Spirituality is recognising that we are all connected to each other and to a higher force that is greater than anything we can imagine. A powerful connection that is grounded in love and gratitude, with conscious growing, deepening, evolving and becoming a living reflection of our spiritual identification.
FAITH
Spirituality and faith come in as many forms as there are people to contemplate. Both religion and spirituality recognise the existence of a higher spirit and the pursuit of sacredness. Religion is based on creeds, doctrines and beliefs about the cause and nature of God, in a closed organised system. Spirituality is an individual process of introspection and contemplation, encouraging a free thinking mind, with authenticity and personal responsibility.
“Spiritual knowing will never have a written understanding.” ~ Pamela Leigh Richards
Faith means reconnecting with the infinite source of love, inspiration and empowerment; the sacred connection with our divine spirit, the source of all creation and the foundation of our consciousness. Seeing ourselves from the perspective of the inner spirit will help us to remember why we are here and what we came here to be.
CONSCIOUSNESS
Expanding our consciousness is the prime goal for mastering spiritually and becoming aware of our higher purpose in this evolution of time. Awareness brings wisdom and empowers us to merge the energy of the soul with that of the personality. When both operate from a higher perspective, they create harmony and balance. Consciousness is grounding in our spirit by becoming real and one with our individual nature, realising that we are part of a divine creation.
Practicing spirituality brings a sense of perspective, meaning and purpose to our lives. ~ Brené Brown
Energetically thriving to feel balanced in our body, mind and spirit is one of the basic concepts of spirituality. Dedicating time and energy in all of them equally, is the best investment we can make, for ourselves and for whatever flows out of it. It is a process of reaching for authenticity, personal truth and moving beyond life’s drama.
EGO
Being spiritual does not mean resisting the ego because the mind is part of our personality. It is neither good nor bad, it just is. It becomes a burden if we identify ourselves with the ego and believe that we are our thoughts. When we use the mind in a non-attached and sensible way, it starts working for us. The ego is what keeps us grounded in our humanness and defines our uniqueness. The spirit would not be able to manifest itself without the ego (personality), that drives us to act upon the heart’s desires. Creating a sensible blending of the mind and soul gives us a genuine experience of a spiritual being in a human body.
“The ego is not to be pushed away and erased but embraced. Leggo my ego.” ~ Sierra Goodman
MASTERY
Living a spiritual life is recognising the sacred in every moment by paying attention to our breath and feel the Earth beneath our feet; by seeing the light in someone’s eyes and being aware of the beauty that is all around us. It is a conscious practice of looking, feeling, touching, thinking and communicating. Every act, every breath and every step we make, is a practice to become more aligned with who we are.
“Action is the most spiritual path we can take.”
~ Elizabeth Peru
Mastery can be achieved by focussing on solidarity, simplicity and to the inner spark that makes our heart beat. Arising from being in touch with our divine light and spirit, and by feeling connected to what is happening within and without our spectrum. We master ourselves by accepting the force of life and as part of human existence. We learn through change because change implies movement, movement holds growth and growth means evolution.
HEALTH
Physical and mental ailments are often part of a spiritual journey, encouraging us to look within and heal what is not working for us any longer, or accept what is. Caroline Myss, an intuitive teacher and pioneer in diagnosing ailments on an energy level, says: “No medical intervention can heal you until our spirit has begun to make the changes that the illness was designed to inspire.” Her book Anatomy of the Spirit has inspired many people around the world, including myself, to look deeper into the meaning of illness.
ENJOY
In thriving to master spiritual awareness, we can become too severe and lack a playfulness to enjoy the journey of life. For a child, playing is the ultimate spiritual practice, as adults, we seem to have forgotten this. However, we still carry this inner child within us that likes to play and be free. When we allow ourselves to be more playful, our energy will become lighter, which has a positive effect on the way we communicate with the Universe.
So let’s lighten up and enjoy life’s adventure!
“Innocence is the base of all spirituality.” ~ Osho
Beautifully signposted words for JOY Xx
Thank you so much Ian for your kind words!
Love and Joy to you ツ ♡
My dear Monique !!! you have said it all …it would be useless for me to attempt a comment , since you have explained it and made it so clear …i have very little educated knowledge , but i fully agree with “spirituality” and the connection to the Universe…i’m not a “religious” person , so for me this is the only way …but i have a long way to understanding it better and your help is invaluable to me on this journey !
I thank you for your great work , my wise and beautiful Friend ! …. Love and Blessings <3
Thank you Gabriela, for your generous and kind words. I’ve attempted to explain the essence of what Spirituality means to me. As for many it is a unidentified concept, but for me it is what makes me grounded in my spirit, as it connects me to who I really am.
I truly believe that ‘awareness’ of ourselves is more important than knowledge or education of what it means. There are no rules or conviction like with religion, as we all follow our own individual path.
Perhaps, without being aware of it, you have been practicing since you were born. I know you do it so well, with the wisdom of an experienced soul!!
Love and Blessings to you dear friend!! _/|\_
Monique, you’ve given a clear and comprehensive definition of spirituality. I particularly like what you said about the ego, which differs from the presentation by many organized religions that want to squelch the ego. You make the point that it is “neither good, nor bad. It just is,” and that’s a healthy way of viewing it. I also like your thoughts on the connection between health and spirituality. I’m going to revisit that Myss book. Thanks for your beautiful perspective on spirituality.
Thank you so much Catherine for your beautiful comment! I really believe that declining our ego (personality) is like declining our human existence. We rather need to find a productive and balanced way to co-operate with our heart and soul. Thank you for emphasising!!
I love Caroline Myss, she does an amazing job with her medical intuitive capabilities, by translating physical challenges into mental and emotional issues.
Thank you once again for your reflection and appreciation! _/||\_
Monique, a beautiful blog once again and thank you. So many things of which you have written I found deeply resonating within me. I join Catherine in what she has said about the ego. After all it cannot be got rid of, it is simply part of us, neither good nor bad. Just there. However, like us, it too can get ‘out of control’ periodically, and in my opinion it is always good to be aware of this….how the mind (ego) likes to try and overrule the heart (ie soul). This is where we then so often go wrong. I loved what I once read which threw light onto the soul and the ego. It said something like “Ego is always in a hurry, demanding it has its own way. Soul never tries to overrule it. Ego knows its time is limited, whereas soul is in no hurry….it has all the time in the world….. eternity”! 🙂
My love and thanks dear friend. ❣ ♡ ❣
Thank you Karen dear for your lovely comment! Yes, I totally agree with your statement about the Ego, which does tend to get out of control sometimes. When we become ‘aware’ of this mechanism, we realize how it does not serve us very well. These feelings and experiences make us cautious from happening again and again. Not always easy to follow through, although I believe we are all capable of finding a good balance eventually. Our inner state of peacefulness tells us how we are doing. ツ
I Love your additional saying about the Ego being in a hurry. That makes so much sense and explains a lot why the mind always wants everything to happen faster, sooner, better, etc. Thank you for this, I will remember this… . ღ(◠‿◠)ღ
Much Love to you dear friend and thank you for your valuable input!! _( ♡ )_