So many ways to be “spiritual”

Talk about a can of worms!  So many people today consider themselves spiritual.  Yet the level of agreement on what they believe is quite small.  Do a poll.  If you looked at what sort of spiritual books are most popular you might get a sense of what most agree on.  A couple popular titles are The Secret, and Ask, It is Given.  It appears then that spirituality is a quest to use the power of the mind to create a better and happier environment here and now.  The basis is that the mind creates what we see in the world, and using the energy or “ether” of the universe we create the life we want to live.  It’s obvious why it is so popular, who wouldn’t want a better life?

Others are religious, and seek God’s guidance in this life so as to release their soul to a better life after body death.  This is an apparent contradiction to the first approach, as here your life is other determined, versus the spiritual self determined.  But the religious at least consider that they have a spirit that has an afterlife, whereas manifesting a better job or lifestyle does not.

In my view, it is only when one considers he actually is a spirit that one truly enters the world of spirituality.  Which is not of this world!  Whether one goes to heaven, or another place, or just returns to his own native spiritual condition, that cannot be part of this material universe or it would just be another energy particle.  The creator(s) must be exterior to what was created.  What is the function of the spirit?  Maybe part of it is to make your life here better.  Maybe it is to evolve as a human until one is fully aware of himself.  Maybe it was just a mistake on the part of the spirit!  Regardless, we are here now.  Most are completely asleep on the subject.  Knowing that you are a spiritual being is the starting point.  Discovering who you really are can be an arduous and lengthy journey that may or may not be successful.  I guess we’ll find out when we die how well we did.

Would you prefer to assume that “this is all there is?” and “he who dies with the most toys wins?”  Or to know who you really are and work toward that knowing so you can move out of this game of “life” and into true reality?

What group do you belong to?

All but a true hermit belongs to a group.

        Most people have the need or desire to feel wanted, to be around like-minded people, to have a sense of belonging.  Typically, our groups contain like-minded people…how often do you see a staunch atheist laughing over a beer with a fundamentalist Christian?  So whether the group is just a significant other, friends, acquaintances, religious groups, or even nations, there has to be some common ground, although the smaller the group, the more there is in common.

        Obviously this benefits us both individually and collectively.  Look how much more gets done when we “work together.”

        But what about when it doesn’t?  What if your significant other demeans your dreams?  What if your group is a collection of high school dropouts, and you have the realization you’d like to get a college degree?  What about your religious or spiritual group that aligned with your thoughts and beliefs until it demanded that you only think what you are told to think, and believe only what you are told to believe?  Or a government that not only molds your thoughts with political correctness, but regulates what you must and must not do with your body or what you put in it?

ARE YOU LIVING YOUR LIFE, OR SOMEONE ELSE’S?

        I’m not advocating anarchy here, but have you ever thought of how much your group influences your thinking, and stepped back for a moment to look at it?  Have you ever looked at your own values, beliefs and purposes, and evaluated your groups to see if they still align?

YOU MIGHT FIND THIS AN INTERESTING EXERCISE.