What Is For You Is For You

What is meant for you will not be taken away from you.

When speaking to believers, I often find myself using an adage my elders in the tradition taught me, "Lo que es pa' ti, es pa' ti." In English, it means, "What's for you is for you."

It's vital for anyone interested in spirituality to investigate the traditions they are interested in before seeking initiation or ceremonies in said traditions.

There are thousands of stories of people that have started practicing traditions only to discover that their lives are worse as a result. This can be true of solitary practitioners - the type that discover a tradition over the internet and copy what they see there - or people that pay thousands of dollars for an "initiation" that is not legitimate.

In both cases, these individuals may not have gone to a spiritualist for a thorough investigation to see what practices or traditions are meant for them. This cannot be ignored. Just as people have different talents, people have different spiritual gifts and vocations. For instance, a person could fall in love with an African Traditional Religion (ATR), only to discover that seeking initiation into that religion would be spiritually detrimental for them since they have no spirits that are amenable to that tradition.

This is the reason why people interested in Santeria must go to Spiritist sessions first. I agree strongly with this custom, because it is possible for a person to want to join that religion but have spirits calling them to other traditions or religions. Not everyone is meant to be a santero, a palero, or a vodouizant. There are plenty of people that are meant to stay in the church, or synagogue, or mosque. There are people that would spiritually benefit from healthy non-religious practices such as journaling, counseling, or mindfulness meditation. I include this knowing that there are spiritualists that will disagree with me, but I am convinced that there are some people that are not meant for these practices.

One too easily finds testimonials of people getting more than they bargained for once they started messing around with witchcraft or even ATRs such as Santeria, Vodou, or 21 Divisions. These are the people that go all over Christian media and social media calling the spirits of these traditions demons. If they had gone to an ethical and gifted spiritualist, they would have been told what the dangers are and if they were meant to interact with these spirits in the first place.

There are also cases of people that have been called to a certain tradition and that indeed have a future in that tradition, but they want to do too much too fast. In some cases, they want to things that are not meant for them. Not everyone reads Tarot. Not everyone does magic. I have seen people read tea leaves, or a lit candle, or a cigar. What's for you is for you. If something is meant for you, that is the best thing to seek out and commit yourself to.

It's a beautiful thing to see a spiritual practitioner flow in their God-given gifts. This person does their spiritual work in a way that flows naturally and produces tangible results. You will not easily hear people speak ill of their character or their work. Nowadays, with the arrival of social media, this breed is a difficult one to find.

My advice to anyone interested in practicing a spiritual tradition is this: do your homework, please. Start light. Get a consultation first and ask your reader if you should pursue your interest further. If you get a green light, shop around. Start by reading or watching reviews from past clients. Check out their prices. If the prices are in the hundreds, consider how badly you need what you're looking for, that spiritualist's reputation, and whether you have enough money to handle your financial commitments.

What's for you is for you. If you are meant to initiate in a spiritual tradition, your spirit guides will bring you to it. You'll be able to find a trustworthy mentor and the money required for the ceremony. Remember that we must crawl before we run. Since the spiritual path is such a worthwhile one to walk, it may take some time to get home.