When you say spirituality?

Religions seem to be defined by their dogmas. They have a set of beliefs that adherents must either believe or strive to believe in if they wish to claim membership. The degree to which this rule is enforced, and the degree of precision these beliefs are defined to vary, but by and large, "We" is defined by what "We believe".

However, I have always seen spirituality of something more undefined, no dogma, just .... well that is hard to say just what is and is not spirituality.

When you say spirituality what do you mean?
What for you is covered and not covered by that word?

[John32241]

Originally Posted by ketzer

When you say spirituality what do you mean?
What for you is covered and not covered by that word?

Hi,

With me spirituality describes the relationship My physical self has with My spirit self. How integrated is our oneness.

John

[Moondance]

Originally Posted by ketzer

When you say spirituality what do you mean?
What for you is covered and not covered by that word?

Good question ketzer.

I’m probably in a tiny minority here at SF in that I don’t have any beliefs in individuated souls and supernatural beings etc. (life is mysterious and enigmatic enough without them) but what I do have is a powerful sense of the timeless oneness of existence. The sense that there is a power and creativity at work which is the source and substance of all that manifests. This is what is sometimes called spirit (the word spirit comes from the Latin ‘spiritus’ which means breath.) So for me the word spirit is a placeholder (along with others such as Tao, Life, Creation, Reality, Awareness and so on) for this ineffable source - non-conceptual yet evident as all that appears.

To be spiritual (in my outlook) is to have a sense, orientation or realisation of spirit as indicated above.

[SharonMKZ]

[quote=When you say spirituality what do you mean?
What for you is covered and not covered by that word?[/QUOTE]

To me, spirituality is my connection/relationship with my higher self (spirit) and through my Self, I connect with God. Ultimately, I believe we are one. In other words, my relationship between my physical self and my soul is an extension of Universe/Energy/God.

And I think tapping into this is done through self-love and reflection. Really going deep and doing heart work. That's how I've evolved in my own spiritual journey. It all comes back to love.

[Shivani Devi]

For me, when I think "spirituality", I think about being true to myself and what I believe in, despite any and all adversity and anything to the contrary...then again, I am a fanatic or a zealot and I feel like I need to be like that, or perish in persecution or mediocrity...Yes, I still have an ego...unless basic survival is no longer an issue for me and then I am ready to venture into the "great beyond".

In a way, I see myself as being more "religious" than "spiritual", even though I embrace both, because I am still bound by concepts and tenets.

All day, I have been listening to Christopher Hareesh Wallis telling me that unless I drop all that, I will be reborn over and over until I do...then again, who/what gets reborn? As soon as we die, don't we totally forget this life? Aren't we reborn without any memory of our previous existence? So, even if I DO get reborn, I will not be the "same person" as I am now (in the psychological sense)...so I have absolutely no qualms about leaving these problems for "another person" who just shares the same soul, because it's not like either I (or they) are going to remember any of this anyway...and they will probably do a much better job of it than I ever could.

[Unseeking Seeker]

The ritualistic component of religion may be binding ...
But the clues provided therein help us in finding ...
That

***

[mihael_11]

For me spirit is behind everything. Body, ego, religions, cars, universe are just its manifest. So you can't compare religion and spirit, because religion is just part of it. Hope my view helps.

[ocean breeze]

I don't seem to have a clear definition anymore and tend to go by the context in which it is delivered to me. I still feel it would be all inclusive, not neglecting the negative aspects of life.

For me, it’s the experiences of the soul. I know some people don’t believe in souls and would put the word in quotations, so I would say the word would encompass experiences that cannot be explained by mainstream, 3D world science.

[iamthat]

Spirituality pertains to that which is formless.

The spiritual path is the journey from identification with form to identification with formlessness.

Religions are centred around individuals who have made such a spiritual journey and have then taught others about the journey. Unfortunately the original teachings may be lost or distorted as later followers superimpose their own beliefs on what was originally taught. Christ was not a Christian, the Buddha was not a Buddhist.

Peace.