I have started a few threads lately that have turned rather controversial... about meds and symptoms. I don't want to be the one starting inflammatory threads, but I do have questions.

so respectfully, what is being spiritual. I am asking cuz I feel i need some of spirituallity in my life and I have no idea what it means to be spiritual. I always mix it up with being religious.

I ask that everyone be really nice and understanding of each other pleaaaassssseeeee.....
I hate that people feel outted and get defensive over my threads.....

all input is appreciated!

[Darth Bane]

there supposed to be single spirit.... in everything you have spirit,your dog has the same and trees,stones,universe all have single spirit....all religions mean this same spirit... since you all have same thing you need to respect,appreciate everything...

that's what i think it means... i might be wrong though !!!

I don't think there is a right and wrong when it comes to this. I'm just looking for a better understanding of what it means to me cuz I have no clue... but i'm sure it is different for everyone!

[faerie_moon_x]

Well I agree with Darth Bane about how regardless of religion, they all believe we have a higher spirit or soul of some type.

I personally think being spiritual means trying to be more connected to the world around you in an energy type of way. We are all made of energy at the core. Our nervous system is an chemical electric system, really. And, it is possible to feel the current of others. You already do this but you can learn to become more aware of it with practice.

It's an awareness that, yes, everything has a spirit and we should be aware of that. Also, it is a bit religious in that you can feel more connected to whatever faith you happen to follow. But, not the praying theological side, but the "I am connected" part of it. Like, for example, for me I feel most connected when I am out in the woods listening to the quiet, or under the stars, or near the ocean.

[AeonDM]

It depends on which perspective you are coming from.

From a christian religious perspective it can mean that values of life like faith, hope and love comes from God and we live our faith practicing these values. This is the new born again life.

From an atheist point of view like myself, these values comes from LIFE and are part of humanity. We have them because we are borned having the potential to live out these values.

We practice these values that we may be able to find the meaning of our individual lives and for the sake of others in the sphere of our influence that their lives may be enriched by the meaning of our lives. This is health to our soul, by help others in a way we can. This is part and parcel of humanity.

[Anika.]

There is not really one answer to this Dan, but there was an interesting thread on it a while back in the spirituality forum. This varies so much from person to person but also with a lot of the same themes. http://forums.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=257569

I also am an atheist but my spirituality , ah hard to describe so I'll just try my best.

For me it is the energy I carry, that energy is also found in other things including plants etc. Quantum Physics would say that when they break down molecules into subatomic particles which have subatomic particles.. gets deep. They find the same pure energy. Infinite intelligent energy, and that we are all way more interconnected than we can possibly be aware of. Now for me this is where science and spirituality come together.

I also like to look to Hinduism which is a conglomeration of distinct intellectual or philosophical points of view, rather than a rigid common set of beliefs. I have found a great wealth of valuable ideas within Hinduism and texts. I also look to Buddhism in the same way. I am neither Hindu nor Buddhist but I blend ideas and philosophies from both with science and then of course I have my own ideas that fit within this too. It is highly debatable if either of those are religions, and not in the way we know religion in the west. They also both recognize atheism. So that works for me.

Hard to define it but for me living without spirituality is kinda like half living, Or living within only one part.. the physical. But to me they are part of each other. I feel like for me to really live in fullness I need to be aware of the sum of the whole. I feel my life feels more fulfilling, content, peaceful, and enriched when I nurture both aspects of life. I think this is why yoga is so big for me, it is a blending of the physical with the spiritual where these lines separating the two disappear and that is when I feel the most connected. I actually get teary eyed think about that feeling, because it is overwhelmingly beautiful, bliss. It can be very powerful.

But that link I gave you provides sort of complete definitions and quite a few of them.

Spirituality compliments religion if you are religious, you do see people who are religious but maybe not spiritually connected. Then you have spirituality with no religion, that exists also. They really are not the same thing. Religion is an organized collection of belief systems, cultural systems, and world views that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to morality.By that definition, spirituality is only part of religion, spirituality can lack the organization, morality, world views etc...

Hope that helps a bit.

[ellipsisdream]

So many good comments above- I do not have a lot to add. I consider myself spiritual, and tend to enjoy reading about mindfulness and many buddhist writings- many of them fall more into the mindfulness thing than religion- although yes, it is a part of the religion. You might look at Pema Chodron- she would be one whose writings I find more spiritual in nature. I do not consider myself religious persay, but I do love her writings.
I feel most connected to the spirit when I am with nature. I also feel spiritual when I do artwork.
I am not in any way trying to convert you- these are just the things that nourish my spirit. I believe with time, and a bit of trial and error that you will find what nourishes you.

[BlueInanna]

I like the metaphysical, like Anika said above, when science meets spirituality. Like how light is a partical, yet also a wave ... that's wow magical spiritual to me. I see everything as energy, matter is condensed energy. I feel part of the flow of cosmic consciousness, I relish in the wonder of the unknown, that's a very short description of how I view my spirituality.

[faerie_moon_x]

I like how it is said that Einstein believed in an "afterlife" of sorts because we are made of energy, and energy doesn't die it just changes forms. I find that to be very comforting, actually. A man of science, who is highly respected, who said something extremely spiritual really.

I think everyone needs to find their own answer in the end.

[Clinte89]

TO me being spiritual is knowing there is something out there but not knowing what or putting a name and face to it. Knowing that something created us but not knowing what when or how it all happened.

I recommend your reading Immanuel Kant's book Transcendentalism. It's very difficult reading but it is also very enlightening. I fall somewhere in the middle of
mystic beliefs. Kant's premise is that ultimately some things are really unknowable because the human mind isn't capable of grasping it. In other words, the universe
is so much greater than our world (oversimplicfication, to say the least) and our
minds are just not equipped to grasp either the minuteness or the vastness of God.

Spirit has to do with things other than the physical, in one sense. It has to do
with the intellectual or aesthetic values or religious values, not the things that
we sense physically, as in something we see, taste, smell, feel, or hear. It has
to do with what we sense about reality and things ethereal.

I'm not good at this--just some random ideas that cross my mind.

[Gaijin]

Actually, Einstein showed that matter and energy are interchangeable: E = mc2 (energy equals mass times the speed of light squared). We might think of matter as a highly condensed form of energy.

I guess that the only form of spirituality I have relates to emotion -- the feelings of love and attachment I have for my family. I think that religion is just a means to control people, and that it's a fallacy to believe whatever you wish to believe. Prove that it exists in the physical universe, and I'll believe in it.

I don't know that it's possible to prove spirit, but most of us seem to have it. Faith isn't a fallacy, and we can never prove spirituality or many other things that are powerful forces in the universe. Respectfully, I disagree with your thought that it must be proved to exist. I can understand that you mean it to be applicable to yourself only, however.

In a lighter sense, science has never been able (to my knowledge)to prove the existence of telepathy, but those who have experienced it know it to be a valid phenomenon. The analogy is similar to spiritual reality and both are esoteric, probably.

This subject, Landskaperdan, is necessarily a controversial one, but
I think everyone is trying to offer an explanation for you that helps you
begin your search for spiritual development. We are all growing in that
respect throughout life, in my view.

[Anika.]

Interestingly many notable scientists are also spiritual, and I believe all good science leaves the door open to possibilities until it is either proved or disproved, in the case of spirit neither has been accomplished yet. Then again some scientists also say that science cannot prove anything, kind of like how facts only remain fact until we have more knowledge in which the fact can either change or remain the same. In science, absolute proof is usually impossible.

Dan I think this is something many of us go through, and it is a journey which can be an exciting one. There are so many ways to go with it because it is so personal. I think looking within and figureing out what you feel about it is the way to go.

Oh such a great thread to come across!! I often contemplate and entertain just these kind of thoughts. Also great topic for me because I'm self-proclaimed spiritualist anti-religious.

Religion is a doctrine of set rules and guidelines put together to tell people how to manage their spirituality however, imo totally unnecessary in order to achieve spirituality. Being spiritual is simply acknowledging that the body is more than squishy flesh and contains a soul or spirit if you will. That being said, the spirit is connected in some form (usually religion tries to put specifics here) to the rest of the living universe. Finding your personal connection and purpose through spirituality is a loooooong path, but gives many a much more fulfilled stance in life.

I see myself as spiritual, but I am far from finding my greater purpose, only willing to accept that one exists.

...seen this interesting news report today...not like they are often that way!

anyway these 'news dudes' got this "pope" expert on to discuss how this last pope just quit and stuff.

and they asked the pope expert dude what the pope was like kinda?

...and he goes..."well he's a good bloke you know...very spiritual...(and whatever else the 'expert' said just didn't seem to matter no more lol)

and I was like "what the??.."

I mean one would hope the pope was spiritual right?

...but to make a point of it!...how dumb it sounded

it's like establishing the fact that a fish can swim pretty good despite the water being just a bit too wet for it?

...and what a marvelous deduction of rediculousness!...and delightful aroundaboutness and supreme convenience...to be able to arrive at the heart of ourselves...

for WE ..individually?...are the most important being on this lively planet!

for?...before 'you' there was no 'you' just a possibility of 'you'...and after 'you' arrived there was nothing more than what just is until after a while 'you' become a "was" again...

the spiritual bit?....is....the "am"

cos "was" only makes sense after "is" happened

...and I probly "am" the only one who knows what I mean?

DM believe it or not, I actually followed that andI can dig it.

[Gaijin]

"Being spiritual is simply acknowledging that the body is more than squishy flesh and contains a soul or spirit if you will. That being said, the spirit is connected in some form (usually religion tries to put specifics here) to the rest of the living universe."

Yeah, I understand that, but don't accept it. No offense, just my personal belief.

There's no evidence that the mind -- our consciousness -- is anything other than a manifestation of the physical brain. Physical injury to the brain results in injury or loss of the mind. No one has ever measured or documented a soul or spirit; people only have the subjective impression that such may exist.

It's nice to think there might be something more -- and I'm not ruling out that there might be -- but I learned a long time ago that wanting something to be true is not the same thing as it's being true.

G: I understand. For me, I would probably have a harder time making the connection if I hadn't had some of the experiences in life that I have leading me to know that I have interacted with some energy forms that can't really be described.

To each their own. My point was more or less geared towards the OP for distinguishing the difference between religion and spirituality. G- what you describe above is a form of spirituality to me, but not religion obviously. Most people seem to think the two have to go together, and while they can go hand-in-hand it's not necessary. Maybe that makes better sense.

[Gaijin]

I suppose you could say that when I contemplate the depths of the universe, and the complexities of human behavior, I feel something akin to the spiritual. Because I can't really apply rationality or put words to it.

[Inedible]

My suggestion is to throw everything out and start over. Accept only what you can verify on your own and check to make sure that it is not based on assumptions or opinions. Let nothing go unexamined. Don't take anything from anyone without verifying it, no matter who says it. Set a course for yourself and follow it to the end.

[manioso]

Instead of a personal gain, whether it'll be this or that, start to do things without it. Without _any_ hidden reservations lurking in your mind. It's hard but not impossible. We are all one - act accordingly. This is only my belief of what being spiritual is and it works for me.

[starcruise]

Every day. All the time