My experience of spirituality is as a Christian. I like the concept of spirituality because it is universal and unifying. Since being a young child I have been aware of God, initially through looking at the night sky with a sense of wonder and infinity. As a Christian leader, I read portions of the Bible each day and pray. This guides my life and shapes the person that I am. I also speak in tongues which is an amazing phenomena, under my control, with words that I do not make up and which also help to bring me clarity in thinking and peace. It is as described in the New Testament and many ordinary people, I know pray in this way. It is particularly useful and inspiring when I just do not know how to pray about a particular situation. I hope this is useful. All the best with your research

Rightly said Angela Austin , Spirituality is universal and unifying, the instruments used to realise it may, however, vary across cultures and religions. Thank you very much for your candid reply.

I agree with both responses above; re: universal and unifying. I will add this: I am on the board of an organization seeking to study the experiences and impacts of spirituality with children. (The Society for Children's Spirituality: Christian Perspectives) We hold a biennial gathering (Children's Spirituality Summit) where we continue to grapple with this concept of spirituality and how children are engaged and impacted (for our purpose, this is specifically tied to "Christian" spirituality). Spirituality is esoteric in that it is obviously hard to pin down a concrete definition; however, from my own experiences, the results of participating in spiritual practices "with" children is very visible and life-changing. (Notice that I say "with" children . . . spirituality is not something done "to" or "for" us. We, those involved with our society, have discovered that spiritual "formation" applies in deeper ways as it is experienced "with.") The best definition of "spirituality" that I find myself using over and over again is to say that spirituality is "creating space" for virtues such as reverence - holiness - wonder. (perhaps see works by Parker Palmer and Paul Woodruff) I find it interestingly unsettling that spirituality is the aim of most "religions" yet not tied to any particular "religious" worldview (aka universal and unifying). I also find it of interest that spirituality is not religious indoctrination; however, when "creating space" (for spirituality) is woven into healthy forms of religious indoctrination, it invites us into deeper mysteries of faith . . . and I believe, makes us universally better human beings seeking to live together in this place called earth.

“Religion is for people who are afraid of going to hell. Spirituality is for those who’ve already been there.” – Vine Deloria, Jr.

I am writing my dissertation on unique spiritual aspects of substance abuse recovery. When asked about spirituality all participants mentioned some form of a higher power. The practice of spirituality varied. One person found gardening and working with flowers to be spiritual. I find mowing my yard to be spiritual. I am focused on the yard and my mind quiets itself from all of my self-imposed noise. A Native American found the sweat lodge to be spiritual. He said, “When the flap on the tent closes everybody is equal.” This man may have summed up spirituality best. To me it is a relationship with your God, where all people have value and worth. That is the easy part, how spirituality looks... that is the tough part.

Trevecca Okholm , I like the definition of spirituality as creating space for virtues. I must appreciate your point that spirituality is not religious indoctrination; however, when "creating space" (for spirituality) is woven into healthy forms of religious indoctrination, it invites us into deeper mysteries of faith and makes us better human beings. I also thank you for acquainting me with children spirituality.

Wildon Mitter what an explanation of spirituality. To start with, the quotation you have chosen aptly describes the importance of spirituality. Next, the various manifestations of spirituality that you have chosen to explain it are really praiseworthy. Thank you very much, sir.

I think that there are specific and general understandings of "spirituality" depending on one's religious tradition (or lack of same) and on context.

Often, the word is used in an attempt to be inclusive - i.e. to refer to all religious traditions and to individual "non-religious" meaning-making.

Sometimes it is used in terms of the "spiritual but not religious" sense - i.e. referring to the intent of certain practices that are intended to promote wellbeing and a sense of meaning but are not essentially connected to any religious tradition.

John C Carr thank you for your response. Your observation, " Sometimes it is used in terms of the "spiritual but not religious" sense - i.e. referring to the intent of certain practices that are intended to promote wellbeing and a sense of meaning but are not essentially connected to any religious tradition", connotes that religion is still an important ingredient of spirituality. You also state that religious tradition plays an important role in understanding spirituality. True sir, we can not outrightly reject religion.

To give an all encompassing definition of spirituality I would have to include many things that we do not usually count as spiritual. For me, spirituality is anything that is not material. Thus all qualia are aspects of spirituality. All human experience is thus a combination of material and spiritual elements.

In this understanding, the place of religion is to provide a framework within which to safely encounter the more usual aspects of spirituality. To many who have had a Near Death Experience, where the spiritual becomes unavoidably real, religious practices are no longer meaningful, they have encountered unfiltered spirit and found it delightful, or at least most have, some have encountered the negative side of spirit and found it terrifying. But no matter how it is experienced, the existence of a spirit realm is exceedingly well documented and supported by experimentation. Such things as Psi and Remote Viewing have been repeatedly tested and passed with flying colors, regardless of some attempts to debunk the experiments. One of my favorite debunking attempts involves someone running, unseen, some 600 yards across a college campus during the school year, sneaking unseen into a full classroom during a lecture and looking through a transom that would not be installed for another 10 years in order to falsify results of an experiment. That is a summation of an actual debunking claim, with relevant factual details added.

William Mayor , Thanks for your intellectual insight coupled with the details of the experiment. One good observation that you have made is that- anything that is not material is spiritual. Thank you, sir.

Man is triune. He is body, soul and spirit. You do not have to be a Christian to have an esoteric experience spiritually. Non Christians have esoteric experience all the time. For example: 1. The birth of a child . 2. A graduation from high school. 3. Getting married for the first time. etc. All these things give esoteric feelings that has nothing to do with being a Christian. Some non-Christians also engage in smoking, drinking, perverted sex, and drugs that they claim gives them an esoteric experience. Man's spirit is separated from God and until man becomes born again he will never be able to experience the true esoteric of his life until he is in fellowship once again with God. That is why man may say things like "I'm going through hell" or "I've been to hell" or "life is hell". The reason man feels this way is because his spirit is separated from God and until his spirit becomes born again he is going to feel depressing emotions that leads to smoking, drinking, perverted sex and drugs. Man wants a new spirit but he is seeking avenues that destroys the spirit rather than help it. Do not be amazed that I think man needs to be born again of the spirit. Jesus thought so too (St. John 3:3). I was born a sinner, but as a child I accepted Jesus as my savior, I was baptized in water and became born again. When I attended college I was baptized in the Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. I am a missionary who firmly believes that there is a hell, but no one experiences it unless they die naturally and from what I read about it you don't want to go there. It is worst than what you go through on earth. While you are alive and have your breath, I suggest that you seek to be born again of the spirit. God Bless.

Faith Bays , you have brought out a very good perspective of the man being triune- Body, soul and spirit.

Spirituality: It is generally the sensing force of the soul that is inherent in the body and contains energies through which its bearer communicates with the external world with what the natural person cannot communicate with, and this sensing force is divided into several sections (insight, hearing and cardiac feeling) and there are some people who call Spirituality is the state of communication with the other world, not from the internal premise that the owner of spirituality holds, but they refer to what they receive from the outside world. Hence it is observed that it is the energy of the inner spirit, as spirituality has to do with the same inner spirit and what it contains from the sensing sections, which are the tools for communicating with the external world, so it is then determining the characteristic of the recipient and the person's sense of what is behind the blocking and capabilities in the sensory implementation of the other world. And when we say that this person has (spirituality), that is, his ability to communicate and the power of insight and receive information beyond blocking, spirituality is only for people who have enlightened spiritual energies, which are essentially a blessing from God to pay off and guide God’s friends (PBUH). We may ask why the non-loyal person possesses some spirituality or has the ability to use its various tools. The answer is that the truth of the soul has a purity that allows it to use the tools of communication with the other world, but the environment in which the individual lives affects the soul and distorts him many facts because of what the environment added to him In which he lives and the false religions or beliefs that arose on him, and if this person is found in a suitable environment, the facts of his soul develop and strongly feel what is behind the blocking. On the other hand, spirituality is a close adjective to the truth of the purity of the soul, which is its fertile soil, and it is the opposite of all evil in the inner spirit, which cannot grow alongside sensors beyond blocking, so we see that some people are charged with communicating with the other world to obtain answers to cases that need treatment, because Their souls did not reach a level sufficient to enable them to use one of the spiritual tools. They need a spiritual development program in order to be able to use the tools automatically and without cost.

Thank you فاضل عاشور عبد الكريم for your esoteric explanation. Feeling a sense of spirituality within is relatively much easier than Understanding its meaning. As a means of communication with the external world, it lets us understand the (trivial) nature of reality. When we start contemplating the meaning and purpose of our life, we should thank almighty as spirituality has knocked at the door of our life.

I value all the answers. But I would add that spirituality can be the inspiration to the deepest meaning of life. It is what inspires us to direct and organise thoughts and actions into a chosen coherence and godward direction..

Thank you very much Mary Grey for your succinct and precise meaning of spirituality. It indeed plays a very crucial role in understanding the meaning and purpose of life and propelling us towards fulfilling it.

Thankyou. Some will say - "What does this add, if I do these things anyway?" I think that to have a coherent direction adds not only purpose and energy in what we do, but a sense of communion with others who share this direction.

Mary Grey , I would love to know more about your second sentence " a sense of communion with others who share this direction."

Adherence to what God wanted and made obligatory in this world will lead you to the path of divine perfection

الاقتراب الى الله بما يرضيه والابتعاد عن معاصيه.

وسن عبد علي عطية الخفاجي شكرا جزيلا لك. تمكننا الروحانية من الاقتراب من الله وبالتالي تجعلنا بالتأكيد نرتكب أخطاء أقل.

A "sense of communion with those who share this direction" is fundamental. We don't need to meet or even be in explicit contact, but the knowledge that others share our spirituality gives a strength and a deepening of our direction, Also a sense of contact with Jesus as we seek to embody his vision of life and the Divine.

Although, Mary Grey, a sense of contact with the Buddha or other key religious figures would be, for adherents of those forms of spirituality, equivalent to "contact with Jesus as we seek to embody his vision of life and the Divine. "

I agree. One key development is how we share insights from other faiths: it is vital to learn how we can strengthen each other without losing the uniqueness of the particular faith.