Personal spirituality can be a hard thing to define. The word “personal” implies as many definitions as there are people to define it. Man has, throughout history, always had a need to believe in something bigger and greater than himself, chasing after everything from gods and spirits to dragons and fairies.
So, what is personal spirituality? One thing that it is most certainly not is: it’s not religion. In fact, religious people may or may not be spiritual. There are many examples of those who go to churches, temples, mosques, or any number of other religious places and speak the words, but never let the underlying meaning and spirituality personally take hold inside of themselves.
Now this isn’t true for everyone, on the contrary, many will attend places of worship because of the fact that their personal spirituality is lined up with whatever religious institution and the rituals ascribed to it.
Well, if spirituality isn’t a religion, then just what is it? Spirituality can be described as a set of beliefs, an internal code, a way to find one’s place in the world, in the cosmos, and among others. If that’s a little too vague, personal spirituality is defined in Merriam Webster as “relating to, consisting of, or affecting the spirit.”
The spirit is defined as “An animating or vital principle held to give life to physical organisms.” If the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, then perhaps the difference between the whole and the sum can be defined as spirit, making spirituality what you make of your life, values, conscience, and beliefs.
In other words, you don’t need to be religious to be spiritual, but you do have, whether you know it or not, a core set of beliefs designed to help you, guide you, and protect you. For example, probably very few of us have randomly killed a stranger. This is because our belief systems tell us it’s wrong and even dangerous because of the price we would pay (jail, revenge, etc.). We also don’t steal and do a lot of things we might because of our spirituality.
With all of this in mind, spirituality can be thought of as providing an individual’s definition of right and wrong, though morality is only a small part of it. Personal spirituality affects the way you see and interact with the world. It encompasses that deep breath of satisfaction when walking into fresh air from a stifling room, the feeling of comfort and remembrance we feel when going to a favorite location, and even the messages and values we teach our children.
Personal spirituality is all that and more. It shapes us, defines us, and tells others how to interact with us. It is where you find your core beliefs and is reflected in your values, which is why it’s so important not just to understand, but to experience for yourself.
After all, your personal spirituality is, above all, a work in progress, enabling you to grow beyond this world and to become part of something greater than yourself.
Photo by Marcus Aurelius from Pexels
