Spirituality is a basic human need that I believe ALL people have, along with physiological, emotional, social needs, etc.

I have commented a lot about reprogramming your thoughts, finding new beliefs and friends, and discovering your emotions, but finding new spirituality as a postmormon is above them all and even includes them all.

This is why finding a higher power (even if it's "nature" or "the universe") is the very first step of most recovery programs. And recovery is exactly what I and most of us need after all the losses and anxiety of rapid change in every area of my life all at once.

I have noticed a lot of folks on forums getting turned off by spirituality, myself included, when we continue to define it by our old associations--that it must be found in a religion or involve the spacey New Age stuff that science contradicts.

Not only CAN anyone be develop their own spirituality whether atheists or Christian still, but I think it might be one of the absolute most effective and life-changing things we can do during our transition out. I threw the baby away with the bathwater when I left the church and suffered for it, feeling without purpose or clarity ion my life--the exact things spirituality helps to develop.

It's a matter of HOW, something that is obviously best done in a self-directed manner, choosing among the available options out there for spiritual beliefs and philosophy, study, practices, and maybe even community, and trying them out over time in an intuitive search for what works for you.



What I believe would be helpful is identifying and grouping these common elements of spirituality to help make sense out of the search. From what I can tell from the 5-10 general books on spirituality I am diving into for book research, its general components seem to be:

* Finding/Clarifying Your mission and purpose

* Your identity and increased self-awareness

* Your deepest values

* Your beliefs and philosophies that help

* Your Spiritual practices

* Feeling Connectedness with something higher

* Developing spiritual traits and consciousness

So while everyone's spiritual path is different (and I'm sure some on this board may cry out that I'm trying to lump everyone into the same category or definition) from what I can tell, spiritual paths seem to have these general, common elements for each of us human beings to consider and try strategies for on our own.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/12/2011 04:24PM by athreehourbore.

I "feel" that there is something out there greater than me...I don't know what it is exactly...at this time of year, when I hear Handel's Messiah, O Holy Night or Ave Maria, I know that something very special influenced the composers of this glorious music...

I have been through the same as you are going through....I am still going through it.

Spirituality is difficult to define for me now. I used to have handbooks and trite sayings in mormonism that built a false sense of security in my desire for god to be real.....resurreucted body of flesh and bone....and all that type of "knowledge".

Having had my entire belief system wiped clean and destroyed...I am left with my value system. I believe in my values now but some I am revisiting and modifying. I value spirituality but only can define it in the simplist of terms.

I like what the Dalai Lama said, "My religion is kindness."

I have been studying some of his teachings and find that the idea of no church or organization or priesthood is attractive to me.

So my idea of spirituality is just kindness.

The word spirit speaks of the innermost and purest essence of anything---the best of something distilled to it's most concentrated and potent strength, that when tapped in to, can be accessed to enhance understanding, enlightenment and love.

There are myriad sources for this experience from beauty to vastness to interconnectedness, but they all lead to one thing--that which makes you feel connected to a whole, especially a whole with a purpose and a future.

We feel most spiritual when we feel not only connected to this whole, but also when we feel like we ourselves are enhancing the whole through our own connection with it. It's when "the whole is a whole lot greater that the sum of its parts".

It is not necessary to know what this "whole" is and the connection is its own reward. The spirituality is recognizing on a deep and wordless level "what is what".

That is my personal definition of spirituality.

This may be a double post as something weird happened the first time. If so, sorry! :-)

This is the closest I've seen my own feelings of spirituality described. You said in a way I've been struggling to get to. It gave me chills to read it. Thank you!

Awesome

Thank you

I find the unfolding mysteries of how the Universe functions, and the infinite unknowns, far more compelling than a pre-packaged set of answers which seem to be written for preschoolers or primitive people.

spirituality to me means peace of mind.

somehow when i'm at peace with myself and others, i feel somewhat more connected with nature and with my fellow human beings.

the only way i have achieved peace of mind, is by accepting the random, whatever comes my way. it doesn't mean i agree or volunteer for pain, but fighting something i have no control it seems a waste of time.

to me, spirit = love.

Spirituality is the term given to emotions and feelings that you decide you want to attribute to a mythical person rather than manning up and taking responsibility for your own life.

Spirituality=being moved by great art or music. Or reaching a deep new awareness (this could be physical, emotional, or mental).

Spirituality could be having having a peak or extreme flow experience. I believe it's what performers experience. I'm guessing it's what an athlete feels when they are in "the zone", or when a Buddhist meditates, or a yogi does their thing.

Recently I was at a museum and stood in front of a painting by Van Gogh, and was absolutely overwhelmed. I could barely fight back the tears, and I didn't even know why I had that reaction. I can't even remember the painting now (maybe Daisies?), but the feeling was definitely the same as the occasional "feeling the spirit" in church.

I think some things just reach a different part of our brains that moves us emotionally and "spiritually", and that's a good place for me. Religion was rather ineffective in getting me to that state of mind, but it did happen on rare occasions.

Agree. I have a hard time defining it - but I know when I'm experiencing it.

I guess a feeling of being "at one" with the universe (which doesn't really describe it either).

When you see a work of art, especially impressionism, it is also a deep communication from the artist. Not everyone speaks that language, but there are times your spirituality will connect you for an instant with the artist deepest parts and everyone else who has ever been touched and connected by the same. It can be overwhelming. Something deep inside you "got it".

I believe that is a possibility. I'm sure some would think I'm nuts, but I like to believe in that kind of spiritual cognizance.
The only danger is adding in a diety.

I agree. I heard Chic Corea play a few sets a week ago. The whole thing was a "spiritual" experience. I laughed, I cried, I reflected. It was transformative and life-affirming.

It's an emotional response/a feeling that is positive to some situation, or belief, or condition, or experience.
It is not restricted to a religious belief. Not in the least.

In fact, religion constricts the ability to have the emotional response/feeling to some situation. A person is far more likely to have the experience outside the realm of religion.

Hot sex. Tantra.

The alchemy of pleasures high and low.