Human life is a path into the unknown. How to walk along it and where to arrive. who to choose as travel companions, what to focus on, so that the result of the journey meets expectations and bestows upon us the rewards and gifts we deserve. How to distinguish real valuable life gifts from fake ones.
In this article we will try to reveal the depth of the concept of spirituality and realize that it is the light that illuminates the traveler’s path in the darkness and twilight on the beaten roads of life, the energy that gives him the strength to move on when there are almost none left. We will talk about what riches within us can be illuminated by this light and characterize each of them in order to answer the question: “What is the spiritual path?”
What is spirituality
Whether we like it or not, our life is always a path under the influence of two mutually opposing forces: creation and destruction. Our future, and perhaps not only ours, depends on which of them we give preference to or even choose as travel companions. Each of us has a life-giving source inside, only for some it has completely withered away and is overgrown with tall, impassable grass, for others it gushes with the purest springs, flowing from mysterious unexplored depths.
This source is the most important part of each of us. This is our Spirit - the divine inner flame that gives us the strength to live and realize life in its many colors and forms. The answer to the question of this subtitle is our interaction with him: how much we are able to take from him, having drunk the life-giving moisture of wisdom and love of life, and also what we are able to give him in return with our love, caring attitude towards him and caring for the path , through which not only we can come to his living water. Let's talk about this interaction, and also how we can develop in it.
Depending on the life priorities and moral preferences of people, the concept of interaction with our Spirit that we examine is considered by everyone through his subjective internal prisms. But whatever they may be: adherence to certain religions, philosophies, ideological positions, this concept is universal. It contains the essence of the inner nature of man, since man is initially the essence of the spiritual order, because he is the bearer of the Spirit kindled in him by the one who created him.
This powerful Someone not only produced, but also invested in a person a program according to which both the individual and humanity as a whole moves in the direction of the vector of a comprehensive goal given from above. The All-Wise gave his child the right to choose the path forward. But in order to open new horizons and create radiant worlds, the child must reveal in himself the capabilities and functions of his Creator, returning his original image of the magnificent likeness of the Father.
In other words, a person must come to himself, becoming truly spiritual.
Teachers who are always with us
Are there signs by which one can determine the degree of spiritual level? Of course.
But before we start talking about them, I would like to mention three teachers who are always with us:
- body;
- soul;
- Spirit.
Teacher-body
It teaches us to be careful with ourselves, to value our health, and not to get carried away by what can destroy it. A person always has the right to free choice, including his own destruction.
In this world there are three qualities of matter that bring us:
- true good;
- seduced by passions;
- plunge into ignorance.
Through the last two, the forces of destruction act, and at different speeds, making us realize the harmfulness of the chosen path and return to goodness. Our first teacher knows everything about the body and will help you become a universal master—a connoisseur of yourself and your health. To do this, we need to learn to understand him, because both at the initial level of training and at a more advanced level, he often addresses us precisely through bodily pain.
Teacher-soul
Expands the boundaries of understanding of both our internal and external worlds, teaches us to feel the soul of our neighbor. The soul knows everything about our life program and helps us interact with those with whom we have to intersect in our reality. When we have learned the lessons of the first teacher, the second gradually, if we are ready, begins to reveal to us the tools of subtle sensitivity, resorting to resources of a more subtle plan.
By turning to our soul, we can discover in ourselves what has been dormant until now, sometimes surfacing to the surface of consciousness.
We begin to experience insights more often: big and small. Sometimes we discover the ability to understand people at a glance, sometimes feeling what they want to tell us. Gradually, we acquire the ability not only to feel subtly, but also to sincerely sympathize and empathize, and not only with words. Students of this level are sometimes said to be a sincere person.
The soul is a repository of enormous information about all our incarnations, and sometimes it gives an advanced student valuable hints on how to realize oneself more fully and correctly in this life.
Spirit Teacher
This is the most important teacher in our school of life. He knows everything about life. He knows about everything and everyone. It is he who has counted the number of hairs on every head of any inhabitant of the planet, and not just ours, for he is the spark of the Great Flame of Love, which warms countless souls of an unimaginable number of worlds.
This mentor can be called the Voice of Silence, because he can be heard by those who:
- calmed my mind;
- subdued passions;
- opened my soul to the unknown and what is difficult to express in words.
He is like a light breeze, akin to the rustle of grass by a clear stream, like the subtle movement of springs in a source, to which he leaned to drink the living water of knowledge.
What is the spiritual development of a person? We will try to understand this by determining the signs of his spiritual level and how to develop in this direction, going through a number of important stages.
What factors make a person human?
Humanity and behavior patterns are not passed on to us genetically. Children who grew up among animals never became human from a psychological point of view. A person is shaped by the environment in which he lives.
People differ from animals:
- abstract thinking;
- developed spiritual world;
- restraint.
These factors are formed gradually over the years. Compassion, mercy, understanding and kindness make a person human.
Modern society is chasing material wealth, which is accompanied by aggression and greed. Having forgotten about spiritual morality, people become akin to predators looking for their prey.
The soul is one of the factors influencing human behavior. This is matter that cannot be seen or felt physically.
The study of personality, its actions and feelings has always been of interest to society. Throughout history, the soul has been viewed as a separate entity - something separate from the body and at the same time connected with it. There are numerous interpretations of the concept of “soul”, different points of view on this matter. One thing is clear: the soul is something incomprehensible to science and human consciousness. One can only guess about its essence and purpose.
Signs of human spirituality
Well, now is the time to talk about the signs that characterize the degree of spiritual growth of a person.
They can be listed in order reflecting the degree of spiritual awareness:
- Conscientiousness.
- Ability to build harmonious relationships.
- The desire to be useful.
- The desire to become original.
- Humility.
- Gratitude.
- Enlightenment.
Conscientiousness
The main awakening element of our nature is conscience, through which the Spirit knocks on the doors of the soul, shaking the areas of our brain to protect us from wrong and dangerous moves.
Even in the word conscience itself one can hear: “Common message.” This concept is rather a state when a person’s consciousness is able to merge with a consciousness of a higher level, which, with its harmony, increases its vibrations to the extent where it is already difficult for him to commit inharmonious actions, to make a deal with his conscience, and he is already under its protection.
The spiritual growth of an individual and society as a whole is characterized by the degree of correct interaction with one’s environment. Therefore, the next sign characterizing the degree of this growth is not called that for nothing.
Ability to build harmonious relationships
One gradually begins to realize the value of right relationships with others. When belligerence leaves your heart, you begin to move beyond your inner limitations, accepting the world and the people in it as they are. After all, this world was not created by you, and the one who created it, apparently, had good reasons for it to be so.
By fighting with the world without accepting it, you enter into conflict with its Creator. Think about it.
A society in which there are more such people who have accepted peace reduces the number of claims against their neighbors, be it issues of disputed territories or ideological disputes. Inflamed social abscesses begin to dissolve, pressing issues are gradually being resolved. People realize that mutual cooperation is the way to strengthen both sides.
The desire to be useful
Everyone came to earthly life with their own individual program to develop, working on the most important personal qualities. It's never too late to start improving yourself as a person and spiritual unit. The time comes when a person strives to realize himself by finding a more suitable place for himself in society.
But with spiritual growth comes the understanding that there is too little usefulness just for oneself. A person wants to leave his mark on this world. His spiritual manifestation is expressed not by an attempt to feed a sense of self-worth (so that descendants will remember), but by his selfless service. Remember, as in the fairy tale: “Do good and throw it into the water.” But here it is necessary that spiritual eyes be open, so that, while serving someone or in the name of something, you do not become his slave.
Here you need to feel the degree of your true usefulness, feel the line beyond which an overabundance of useful desire can cause harm - and not only to you. An example is overloved children who, already as adults, continue to be dependent on their parents, who have deprived them of the ability to make independent adult decisions. In this case, there is mutual suffering, but the one who stood at the origins of this problem still gets more.
The desire to become original
Probably, the presence of this sign in you indicates that your development is close to the stage of spiritual awakening. You already understand that you are wearing a lot of extra clothes and masks, put on by parents, school, society, forcing us to act in a stereotyped way - like everyone else, and do - as expected.
The spiritual imperfection of social institutions has led to the creation of an artificial world that uses man as a chicken laying eggs. Beyond this painted world there is another - a real one, but in order to get into it, becoming the true creator of your life, you need to get rid of the faces that have grown together with us, and we mistakenly believe that this is us.
Our original nature is spiritual. And if you are ready to change, realizing that taking off each new mask is a painful process that will be accompanied by a rejection of something important to you in the past, a natural rejection - you are already at the door, be prepared for trials, as well as for miraculous transformations .
Humility
It’s already hard for anger and indignation to reach you; you are slowly but surely approaching yourself, throwing away useless masks one after another. The range of your perception of the world has expanded, in which you try to pay attention to what supports the state of presence of harmony in you, although you do not reject what you do not like in the world. You just don't pay attention to it. Your energy is where your thoughts are at the moment and you enjoy thinking about the eternal.
You are mentally balanced and spiritually strong. Thanks to the spiritual balance established within, it is already difficult to knock you out of the saddle, because your faith in the correctness of your actions and trust in the Spirit is incredibly strong. You begin to awaken spiritually.
Gratitude
True gratitude from the heart not only to our neighbors, but, first of all, to the One who created this amazing life on the wonderful planet Earth - a fairly high level of spiritual development. It is a transitional period before real spiritual awakening.
At this time, you continue to improve yourself as a person, but you are already aware of a spiritual being within yourself.
Enlightenment
You have become what you originally were - a conscious spiritual being. Life reveals to you its secret doors, hidden from the uninitiated. She generously shares her real knowledge with you, because she knows that it will be used for the benefit of others, for the benefit of life itself. It's time to create consciously.
How to determine in a person
Is it worth thinking that spirituality comes to a person along with maturity, when he becomes an adult, gradually accumulating rich life experience? One thing is clear: it does not come from birth. It takes a certain amount of time to develop spirituality. A person acquires the necessary moral and ethical qualities by going through the school of life and gaining a wealth of knowledge.
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Spirituality manifests itself when a person:
- strives to understand the eternal questions of existence: what is the difference between good and evil, what is truth, how to feel love, what is true beauty;
- avoids bad society, does not allow self-affirmation at the expense of others;
- helps those in need;
- open to society and socially active;
- does not focus only on financial well-being;
- calm and balanced.
In ordinary life conditions, spirituality is visible in the little things. For example, this is a conscious choice of religion. By establishing oneself in one's faith, a person begins to change positively from within. Another important point is participation in charity: helping the homeless, donating things to an orphanage, donating blood, etc. Treating close relatives and spouses with respect is also one of the aspects of spirituality. This also includes showing interest in art and observing moral and ethical standards.
At the same time, it is important to understand that there is no superman who combines all of the above advantages. You should ask yourself the question: how can an ordinary person become a highly moral hero? What will serve as a magic elixir? Psychoanalysts believe that such a reboot begins in a person after the difficulties and sorrows he has experienced. If you haven’t broken down and persevered, then all problems begin to seem like unnecessary vanity.
A highly developed personality is in constant spiritual search and self-improvement. He explores himself from different sides, both strong and weak. Strives to know himself from the point of view of something more. Mastering meditative techniques helps you understand and find your purpose in this world.
What does it mean to be a spiritually developed person?
Anyone who devotes himself to something for the benefit of his life will certainly develop and improve in this.
If we want to develop spiritually, we need to understand three golden rules:
- value your life as a great gift;
- do not encroach on someone else’s life, as well as on someone else’s experience;
- be grateful.
Through them, our three teachers teach us by creating certain life circumstances, leading us along the path of personal and spiritual growth. Development consists precisely in following these instructions to come to your original spiritual nature.
A person may become a person, or he may not. Is a person capable of following the path of spiritual growth or is the state of social realization in the awareness of what material wealth and volitional qualities she still lacks sufficient?
Society is the best platform for testing a person’s degree of spirituality.
There is a place for everyone:
- morally flawed and astray;
- advancing in development and degrading;
- simply living and socially realized;
- those beginning their first steps on a long ascent to the heights of the spirit and the spiritually enlightened.
However, no matter what stage of social or spiritual development you are at, life will always push you towards development - often with difficulties and problems. She will mirror people, their attitude towards you, and will also show something that is not at all easy to discern in yourself - the degree of your selfishness.
Hard work on yourself is precisely the most valuable because, having taken control of your egoism, curbing the beast in yourself with its passions and belligerence, you begin to develop faster in the spiritual direction.
Improving spiritually means being attentive to the world, listening to what it wants to tell you: be it the actions of people, their attitude towards you, other phenomena and events. However, it is not only your observation, but also your attitude shown in action.
To be spiritually developed means to work on character qualities that correspond to the characteristics discussed above. It is also the ability to stay at the newly discovered stage of development in yourself, becoming a wise explorer of a new ocean unknown to you.
A person has seven main energy centers, seven internal oceans of energy, located from bottom to top - from the tailbone to the crown. Each of them is responsible for the vital activity of certain organs, body systems, and the work of subtle mechanisms of consciousness and subconsciousness.
By exploring these centers, turning to certain practices, and improving in this, we move along the path of knowing not only ourselves, but also something more in ourselves. Gradually we begin to understand that there is no limit to improvement, that it has a beginning, but no end. Consequently, to be developed in this direction means to continuously improve oneself, focusing on inner harmony.
What does the inner world of an individual consist of?
Every personality has its own spiritual world. He has:
- a value system that determines a person’s worldview and gives meaning to his existence;
- goals necessary to implement the mission on Earth;
- the needs of the soul, manifested through knowledge of the surrounding reality, expression of oneself through art, scientific and cultural activities, as well as other forms;
- the desire for self-knowledge and self-realization in society;
- understanding the significance of one’s actions for other people, formed views on the world around them;
- emotional and sensory support for one’s own vision and actions from society.
All of the above is based on people’s knowledge of the surrounding reality and belief in a fair outcome.
A person's worldview can be divided into:
- Everyday, based on life experience. It is formed as a result of various circumstances.
- Religious, in accordance with the religious ideas of the individual.
- Scientific, with an emphasis exclusively on scientific knowledge.
- Humanistic, based on ideas about scientific views: how fair and highly moral they are for society, as well as the degree of their environmental friendliness.
The system of human values, which is the basis of any worldview, contains a guideline for the aspirations of the individual and the meaning of his life. The ideals of an individual act as a standard of behavior in society and become the motivation for the behavior itself.
But it is important to note that a person’s spiritual values cannot be eternal . They are directly dependent on living conditions and change taking into account the influence of circumstances. But the social values that have evolved over centuries represent the spiritual practice of all generations of the human race and contain the universal needs of any individual, regardless of who he is. Race, nationality, class, religion, age - all this becomes unimportant.
It is clear that universal human values rise above individual ones, therefore a person must form his inner world taking into account these frameworks. The life of an individual is intertwined with social life and gradually assimilates the rules formed by time and which are part of the moral foundation.
In Western psychology
In Western psychology, which received the greatest recognition in the post-war years of the 20th century, there are a number of areas:
- transpersonal - does not deny the religious influence on the consciousness of the individual;
- humanistic - the emphasis is on the individual as the only integral system;
- existential - refers to humanistic psychology, affects several aspects of an individual’s life: his inner world, personal experiences, etc.
According to Maslow's system, if a person has spirituality, then he is at a high stage of evolution. Such people lack primitive desires, dirty thoughts and misdeeds. They are filled with kindness and are condescending even to those who are not worthy according to society. At the beginning of the 20th century, psychologists and psychotherapists were of the prevailing opinion that a low level of morality was nothing more than a disease that needed to be gotten rid of. But the paradox is that many undeveloped cultures practiced healing the soul, with the help of shamanic rituals, sacrifices and other things.
Spiritual development of personality
A person who has managed to become an individual is not immune from the fact that, thanks to willpower and the ability to “step over the line,” he chooses the path of a destroyer rather than a creator.
Even if a person is an individual, his willpower is very great, allowing him to implement large-scale business projects with fabulous profits, but his egoism pushes his mind into the far corner, clearing the territory for the activity of a strong mind; this person is still fast asleep spiritually. And perhaps he will break more than one someone’s life before the law of retribution and justice knocks on his contaminated window of the soul with the most difficult trials, pushing a strong personality to the beginning of a spiritual search, and it does not matter whether he is a man or a woman.
We will try to answer what the spiritual development of the individual consists of.
Why does a person need this?
First of all, in order to evolve and move on. Even if a person has extraordinary strong-willed qualities, has managed to make a dizzying career, but does not really take into account the world around him, often contributing to the destruction of life not only within himself, but also outside himself, it is possible that he is not even standing at the doors of his inner temple . To tell the truth, there is no temple yet; perhaps even the foundation is missing. And even if he donates to some parish, but in his head there is self-interest with the intention of getting solid dividends from the investment - such a “believer” is difficult to rank even among the spiritually oriented.
The path of creation and deep awareness begins with the first step. Inner teachers can first allow a person to go down the road of passions and temptations, allowing him to commit crooked actions, perhaps even large-scale mistakes, and sometimes even crimes. After all, sometimes a person, in order to realize the level of his spiritual fall, needs to repent very deeply.
And sometimes it is with repentance that a gradual spiritual ascent begins for someone who has managed to become a person, but has not yet mastered even the basics of spiritual life.
In our materially oriented world, there are certain patterns for achieving personal growth that are not at all oriented towards spiritual values. And it is all the more valuable for the spiritual development of a person to follow true, enduring guidelines. For only thanks to them, a person will be able to get rid of the ballast that pulls him to the bottom with vicious attachments, destructive habits, obsessions and other burdens of excess materiality.
Where to start
You need to start by rethinking your life, accepting that we are not only the body.
It is necessary to recognize that in addition to our material being, there lives in us a spiritual person, who, perhaps, can become an entity of a spiritual order.
You must not be afraid to take a step forward - towards the unknown and the far shore that has not yet been discovered by you. When the winds of change begin to blow in your life, be prepared for the beginning of trials, because this is where your real development will begin.
Who can be called spiritual
A spiritual person has high moral qualities. He is kind, impartial, honest. His actions always match his words. He only says what he really believes. Often those who preach equality consider themselves superior to others. They call for a simple life, but they themselves live in luxurious houses, wear expensive clothes and jewelry. A spiritual person will not say anything that does not coincide with his actions. He demonstrates his principles in practice by following what is said.
There is a difference between a scientist and a spiritual person. Any person with a well-developed memory can remember the words of the Holy Scriptures and prove something using logic. The scientist argues his theses by referring to other studies. But moral people are self-realized individuals whose knowledge came from within. They themselves become knowledge because they are united with God.
How to develop spiritually
Personal growth of a person, as well as spiritual growth, does not happen on its own. You need to invest your strength, money and soul into them. What could this mean and how to develop in the direction of this very growth? Usually it is more or less clear to people when they talk about the spiritual formation of personality associated with religion or some other near-religious trend. It is even understandable when they talk about spirituality in philosophy, because philosophy is precisely concerned with the study of the laws of development of life in various forms of its manifestation: nature, society, understanding of existence. Despite the somewhat vague concept, you can find its definition, and more than one. But where to start this very development?
Everyone has their own idea of life, the path to follow it is different, and yet, there are some common ways through which a person moves along the path of spiritual growth. The following can be distinguished.
Finding meaning through books
Sooner or later, a person asks questions of meaning: why am I here, what is the purpose of my stay, why am I doing what I don’t like? He looks for smart books and collects wisdom in them bit by bit. For some, these are experiences of first contact with the unknown, while others find temporary oblivion in this, detachment from vain thoughts and alternating everyday problems. But from this moment, Providence begins to work with the seeker, throwing him catching literature and introducing unusual thoughts into his consciousness.
Self-knowledge
A person continues to be driven by interest - but who is he?
But, even after studying the basics of anatomy and physiology, reading a lot of spiritual and other literature, the interested person does not find answers to the questions that concern him:
- what is thought;
- where does it come from;
- where emotions originate;
- what the unactivated 95-97% of the brain hides;
- how to come to God - preferably quickly.
Immersing himself in himself, he increasingly begins to understand that answers to the questions that concern him can be found not only in textbooks and the Internet. His activity moves into the area of internal search. He had already read about some spiritual practices and psychotechnics, sometimes even tried something. But there was no depth. It's time for a deeper dive.
Charity
When a person has enough vitality to move up the ladder of spiritual ascent, when he has accumulated a considerable potential of internal forces, and he feels that he is able to share them with others without loss to himself, a new qualitative leap occurs in his development. This is facilitated by what is called charity - creating good for others without selfish intent.
Prayers and Meditations
A person strives to meet the unknown in the depths of his essence in order to better understand himself. Resorting to prayer means trying to establish a connection between yourself and the power that, in its unconditional love for you, creates the necessary motives for you, bringing the moment of your conscious meeting closer.
Meditation helps a person mastering the technique of spiritual ascent to expand the range of reality he perceives and the boundaries of his consciousness, concentrate on something important, touch the feeling of omnipresence and multidimensionality, and experience altered states of consciousness. A person begins to feel that the universal oceans of energies inside are incomparable compared to what he perceives with ordinary vision from the outside.
Environment selection
The spiritual evolution of a person, going through the stages of gradation of his personality, leads to significant changes not only inside, but also outside. A person changes in appearance. His eyes may begin to radiate a light of joy. Those around such a person begin to feel a surge of freshness, an influx of causeless joy.
A person’s environment can also change noticeably, because he himself favors communication with those who share his desire for the spiritual. And gradually the spiritually developing person chooses an environment that helps maintain the state in which his spiritual processes take place.
Just live, smile and give thanks
What we are talking about is not only pronouncing the sacred names of God, turning to him, trying to understand him, adhering to common spiritual truths, which are spelled out differently in each spiritual movement, but usually speak about one thing. The level of spiritual formation can be determined by how a person treats simple everyday duties and in what state he performs them. In other words, can a person simply live and enjoy life?
Try to smile more often, thanking God for the greatest miracle of life that he has given you.
This video is another look at where to start.
Lack of spirituality is...
To begin with, it is important to understand the meaning of this word. If you look at it from the side of secular life, and not religion, it becomes clear that lack of spirituality is the devaluation of spiritual life, abandonment of it, loss of morality, leading to inhumanity.
Causes of loss of spirituality
At a time when new media appeared en masse, it became much easier to influence people. Mass consciousness is constantly being formed through television, radio, magazines and the Internet. People begin to live according to a certain scenario. They are given instructions about what they need to do to become successful and happy: what job to choose, what brand of clothing to wear, how to look, what house to live in and what to eat for breakfast.
The purpose of modern media has become to force the population to make more and more purchases. At the same time, imaginary values are presented as real - this becomes the reason for the growth of lack of spirituality in society. Hence the conclusion - lack of spirituality appears when a person becomes fixated on the material aspect and loses moral guidelines.
Stages of spiritual development
A spiritually developing person goes through several stages in his development.
The main ones:
- Sleep mode.
- Spiritual awakening.
- Conscious creation.
Sleep mode
Everything starts somewhere. We make our first spiritual attempts when we begin to do this more or less consciously, but so far only in the mode of spiritual sleep. What is characteristic of this “sleep mode”? Let's take a look by simulating a hypothetical situation.
In our life, everything seems to be set up: a house with all the amenities, a good car, a dacha in a picturesque place, a good job, which I don’t really like, but it pays better here than in other similar institutions. The family is also okay: a pretty wife, two preschool-age children. And it seems like, why grieve, live and be happy. But there is no happiness. Following your mother’s advice, you even went to church a couple of times and tried your best to turn to God. In vain! You begin to blame fate for depriving you of something. Good work begins to bother the boss, who just yesterday looked through you as through glass in an interior door. Something happened to the wife, it was as if she had been replaced, reproaches were pouring in like from a cornucopia, the children began to get sick more often. Life clearly wants something from you, but what?
This means that you have come to the line, and in order to cross it, you need to change somehow. It is necessary to begin to reconsider your life, your attitude towards it, to determine what is a priority in this hectic flow. You are still sleeping, but from now on you have taken the first step along the path of spiritual development.
This wise organism of our material universe is designed in such a way that when some system comes into balance, a force appears that strives to bring it out of this state, thereby pushing it towards its further development.
The same thing happened to you. Life, using the people around you, rocks you, mired in the routine of everyday life, for further spiritual growth. You, reconsidering your attitude towards life, suddenly understand that it is necessary and possible to live differently, greeting every day with a smile, rejoicing in the fact that life has gifted you immeasurably, because there are so many examples of crippled, unhappy destinies nearby. And also - you begin to accept people as they are.
This is the first step, after overcoming which you will reach a new level of awareness, temporarily bringing the shaken system into balance.
Good morning (spiritual awakening)
And so - step by step, step by step, one climbs the ladder of spiritual ascent. At each of the new steps, you will have to discover something new and unusual in yourself for yesterday’s you, because you will begin to turn inside yourself more often - to your soul, to your Spirit.
You will move under the constant guidance of your teachers and assistants assigned from above. In this upward movement, a feeling will gradually awaken within you - what methods are more acceptable for you in knowing the inexplicable and original, knowing yourself, and through the soul and Spirit - God in yourself. Somehow, by itself, your humanity will expand to the size of a family, a street, a residential area, and maybe further. The world will begin to be perceived as it exists, and you will have no complaints about the world, suddenly beginning not only to understand the word “humility”, but also to feel it with all your heart. War in all forms of its manifestation will leave the heart, giving way to love.
But you need to remember that every step is serious work on yourself, your egoism. You will have to make efforts, but believe me, they will pay off with interest, replenishing the treasury of imperishable spiritual wealth.
The pursuit of self-knowledge is a direct path to spiritual awakening. The work of the Spirit in this state changes the scale of human values.
Conscious Creation
So, you have come to yourself, your spiritual awakening has occurred. Now you consciously stand in the service of life and the One who sent you to this world, giving you the opportunity to make your main choice, approaching the imperishable. The door is open. You can enter the worlds of universal harmony.
Continuing to live in this world, but having moved to a new spiritual level, a spiritually transformed person begins conscious creation, continuing to learn wisdom, discovering a source of unconditional love in his heart, pouring out this love on others, contributing to their spiritual growth.
Conscious creation lies in the fact that a person awakened by the Spirit, seeing the causes of the phenomena of this world, which he discovers, coming into contact with their consequences, can bring something amazing into the world with his creativity. This can be that great gift that will contribute to the spiritual leap of a group of people or even humanity, having a beneficial impact on the life of the entire planet. Perhaps, thanks to his great creativity, the priorities leading to the decline of civilization will gradually change to new, creative ones, enlightened by the light of his unconditional love for this world. And people will gradually begin to appreciate what is truly incorruptible.
What is the basis of spiritual life?
Among the basic elements that determine the structure of a person’s spiritual aspirations are the following:
- morality;
- religion;
- education;
- the science;
- art;
- culture.
All of the above elements are interconnected. It is this connection that influences the harmonious development of the individual and his interaction with the surrounding reality.
Goals in the spiritual sphere
What goals help the development of the spiritual sphere?
- The desire to study and understand the original nature of one's soul.
- Gaining the skill of living in the current moment.
- Improving your inner qualities, such as patience, nobility, etc.
- The desire to eradicate selfishness, selfishness, pride, lust, and the desire for glory within oneself.
- Gaining independence from other people and external factors.
- The desire for inner harmony and peace.
- Maintaining cheerfulness and calm.
- A conscientious approach to life.
- The desire to move to a new level of development.
All these points are an order of magnitude higher than those listed earlier, since they are directly related to our soul. They should be given attention and developed throughout life. Studying Jama and Niyama can help with this
Criteria for spiritual wealth
Let's figure out what it means to be a spiritually rich person. Even the word rich makes it clear that truly rich is the one in whom there is a lot of God. What can be classified as real spiritual wealth, some of which will remain with a person even after his physical death?
This:
- humanity;
- education;
- history of the family and homeland;
- faith;
- awareness;
- unconditional love;
- inner peace.
Humanity
Expressed in a humane attitude towards living beings. Humanism often acts as a lifeline when public opinion reaches a dead end. Continue the war until a victorious end or stop, thereby saving thousands of lives. Even if it means sacrificing something, taking control of your ambitions.
Education and sophistication
A truly educated person already has the necessary qualities for spiritual development: hard work, responsibility for his actions, a broad outlook that will help him not to become a slave, but also not to be a slave owner. And, of course, the desire to create through constant improvement of oneself as an individual and acquiring true knowledge that strengthens and improves not only his life.
History of the family and homeland
Not only the desire to understand oneself, but also the awareness of oneself as part of something larger: a race, a people, humanity. Careful attitude towards the heritage of ancestors, the history of one’s family and the Motherland as a whole. Understanding that we are connected to our ancestors by a long chain of continuity, and that the mistakes of the past can be eliminated not by condemning those who made them, but by not repeating these mistakes in the present and preventing them in the future.
Faith
Not to be confused with religiosity. Faith is not a set of ritual techniques and techniques, it is true knowledge that lives in the heart of everyone. The knowledge that there is something greater than this world itself is all-wise, all-loving, capable of containing everyone, comforting and warming in times of serious trials, guiding one to goodness. And it doesn’t matter what church a person attends, what philosophy he professes, what worldview he is guided by.
The main thing is that he knows: this power can be turned to. She will guide you and advise you, reward you according to your deeds and show you the right path. And here the main thing is not in a person’s faith, but in his trust in this powerful force. Trust arises from knowledge, personal experience of interaction with this force, tested by time.
Mindfulness
Awareness of all your actions and deeds, constant observation of yourself: behavior, emotions, reactions to external stimuli, comparison of yourself yesterday with those who we are today. A deep understanding that we are beings of a spiritual order, a desire for our own internal improvement.
Unconditional love
Love that does not require anything in return, love that does not take, but gives. Not affection, not falling in love, but great unselfish love. This world is influenced by powerful light forces; it penetrates our window with the sun's rays, with which the Sun absolutely disinterestedly warms us.
Inner peace
This is expressed in internal balance or balance of all its internal opposites. A person consists of a complex of mutually opposite energies (anger - kindness, generosity - stinginess, hard work - laziness). If in our life we come at least in some way closer to our internal balance, we will take these achievements, albeit very modest, into the unknown.
Perhaps now it has become clearer to us what true enrichment is.
How is it expressed in humans?
The issue of spirituality is inseparable from the psychological aspect. Ever since school days, everyone remembers that “psycho” means nothing more than a soul that exists separately from a person’s bodily shell.
At the turn of the 20th-21st centuries, domestic psychologists began to pay increased attention to the topic of spirituality. It was treated as a result of the work of the internal mechanisms of the human psyche.
Thus, the term “spirituality” is understood as a system of psychological processes that occur within the human consciousness, taking into account his personal qualities.
Spiritual development of man
We can highlight certain qualities characteristic of a developing personality:
- creativity in any of its manifestations;
- desire to help people and share your experience with others;
- high level of morality;
- a feeling of love for oneself and other people;
- a kind, sympathetic attitude towards all living beings.
There are two types of spirituality: social and religious.
In such a pedagogical subject as social studies, spirituality is understood as the will and mind of a person, which are focused on moral social values, with the desire for high ideals and thoughts.
Important! It cannot be said that spirituality is a belief in the Divine principle or a certain degree of religiosity. This word is understood as a state of a person’s soul when he strives for continuous development and self-improvement.
And what's the end result?
What can happen to us if we are diligent in mastering the lessons of our three teachers and develop ourselves comprehensively?
This should lead us to the following results:
- health promotion;
- personal growth;
- happiness;
- the emergence of meaning in life;
- reconciliation;
- self-realization.
Health promotion
Naturally, we will gain good health by learning to put ourselves in excellent physical condition, thanks to the practices and exercises that the teacher-body will tell us. He will help us learn to enjoy our body without any damage to it.
Personal growth
The second teacher will reveal to us the real wealth of the soul, the true diamonds of the inner world, and will teach us to feel more subtly about ourselves and our surroundings. After some time, we will suddenly notice obvious changes in ourselves, thanks to which our personal growth has occurred.
We, figuratively speaking, have become head and shoulders above our former selves. We learn about this from the mirror. It is our immediate environment. It will also be revealed that these changes in ourselves are important not only for us, but also for our neighbors, because their lives have also become better. This may mean that we are learning lessons.
Happiness
When we finally learn to understand our third teacher, turning to him every day - with prayer or just a word, having clearly felt the feedback, we will learn that there is always a place for happiness in this world. We are deeply aware that it can be real, independent of material enrichment: the thickness of a wallet and the brand of a car, the presence of real estate and connections in the government. That it also does not depend on our social status or ideological predisposition. After all, in reality, it is a subtle spiritual state of the presence of inner light.
Meaning of life
Our life will open up to us with other amazing meanings, and our word will become truly alive. In life, a deep understanding of its essence will appear for us, perhaps even our spiritual program of the earthly path will be revealed to us.
Reconciliation
Our heart will become open to the world, there will be no place in it for war and aggressiveness, hatred and malice in any form. We accept him as he is and find our true location with him, in other words: “we reconcile.”
Self-realization
Now we understand what we are truly capable of. The most rational and competent application of our physical and spiritual forces is revealed to us. Our self-realization is the result of painstaking hard work on ourselves. We realize ourselves not so much for our own sake, but for something greater and joyful for everyone.
A conscientious student of the school of life will be able to find his inner balance, without highlighting any of his deepest natures, finding reconciliation with everything and humility in everything. New paths of creation and co-creation will open up for him with those who walk alongside, filling the space with a single rhythm of joy, bringing joy to the One who looks at the world he created from the unknown, as well as from every awakened heart.
Use
According to Eileen Barker, spirituality differs from religiosity in that the source of the latter is the external world in the form of prescriptions and traditions, while the source of spirituality is the internal psychic experience of a person.
Usually, in everyday life, spirituality is understood as morality, religiosity, and a certain sublimity of thoughts and actions. Spirituality as high is opposed to low, imperfect, vulgar, sinful, immoral. Despite the abstractness of the concept, in common usage the word spirituality is very often used as a specific quality or an almost really existing substance, as evidenced by usages such as “a person of great spirituality”, “lack of spirituality in society” and others.
In religious usage, as a rule, spirituality is associated with inner religiosity (theology of inner life), faith, mystical experience, “communication with God.”
The speculative, abstract and vague nature of the concept makes its use popular in various general statements and in demagogic rhetoric such as complaints about the “low spirituality of youth” or the “decline of the spirituality of society.” However, what is considered spirituality and, accordingly, what is its decline or, conversely, its development, due to the vagueness of the concept, everyone can decide for themselves.