What Does It Mean To Be Spiritual?
Have you ever thought about what it means and looks like to “be spiritual”?
Have you ever thought about how spiritual YOU are, or if your significant other is “spiritual” enough for you?
I hear friends say things like “it’s so hard to meet a spiritual guy”, or “I met this great guy, but he’s just not that spiritual.”
What does “being spiritual” really mean? For the sake of simplicity, I will not address religion today, just pure spirituality.
Definition of Spirituality
Spirituality is the concept of an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the soul or essence of his/her being. We get to discover the Divine being that we are beyond space, time, our mind, thoughts, emotions and body when we engage in spiritual practices.
Thanks to the science of quantum physics, we now know what the sages knew thousands of years ago, that we are made up of waves and vibrating particles of energy that makes up this grand universe.
Spiritual is when you are “being” your whole and complete authentic being. The more I live connected to my authentic self, the more I grow and evolve just as everything in nature does. ¬†
When you show up 100% as your real you and allow yourself to unfold and express your true heart’s desire and soul’s purpose, you are living in your truth. Living in your truth is living connected to the nature that you are, that is always whole and complete.
We connect to our spirituality when we are present and allow our authentic and true divine force of creation to be revealed. We are being spiritual when we feel a connection to other individuals or the human community, divine realm, nature and/or universe.
Our nature is to be powerful, creative, magnificent, and mysterious just as is everything in nature, which happens when we allow ourselves to be who we truly are. Our true nature is to birth, re-birth, to die and shed old parts. We are beings in constant motion and cyclical.
Our bodies function at their best when they are in a state of present moment awareness and calm, alertness most of the time and in a state of stress under a short duration. We know this because when we are in a state of chronic tension and stress most of the time, we don‚Äôt regenerate, reproduce, heal, create, digest and grow as well. Our hormones become imbalanced under chronic stress and the body feels anxious and “off-balance”.
This connection to your true and divine nature can be experienced when we allow ourselves to surrender completely to the present moment and just be, just as when we create a dance, a painting or a poem. If I am thinking about what is the “right” thing to say to impress someone, then I am pulling myself away from the present moment and therefore lose the connection to the true and authentic being that I am.
We are all mysterious creations of some unexplainable force that we can’t really even grasp completely in our limited mind and perception. Do you know who or what designed your nose? Can you explain how our tiny cells just know how to replicate or when to die?
Have you ever thought of how all those rocks got up there in Macchu Picchu? Some things will forever remain a mystery.
What is for certain is that the only place to experience that feeling of connection to something beyond our physical reality is in the NOW, this present moment.
SPIRITUAL QUIZ
Read these statements below and place a X next to the ones that feel true for you. If you check most of them, then you know you are a spiritually awakened human being.
_____ I am living my soul’s purpose and true heart’s desire-what feels aligned with who I am.
_____ I believe in a higher power of some kind that connects and unites all of nature and living beings.
_____ I live connected to all the parts of my whole human being.
_____ I engage in spiritual practices to help me to develop and strengthen my connection to my soul, Divine Source, and nature.
_____ I feel interconnectedness to all living things, beings and I know that we all affect one another, that we are one.
_____ I connect to who I really am, my true essence, and I am completely honest with myself and others.
_____ I am in touch with my feelings and I express my feelings honestly and openly.
_____ I forgive, accept, move on and allow things to flow through me, I don’t hold on to resentment or judgements about myself and others.
_____ I honor my unique gifts, qualities, and talents that are natural for me and I share them with others.
_____ I live with the intention of bringing my full presence into each moment so I may express myself authentically.
_____ I know that I am a mysterious creation that is beyond my own mental comprehension and I honor and respect the divine vessel, my body, that houses my soul’s essence.
_____ I recognize that every moment is a gift and blessing and am grateful for it.
_____ I trust that death is normal and a part of living, that happens without a need to fear it, resist it or be anxious about it.
_____ I live connected to nature and recognize that I AM nature and a part of this grand universe.
If you answered true to most of these, then you probably have an awareness of your spiritual nature.
The Benefits Of Being Connected To Your Spiritual Side.
One of the greatest gifts of being spiritual is that it aligns your sense of self to something that you may not have ever imagined was within you. Our perception of ourselves as small becomes quite huge and expanded when we realize that we are an interconnected part of this enormous and mysterious universe.
Spiritual people feel there is much more to life than just our gender, race, family, job title, and status in life. We can handle hard times with more peace and acceptance if we adopt a spiritual perspective. Since we believe we are all one and affect one another, a spiritual person would be less likely to want to hurt a person and instead would think of how she/he may bring more light and love to a person and our earth. A spiritual perspective brings us to feel more compassion and empathy for every living being. Spiritual people surrender to the higher force and allow things to flow, because they trust that everything is always unfolding for our highest good.
Spiritual practices such as meditation, prayer, yoga, tai chi, Buddhism, and contemplation develop a person’s inner life and connect you to the knowledge and wisdom that is always available to you. Religion is meant to develop our spiritual nature, to bring us closer to the experience of God, and the experience of something beyond our physical reality.
Spiritual experiences may sometimes include feeling connected to a larger reality, yielding a more comprehensive self awareness.
Spirituality is experienced as a source of inspiration or orientation in life.
What does a person in touch with their spirituality look like? (For the purpose of gender, I will write in masculine.)
He embodies a calm presence most of the time. He feels connected to an immaterial reality that is beyond our physical realm. He views himself and others as interconnected human beings. He trusts that everything is unfolding for it‚Äôs highest good, the Divine plan. He lives true to his heart‚Äôs desires and feels grand and magnificent and is honest and authentic. He lives his life‚Äôs purpose and feels very passionate and joyful for the most part in all aspects of his life. He trusts when things don’t go his way, that there is a higher and kind force that knows why sometimes there is a need for chaos and suffering. He knows that all things will pass, he knows that our nature is to die, to birth and shed the old. He goes with the flow of life and appreciates himself and every moment as a sacred gift from the divine source.
What does being more spiritual mean to you? I love to hear your perspective! Comment down below and share this article with a friend!
Join me on 11.11.12 Sunday at 5:30pm with Rabbi Marc Labowitz at Shakti Yoga Studio in Miami Beach, where we will be offering a workshop that connects you to the experience of something beyond your physical reality. Awaken and Connect to Your Higher Power with us!
