Whenever we're about to make a major leap forward in our spiritual development, fear always steps into our path. It's antagonist in all our personal stories. It's true that we attract what we fear. The more we fear a thing, more likely it is to happen. And if left unchecked, fear can take control of our lives. Yet, everything has a purpose and fear is no exception.

There is good reason to be afraid of some things. Fear is a messenger that warns us there may be danger ahead. Its purpose is to guide us toward actions that will protect us as well as our loved ones. It is natural and healthy to feel fear. But like other natural tendencies we have, we're here to master our fear.

We all wish that life could be stable. We imagine that we would feel safe and comfortable if we could make life remain static, or secure. But without dangers in our lives we cannot live to our highest potential, and we never fulfill that potential without learning from our fear.

Of course, you don't want to take it too far. You don't want to be so engrossed in your fear that you become consumed by it. But there is a balance to be achieved between that extreme and its opposite - avoiding, denying, trying to be unafraid. Avoidance of fear is our greatest barrier to spiritual growth and happiness.

When we try to avoid or deny our fear in hope that we can just be rid of it, it usually gets worse. Shutting out fear invariably shuts out choices and blessings that could take us to next level of our soul's development.

Fear is very much like quicksand. The more you fight it, deeper you sink. Embracing your fear is akin to relaxing in quicksand so you can stop sinking. Until we face our fear head-on, and embrace it, it will dominate us. Carl Jung said, "The psychological rule says that when an inner situation is not made conscious, it happens outside as fate." Fear that is ignored takes up residence in our souls, and draws experiences to us in which it can exercise itself. We then find ourselves face to face with same fear-inducing experiences again and again.

The result of this is that our ability to exercise our free will becomes hampered more and more every time we let fear take over. This can create extremely stubborn blocks in our spiritual progress, and can harm us physically, mentally and emotionally.

Being blocked can become a vicious cycle because longer you are blocked, more difficult it becomes to believe in yourself.

When you encounter a block in your life, what you are facing is actually doorway to next stage in your soul's journey. The mere awareness of your "stuckness" is a call from within to live more fully. Yet, how do you break out of this state? A lot of people say answer is to follow Nike's advice and "just do it." But if you've ever been blocked, you know it's not quite that simple. If you could bring yourself to "just do it," you probably would.

Sometimes we need a starting point. Some way of shifting our gears, to get our momentum going.

When I was in Kindergarten, we made Christmas presents for our parents in school. I still remember what we made for our dads, because it was a source of light humor for moms: coffee cans filled with sand. We lived in Indiana where there was always a lot of ice and slush in winter. The coffee cans included instructions for dads to keep can in their car and throw some sand behind their wheels, should they happen to get stuck.

Sometimes we need a little sand behind our wheels, spiritually speaking. A ritual can be just that. We use rituals all time, to mark transitions, to honor endings, to celebrate new beginnings, to rejuvenate ourselves and to remind ourselves of what's important to us.

Here are six rituals that can help you break up ice and slush in your life and get lift you need to move ahead:

1. Create an Altar You can use anything from a small table to a milk crate. Cover it with a nice cloth and place your favorite spiritually uplifting objects on top. Use crystals, candles, figurines, dolls, bells, bowls, feathers and pictures that inspire you. You can use your altar as a place for prayer, meditation, worship, creativity, sending or receiving healing, or just relaxing.

2. Purify Your Body Inside Fast for a day. Drink only pure water. If you need to, drink vegetable and fruit juices. Save money you would have spent on food and give it to charity of your choice. After you're finished with your fast, replenish your body with super-healthy power foods like sprouts, beets, broccoli, sweet potatoes and oats. Avoid anything processed or pre-packaged. Make sure you get plenty of sleep at night and stretch your body when you wake up in morning.