The Spiritual Journey

Although many people confuse religion with spirituality and they have been analytically used by both the church and scientists interchangeably, there is a fundamental difference between them.  In fact, much of today’s literature argues that religion is the conventional institution and spirituality is the subjective experience of individuals that is often associated with conventional religious rituals and other practices.  Due to their relationship however, the distinction between the two is still a bit obscure or “fuzzy.”

Nevertheless, if one accepts spirituality as the concept of individuals subjectively understanding themselves in relation to both physical and meta-physical concepts such as self, others, the planet, the cosmos, GOD, and the like,  then one must also accept that this understanding is a result of porcess or a journey upon which individuals embark to reach that understanding.  Some call this journey The Spiritual Journey, The Spiritual Path, or The Path to Enlightenment.

Whatever the name given to this journey of understanding or quest for truth, it seems that many people, if not all, are on one.  Recent studies show that many people identify themselves as spiritual even without identifying as religious or with the conventional religious institution (Roof 1993; Hout & Fischer 2002; Marler & Hadaway 2002).  While writing my dissertation, I also found a fair number of cases that fit the “spiritual but not religious” category.

Studies such as these support that an overwhelming number of people are in some way shape or form understanding themselves in a spiritual way, which then indicates they either have undertaken or are in the process of undertaking a journey of understanding.

In his book Man In Search of Meaning (1946) Victor Frankl argues that humans are always in search of the meaning life holds.  He concludes that the meaning of life is found in every moment of living; life never ceases to have meaning, even in suffering and death.  He also concludes that faith is important not just for the prisoners he monitored but for all people in terms of maintaining the spiritual self.

Social scientists, particularly those who embrace post-modernism, have identified at least three dimensional qualities that are reflective of the understanding of self that is related to the spiritual journey.  They argue that values and beliefs, transcendence, and connectedness, are all qualities that grow out of seeking understanding of self and meaning in one’s life.  First, the term spirituality refers to values and beliefs, often connected to a formalized religious set of doctrines (Prest & Keller, 1993) but can also refer to simply contemplating or holding existential values and beliefs (Kilpatrick & Holland, 1990).  In other words, this cognitive dimension of spirituality can involve beliefs about the meaning of life, the nature of reality, the experience of death and dying, or a number of others beliefs.

Second, there exists a metaphysical, mystical, or transcendent element (D. A. Anderson & Worthen, 1997; Prest & Keller, 1993; West, 1997) that moves beyond cognitive or rational explanations for the occurrence of spiritual phenomena to the experiential realm where faith is often the only viable explanation for a given phenomenon. In other words, there is an element of spirituality that is “beyond the human capacity to analyze or explain” (D. A. Anderson & Worthen, 1997, p. 4). Faith or trust, as a way of knowing, is an act of the will and consists of believing something to be true or of believing that something happened or will and can happen despite a lack of objective evidence. Thus, the metaphysical element of spirituality refers to the distinctively personal experience and exercise of faith.

Finally, the term spirituality involves an experience of connection (Walsh, 1998). Spirituality can be experienced as a sense of connectedness with another person or persons, nature, and/or God. Buber (as cited in West, 1997) explained the sense of connection inherent in spirituality by contrasting the “I/It” relationship with the “I/Thou” relationship. The “I/It” relationship is the experience of “the other as different from oneself, as something of an object” (p. 293). In contrast, the “I/Thou” relationship involves the experience of “one-ness” with the other. The “one-ness” emerges out of the relationship, forming something greater than the sum of its parts (Murr, 2001). Murr referred to this experience of “one-ness” as “spiritual communion” (p. 42).

It seems apparent from the literature that spirituality can be conceptualized as a multidimensional construct consisting of cognitive, metaphysical, and relational dimensions. Spirituality, found to result in the experience of resilience or the ability to overcome and succeed during times of distress and challenge (Walsh, 1998), consists of the same three dimensions. Spirituality that results in resilience involves finding meaning in adherence to a set of larger beliefs and values, as well as the exercise of faith as a way of knowing (Walsh, 1998). Furthermore, Aponte (1998) suggested that it is the experience of connectedness that promotes healing and change in people’s lives. Thus, resilient spirituality comprises cognitive, metaphysical, and relational dimensions.

It is the understanding that the spiritual journey is the avenue by which people develop their subjective version of these dimensions that has brought the L.I.F.E. Support Program into being.  The program is dedicated to assisting individuals in their spiritual journey in a way that will help them reach their fullest potential along that journey by providing them tools that have been utilized for thousands of years by ancient civilizations and mystics.

Contact the Ministry of Limitless Ideas for a Free Environment (L.I.F.E.) at www.theminitryoflife.org for more information.

The Healing Journey: The first step

I just dug out some of the journals I kept when I was intensely into my healing process. While I was doing the hard work of digging through my past traumas, cleansing my body of toxins, and basically redefining myself, some spectacular realizations came to me and, as is my way, I wrote. And wrote. And filled many journals with my writings. I’ll share them here in the hope that they may be of some support to others who are seriously on the path to wholeness and integration. It’s not an easy path to walk alone. I offer these periodic writings as solace to fellow travelers.

I committed these particular writings to paper upon embarking on the process of delving into self-limiting patterns, planted in early childhood yet stunting my ability to live in the fullness of freedom and joy, with my mentor/teacher/therapist while I was studying holistic therapy and bodywork. I surrendered myself to the process of uncovering memories, facing the worst of them, coming to peace with them. In doing so, I came to peace with who I was at that present time (about 6 years ago) and began to embrace the freedom to choose how I wanted to proceed into a future of my own design. These notes chronicle the work of shedding of the past I had carried into my present, my rebirth as it were into myself, more whole.

At that particular time, I had just begun to look outside the confines of the church for spiritual sustenance, so in the writings you’ll see a melding of Christianity and the ancient path of yoga, which seemed to be the next step placed before me. The writings speak for themselves regarding that natural evolution, so I’ll not comment on them further here.

It is my sincere hope that in the poetry and pathos, the discovery of the brilliance of the pure self will provide some help, some virtual companionship for anyone reading who is discovering their own brilliance through healing. It is the path of love which transforms wounds into peace.

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Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Drink Peace

peaceful body, peaceful mind, peaceful living,
peaceful planet, peaceful future

In a world of conflict, a collective cry for peace is answered.

We have seen, as individuals and as a race, enough devastation in our lifetimes. From the razing of the rainforest, toxicity in the food chain, to the ravages of disease and poverty. It’s stressful, but what, we ask, can one person do? Where can we find the strength to make a change?

The answer is in each other.

Each individual prayer for healing, strength, stability and sanity weaves with others. So many of us have yearned for healing in body, for peace of mind, for a way to survive without working ourselves to the point of not enjoying life. We crave well-being on all levels. That common yearning has reached critical mass.

Something big is happening. The world around us is changing. We are changing, too. A revolution has begun, and people everywhere are realizing that they can reclaim their power. Unlike the sweeping changes in consciousness of the 1960s, this is a quiet revolution. It begins with the recognition that within ourselves is the power to heal. The power to create the life we want to enjoy. The power to help others create life-enhancing changes in their lives. And so change the world.

Many have found themselves facing the breakdown of physical integrity, the medical establishment unable to provide help or hope. Or they’ve reached the limit of what they can offer their families through traditional employment. And stress begins to take its toll. But within each person is the power to choose to step out of that reality, if even for a moment to take a deep breath and say, “There is a better way, and I’m on it.” Ask for the opportunity to change to come to you. It will. And as that little spark of inspiration is shared, it grows. You feel better. Your family feels better. Your friends feel better. As each person shares a tiny part of the secret to glowing vitality, that vitality pours into their lives in myriad ways. Count your blessings every day, and you’ll be counting higher and higher.

Take, for example, the treasure offered in the tiny acai berry from Brazil. It’s the latest buzzword in nutrition, but why? The berry is so nutritious that the natives who live in the shade of its tree depend on it for maintaining their health. Babies are weaned on it, the ill are nursed to health on it, and not a meal is served without it. In this community, there is little evidence of cancer or of debilitating dis-ease. There is radiant health, even for those well into their 60s, 70s and beyond. The word is out, and people all over the world are hungry for the benefits of this tiny powerhouse of nourishment. Those who live in the shade of the acai palm are ready to share. Rather than see the precious Amazonian jungle cut down as it has been to satisfy the gluttony of the cattle and soy industries, the berry harvesters serve and preserve the forest and a way of life. Thousands upon thousands of acres of pristine rainforest have already been saved from the bulldozer, set aside to encourage the growth of this wild, succulent fruit. Berries are harvested sustainably and the environment is preserved. People are employed without having to leave their families or communities. Resources have been poured back liberally into the area, into the poorest sections of Brazil. Now their children have a safe place to play and learn. Young men have a place to find purpose and start a life with hope and empowerment. Women have access to education, to escape a stifling system of poverty. Truly this is an answer to a collective prayer for life to continue and thrive for those who have seen it steadily stripped away from them. Now they are empowered, and the key to that empowerment was with them all along.

And the empowerment is spreading. Now people everywhere are getting healthier thanks to this nutritionally dense superfood. Start talking with people who drink this wildcrafted elixir. You’ll hear stories of enhanced vitality, better sleep, resolution of physical issues and greater overall well-being. They’ll likely tell you they feel calmer, more alive, more at peace with themselves than they ever imagined. They’re taking care of themselves. Nourishing their bodies and minds. Avoiding “necessary” surgery, prescription drugs, or other undesirable treatments. And many doctors are drinking the juice themselves. Physician, heal thyself!

As within, so without. Change your internal environment, and your external environment will follow course. Giving yourself the bounty of life-enhancing whole foods, clean water, and an abundance of phytonutrients will naturally nurture every other aspect of your life. As you share with others, so the cycle of empowerment, well-being and joy continues.

True wealth doesn’t just mean a healthy bank account; it encompasses the full spectrum of vitality, abundance, comfort, resources – and the means to enjoy it. It means living in peace of mind and body, having the peace of well-being to create the kind of life you want to live, not the existence you have to endure. It comes from knowing that the source of your peace comes from feeling good, and that the secret to feeling good is in a body in balance. Share it. It feels good.

This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.