Spiritual Development Academy

In this introductory module, we'll set the foundation for everything that follows. You'll get clear on what you're truly striving for, define your short-term and long-term goals, and look honestly at what's been holding you back from achieving them before now. You'll also learn how to navigate the course so you can easily return to any lesson or exercise you want to revisit, because repetition is part of the practice here, not a sign of falling behind.

One thing to know before you begin: this course was originally recorded for a live group that moved through it together. In some videos, you'll hear me mention weekly calls, a Facebook group, or "this week's module." Those references are from the original format. Today, the Academy is fully self-paced, and everything you need is right here in the lessons, exercises, and worksheets. If you'd like a rhythm to follow, one module per week works well, but the pace is yours. Your progress in this course depends on one thing above all: your own effort. The more you put into the practices, the more they will give back to you.

Your spiritual development begins not with spirit, but with the ground you're standing on. In this first instructional module, you'll learn to ground yourself and bring your life back into balance, build a daily practice of gratitude, and understand what joy and positivity actually require of you. We'll also look at one of the most consistent messages I hear from spirit in my work as a medium: the regret of not having lived life fully, and what it takes to live yours differently. By the end of this module, you'll have begun clearing the way toward your purpose, your True North.

This module will help you:

• Ground yourself and become calmer as you bring your life back into balance
• Build a daily attitude of gratitude, the most reliable doorway to happiness
• Focus on joy and positivity so you feel more energized and present
• Live your life to the fullest and savor it while you're here
• Begin serving others in small ways, including learning to be open to spirit
• Clear the blocks around your purpose so you can recognize your calling when it arrives

Module 1 built your foundation. Module 2 is about how you live on it, day to day. No ashram required: these are small, practical shifts in how you move through ordinary life that compound into a genuinely more spiritual way of living. You'll practice patience in a world running a mile a minute, and forgiveness, which may be the most powerful single act in all of spiritual work. You'll learn to live in the now, the only place your life actually happens, and the only one you can change. You'll begin building a consistent meditation practice. And you'll learn to notice the signs the universe is already sending you, instead of filing them away as coincidence.

This module will help you:

• Develop greater patience, lowering your stress and lightening your spirit
• Practice forgiveness, of others and of yourself, and grow your compassion
• Live in the now: become more mindful, slow down, and appreciate what's in front of you
• Build a consistent meditation practice that benefits you physically, emotionally, and spiritually
• Open yourself to signs from the universe, and begin to see that the reality you perceive is only part of what's there

Module 3 is a turning point. Modules 1 and 2 built the ground you stand on: a calm, grateful mind, and the daily qualities of patience, forgiveness, mindfulness, and a meditation practice you've started to keep. This module steps back to ask a bigger question, what spirituality actually is, how it differs from religion, and why it deserves your attention at all. Then it moves from the question into practice, with four foundational guided meditations that begin your direct connection with spirit. If the word "spirit" makes you tense a little, that's normal, and nothing here asks you to believe anything. It asks you to pay attention and notice what's true for you.

Here's the path through this module:

1. Spirituality vs Religion. What spirituality actually is, and how it differs from religion, without asking you to leave either one behind.
2. Why Spirituality? What a spiritual life offers in practical, lived terms, and why it's worth the effort.
3. Spiritual Practices. The everyday practices that turn spirituality from an idea into something you do.
4. Learn How to Blend With Spirit. Your first real steps toward connecting, and how to tell the difference between a genuine sense of spirit and your own imagination.

Then the module opens into practice. Four foundational guided meditations, Sitting in the Silence, Sitting in the Presence, Sitting in the Power, and Sitting With the Divine, give you the direct experience the lessons describe. Take them slowly, and in order, since each one builds on the stillness of the one before it.

Before you begin lesson 1: keep your journal close, this module tends to stir up more to write about than most. If you built even a small meditation practice in Module 2, good, the guided meditations here will feel like a natural next step rather than a cold start. And give the four meditations their own unhurried time instead of stacking them onto a lesson day.

Something to sit with as you start: When you hear the word "spiritual," what comes to mind first? And is that your own understanding, or one you were handed a long time ago?

Here you will master different ways to control your mind, prevent distractions from shifting your attention and gain methods to maintain discipline of your mind to increase your receptivity and focus. You will learn the different types of meditation and the numerous benefits to your physical, emotional and spiritual health, while adopting a meditation style that resonates best for you. As a result, your meditation practice will become more effective and your levels of peace and serenity will improve.
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Module Highlights:
This module will enable you to

-Gain greater control over your busy “monkey mind” and increase your focus

-Maintain your attention and prevent distraction from emotionally charged events

-Acquire increased levels of discipline to stay in a receptive and focused mind

-Achieve a receptive and focused mind to offer a blank slate to spirit

-Learn how to stay centered and increase your levels of trust and acceptance

-Practice different exercises to sharpen your mind focus and discipline

Everything in existence consists of pure energy vibrating at different frequencies. In this module, you’ll understand that since you are truly energy, you have the ability to tap into that energy and harness it at will. I’ll discuss your body’s seven primary energy portals, the existence of seven energetic layers or subtle energy bodies and how you can use these to establish a connection with your higher self, spirit and the divine.
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Module Highlights:
This module will enable you to

-Utilize the great power inherently within to strengthen your connections with spirit and bring healing to others

-Work with your energy portals to strengthen your links with the spirit world

-Understand that the only thing holding you back are your self limiting beliefs

-Discover that everything is connected, as all energy comes from Source Energy

-Know the meanings of and work with the different colors in the Aura for energetic healing and other spiritual work

In this module, you’ll learn how to become more aware of the energy around you, including yourself, other people, the spirit realm and the divine. You’ll also increase your sensitivity to that energy so that you expand your empathy and compassion and learn to better discern between different energies. As your sensitivity and intuition improve, you’ll learn how to gain greater insight and meaning from spiritual connections, explore your own true essence and receive help with your own development and journey.
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Module Highlights:
This module will enable you to

-Develop a greater awareness and connection to others, to spirit and to the divine

-Increase your empathy and compassion and more easily express your emotions

-Gain heightened understanding from energetic messages from the spirit world

-Learn the language of your own soul or higher self and connect more fluidly

-Expand your journey of development and gain greater spiritual understanding

Understanding the world of spirit is an important part of your journey and overall development, for we are all spirits in a material world. The more we learn about spirit and their love for us, the better we’re able to comprehend why and how we can connect with them. Here, you’ll discover that the spirit world is a state of love, compassion and joy.
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Module Highlights:
This module will enable you to

-Know the difference between your imagination and communication from spirit

-Learn what spirit is, where it lives, how it exists and the ways it relates with you

-Realize that spirit is not dangerous, like Hollywood would like you to believe

-Discover that spirit can see and hear everything you do and remains with you

-Learn what spirit guides are, how they work with you and guide you on your journey throughout your lifetime, both in the physical and non-physical

Now that you have raised your vibrations and spiritualized yourself, you have arrived at a culmination of everything you’ve learned so far. Many people assume that communicating with the spirit world is either something only a select group of alleged “gifted” individuals can do or it’s something that’s dangerous. In this module you’ll discover neither is true. You can connect with those in spirit, especially your loved ones, for your own gifts are just lying dormant beneath the surface. The bonds of love are eternal, and it’s that love energy that spirit sends back to you for healing.
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Module Highlights:
This module will enable you to

-Raise your vibrations further and connect with the Love That Knows No Bounds as you learn to heighten your spiritual power

-Discover different ways to create a link with spirit to find one that works for you

-Learn how to hold your link, remain focused and boost your power if needed

-Understand what a contact is like, how it differs from you imagination, why it might not be clear and how you might lose it or can’t connect at all

-Repeat exercises on how to strengthen your contact and increase your power

In this final module you’ll get ready to take your next steps with greater confidence. You’ll learn that you need to commit to more small, right actions in order to help you make a bigger impact and serve your community. To help you follow through, you’ll sign a sacred contract with yourself in order to stay committed to your desired vision. When you make your dreams tangible, miracles can occur.
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Module Highlights:
This module will enable you to

-Step beyond your former limiting beliefs and achieve a life you only dreamed of

-Expand your levels of confidence and know you are here for a reason and you are exactly where you are meant to be at the exact right time

-Focus your efforts on serving others by committing to lots of small, right actions

-Commit to achieving your desired vision of yourself and your world

-Celebrate how far you’ve already come on your spiritual journey and look forward to faster, more accelerated spiritual growth