Ellen Mennell is recognized when it comes to her work in Social Justice, Inner Healing, Awakening, Religious Deconstruction and Religious Trauma. She is CEO of Advocate of Soul, an online coaching business, an International Speaker, Women’s Circle Facilitator, the author of AS IS, Book 1 & 2, and the host of Advocate of Soul., on YouTube.
Our world is filled with constant noise and distraction as many find themselves on a never-ending quest for spiritual fulfillment and a deeper connection to the divine. Organized religion and modern spiritual practice send a clear message of seeking and finding. Yet, I wonder if one of the keys to awareness is not seeking but letting go of the search altogether.
History teaches that religion and spiritual practice serve as guideposts for those seeking meaning and purpose. They structure everything around how to explore our relationship with the divine and unearth truths that lie within us. In this relentless pursuit, we can often overlook a fundamental truth: we are already whole and complete as we are.
My work as a Spiritual Coach is about uncovering dogma that negatively affects people and leads to Religious Trauma. A difficult teaching many of my clients grapple with is the over-importance of striving to please the Divine to attain enlightenment. This belief leads to feelings of dissatisfaction and disillusionment. Religious believers can become so focused on reaching this distant goal or higher state that they lose sight of two important keys.
We have divinity inside of us.
Being human is acceptable.
It's also customary for religions to place ancient gurus in high esteem. This inadvertently complicates and obscures a person's awareness of self and their connection to what's divine. This reverence causes people to feel pressured to live from unrealistic standards that create feelings of disconnectedness, unworthiness, inadequacy, and even failure. By seating gurus on thrones of perfection, the lines of how they achieved "enlightenment" become blurred. Some believed ancient masters were overly consumed with self-improvement to live in higher states of consciousness.
It's vital to have a healthy balance between honoring teachers of the past while allowing individuals the freedom to forge their path and interpretation of what a spiritual journey entails. By encouraging people to deemphasize seeking outward answers and validation, we are prompting them to turn inward and instead embrace simplicity to being. This helps remove the need to constantly search separately and instead cultivates an inner recognition of the divinity that is already present within.
Spiritual simplicity is a calm invitation to let go of becoming something more than we already are to be complete. We are everything we seek. By embracing this we tune into our divine spark waiting to be acknowledged. This shift in perspective creates,
A meaningful and fulfilling life.
It allows for inner peace and a deep-knowing experience.
It reiterates that nothing is missing or broken in a person.
Brings forth gratitude, acceptance, and love of self and others.
At day's end, the key to living a meaningful life lies not in striving to be divine but in recognizing that we are already divine beings in our own right. Embracing simplicity and letting go of the search for something outside of ourselves frees us to fully experience the beauty and wonder of life as it unfolds before us. So, take a moment to pause, breathe, and remember you are already everything you seek.
Ellen Mennell, Spiritual/Empowerment Coach
Ellen Mennell, a trail blazer for Freedom, believes compassion, love, and understanding is key to healing our planet. This led her to live in more than 20+ nations leading humanitarian efforts around Social Justice. These experiences shaped Ellen’s life forever and gifted her with a diverse way of thinking, living and being. Overcoming Life’s challenges and Spiritual awakening led her to abandon decades of religious fundamentalism. Her journey has inspired others to rise into their own power. Ellen’s coaching strategy, writings, speaking events, and inner healing work gives permission to people everywhere to live from their own truth, by walking their own path, and by saying YES to what stirs their soul.
