Rev. Colleen Irwin

Let’s be honest—spiritual development is not about achieving something. It’s not about collecting certificates, memorizing crystal charts, or getting every Tarot meaning just right. It’s not even about always feeling peaceful. Sometimes spiritual growth is messy. Sometimes it’s loud. And often? It’s very, very quiet.

That’s because real spiritual development isn’t a ladder. It’s not linear, nor is it a product. It’s a relationship. A remembering. A long, unfolding conversation with Spirit.

Let me tell you a story.

A Quiet Beginning: The Real Start of Spiritual Development  Several years ago, a woman joined one of my development circles. Let’s call her Margaret. She wasn’t new to grief—her brother had passed unexpectedly—but she was new to mediumship. She arrived with a quiet urgency, not seeking a message, but holding a deep, restless question: “What am I supposed to do with this… knowing? This pull I feel?”

That’s the real beginning of spiritual development—not “How do I become a medium?” but “What do I do with this knowing?” That’s where the path truly starts. When we stop performing and start listening. When we begin tuning in to Spirit, to our intuition, and to the sacred nudges that ask us to trust something beyond logic.

Margaret didn’t need credentials to begin. She needed permission to believe what she already felt to be true.

You’re Not Becoming Someone New—You’re Remembering Who You Are

I often say in circle: You are not becoming something new. You are remembering something ancient. Something you’ve always been.  Spiritual development isn’t a skill you acquire. It’s a truth you uncover. Mediumship, healing, psychic connection—these aren’t exclusive gifts. They’re birthrights. They live within us, waiting to be acknowledged and nurtured.

Some of the deepest growth I’ve seen doesn’t happen in the polished readings or perfect moments. It happens in the cracks—in the awkward silences, the shaky first messages, the nights when someone sits in meditation and feels absolutely nothing. It happens when you speak up and your voice trembles, but you stay with it anyway. We don’t grow because we’ve mastered something. We grow because we’ve dared to stay present with Spirit, even when it’s uncomfortable. And let me tell you—there are some really uncomfortable moments in the process. Moments that stretch you, humble you, and ask you to trust even when your ego would rather retreat.

Spiritual Practice Doesn’t Make You Perfect—It Makes You Present

One of the biggest myths I’ve encountered is the idea that truly “spiritual” people are always calm, connected, and composed. That if you’re gifted, you’re always grounded. But that’s not how spiritual development works—not in real life.

The truth is much more human. You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to keep showing up. Practice doesn’t make perfect—it makes you present.

At the time Spirit nudges you to say hello to a stranger and you do, that’s development. When you journal your grief instead of bypassing it with love-and-light clichés, that’s development. Leading a circle and your voice shakes the whole time but you stay with it—that is spiritual development in action.

Spirit Doesn’t Want Your Performance—It Wants Your Presence

You don’t need to polish yourself before Spirit will work with you. There’s no need to raise your vibration, clear your energy field, or find your center before you’re allowed to connect. Those things can help, yes—but they aren’t prerequisites. Spirit meets you where you are.

Because you are the instrument. The life you’ve lived—your heartbreak, your joy, your sensitivity—is part of the channel. All of it matters. Spirit can move through every bit of it.  Often, the moment you stop trying to look spiritual is exactly when Spirit can finally speak clearly through you.

It’s Never Too Late to Begin

If you’re in your second season of life and wondering if it’s too late to begin developing spiritually, I promise you—it’s not. Spirit’s timing is always just right. You haven’t missed your chance. You haven’t fallen behind. The pull you feel now is arriving precisely when you’re ready to answer it. Whether you’ve been sitting in circle for years or you’re just starting to listen to that quiet inner nudge, you’re right on time. Spiritual development unfolds in layers, and every layer brings new wisdom, new tenderness, and a deeper relationship with Spirit.

Say yes. Show up messy. Trust that even in the silence, you are being met.

Journal Prompt:

Where in my life am I waiting to feel “ready”—when Spirit is simply asking me to say yes?