First of all, let us address a misconception about spirituality.
Spirituality is NOT a religion.
According to Wikipedia, religion is a social-cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that relates humanity to supernatural, transcendental or spiritual elements.
From the above, one can deduce that religion is a defined product and a set of conclusions stemming from the human intellect and psyche interpreting texts and/or certain experiences that supersede its current level of awareness.
Religion entails a belief or belief systems. Belief or belief systems render the believer blind to anything outside of the sphere of belief or those belief systems. Belief or belief systems represent conclusions that are absolute and true to the one who subscribes to these belief systems.
I should clarify that the above is not meant as a criticism or a stab at religion. It is strictly to indicate that spirituality is different from religion.
WHAT IS SPIRITUALITY?
Spirituality is the realization that ‘something’ exists within you that is much larger than your current perception of who you are, without you deriving a sense of self or an identity from that realization. Spirituality is knowing that the Source of Creation is within you.
It is important to state here that knowing that the Source of Creation is within you (spirituality) and knowing the Source of Creation (self-realization) are two different things.
INNER VERSUS OUTER
Directions are relative, including the cardinal points: magnetic north, polar north, galactic north and so on. However, one can be most certain of two directions: inner and outer.
The outer is generally everything outside, and including, the confines of the physical body. Yes, that includes internal organs as well. The outer can be perceived by five senses (touch, taste, sight, smell and hearing), which are, by nature, outward bound.
But what is the inner?
If the outer is everything beyond the confines of the physical body, including internal organs, then the inner must be that aspect of oneself that exists beyond the perception of the five physical senses. In other words, perceiving the inner requires a different level of perception beyond the five physical senses. We can address these other levels of perception in later blogs.
THE SEEKER
You may have heard of some or all of the following statements:
“As above, so below. As within, so without,” one of the seven principles of Hermes Trismegistus, author of Hermetic Corpus.
“All experience of life is within,” Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev
“Behold, the kingdom of God is within you,” Luke 17:21, Christian Bible
These are just a few sayings from various people who lived or live in different eras, but whose words bear similar themes.
So, who is a seeker?
A seeker is one who is spiritual, one who realizes that the Source of Creation is within (inner). The seeker’s path does not involve experiencing the Source of Creation through physicality (outer). Going through the path of physicality is like trying to count from 1 to infinity. Good luck to you.
No one-size-fits-all path exists for every seeker. Each seeker has their own spiritual path, which may evolve over time. Regardless of the path, the underlying intent remains the same.
Mine, for example, included identifying as a staunched Catholic for many years. Then, the Pentecostal aspect of Christianity struck my fancy because it opened my mind to other ways of interpreting the Christian Bible. I remained a Catholic though. Long story short, my spiritual path has gone beyond religion.
‘Something’ within us longs for boundlessness. However, we manifest this longing in mostly unconscious ways; the desire for growth, wealth, exploration, companionship, experiences and so on. Sadly, these methods we employ for boundlessness are inefficient and utterly hopeless.
Do I have any recommendations on the spiritual path? No. I am far from qualified to make any recommendations. However, I will say this.
While the seeker acknowledges the outer, the inner is what the seeker seeks. When you, as a seeker, cultivate your body, mind, emotions and energies (which are essentially tools) to certain levels of maturity beyond belief (systems), ‘something’ blossoms within you. This blossoming is spirituality.
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