How Spiritual are you—Really?
With the pending release of
my The Realm of Spirit book, which
speaks of being in Spirit and touching that spiritual part of who we are-- I
have been asked by the heavens to evaluate what my own ‘spiritual be-ing’
really is? And if I can stand in my own
merit about it?
This has been a tough week. I
am in a metaphysical field surround by much talk about being spiritual,
accepting others, gratitude, and going with the flow. However with that said,
there is much judgment that goes with it.
You hear people, who claim to
be very spiritual say….’I am spiritual, not religious-- I hate religion’. Or I
don’t believe in God or I hate God, but I believe in …whatever??? (Fill in the
blank.)
Hummm…is that very spiritual--
hating religion or people of religious beliefs?? Hating God or higher being? What God means to
one person may mean something totally different to another. Life is full of semantics!!
Sadly,
it seems the word, spirituality, has become
a fad that has to be learned and learned in a certain way to be accepted.
In reality, spirituality is
your search for your spirit; your be-ing; your sacred self. It is who you
are…this can’t be taught…it must be found.
Each journey is different. Your spirit is perfect.
So with that said…what is the
difference between the practice of spirituality and religion?
For
the sake of not recreating the wheel-- Religion, as defined by Wikipedia, is an
organized collection of belief system, cultural systems, and world views that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. This definition includes—spirituality.
Your
spiritual journey becomes your religious experience for YOUR sacred self that
resides deep inside of be-ing. There is no right or wrong on your journey. No
one has the right to question your journey and you have no right to question someone
else’s.
The
lesson here….. I have a story in my
Realm of Spirit book about judgment and being spirituality right…take a moment
and give it a read and then think about it.
[A
devoted man of meditation, after years concentrating on a particular mantra,
had attained enough insight to begin teaching. The student's humility was far
from perfect but the teachers at the monastery were not worried.
A
few years of successful teaching left the proclaimed scholar with no thoughts
about learning from anyone. However, upon hearing about a famous hermit living
nearby, the opportunity was too exciting to be passed up.
The
hermit lived alone on an island at the middle of a lake, so the man hired a man
with a boat to row across to the island. The scholar was very respectful of the
old hermit. As they shared some tea made with herbs, the scholar asked him
about his spiritual practice. The old man said he had no spiritual practice,
except for a mantra, which he repeated all the time to himself. The scholar was
pleased: the hermit was using the same mantra he used himself -- but when the
hermit spoke the mantra aloud, the scholar was horrified!
"What's
wrong?" asked the hermit.
"I
don't know what to say. I am afraid you have wasted your whole life! You are
pronouncing the mantra incorrectly!"
"Oh,
Dear! That is terrible. How should I say it?"
The
scholar gave the correct pronunciation, and the old hermit was very grateful,
asking to be left alone so he could get started right away. On the way back
across the lake the scholar, now confirmed as an accomplished teacher, and was
pondering the sad fate of the hermit.
"It's
so fortunate that I came along. At least he will have a little time to practice
correctly before he dies."
Just then, the scholar noticed that the
boatman was looking quite shocked, and turned to see the hermit standing
respectfully on the water, next to the boat.
"Excuse
me, please. I hate to bother you, but I have forgotten the correct
pronunciation again. Would you please repeat it for me?"
"You
obviously don't need it," stammered the scholar; but the old man persisted
in his polite request until the scholar relented and told him again the way he
thought the mantra should be pronounced.
The
old hermit was saying the mantra very carefully, slowly, over and over, as he
walked across the surface of the water back to the island. ]
Author unknown
Never
judge
All
is always as it should be
