James Fowler talks about the Stages of Faith here: http://faculty.plts.edu/gpence/html/fowler.htm Is a discussion of faith in Fowler's context a violation of the guidelines for this forum?

Dostoevsky in The Brothers Karamazov:

"Much on earth is hidden from us, but to compensate we have been given a precious mystical sense of our living bond with the world of the spirit, with the higher heavenly world; and the roots of our thoughts and feelings are not here but in these higher realms. That is why many philosophers say that we cannot appreciate the true, full essence of things on earth. God took otherworldly seeds and sowed them on this earth. His garden grew up and everything that could sprout came forth, but what grows lives and is alive only through the feeling of its connection with the other mysterious world of the spirit. If that feeling weakens or is destroyed, spiritual awareness and growth will die away in you. Then you will be indifferent to life and even grow to hate it."

Fuller again, this time about secular spirituality:

Secular spirituality emphasizes humanistic qualities such as love, compassion, patience, tolerance, forgiveness, contentment, responsibility, harmony, and a concern for others[2]:22, aspects of life and human experience which go beyond a purely materialist view of the world, without necessarily accepting belief in a supernatural reality or divine being. Spiritual practices such as mindfulness and meditation can be experienced as beneficial or even necessary for human fulfillment without any supernatural interpretation or explanation. Spirituality in this context may be a matter of nurturing thoughts, emotions, words and actions that are in harmony with a belief that everything in the universe is mutually dependent; this stance has much in common with some versions of Buddhist spirituality. A modern secular definition: "Spirituality exists wherever we struggle with the issues of how our lives fit into the greater scheme of things. This is true when our questions never give way to specific answers or give rise to specific practices such as prayer or meditation. we encounter spiritual issues every time we wonder where the universe comes from, why we are here, or what happens when we die. We also become spiritual when we become moved by values such as beauty, love, or creativity that seem to reveal a meaning or power beyond our visible world. An idea or practice is "spiritual" when it reveals our personal desire to establish a felt-relationship with the deepest meanings or powers governing life." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secular_spirituality

Spirituality also might be an integral part of Maslow's self-actualization. http://psychology.about.com/od/theor...chyneeds_2.htm To strive to understand yourself and your needs while progressing towards being one with self surely has a spiritual increment.