7 Things I Wish I Knew Earlier in My Spiritual Journey

Spirituality looks different for everyone, but if I could go back to the beginning of my journey, I would hand my younger self these seven truths. They would have saved me time, stress, and so much second-guessing.

1. There are no rules. Do what feels good for you.

If you have been in the spiritual space long enough, you have heard the unsolicited advice:

“That crystal ring belongs on the other hand.”
“You are not supposed to buy your own tarot deck.”
“You can only use this item if someone gifts it to you, not if you buy it yourself.”

Here is the truth. Spirituality is a personal and intuitive experience. There is no universal rulebook. If a tool helps you deepen your connection with yourself, nature, or the divine, then it is the right tool for you.

Give yourself permission to have fun with it. Follow what feels alive, uplifting, and aligned, not what someone online claimed was correct.

2. Your crystals are powerful even without rituals.

Crystals are ancient, earth-made structures with stable, intelligent frequencies. They do not need to be charged or cleansed in order to work because their internal structure already holds that energy.

Charging them under the moon or placing them on selenite simply adds intentionality and helps you stay connected to the cycles of nature. It is meaningful, but it is not required.

If you miss a full moon, do not panic. Your crystals are still as magical as ever.

3. Manifestation is about your brain, not your supplies.

The spiritual world often makes manifestation feel like a shopping list. Journals, affirmations, special paper, moon phases, incense, and elaborate rituals.

Those things can amplify the experience, but they are not the core of manifestation.

Your subconscious mind is.

When your beliefs, identity, and nervous system support what you want to call in, your actions shift naturally. You think differently, make decisions differently, and show up differently. Your reality adjusts to match your internal world.

Tools like To Be Magnetic (read about my experience here) taught me the neuroscience behind manifestation and how inner child work, shadow work, and nervous system support create real change.

Manifestation is not about doing more. It is about aligning your beliefs with the life you want.

4. The quality of the plant oils you use matters.

If you are incorporating essential oils into your spiritual or emotional practice, please hear this.

Not all oils are created equal.

Many cheap oils are:

• Over-distilled, which removes the beneficial compounds
• Filled with additives, fragrance, or solvents
• Sourced from farms that use chemicals
• Handled through middlemen with no transparency
• Treated in ways that strip them of potency

When you are using oils as plant allies for grounding, cleansing, intention setting, meditation, or emotional balancing, the purity and energy of the plant matters.

High-quality oils come from regenerative farms with chemical-free soil, sustainable harvesting, and deep respect for the plants as earth medicine.

Think of high-quality oils as a spiritual tool, not perfume.

5. You do not need hours-long rituals.

Many people believe spirituality requires a long, elaborate practice. Candles, music, yoga, journaling, breathwork, meditation, and a peaceful corner of your home.

Some seasons of life simply do not allow that.

Quick spiritual practices count. In fact, they often work better because you can sustain them.

Ideas for simple daily rituals:

• Stir intention into your morning coffee or tea
• Stand barefoot in the earth for one minute
• Use grounding or calming oils if you live somewhere cold
• Sprinkle cinnamon for abundance
• Wear intentional perfume made with plants
• Keep aligned crystals in your pocket
• Diffuse a supportive oil while getting ready

Small moments can shift your entire day.

6. Some people will judge your spirituality, and it is not about you.

When you step into a more spiritual or earth-connected path, people may comment or side-eye you.

“Isn’t that weird?”
“You are doing it wrong.”
“Why are you into that stuff?”
“You take this too seriously.”

These responses come from their discomfort, not your “weirdness.”

You are not responsible for managing someone else’s misunderstanding or insecurity. Keep practicing what makes you feel connected, grounded, and alive.

Your spiritual path does not need approval to be valid.

7. The most spiritual thing you can do is inner work.

Crystals, oils, sound bowls, tarot cards, meditations, and rituals are beautiful tools. They can support your journey, but they are not the heart of spirituality.

The heart of spirituality is transformation.

It is learning to sit with your emotions instead of running from them.
It is meeting your shadows with compassion instead of shame.
It is healing your inner child and releasing patterns that no longer serve you.
It is breaking generational cycles so your children feel safer than you did.
It is choosing integrity when no one is watching.
It is becoming someone who brings light into every room you enter.

The tools can guide you, but you are the magic.