Spirituality is defined as 'The quality of being concerned with the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things.'
Its basically freedom from thinking.
For many people, being in nature is the very same as how they perceive or discover their own sense of spirituality. If we feel connected to nature in any way our spiritual side reveals itself as well.
Exhaustion often awakens our need for spirituality
Quite often we embark on a spiritual journey because we are feeling mentally, emotionally or physically overwhelmed. Dealing with life's challenges and the suffering we endure can leave us feeling completely alone and lost. Where do we get the energy and love we need to keep going?
Discovering our sense of spirituality can often be accidental or unintentional in the west. It is definitely a private matter for many, possibly one of the few private matters we can hold on to and develop. It is as powerful as we allow it to be.
Spiritual healing is a journey
By honouring and exploring the self and asking for our prayers to be answered we are already engaged in spiritual practice. Anyone who has a problem but doesn't have the answers themselves can feel lost and alone or stuck.
Those who turn to spirituality or God equip themselves with a vital skill - they let go and trust that forces outside of ourselves are capable of creating opportunities, offering solutions and providing us with courage when we need it. They acknowledge that we are better of having spiritual support than not, even if the whole relationship feels quite mysterious.
Spiritual Healing Quotes
"Anything which is troubling you, anything which is irritating you, THAT is your teacher" Ajahn Chah
I think this quote highlights that in order to engage in spiritual development we kinda need a problem first. Does anyone develop without problems? Maybe when we have exhausted all other solutions we are left with just one option - to go inside, acknowledge our vulnerability and ask for whatever it is we truly need.
Is it understanding? Support? Love? Freedom?
Or even money? Health? A solution to a problem at work or within the family?
This page from Lots of Zen has some great quotes on it for those who feel inspired that way.
"Rather than being your thoughts or emotions, be the awareness behind them." Eckhart Tolle
Thoughts, feelings, hopes, dreams and regrets are fundamental to our human experience. However we need to see these things as not entirely reliable since they are ever changing and fleeting. Holding on to any of these things or beliefs constricts us, restricts our nature and creates blockages.
The trees feel and are affected by the wind but they don't identify with the wind. Our feelings affect us and throw us around but by not identifying with feelings we have greater stability.
A spiritual connection doesn't ask us to be perfect or unaffected by life. A spiritual connection simply allows us to hold on to something which will always empower us, no matter what is going on in and around us - like the trees holding on to the ground as well as looking up to the sky.
I have quite a lot of faith in both the ground and the sun in the sky remaining in tact for a while longer. However, the amount of rain and strength of wind will continue to fluctuate.
The Scottish weather is known for its ever changing nature! We can never really predict the big changes or losses in our lives and if we knew what we would endure, before it happened, we may have chosen not to go forwards. Hope is a type of spiritual connection, not knowing how things will work out but believing/hoping/praying that some day, somehow they will.
I believe this is why we arrive in the world without any guarantees or certainty and instead we simply possess the strength, skills and resources to overcome anything we do encounter.
Doing good in any small or magnificent way is a beautiful choice that the human heart is capable of. Despite personal suffering our hearts ask to be recognised for the kindness within. Unintentionally, we seem to be rewarded for this effort and sometimes our rewards arise in ways we could not have anticipated.
"The more you recognise the immense good within you, the more you magnetise immense good around you." Alan Cohen.
Can a person be spiritual and believe in God
A belief in God or a higher power is a spiritual belief. People who practice Buddhism can also believe in God or not. Buddhist practices encourage self enquiry, awareness and compassion which can strengthen our connection to God and/or our spirituality.
Most of us have experienced blessings we did not expect and wondered why we were given exactly what we needed, at the right time, without creating the circumstances ourselves. I think God or the spiritual world has a cheeky side.....by surprising us we have no option to acknowledge its power.
The feeling that the universe is on our side only comes after we admit that we have no explanation for how we survived or succeeded, but we have. We may not know what will happen next but we become less afraid of not knowing. This can make the initial years of adulthood very difficult - less experience, less faith perhaps.
How do we know how strong the human spirit is if it is not put under intense strain?
"It isn't until you come to a spiritual understanding of who you are - not necessarily a religious feeling, but deep down, the spirit within - that you can begin to take control." Oprah Winfrey.
Losing our belief in God or in spirituality
If we have experienced huge losses in our lives, suffering or hardship, we may believe God let us down and we are not loved. We may lose love for ourselves too, concluding that we must have done something wrong or that we are a bad person.
More people believe they are undeserving of love than we realise in the west. Even if we all have a dark side, flaws and regrets, maybe God loves those things about us. By owning and acknowledging our darkness we can still welcome love and abundance.
Its like the opposite of the schooling system. 'Oh, you didn't study for your Maths exam and you got an F, Johnny? Don't worry, you didn't like the teacher and that's okay. I loved your effort in other subjects. Don't give up, believe in yourself and focus on the positives.'
I honestly feel God has compassion, a positive view of us all and wants us to forgive ourselves and value who we truly are, rather than trust anyone else's judgement.
Believing in yourself
Our own wisdom already exists. Self love and acceptance, whatever that means to us, allows us to welcome more love onto our path. If we do not love ourselves or if we have been conditioned not to, the universe will want us to let go of that conditioning. If there's one thing we must learn in this lifetime, it is how to love and care for ourselves.
Viewing ourselves with compassion and forgiveness for any mistakes gives us the compassion and forgiveness we need to love others too. We can share the mystery, tragedy and beauty of this experience we call life. Finding people who own their mistakes and accept themselves as flawed is in itself reassuring - we can still be confident within.
A packrafting client enjoying a break from her life as a journalist. Activities like this in nature give us respite while we tune into ourselves and our environment.
Spiritual self care activities
"The moment is all there is " Rumi
Journaling, baking, singing, art, crafts walking, exercise or even working on something we love are all activities that require us to stay in the moment. Getting to know ourselves, however we do that, is the most important aspect of spirituality.
Do something that creates a sense of calm and discovery within in order to lead yourself on your own spiritual journey.
When God intervened to save my life, I knew in that moment that the people who had hurt me were not as powerful as God.
Those who do seek out spiritual support may find that it becomes so important that they never let it go. An article by the University of Minnesota reveals many advantages of nurturing our own spiritual base. Building in reflective practices, like meditation or prayer are very powerful in overcoming trauma, depression, arthritis and other mental or physical problems.
I would really recommend the Daily OM website for quality articles and affordable courses on everything to do with mind, body and soul. The newsletter is always an uplifting read which I don't say about many newsletters!
View of Kenmore from Black Rock viewpoint in Perthshire
The Insight Timer app has an incredible selection of relaxation and meditation audios. Sometimes we want to relax but we need a little help. This app is packed with ideas from people around the world who's job it is to nurture our inner well-being and induce a state of calm.
Spirituality and relationships
People who are grounded in their own spirituality often cope better in their relationships. This article by the power of positivity highlights the many benefits of having spirituality on our side - including the levels of success and happiness we experience in our relationships. Loving ourselves effectively is a basis for all strong relationships.
Death and Spiritual Healing
When we lose someone we love most of us hope that they are cared for by God or that they are at peace within the spiritual world. This allows our love towards them to continue and perhaps even strengthen. Our own lives may find a new direction, our habits may change but we never let go of this connection.
Death often requires a huge amount of effort to heal from whether that person truly loved us or even hurt us. It's vital to accept ourselves, face our pain and love ourselves. Having a spiritual base ensures that healing is possible - eventually moving on from the complexity of emotions that exist.
Life offers opportunities for spiritual growth
A spiritual connection is not something to wait for or dream of or go searching for. We may not be aware enough to really feel our spiritual connection and that's okay. The next time a miracle happens, just be grateful and allow yourself to be in a state of wonder.
"The first act of awe, when man was struck with the beauty or wonder of Nature, was the first spiritual experience." Henryk Skolimowski
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