Is spirituality a phase from which you return back from or a life-long pursuit?

Originally Posted by iamthat

Some may embrace a spiritual path

What is the difference between a Spiritual Path and a 'regular' Path, when we are our Spirituality? Who (technically, what?) makes the difference?

[Altair]

Originally Posted by Greenslade

What is the difference between a Spiritual Path and a 'regular' Path, when we are our Spirituality? Who (technically, what?) makes the difference?

A question I would add to that is, ''... and according to what tradition/culture?''

[Starman]

Originally Posted by Greenslade

What is the difference between a Spiritual Path and a 'regular' Path, when we are our Spirituality? Who (technically, what?) makes the difference?

If one embraces that everything is consciousness, living energy, or spirit; that the material existence is constructed out of spiritual energy. Then everything we do, every thought, or word spoken, has the potential to impact us spiritually. Thus we are always on a spiritual path in my opinion.

Although I do distinguish between a conscious spiritual path and an unconscious spiritual path. The difference is an awareness and acknowledged experience of spirit. Yoga, New Thought, Gnosticism, metaphysics, Kabbalah. and many other practices embrace this perspective.

We are our path, and the conscious spiritual path involves building the inner temple, or nurturing the spiritual light that is within us. Which can lead to having the constant awareness and experience of an ongoing companionship, ever growing in fullness, with spirit.

Originally Posted by Starman

If one embraces that everything is consciousness, living energy, or spirit; that the material existence is constructed out of spiritual energy. Then everything we do, every thought, or word spoken, has the potential to impact us spiritually. Thus we are always on a spiritual path in my opinion.

I thought that you'd be one of the few that could answer my question. Using the word 'Spiritual' is one's individual ego attaching differentiation and importance. And before you tell me ego is a concept, that concept is the sum total of your perceptual reality and provides the interface between your inner and outer worlds. It's who and what we think we are, and that includes Spiritual.

Supposedly we are Spiritual beings on a human Journey, at least so the narrative goes. If that is true then there is nobody that is not Spiritual, and I'd go as far as saying that there is nothing that isn't Spiritual. The prefix becomes meaningless of its own accord. In so-called non-Duality the experiencer and he experience are one and the same, so if you're going to use the word we can't be anything but 'Spiritual'.

There is just Brahman.

Originally Posted by Altair

A question I would add to that is, ''... and according to what tradition/culture?''

Or personal definition because the world and his cat have their own definition.

[Rah nam]

Greenslade:

Supposedly we are Spiritual beings on a human Journey, at least so the narrative goes. If that is true, then there is nobody that is not Spiritual, and I'd go as far as saying that there is nothing that isn't Spiritual.

This is almost correct, except for those without spirit and soul. Their energy will simply return at some point to the one who created them. As all energy will return at some point where it came from.

[pixiedust]

Originally Posted by Greenslade

Supposedly we are Spiritual beings on a human Journey, at least so the narrative goes. If that is true then there is nobody that is not Spiritual, and I'd go as far as saying that there is nothing that isn't Spiritual.

PS.

Rape isn't spiritual. Nor is abuse, Greenslade.

The intellect can play with the words and bend the meaning to fit their narrative but in my opinion, there is reality and then there is delusion (including delusional thinking).

Namaste.

[pixiedust]

Originally Posted by Greenslade

Of course you're not, as is everyone else that creates their own definitions of the words and calls it Spirituality.

It's not high school, I think, but here's some Jung quotes:

"Real liberation comes not from glossing over or repressing painful states of feeling, but only from experiencing them to the full."

Carl Jung
Real, Feelings, Painful
Carl Gustav Jung (1981). “The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious”, p.335, Princeton University Press

If our religion is based on salvation, our chief emotions will be fear and trembling. If our religion is based on wonder, our chief emotion will be gratitude.

Carl Jung

Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.

Carl Jung

[pixiedust]

I think you can kind of tell who the spiritual folks are, i.e. everyone is on a path but it's true realizations and insights differ - commensurate with the work and willingness to overcome the delusion of separation

And so, you can tell these folks by their tone, vibration, and insights.

I like how Jung differentiated it so too - "If our religion is based on wonder, our chief emotion will be gratitude."

Who cares about definitions? Laugh and be in joy.

Makes much more sense than these boring jabs you see regularly in some areas of life.

pixiedust

Originally Posted by Rah nam

This is almost correct, except for those without spirit and soul.

I don't go in for all this no spirit or soul stuff, it really doesn't make sense. My point is though, that since the experiencer and the experience are one and the same can we have a 'non-Spiritual' experience? Isn't standing at the bus stop a Spiritual experience? And if Spirituality is a phase then what does that say about the 'Spiritual experience'? Aren't 'true Spiritual experiences' supposed to change you at a fundamental existential level? And if people are over-using the word 'Spiritual' are they trying to convince themselves of something?

Where is the dividing line between human nature and Spirituality if there is one? Because to be honest, I find my photography quite the 'Spiritual' experience.