One thing even mainstream academia admits that, in known history, there was not a single "holy war" over spirituality prior to the birthing of the Abrahamic swindles. There was no Spanish Inquisition, nobody being tortured and gored for lackings of faith or assumptions thereof. In the Middle East, I've heard that people have had violence done upon them simply for not adding "peace be upon him" after invoking Muhammad's name. Our Gods are actually understanding of us as growing creatures that need tending, guiding and protection. To the Hebrew God, you're just a battery to dispense prayers into the Kaaba. A lack of faith is gruesomely punished because you're meant to be absolutely blindly funnelling everything you have into it. I remember a very particular Xian maxim, which is "let no wise man among us."
The Gods cherish those with intelligence. If you look over at even modern day Hinduism, one of the holiest, most sacred ethical directives is to question everything. Me myself, I was raised agnostically, though aware of spirituality through deep personal experiences. Faith, as such, wasn't exactly something that came easily to me. I needed a large burden of proof, as I am generally not an easy person to convince.
Point is, even someone such as I, after enough time performing meditation and rituals, has enough of this proof. I have entire documents detailing my experiences over the span of a decade.
As some advice, to those starting out, and looking for omens of the Gods, these can and will come in stages, reflective of your own personal development. Yes, spiritual growth is a long process. I can only imagine how many thousands, millions of people out there discovered Chakras through some new-age system, chanted Aum a bunch, didn't really feel anything, and then stopped. During those initial stages, anyone here will say, it's going to take time.
After your dedication, and these early weeks/months of growth, if you open your eyes and begin to look, you may encounter "signs". That is, curious fateful coincidences in the things you see and feel. If you see these in mundane places, don't feel like an idiot for noticing them. You might hear the name of a particular God multiple times in one day, for instance, be it online, on TV, or any such thing.
Dreams of spiritual significance, I found, are something that have stayed throughout my development, both during my early days and continuing into the now. As your senses open, you will likely feel dreams with psychic energy, that is, stimulation of your sixth sense. This is hard to describe in words, but to those who have felt it, you'll be sure to understand. Dreams are deeply personal things, as is the nature of your own immediate astral reality. Potentially, dreams will even be the locus in which your Guardian may interact with you, and this was certainly the case for me. As an added tip, keep a dream journal. The mere act of remembering your dreams and writing down everything you can improves your ability to remember dreams and experience vivid ones.
Further, there are Siddhis, or spiritual gifts. Not everyone has these, obviously (and that's not to be considered a mark against yourself). These can be from past lifetimes, or inheritances through your ancestry. This is not something I'd speak on at length here, as it would require multiple books and is genuinely a sensitive subject, but these can come in many forms. Propensity towards astral projection experiences in dreams, precognitive foresight, empathic abilities, etc. Your Guardian will be innately aware of this, and for some, this may be a means in which they interact with you with. Lots of people who have been called here have gifts, even minor ones, or ones yet to be fully understood. Have no fear in such things and learn to trust your intuition.
Lastly, on the topic of doubts, enemy attacks have been mentioned already. It goes without saying, our enemy does not wish us to grow. Great lengths have been gone to, to ensure that our spirituality remains hamstrung. Growth will be met with resistance, this is what Auras of Protection are for. Again, your Guardian will be there for the battles you absolutely cannot fight yourself, but you will need to learn how to defend yourself. All the same, during these periods of attack, your doubts will be stoked. When the period passes, you will feel these anxieties lessen. Do not feel shame for them in the aftermath. Once more, the Gods know far, far better than we do who is experiencing these things and to what extent. There have been many members who have had issues of faith due to these stretches. Eventually, these pass. Take my word for it, I've had stretches of bad energy so long I thought I'd never be out of them.
A reassuring thing to note is this. If you're being attacked, this is a credit to your strength and capability. By sheer virtue of having to experience these things and fight on, you are already proving yourself stronger than those around you. Issues manifest and well up from the surface as you grow. Old issues from previous lifetimes and manifestations of karma and Saturn's lessons. Part of spiritual growth is actually working through these things, instead of them remaining dormant and stagnating. To use colloquial terminology, this is part and parcel of the burden of being a "player character" and not an "NPC".
Alternatively, consider yourself The Fool of the Tarot. Eventually, in your journey, you will face the Tower, its upheaval and promise of disaster. But afterwards, beyond the smouldering smoke and ruin, you will look up and see the Stars, the Moon and the Sun. Afterwards comes the self-reflection of Judgment as you finally come to terms with your higher self. Lastly is the fulfilment and harmony of the World. The Gods do not reject Fools, as this is a self-acknowledgment that growth must take place. Nor, do they admonish for the inevitably rising crisis upon your horizons that may shake your pride and faith. More than any other entity, they know this is all part of the journey. There is no Hero's Journey without the battle in the third act.
Thank you to HP, for choosing to reflect the patience and compassion of the Gods.
Everything you write is so well researched that it is actually a sermon. If you put sources, these things can become golden articles in our sites for certain.
