Thursday, March 3, 2011

Re-define Spirituality

From "The Brain & The Soul" section of "Soul Pancake"

So this is a new one, ya'll. That is, this is one of the activities in the book that I haven't posted about yet. So here's a quick explanation of it: Soul Pancake gives you a word. The one I'm posting about today is "spirituality". The book gives you standard definitions and synonyms of that word.
  They also give you quotes about that word. Then you are supposed to re-define it your own way, using two columns: "Is" and "Isn't". So for this word, the columns are "Spirituality is" and "Spirituality isn't". I'm not going to type the quotes in here, but I'll type the given definitions for you before I do my re-define.

           Spirituality:
  1. of, relating to, consisting of, or affecting the spirit; incorporeal
  2. a.) of or relating to sacred matters  b.) ecclesiastical rather than lay or temporal.
  3. concerned with religious values
  4. related or joined in spirit
  5. a.) of or relating to supernatural beings or phenomena    b.) of, relating to, or involving spiritualism


Redefine: Spirituality

Spirituality Is

  • Personal
  • Something that makes you feel connected to whatever you believe in
  • One's personal quest to find connectedness, etc.
  • An exploration of life and its meanings
  • Something that can nurture your soul
  • Having to do with one's own personal values, morals, and beliefs

Spirituality Isn't

  • Necessarily equated with/dependent on religion
  • Religions texts and doctrines
  • Synonymous with religion or even faith
  • the same for everyone
  • Something that has strict rules or guidelines
  • Unchangeable


That's what I came up with for MY personal definition. This is what spirituality is for me. It may not be at all what it is for you. The biggest thing for me, I think, is that I definitely believe spirituality and religion, while they can sometimes be intertwined, are definitely NOT mutually inclusive. You can be spiritual and not at all religious (which is what I tend to be), and I believe it's also possible to be religious but not spiritual (that is, you can follow all the rules and traditions of a particular religion, go to the services, read the texts, and follow the doctrines, but not feel a spiritual connection). I also feel that spirituality and soul are very much connected, at least for me.

What do you think spirituality is and isn't? Leave a note in the comments!

-Beth

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