Sacred Regulation: The Portal of Your Nervous System

In the spiritual world, we often talk about being in alignment or you may hear vibration, frequency, etc,  but what if the key to elevating and getting into higher states is your nervous system? Even in a spiritual sense, we have to be aware of what is going on in the physical world. 

The nervous system is the bridge between the seen and unseen. It represents the things we have been wired to think and believe. You may notice it when you feel anxious before doing a ritual or feel blocked; even if this is creatively, or in a physical sense. You may not go after that promotion, because maybe you hate interviews and they make you nervous. Being comfortable is more important. This is usually some wiring that has been the result of your nervous system. And complacency can lead to stagnation. 

When you feel anxious before a ritual, emotionally blocked during shadow work, or overwhelmed when things you want start showing up, this is your nervous system speaking. So what is the nervous system? The nerd in me wants to give you a text book definition before we go any further. So here it is. The nervous system is a complex network of specialized cells (neurons) that transmit signals throughout the body, enabling communication between the brain and other parts of the body. It coordinates and controls various functions, including movement, sensation, and thought. Sounds like a lot, I know, let's break this down in spiritual terms. 

The Spiritual Role of the Nervous System

Your nervous system isn’t just science, it’s sacred. Your body is a vessel that spirit occupies. A dysregulated nervous system, one stuck in survival mode, is more likely to block intuition, keeping you in fear and a scarcity mindset which causes a cycle of stagnation and disconnection. 

That’s why grounding, breath work, your rituals, and ancestral veneration aren’t just nice practices, they're spiritual necessities. They help calm the sympathetic system (fight/flight) and activate the parasympathetic system (rest/restore), which opens your body to spiritual communication and energetic flow. So your nervous system and physical health are essential for spiritual health.

Most of the time we don’t even realize, the simplest things form how you respond to events, and tells your body when to kick in that fight or flight mode. These may even be things that you may be passing down to your own children… I’ll give you some examples. 

“Money doesn’t grow on trees.”
This creates a scarcity mindset in the body. Even if you consciously desire wealth, your nervous system may brace itself in fear of not enough.

“Stop crying or I’ll give you something to cry about.”
Teaches the body to suppress emotional expression and signals that being vulnerable isn’t safe. As an adult, this can make it hard to feel or process emotions, especially in spiritual work.

“You have to work twice as hard to be half as good.”
Common in marginalized communities. It conditions hypervigilance and burnout, making it hard to rest without guilt.

See where this is going?

Signs Your Nervous System Needs Spiritual Support

• You struggle to feel safe receiving money, love, or praise

• You experience spiritual burnout, fatigue, or shutdown

• You feel chronically on edge or can’t sit still in meditation

• Manifestation rituals feel forced or disconnected

• You jump between freeze and overdrive without rest

These aren’t just mindset issues, they’re body issues. Spiritual bypassing will tell you to “just think positively,” but true spiritual growth happens when you work with the body, not against it.

Practices That Regulate Spirit and System

1. Intentional Breathwork
   Start your rituals with deep, slow breaths. Meditation and focusing on breathing is also effective.

2. Body Based Grounding
   Use your spiritual baths and floor washes not just to cleanse energetically, but to signal safety to your body. Warm water is one of the oldest regulators.

3. Ancestral Reconnection
   Nervous system dysregulation can be ancestral. Venerate your people. Ask for their help. Let your altar be a place of peace, not pressure.

4. Affirmations & Petitions That Touch the Body
   Reword petitions & affirmations  to things that evoke feelings like “It is safe to receive” or “I am open to peace” 

5. Spiritual Rest
   Every season doesn’t have to be a “doing” season. Sacred rest is spiritual. Let stillness be part of your practice, too.

This is no judgement, because this is something I have had to learn myself. Healing it is a ritual. Regulating it is a spell. We often focus on the spiritual but not paying attention that our actual body and mental need a break sometimes. Do not feel guilty for resting and protecting your peace ever.