Before we jump into this week's episode, a short light language prelude wanted to come through as an attunement for this particular episode to open your field, settle your system, and prepare you to receive. You'll also find a brief closing transmission at the very end that will also support the integration. So simply let yourself soften and receive.
[Light Language Prelude]
Hi, I'm Joanne Cary. Welcome back to the Embodied Soul Podcast, a multidimensional space intended to support you in mastering, living, being and thriving as the embodied soul you are.
This week, I'm going to take you into a very personal moment I had recently, a moment that actually surprised me, and honestly humbled me a little bit. It brought up an old wound, one I thought I had completely moved through, and yet, there it was, alive, loud, and asking for my attention.
So, today, I'm going to explore the belief I'm not spiritual enough. If you've ever felt like you didn't quite fit in with spiritual communities or like you weren't doing spirituality the right way, this episode is for you. If you're ready to join me, pull up a comfy chair, invite in your Soul, and be open to receive exactly what you need to live, be and thrive as the embodied soul you are.
So let me take you to the moment this all came up for me. I was attending a live retreat recently, but I was on Zoom, so there were maybe a 100 people physically in the room, and then a couple hundred of us joining virtually. We were all receiving the same teachings, the same transmissions, the same exercises, and I was deeply resonating with it. I love this teacher, I love the Guides, I love this work. But then, something interesting happened.
They started doing a group exercise with the people in the room, and we were invited to follow along from home. And as I watched everyone in the room interact, move, emote, drop into this deep, spiritual experience, I suddenly noticed myself judging.
Not them.
Me.
I caught myself thinking, “oh, wow, I would not fit in that room.” I wouldn't have looked like them. I wouldn't have sounded like them. I wouldn't have moved like them. And in that moment, I felt myself pulling away internally, even though I was literally alone in my house.
A part of me was actually relieved that I wasn't there in person. And that's when that wound surfaced, a very familiar one. The words that arose in my mind were, “I'm just not spiritual enough.”
And when I heard myself think that, I almost laughed out loud, because my conscious mind knows better. I know I'm deeply spiritual, I channel, I transmit, I do this work, I live this work. But that little part of me, she didn't care about any of that.
She was looking at the room and comparing herself to every single person in it—how they dressed, how they expressed, how they embodied spirituality in this very recognizable, spiritual community type way. And she concluded, I don't belong there. I don't fit that mould.
And here's the funny thing. This isn't new for me. I've never felt like I fit in anywhere—not in school, not in academic settings, not in social groups, not in any community I've ever been a part of.
So the spiritual community became just that next space I didn't feel like I fit in. And for years, I worked on this—on not caring, on embracing how I show up, on loving my own way of being—but this time it felt a bit different, because these are my people. These teachings are ones I believe in. I resonate with the teacher and the Guides so much. So I found myself thinking, “I should fit in with this group. Why don't I?”
You know, and that's when a deeper question came in. Is it actually true that I don't fit in? Or is it all just a story?
Because here's the thing. If every single person in spiritual communities feels a little out of place—and trust me, I hear this from you guys all the time—then maybe nobody really fits. Maybe we're all just looking at each other's outer expressions: outfits, tone of voice, chanting, soft smiling, flowing dresses, and mala beads, and thinking, “oh, that must be what spiritual people look like.”
But how many wear that aesthetic to try to fit in? How many people put on that costume because they think it's what they're supposed to do? And what if, underneath all of that, we are all exactly the same?
Because here's the truth. There is not a single person on this planet who is not spiritual. Every human is spiritual by nature. It doesn't matter what you wear, how you speak, how you move your energy, what tools you use or don't use.
Spirituality is not an aesthetic. It's not a performance. It's not a personality type. Spirituality is your essence, your connection, your awareness, your breath, your Soul.
So if you're like me, and maybe flip flops, jean shorts, and a tee are your vibe, that's perfect. That's your expression. That's your frequency. And that is just as spiritual as anything else.
And here's what I realized for myself. Maybe I don't feel like I fit in because I'm not supposed to. Maybe I'm here to create a different kind of spiritual space, one where people can show up exactly as they are.
Which, of course, is why I started my own smaller community—to work with these teachings in a way that feels grounded, real, human, embodied—where everyone belongs, regardless of how they dress or how they express.
So if you've ever felt like you don't fit in with spiritual spaces, this is your permission slip. You don't have to be solemn. You don't have to speak softly. You don't have to be quiet or graceful or serene. You don't have to chant. You don't have to meditate for hours. You don't have to wear white flowy dresses or shawls or beads. Unless, of course, you want to.
And you get to be playful. You get to swear if you want to. You get to run around like a joyful kid while everyone else is trying to be serious. You get to be you and your people will find you. Or you'll create the space they've been waiting for.
So I think before we close, let's take a moment to integrate this. Just place a hand on your heart, take a slow, deep breath in, and then let it go. And ask yourself: Where have I been trying to fit into a version of spirituality that isn't mine? And then ask: What does my soul's expression of spirituality actually look like? Sound like? Feel like? Move like?
Let whatever comes rise to the surface. And if nothing comes, that's okay. Your soul is simply opening the door.
IfAnd if you've loved this episode of Embodied Soul, please share it, follow it, and leave me a 5-star review. It truly helps get the work out to those who need it.
And I look forward to seeing you on next week's episode of Embodied Soul.
[Light Language integration transmission.]
