Defining Spirituality
While thinking over this past week, after Christmas and before
New Years, I was watching the news on all the New Years
traditions that the Southern United States still adheres to.
Things like eating greens for financial security in the coming
year, not taking your trash out on New Years for luck, and
black-eyed peas for something my great gramma used to tell me,
but I find myself forgetting. The South is full of
superstitions, as most places are, but I woke up this morning
thinking about those. I was wondering where they came from -
like the fear that if you sweep your house after dark, you'll
sweep your good luck away because you can't tell the difference
without the light - and I realized that some things are
universal, no matter the religion a person holds themselves
closest to.
When talking about spirituality, I try and focus on the common
grounds that all people who consider themselves spiritual share,
not unlike superstitions that cross regions, families, and
belief systems. I researched it online; I found that there are
two sects of people - those who believe spirituality is a part
of organized religion and those who believe spirituality is the
opposite of organized religion. I also found a startling amount
of similarities in all belief systems that can be classified as
spiritual. I may have missed some, but if I do, please point
them out in the comment section below.
Stories
I was reading about different beliefs this morning on
beliefnet.com, and I realized that all belief systems have a
love for stories. Most of the Bible is written in a story
format, and to see it translated into a contemporary version
makes you realize how true that is (Try The Word on the Street
or The Message Bible). This morning, I read a story from the
Dalai Lama about wisdom. In the parts of the Qu'ran I have read,
it was a storyline. The Native American tribes not only told
their stories, but acted them out with elaborate costumes and
music. Humanity has an awesome connection to the story, and even
as the smallest child, we beg to hear more. We soak up the
events that are relayed with not only a plot, but learning
character and morality by the experiences of others.
We, as a human race, are fixated on stories. We spend millions
and billions of dollars on cable TV, books of all sorts (novels,
biographies, poetry collections...) and then movies. Hollywood
makes money off of the telling and retelling of stories, and
then once it's off the big screen, we pay more money to rent or
own it. At campfires, after dark, people tell ghost stories. The
news has headline stories and stories of events that happened
and events that will happen. Your grandfather has his favorite
childhood story. Your mother tells you the story of when she
first fell in love.
Our hearts thrive on stories.
The Divine
Most people who consider themselves spiritual believe that there
is something bigger than humanity at work. Whether it is a god
or goddess, Mother Nature, or simply a belief in existential
energy, there is something much bigger. We don't just exist. We
weren't just an accident. We aren't just alone in this huge
world and even larger universe. There's a point and a reason for
life.
Worship
Whether meditation, praise in song, or taking a walk in nature,
nearly every belief system has a form of worship. There is
something deeply spiritual to feel a deeper connection with the
Divine. I was walking with my husband's step-mother recently,
who is Norse Pagan. She was explaining to me a bit about her
beliefs and she told me that even the act of being outside was
worship. Planting flowers was worship. Pruning and caring for
her prized jasmine plants was worship. She said that simply
connecting was enough. I thought that was vastly beautiful, and
found much of myself as a Christian in that description. I have
found myself singing internal praises at a beautiful sunset and
the feeling of connection to God is what my soul needed.
Something Bigger than Death
Most belief systems do not state that when your heart stops
beating, it's like the lights have gone out and that's the end
of the story. Actually, in many, that is simply the beginning.
Whether it be a life after death, reincarnation, or something
else - there's an explanation. A story. A continued role to
play. A reward or punishment. It doesn't just end.
Morality and Human Nature
I've found that most belief systems contain a code of morality
that seems to start much the way the oath doctors take: Do no
harm. There is also an explanation of human nature that
essentially describes our emotions to love and hate, to protect
and harm, to be generous and to be mean. There is also a focus
on becoming better than you were before. There is a growth
process built in to all this, and to some, spirituality is more
about the journey of growth than the simple existence of a
belief structure.
Prayer
The major religions of the world put a large focus on prayer and
meditation, but they don't have the monopoly on it. Many belief
systems contain a belief that a human can cry out to the Divine
and that prayer will be heard, and possibly answered. It's often
been said that as long as there are tests, there will be prayer
in school. Humorous though it may be, humans have a deep desire
to have something beyond themselves help them change
circumstances.
Supernatural Intervention and Miracles
And finally, the answers to prayers. The cancerous growth that
disappears before surgery. The car that narrowly missed you on
the way to work. Needing to stop for a band-aid and ending up
late for work the morning the twin towers fell. We all seem to
have a deep belief that we are not alone in this big mess of a
world. We all see things that we can't explain and we don't know
if we want to explain, but somehow, it ended up the way we hoped
it would. We read about them in Reader's Digest, we hear them
from people we meet at work, and friends tell about them in
hushed awe-stricken tones over the phone. The supernatural at
work is something that keeps us all going, and heaven knows
humanity needs that much.