What is spirituality?

Spirituality can broadly be defined as that which relates to spirit or the soul, yet is at the same time also an area that is so vast that it can essentially only truly be defined by individual experience. However it is a question that I am asked so frequently, that I have elected to join the ranks of thousands of authors, teachers, psychologists, sociologists, theologians, counselors and scientists the world over, in an attempt to define spirituality.

Despite the fact that many of the existing texts and teachings on things spiritual are written and conducted by exceptionally attuned and wise teachers, one needs to acknowledge too that they can, at best, only share their knowledge, their wisdom, their experiences, their discoveries and their truths. Through no failings of their own, none of them have the capacity to teach spirituality. I believe that the reason for this is simply that spirituality cannot be boxed - it is neither quantifiable nor containable, and is experiential rather than conceptual, which in essence renders it "learnable" through experience, but unteachable.

My personal experience of spirituality is that it has come from within, and that Source energy, Universal energy, life force and God energy are one and the same. It is pure, positive, invigorating, effervescent and joyful energy that flows in abundance to anybody who is open to it. It is about learning to open all channels to flow this energy maximally at all times, and in so doing, blending with it, becoming one with it, and living it.

Examined in finer detail, it encompasses the following:

• It is a creative experience of inner exploration.
• It is about becoming reacquainted and realigning oneself with Source energy.
• It is about communing and blending with the eternal and higher part of one's being, which is, and always will be, spirit.
• It is about acquiring wisdom through experience.
• It is about flowing and utilising Source energy to create the world one desires.
• It is about taking responsibility for one's choices and their consequences.
• It is about liberating oneself from limiting beliefs.
• It is about expanding one's horizons and raising one's awareness.
• It is about being sovereign; and accessing, utilising and relying one's own guidance.
• It is about and finding one's own truths and being true to oneself.
• It is about moving beyond the personality and becoming conscious of who one truly is.
• It is about embodying and expressing the inherently joyful, loving, prosperous and abundant energy of one's spiritual being.
• It is about turning adversities into blessings.
• It is about loving self enough to be of value to all.
• It is about having the courage to confront that which one is not.
• It is about abandoning judgment and promoting unity at all levels.
  
• And it is about recognising and valuing one's inextricable connection to the whole.

Spirituality is a never-ending journey, and one that unquestionably requires courage, dedication and commitment. While it is not necessarily an easy journey at times, it is often in the face of adversity that one's soul makes its greatest evolutionary strides, and the wisdom and experience gained along the way is immeasurable. It is a journey where worlds open up at every turn, where one begins to comprehend the vastness and infinite nature of the whole. It is one that provides sure access to the powerful and uplifting nature of Source energy. It is a joyful journey where one blends with the Universe in an endless loop of exhilaration and stimulation. And I believe it is the key to true liberation.
Copyright © Carine Rudman 2002. All Rights Reserved. http://www.soulfuture.com