Does it matter if you believe?

Guest blogger Maria Crutchley has some thoughts on the spiritual aspects of life.

I have never really known what to make of the ‘spiritual’ movement; at times I have been dismissive, more often I have been apathetic, but now I am intrigued. Even so, when I heard about the Mind, Body and Spirit Fair at the Forum last weekend, it was not the chance of having my aura interpreted, tarot cards read or talking with alternative therapists that lured me in. Instead, I just wanted to pop in and say hi to a friend I knew was exhibiting and offering sound healing. If I’m honest I have no idea of how it works, I just wanted to support her, as she has done for me in the past.

Pottering around the show, I bumped into someone else she had recommended to me, an acupuncturist I had originally talked (gently nagged) my ‘spiritually sceptical’ husband to use because of reoccurring knee problems. Given I was feeling very low at the time, I decided to give it a go too. I honestly don’t know to what degree it was the needles or the opportunity to talk openly and in a calm environment; I certainly needed the latter, but it certainly helped me turn a corner.

It is easy to be sceptical, I hadn’t read, tried or really thought seriously about alternatives. I don’t think I am that odd in just ‘getting on’ with life, and not giving too much thought to how to live a happier enriched life. Surely new shoes, clothes, nice house, fine dining etc all provide that, don’t they? Well I’m not so sure, I mean I can easily fall into the trap of drooling over the latest Mulberry handbag, but 8 months ago my usually happy bubbly natter slowly morphed and I realised I was heading down a dark tunnel. From the outside I appear to have everything a girl could want, there really was no justification for this bleak outlook on life. 

When you are feeling blue, you take notice of those who seem naturally happy. You question what it is that keeps them smiling, and jealously ponder how you might tap even an ounce of that joy. Now I am sure my friends would describe me as a warm, open and happy person, but I wonder whether they have noticed that I very rarely let slip any personal troubles. I have my walls built high, like a lot of people do. The interesting thing is some people have a great knack for slowly digging away the mortar – releasing one brick at a time.

Now it is often said that things enter your life when you need or are most receptive to them, and that was certainly the case for me. Those happy people I was drawn to, all had a few things in common. They had a confident and calm presence about them, they listened, smiled and talked in that order, and instantly gave the impression that they cared as much about you as they did for their self. It was this nature that allowed me to feel safe enough to open up to a complete stranger; certainly not something I would ever have considered doing in the past – I still hate the thought of people ‘in my head’ though I’m guessing this is my inner control freak.

It sounds so clichéd to say the fair had such a positive aura about it, but to stand in the middle and look around, that really is the feeling you got. I could account for an element of this with proven business knowledge. Sales people who know their product well, believe and talk about it confidently, will succeed. But whether you believe or not, those providing these services really do think they can help and actively try to do so. Thus the forum was filled with positive energy. While we can accept as scientifically proven that a smile is contagious, some people struggle with the concept of ‘energy transfer’. For me the energy transfer is just an extension of a smile (warning though the opposite is also true, another person’s frown can also bring you down). So it stands to reason that regardless of whether you actively believe, and for whatever reason you may come into contact with spiritual people, they can offer you the potential to feel better.