_"Do you hold your beliefs lightly or tightly? When I hold them tightly, I arrogantly believe everyone should believe as I do. When I hold them lightly, I appreciate other's perspectives/points-of-view, even if they may not be mine. The spiritual path is not about trying to get rid of or not have beliefs. It is about holding them lightly because you know that they are simply one perspective among billions. When we cling to a belief, we are stuck. When we hold it lightly we are not stuck... we are free." Michael Jeffreys This quote resonated with me as I read it yesterday. Apparently, from the comments that were made on Facebook where I posted it, it resonated with others, as well.

I think we sometimes cling to our beliefs so tightly that it prevents our Spiritual growth. I was raised Catholic and found many of the Catholic doctrines too restrictive. I was certainly not a favorite of the Nuns who taught Church School and the Priests who presided over Mass. I'm sure many of them breathed a sigh of relief when I stopped going to Church. I found it difficult to listen to some individuals preach about Love and Forgiveness while I witnessed how they were dealing with the children in their care. My honest questions were seen as a challenge to their authority.

I am not a religious person. I am, however, deeply Spiritual. My belief system has, over the years, grown to embrace the core teachings of many practices. I used to think that I was wishy-washy for picking and choosing from different religions and belief systems. I now realize that I was simply resonating with the similarities of each. I am not threatened by anothers' belief system. No one has to believe as I do. Everyone's Spirituality is their own.

Any belief that allows us to become the best that we can be and opens the door to treating others as we would like to be treated has my respect.

We all have our own paths to walk and unique ways of reaching our destinations. It's less important how we reach our destination than it is that we simply reach it.

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I am what can be called a 'Sensitive'. I am sensitive to certain lights, energies, sounds, smells, frequencies, chemicals and foods. It makes life very interesting and, sometimes, challenging. What can be harmless to most individuals can be detrimental to my health, both physical and emotional.

I sometimes think it's harder on the people around me than it is on me. I swear my husband gets a little more gray-haired with every adverse reaction I've had to, what to others, is a harmless substance. Trying to explain to people that their chemically scented products may make me ill has been problematic. If they don't have allergies or sensitivities they often feel I'm being unreasonable when I ask them to not wear heavily scented products when they come to my home.

There is an up-side to being sensitive, though.

My being sensitive allows me to ''sense' what a client needs when they come for a healing session or a reading. I can even hear the tones their bodies make when I am working in their energetic field. Every body has a different set of tones. When the body is out of balance, to me it sounds like an orchestra tuning up. When the body is in balance it sings... beautifully.

I can smell fragrances from the Spirit world and when I describe the scent clients know who is visiting. I have had the pleasure of smelling exotic places when my clients are journeying throughout a healing session.

I have also had the privilege of feeling the highest of vibrations and having the most incredible experiences when I do feel those vibrations.

Being sensitive does have its challenges but I wouldn't have it any other way. For me, the benefits far outweigh the risks.