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What IS spirituality? 7/29/2013 8:29:09 AM
it's a word that's getting a lot of use- but what does it mean? and what does a spiritual practice look like? spiritual and spirituality, spiritual but not religious….
Buzz terms that are all over these days. But spirituality is one of those vague terms, like the term healing– which I will address in a later posting topic– a vague term, in that there doesn’t seem to be a real tangible definition… but many people use the term spiritual to define their outlook or approach to life.
I use it a lot myself. And I realised today, that I’ve acquired a “sense of the word,” without ever really codifying it for myself. I have done this a lot with Quechuan terms, such as ayni. Ayni is a term that I love, and use a lot. It is the cornerstone of the Andean and Peruvian cosmology. But it is a word for which there is no direct translation. The word spiritual is beginning to feel like this kind of foreign word, when I try to pin it down. Does that make sense? Just like Ayni…
I remember struggling with the word-concept Ayni, when I was a student. People would use it, and my brain would try to create a translation or understanding, according to words and definitions that worked in western discourse. It vaguely translates as balance– but has much deeper and subtler nuance than that, having to do with reciprocity and sacred harmony. ‘there IS no word in English that translates, and even conceptually. It is a term y you develop an entirely new relationship with- unable to import any word or concept already in existence. You can try to equate the term to something you already understand– but that doesn’t always work. Often, words are something that we learn to “grok,” wrap our understanding around, without ever having the distinct and clear definition to accompany them.
That is what deep-language, or fluency really means. An innate understanding of language and usage. of course this doesn’t apply to the common mis-usages and applications of words. But other than that- when someone says something, or uses an expression- we understand the context and implication of what they are expressing.
So- spirituality is a word that is emerging as one of those words. People use it a lot these days, but it has yet to find that commonly understood definition.,
Okay, so I am now giving a lot of thought to this question. I’m finding is more slippery than I had anticipated. I want to avoid resorting to textbook definitions for now. I’ll be curious to see what dictionaries offer as a way of explanation.
What does it mean to be spiritual, or to have a spiritual practice? I am referencing this now, outside of any religious connotations or parameters.
I consider myself to be a spiritual person.
To be spiritual: to develop and maintain a connection to a higher power? this could be Nature, a religious belief or deity, or whatever one perceives as Source? but by this definition- can an atheist be considered spiritual?
So, the definition needs to be expanded, to include ones inner or higher self, rather than anything external as a higher power…
So this concept of connection to”something”.. works.
How does it play out? What does it mean to live a spiritual life? What does spiritual practice look like? What does it mean, in terms owe live or lives?
If we say that it is about consider the bigger picture, or the greater good- is that spiritual, or moral? Or is morality a component of being spiritual?
Is it about maintaining a practice of relaxation and grounding- and how is this different than “stress reduction?”
Is it about how we receive information, and how we process it? ie, meditation and prayer? And if so, how is this different than a religious practice?
What does spiritual mean to you? And what does that look like?
Please share your thoughts comments and interpretations below.
