What is spirituality? How is it different than religion?
Spirituality. The word evokes visions of meditating hippies chanting monosyllables barefoot in unison or perhaps the soft-spoken befrocked friar living in a hilltop monastery. We all have some sort of vision in mind when we talk about spirituality, but try to define it exactly, and several challenges arise. First, is spirituality a part of religion or distinct from it? Is it possible to be spiritual without being religious? Conversely, is it possible to be religious without being spiritual?
Spirituality is, in the most basic sense, matters pertaining to the spirit and is based on the idea that there exists something, be it a state of mind, a being, or a place, that is outside the experience of our five limited senses. Spirituality is the personal relationship of the individual to this state of mind, being or place and often emphasizes the notion of a path, that spirituality is a goal in achieving understanding, or an improved relationship with the sacred.
Spirituality can be either a part of a particular religion or independent of religion, in a self directed and personal inner path. As part of a larger religious journey, spirituality is usually descript and predictable, relating to one's personal relationship to god or the divine goal. For a Christian, for example, spirituality involves developing a personal relationship and experience with Jesus Christ, likely through prayer, meditation or through selected activities (such as reading the Bible) in opposition to material gains and experiences. For the unaffiliated seeker, spirituality may be adapted and modeled after the sacred practices of a number of different religions or none at all. In either case spiritual matters are contrasted to the world of the senses and the needs of the human corporeal body and often involve an effort to reject, limit or transcend these senses and needs.
Wherever you are in your personal journey, both religion and spirituality can play an important role in moving towards your own resolution of humanity's shared existential problems.
The copyright of the article What is Spirituality? in Alternative Spirituality is owned by Jolinda Cary. Permission to republish What is Spirituality? must be granted by the author in writing.
Comments
May 4, 2006 2:13 PM
Judy M Merrill
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We are body, mind, spirit in balance to live this life. As such, spirituality is the lesson(s) we learn to enhance and strengthen the soul within.
It is a quality of the spirit. We tend to be able to focus our mind to apply spirituality to our learning process (all our experiences) or to use materialism to colour the process of the experience.
God bless, J
May 5, 2006 5:28 PM
Jolinda Cary
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Well stated. I like the idea of defining the "self" as three separate, yet interactive and integral parts.
May 8, 2006 3:18 PM
Nora Krieg
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Spirituality is a balance in life of mind, body, spirit and soul-in a wholeness that only you and the Almighty can explain.
Spirituality is something you feel from deep within. Its something that lingers deep down. It gives you passion, enlightenment, guides you and still it mystifies us. Why?
Spirituality is a passion, a knowing, a feeling but we do not always listen to those intuitive voices. We call them off and ignore them even though most of the time those voices end up being right. We ignore them for thought others or even we may think that sanity is leaving us shortly.
Listen to your inner voice. You can reason with it and it will reason with you. Do not give up your passion and spirituality, rather give in to it. Allow it to open you up to a whole new world you never imagined existed.
Does being spiritual mean you are a Bible-beating, chanting manic? Sure, it can, if that is what you chose for it to be. For some of us those people are scary and we fear when they come to our doors or we see or hear them out somewhere. Fear? Why? Are we all not created in His likeness? The fear exists because there is something within those people that either A.) Wakes us up to reality or B.) Bothers us so bad because what they say reflects upon us somewhere in our lives. Are they right or wrong? Who knows?? But they believe and honor their passion and spirituality. Why shouldn't we?
So starting today start a journal. Write down all the things you fear. Then write down all the things you know about yourself that bother you. Then pray about it. Ask what is my purpose? What am I supposed to be doing? And then ask to be lead toward a better understanding of where your journey must go. It is then you will find your own spirituality. You may not have a name to give it such as Catholicism or Luthern or Baptist BUT if you do then all the better. Then you have found a support group of people who just like you are searching for their spirituality and trying to get through life the best way they know how.
Each day when you wake up ask to be show your miracle for the day. It can be something as simple as a bird chirping. Maybe just the fact you woke up at all is a miracle in and of itself. Just know that whatever you are shown do not take it for granted. Everything is a miracle. We can find our spirituality in everything also.
We become closer to knowing who we really are when we are tested. And in those times we are tes
May 11, 2006 2:14 PM
gordon
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Personal Reality based on perception of spirit. Interpersonal philosophies come together in mystic schools or groups, generally based on agreement of shared experience - regularly the transpersonal perception of another reality and the desire to enter or comprehend that reality with faculties not typically used in the 3rd or 4th dimension.
Experiential outer world or extravehicular travel confirms the existence of other worlds or life after death (possibly life within life).
Love being the universal constant for evolution of the soul, guarantees to a more than certain degree liberation and concsious access to higher / inner kingdoms by sensitising our rather dull faculties to more subtle energies flowing from the godhead.
May 19, 2006 9:57 AM
Judy M Merrill
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Because someone is a Bible thumper and even comes to your door, does not 'prove' nor even 'show' their spirituality. It shows that they are following the rules of their religion.
If you or I choose another path to spirituality that is just as valid.
We are in the image of God. God is spirit. The spirit is colorless and genderless. It is in all of us.
If it were any other part of us, we would be clones. And God did not create any clones (or mistakes).
Our inner voice is not understood with rational thought. Many believe to suspend our thoughts in meditation, brings enlightenment.
We do not need miracles to be the answer. Our free will choice leads us off on many tangents of learning. When we take the lesson from each experience, we enhance our spirit within and our growth becomes gradual, and yet, constant. We are all 'a work in progress' in spirit(uality).
God bless, J
May 19, 2006 10:00 AM
Judy M Merrill
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God is spirit. Attuning spirit (within) to spirit (without) is the place of all spirit knowledge, information, wisdom in spirit realms of existence.
As spirit within, that is the part of us that is of God and eternal. It leaves the physical body at death and exists as real and valid in a spirit realm. From there, it continues growth and understanding of the spirit(ual).
God bless, J
Jul 15, 2006 8:01 AM
Nora Krieg
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I believe you misunderstood my point. Some people who are looking for something to believe in need something tangent to hold on to before they grasp a hold of faith. It is only then that they are able to know that what they believe is true. Not everyone believes the same as another. This too is okay. We are who we are. As you said, works in progress. We are constantly learning, growing and becoming more in tune and aware of ourselves and in turn becoming closer to God, who we are made in His likeness. To know ourselves is to know God. Whatever it takes to get on that path; is what it is. Whether it be a miracle, taking in all that surrounds you and knowing it had to come from somewhere or just feeling it in your heart. Whatever it may be that gets you there IS your lesson or rather just the beginning of it.
Religion is each individuals interpretation of their belief. Whether it be an interpretation of the Bible or some other text or just a set of beliefs. This is why we have Baptists, Catholics, Lutherns, etc. I did not use the term Bible-thumping as a negative. I was raised in a Southern Baptist home and in that religion. Is that where my faith and beliefs lie? No. I came to form my own set of beliefs and am learning about my faith as I go. I respect anyone and everyone's right to religion. That term was used as a generalization and to help people be more aware that God does not have to be frightening. Some people are raised to fear Him. I do not! Peace, love and light- Nora
Jul 20, 2006 4:48 PM
Jolinda Cary
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Hi Nora -
I'm going to issue you a challenge - let me know what you think about it. It seems like you have transcened your traditional religion, and are on a path to continue to do so, yet in your linguistic construction of a male-termed God, you are constraining your mental and spiritual understanding as well.
Free yourself of the patriarchal language and watch what happens.
Some more of my thoughts on the gender of Divinity:
. <b>you are constraining your mental and spiritual understanding as well. Free yourself of the patriarchal language and watch what happens.</b> . Maybe to her, her god IS male? Some use 'she' to describe their concept of deity. Still others use 'it' or a proper name. .
