Spirituality
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I would consider myself to be spiritual.
Spirituality for me is the realization that there is something beyond our own flesh and blood.
The being within that powers us and gives us identity, the soul, made in the image of its creator, God.
It is unique. It is not something that you can see physically with your own eyes, but it is something that you can feel and identify with.
I am a Christian by faith.
Spirituality for me is the realization that there is something beyond our own flesh and blood.
The being within that powers us and gives us identity, the soul, made in the image of its creator, God.
It is unique. It is not something that you can see physically with your own eyes, but it is something that you can feel and identify with.
I am a Christian by faith.
I am a spiritual person, too, and have been for most of my life. I was fortunate (I think) to be able to explore this within a religious context that offered ever-widening avenues for investigation, reflection and growth.
To me spirituality is a moving from illusion to reality, and that reality is the destiny God has created for us. It is a more full human existance, a freedom from certain limitations, where we live in partnership/connection with the Divine Life. It is a very organic, dynamic, and nuanced process.
Of course, these mere words come nowhere close to capturing it. It is something one really has to launch into with a degree of openness, faith and humility in order to experience.
The spiritual life has given great meaning, richness and depth to every phase, every moment of my life....good times and difficult, times of strength and weakness, breaking and healing, pruning and growth. Somehow all that mattered through it all was that essential connection.
It is a wondrous thing to move ourselves out of the center of the universe, past myriad illusions, to come to see the real Truth of all things, a Truth that is infinitely greater, infinitely fuller, infinitely more complex than we can ever comprehend, yet one that invites us and accepts us as we are in Great Love.
I have been actively on this path for 40 years and I feel I have scarsely even started. It's all great fun really.
To me spirituality is a moving from illusion to reality, and that reality is the destiny God has created for us. It is a more full human existance, a freedom from certain limitations, where we live in partnership/connection with the Divine Life. It is a very organic, dynamic, and nuanced process.
Of course, these mere words come nowhere close to capturing it. It is something one really has to launch into with a degree of openness, faith and humility in order to experience.
The spiritual life has given great meaning, richness and depth to every phase, every moment of my life....good times and difficult, times of strength and weakness, breaking and healing, pruning and growth. Somehow all that mattered through it all was that essential connection.
It is a wondrous thing to move ourselves out of the center of the universe, past myriad illusions, to come to see the real Truth of all things, a Truth that is infinitely greater, infinitely fuller, infinitely more complex than we can ever comprehend, yet one that invites us and accepts us as we are in Great Love.
I have been actively on this path for 40 years and I feel I have scarsely even started. It's all great fun really.
From a philosophical standpoint, spirituality stems from the dualistic notion of a soul, or a spirit. A spiritual person, in the most fundamental sense, believes they have a soul. I would define the soul as some holistic model of the essence of oneself which would continue to function at some level after the living body ceases to function.
A notably spiritual person would give large priority to the spiritual realm, or considerations as to what will occur after death. One would view the afterlife as either as high or higher in priority to the ordinary materialistic world. Spirituality could also take fate and destiny into consideration. A spiritual person may believe there is something guiding the sets of actions that either we ourselves or those outside ourself take.
By these definitions, I am not a spiritual person. I struggle with the idea of an afterlife and a soul. I am typicaly not inclined to say either is more likely than the other. I have phases where I might swing towards one end of the spectrum or the other, but usually I am dispassionate about the idea.
A notably spiritual person would give large priority to the spiritual realm, or considerations as to what will occur after death. One would view the afterlife as either as high or higher in priority to the ordinary materialistic world. Spirituality could also take fate and destiny into consideration. A spiritual person may believe there is something guiding the sets of actions that either we ourselves or those outside ourself take.
By these definitions, I am not a spiritual person. I struggle with the idea of an afterlife and a soul. I am typicaly not inclined to say either is more likely than the other. I have phases where I might swing towards one end of the spectrum or the other, but usually I am dispassionate about the idea.
I am, and I would define it as concerning myself with matters of the spirit, or the soul, or the internal, whatever you want to call it. That part of us which cannot be touched with hands, or owned, or sold, to which things do not matter and which sees with beauty.
I don't really like the term "spirituality." It may have had some real meaning once, but now it's too often used by "I don't have any specific beliefs in anything but I pray sometimes to some vague greater being" or "I'm a spiritual, goddess-loving, mantra-chanting, incense waving, Torah-reading Buddhist" types. Basically, I think it's an inoffensive, watered-down term.
As for "spirituality" in the sense of "believing in a spiritual world," I'm very "spiritual." I believe in angels and demons, and I believe that locations can be affected by acts of great good or great evil; just as there are 'holy' sites, there are also 'unholy' places where the power of evil and darkness is stronger.
As for "spirituality" in the sense of "believing in a spiritual world," I'm very "spiritual." I believe in angels and demons, and I believe that locations can be affected by acts of great good or great evil; just as there are 'holy' sites, there are also 'unholy' places where the power of evil and darkness is stronger.
i was trying to think of what it means to be spiritual for me and after reading these posts i realized for any given person, the answer could really be a lot of different things and different for everyone. ive always believed that religion and spirituality can be seperated bc i consider myself spiritual but not religious but trying to explain how or why this is possible is tough and to be honest i don't really have an answer for it.
so i found this definition of spirituality on wikipedia and for me this is pretty much spot on though a bit of a cop out. i particularly like the line about intent to develop an inner life to feel more connected to what you consider a larger reality or perspective.
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or immaterial reality;[1] an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of their being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.”[2] Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop an individual's inner life; such practices often lead to an experience of connectedness with a larger reality, yielding a more comprehensive self; with other individuals or the human community; with nature or the cosmos; or with the divine realm.[3] Spirituality is often experienced as a source of inspiration or orientation in life.[4] It can encompass belief in immaterial realities or experiences of the immanent or transcendent nature of the world.
so i found this definition of spirituality on wikipedia and for me this is pretty much spot on though a bit of a cop out. i particularly like the line about intent to develop an inner life to feel more connected to what you consider a larger reality or perspective.
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or immaterial reality;[1] an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of their being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.”[2] Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop an individual's inner life; such practices often lead to an experience of connectedness with a larger reality, yielding a more comprehensive self; with other individuals or the human community; with nature or the cosmos; or with the divine realm.[3] Spirituality is often experienced as a source of inspiration or orientation in life.[4] It can encompass belief in immaterial realities or experiences of the immanent or transcendent nature of the world.
I don't either, but I'll take a swing at it if others will, too.
"Essence of their being" and "inner life" might refer to that part of ourselves that is at the core of our perceptions, conscience, and sense of place in all things. It is an internal vision, an inner light, but very much can (and should) impact all of our external life. When we access this part of us and grasp these inner dynamics, we are becoming "our more comprehensive self" in that we see and experience ourselves in a more complete way.
"Connectedness with the cosmos" is another facet of this in that it also includes this more comprehensive view. We as creatures relate to all else that is, creature, Creator, or other. We are part of everything else in a way that does not diminish our value but in which we see our value and beauty in the context of the value and beauty of all of life. Because of this we respect ourselves, move from our woundedness to wholeness (as much as we can...it's a journey) and also respect others and all things in the same manner.
Once one truly starts to see all this it's really a matter of down-to-earth, practical common sense. No one is floating on clouds here, and it really does help to keep a sense of humor. Seeing "what is" is pretty liberating really.
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yeah i really agree with this and im glad someone could explain this better bc this def runs parallel to my own experience of spirituality which i am fairly new to, particularly the connectedness of all in existance. really well said
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I have sort of distanced myself from it, but I am a very spiritual person. I subscribe to many New Age type ideas and ideals, so I typically label myself as a new age.
Often when i find some new information it makes me see the world anew. If the knowledge is potent enough it can shatter my perceptions and suddenly I am facing a new perception of the world. I can feel sure of myself one moment and then soon after, with fresh insight can view my previous understanding as a state of childlike innocence.
Each time I become prideful with new insight I am soon humbled again in a never ending cycle of evolving perceptions. The more I learn the more I realise how little I know and am compelled to fill the gap in my understanding only to open up countless more new questions. One lifetime is not enough to explore everything!
The perception shifts have been so drastic over the years that I am now more open to possibilities than ever before and I also try not to let myself become complacent in my understanding, aware as I am of its limit.
I think the pursuit of answers is a worthy way to spend time here on earth. It doesn't always yield the answer I am looking for but may offer several others instead.
It is an inner journey where an avenue of exploration is like the branch of a tree. As new avenues open up they are like offshoots of the branch and as I explore them I find there are offshoots on the offshoots!
Sometimes the inner journey merges with the outer journey and at those moments something indefinable becomes palpable and sometimes I get a sense that I am exactly where I am supposed to be at that moment.
I think we need mystery and wonder in our lives and I think the pursuit of them can often bring joy and other rewards. I am, however, wary of systems of control and of false perceptions but I am exploring possibilities and the deeper I look the more pregnant the world becomes with them.
Each time I become prideful with new insight I am soon humbled again in a never ending cycle of evolving perceptions. The more I learn the more I realise how little I know and am compelled to fill the gap in my understanding only to open up countless more new questions. One lifetime is not enough to explore everything!
The perception shifts have been so drastic over the years that I am now more open to possibilities than ever before and I also try not to let myself become complacent in my understanding, aware as I am of its limit.
I think the pursuit of answers is a worthy way to spend time here on earth. It doesn't always yield the answer I am looking for but may offer several others instead.
It is an inner journey where an avenue of exploration is like the branch of a tree. As new avenues open up they are like offshoots of the branch and as I explore them I find there are offshoots on the offshoots!
Sometimes the inner journey merges with the outer journey and at those moments something indefinable becomes palpable and sometimes I get a sense that I am exactly where I am supposed to be at that moment.
I think we need mystery and wonder in our lives and I think the pursuit of them can often bring joy and other rewards. I am, however, wary of systems of control and of false perceptions but I am exploring possibilities and the deeper I look the more pregnant the world becomes with them.