We can learn about the state of our spiritual practice, metaphorically, by reviewing essential information science has gleaned about the human digestive system.

Our guts are routinely filled with living organisms that don’t belong to us. These organisms often don’t play nice with each other, or with us as a whole, causing all kinds of digestive stress.

But rather than taking aim at these “bad guys” and fighting back, it turns out that our healthiest response is to become a gracious host. The more we’re able to create a robust inner environment, the more peaceful and harmonious our interlopers become.

So what does it really take to create a robust inner environment, and what does that have to do with spiritual practice?

To answer this question we can turn next to psychology, and more specifically to what you might know as “Internal Family Systems,” “Parts Work,” or “Voice Dialogue.”

These approaches to our mental wellness, which all are outgrowths from Gestalt Therapy, share the potent recognition that we are each made up not of just one personality but rather a vast array of “selves.”

This approach requires that we get to know all our selves with equal interest and care, even the ones we suspect are causing most of our troubles.

By tending to our multiple selves this way, we help them to stop wrangling with one another for supremacy, and to find their most appropriate role in our panoply of being.

Along the way we also develop what is sometimes called an “enlightened referee,” the part of us that hears out all the other selves with supreme neutrality and only then renders its ruling on the important life choices we must make.

The most helpful kinds of spiritual practice, no matter in what traditions we encounter them, teach us how to be both a gracious host and an enlightened referee in relation to all that arises within us.

They cultivate steadfast presence and genuine curiosity, especially with what we don’t like and don’t want, along with what most scares and repulses us.

What makes all that possible is awareness. Awareness is the key factor in spiritual growth. The more aware we are in any moment or situation, the easier it is to separate stimulus and response, and therefore to avoid reactivity. This, in turn, leads to greater discernment in all our choices and actions.

When spiritual practice seasons us in this way, the borders of our ego soften and become permeable, which then allows us to connect with Spirit in new, powerful, and even magical ways.

So when evaluating your progress on the spiritual path, it can be of great benefit to ask yourself:

Am I growing in awareness?

Am I continuing to discover the complexity and vastness within me and all around me?

Am I learning to stay present when my experiences are the most difficult?

Am I kinder to myself and others?

Am I sensing new states of consciousness beyond my previous boundaries?

If you answered yes to the questions above, you’re definitely on the right track. If you answered no, it might be time to switch things up.

You can find great guidance in a wide array of modalities such as meditation, yoga, breathwork, dance, and chant.

Your best results usually come from creating a custom blend that’s just right for you.

When you keep showing up, with an open mind and heart, the rest usually takes care of itself.