branches and changed your mind and returned to your trunk to start again. Remember that is fine, You have not failed. You needed to do it or try it or meet them, to get you to where you are now, to ultimately get you to where you need to be...

It is only when we are in the darkest holes that we see the brightest lights...