Exactly What is Spirituality?
Spirituality is being filled with the spirit, being confident in ones belief, possessing a spiritual essence. Most faiths talk about the spirit and spirituality. No one can deny that Mother Theresa, Billy Graham, the Dali Lama and the Reverend Jessie Jackson are all great examples of modern day spiritual people. But exactly what does that mean? Does this mean that you have to be religious to be spiritual?
Being of Native American heritage, where you are taught that your spirit is something sacred and to be truly spiritual you must understand and find peace with your inner self, lends me towards the belief that the spirit does not have a religion. However, the spirit is what makes us human what makes us who we are. To be spiritual you have to know yourself and your beliefs.
I know that most religions will argue this point and state that unless you believe in one form of religion or another you can’t possibly be spiritual. You have to accept one faith or another to be able to ensure your way into heaven, to ensure your place at the right hand of God, to make your way into paradise. I agree to disagree on this point.
I believe that you can be a spiritual person, who is completely at peace with your own mortality. You can believe in a supreme being, in life after death, in karma and in reincarnation, yet not be affiliated with any one religion or faith.
Let’s look at Buddhism and the Wiccan faiths. They are not religions, but yet people who are part of these beliefs are extremely spiritual. In spite of a lot of the misconceptions that other religious leaders and the media perpetuate, Wiccan’s are not