This is the fifth article in a series of six, designed to teach you about the stages of development and how we can get stuck emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually if we don’t work on past issues and traumas. Each also offer solutions for resolving childhood issues, so you can heal past issues and create a future filled with more love, joy, and purpose. Read Stage 1 2 3 4 5
My last article talked about Stage 4 which is the adolescent phase where teenagers are trying to figure out who they are and how they are perceived. This is a time of experimentation which can be quite challenging and create difficult drama that needs to be worked through later in life. It’s also a time where you want to fit in with your family and friends’ belief systems to feel accepted and loved.
Stage 5 is the Individual Reflective Faith stage. This typically happens in the 20’s but can happen much later if at all. To move to Stage 5, reliance on external sources of authority must be interrupted. Some young adults will move to the opposite stance of their parents or those they previously thought were authority figures. This allows them to move away from external authority to an internal authority. A new sense of self is developed which is critical to being a mature adult. A whole new value system emerges based on their own inner truth.
If this stage happens in your 20’s, the transition from Stage 4 to Stage 5 is relatively smooth since you’re recently on your own. It’s a natural progression into your own way of thinking about your life and the world. If it doesn’t happen during this timeframe, major life events can prompt you into Stage 5 such as a divorce, death, loss of something important to you such as a valued job. If a crisis pushes you into Stage 5, it can be a rough ride into a new perspective and sense of self since you’ve already based your relationships and your roles on your previously held viewpoints which are based on the “group think.” Extricating yourself from this can be painful and challenging and take time.
If you find yourself still in Stage 4 and want to move to Stage 5, how can you do this relatively painlessly if you’re now in your later years?
A big part of this is being open to change and being willing to look at things differently. You may need to see a therapist to do so since therapy helps significantly with looking at old, outdated viewpoints and finding new ways to view self, your family, and your world.
I’ve found it helpful to meditate with the intention to have a radical perception and attitude change that will move you into alignment with your Higher Self (HS) which is your spirit that never dies. Your HS has the best solutions for you that your brain can’t come up with by itself.
To meditate, sit quietly and focus on your breath or bring your attention to your heart or 3rd eye. You may find your brain ruminating and going over the grocery list as you meditate but keep bringing your focus back to your breath or third eye or heart. Some days you may have great success keeping your brain out of the way; other days you may not. That’s normal. The more you do it, the more results you’ll get.
It is important to become the master of your own life. We are moving into a new era of changes so it’s never been more important than now to do so. Not only do you want to be the own master of your life/reality, you want to create a totally new reality for yourself that is NOT based on the past.
Allow your Higher Self to guide you towards what this means for you. Allow your Higher Self to let go of the past as you know it and create an optimal present and future that hasn’t been thought up by your brain before – something new, fulfilling, and life changing! Only your own HS can bring that forth for you. The time is NOW to do so.
After all, you’re a Divine Being having a human experience. You have all the makings of a wonderful new life!
Many blessings,
Maureen
Read the final article “Stages of Faith 6” next month!
Enjoy reading this article? Read more from Maureen Higgins
Maureen Higgins owns Wings of Freedom, an alternative counseling and coaching business. She helps people be their best selves and recognize they are part of the Divine. Maureen also founded the School for Higher Consciousness. Maureen has developed numerous energetic healing systems you can learn through the school’s workshops and also experience through her energetically healing audios. Some of the protocols are turned into audios that clear your energy field like a one-on-one session. Experience an Energetic Healing Audio for yourself.
