It might be easier to begin with what spirituality is not. Spirituality is not a cult and it is not a product of brainwashing. It is not a religion. It is not even religious in nature. In fact, humanity’s religion is an attempt to be what spirituality is. Spirituality is not mired in dogma the way traditional religion is. Belief is the cornerstone of all of humanity’s religions whereas spirituality is actually the dissolution of all beliefs.
Spirituality is the pursuit and exploration of the true Self. It is a personal journey inward to discover who we really are. Of course I am not talking about discovering our hopes and dreams, or finding happiness through our life’s purpose. Those things will be a natural biproduct of the spiritual journey, but they are not what is ultimately sought. Spirituality probes the origin of all existence. It is the path to uncover that which makes up all life, the universe, the very nature of reality. Spirituality is the yearning for something greater than our egoic selves. It may start with such questions as: How can I be happy? What is the purpose of life? What happens when I die? These are common precursors to starting down the spiritual path. They open up a rabbit hole like none other, as Alice discovered.
There is a natural progression or evolution in personal and social development that takes places in intelligent life. I intend to go in depth in a future post, but its relevance here is noted. As our basic needs are met, more advanced ones take their place. As it turns out, when we no longer need to fight for our survival physically or socially we have more free time to ponder and muse on the existential nature of life. However, this isn’t to say that one equals the other. Someone with no worries financially, socially, or psychologically may not be ready for the spiritual journey. Conversely, someone struggling with hunger and homelessness has no time for meditation and contemplation. The evolution of our needs is only one factor to consider for the spiritual candidate, albeit a rather important one.
There are other factors that trigger the spiritual path which we may not be aware of, such as our karma. The western world misunderstands the concept of karma. Its simplified version of whatever you do comes back to you is a gross misrepresentation. Karma refers to our past lives. Who we have been and what we have experienced shape our present situation. The point of life is to discover our true nature by experiencing what we are and what we are not. This cannot be done in one lifetime. It cannot be done in ten lifetimes. In fact, it takes hundreds if not thousands to realize and embody the ultimate Truth. Our lives are a tool to experience and come to know this Truth. Everyone is in a different phase of their journey, thus some are ready for the spiritual path while others are not. One is not better than the other. Its just different perspectives of the whole.
Another factor to consider is grace. I am still exploring this concept, but I know that it is through grace that we come to this doorstep. We cannot make ourselves ready for spirituality because there is no us. There is no me to pull the levers, so-to-speak. Everything is just a happening. I didn’t decide to pursue spirituality. There was a sequence of innumerable events that led to it; of which I didn’t do. At the time, I certainly believed that it was me calling the shots, but now I see my folly. Grace is the movement of all things. There is an incomprehensible intelligence woven into the fabric of existence, and it initiates the spiritual path at the right time.
Humanity’s religion is an introductory attempt at spirituality. All religions are solely humanity’s religion because it is the same process unfolding. The outward difference is only a product of culture. Religion attempts to explain the manifestation of the Divine through human concepts and ideologies and using limited consciousness. The core filters it uses are good vs. evil and right vs. wrong. Religion also creates authority figures to oversee its laws, both in human and Divine form. From this place religion experiences reality. Spirituality works from a place of increased consciousness because one on the spiritual path knows that good, evil, right, and wrong are all just perspectives. How can anyone be wrong when they are only operating from what they know? In spirituality there is no authority because when one lives from a place of love and compassion there is no need to be kept in check. If you see everyone as yourself and you feel love for all of creation then you could never do anything hurtful.
While on the spiritual path, one inevitably deconstructs life and reality. This includes beliefs. It becomes apparent that our reality is made up of our beliefs. We believe we were born, we will die, we live on the planet Earth, there is a past and a future. We believe our brain is the source of consciousness, that science through measurements and explanations is discovering the universe, and most importantly, we believe that we exist. All of these are beliefs that we hold as truth. They shape the way we experience life. If we believe we can die, then we will be fearful of harming our physical body or of pain. Then we label it as bad and we avoid it. If we believe money is the key to our happiness then we will strive for and hoard it. This leads to behavior that doesn’t bring joy; sometimes quite the opposite. Then we regret our actions and life choices. We find ourselves unhappy and depressed and look for ways to mend or distract us from the misery.
Spirituality is solitary work; it is necessary to be isolated from others and in some cases, society. The reason for this is that in society we develop an identity relative to other people. In other words, our experiences are always compared to those of others and in differentiating we label those differences as me or mine. When we are alone we cannot be told how we should be or who we are. Through this process we make discoveries about our true nature. This is why we hear tales of sages and mystics going into the wild to live in a cabin or cave for years. In tribal cultures, it is common for young men to be sent away for a period of time so that they may discover who they are and return transformed into a man. It is also why the shaman or priest spends much time in solitary and or with nature.
Spirituality is a personal journey that all beings undergo. There isn’t a direct path and there certainly isn’t a right way. It’s a meandering of sorts until one is finished. Some get lost longer than others and some encounter more difficult terrain. All beings will discover their true nature eventually. Sort of like the way inland water will always find its way to the ocean.