What Spirituality now means to me

Spirituality can be expressed in many ways. For different people it may mean different things. Here, I must distinguish between religion and spirituality. One may not adhere to any particular religious faith and yet be a totally spiritual person. In spirituality, as opposed to religion, there is no room for fanaticism, prejudice or superstition. When you succeed in practicing it, then you will understand the importance of life. You will contemplate its beauty, and you will discover its wisdom.

To me Spirituality is the just and good application of all the gifts that man possesses. It is about surrendering myself to the ultimate eternal power. Spirituality means development of all the faculties of man, those which correspond to his human part, as well as those which vibrate far beyond the senses of the body and which are the powers, attributes, faculties, and senses of the spirit. It means harmony of the spirit and the flesh. It is a level of elevation which permits man to conceive ideas far beyond what his mind foresees.

As I have taken those first faltering steps down the road to spiritual discovery, I have come to slowly recognize that I am not only ‘substance’ but also ‘essence’ and that when this physical existence comes to an end, it is not the end of the road for the spirit. Spirituality brings with it an awakening of one’s dormant gifts or faculties and sensitivity to all the fibers of the heart. Spirituality is my guide to perfection and in its luminous journey all one needs is love and faith in HIM that guides our destinies.

By embracing spirituality I allow my soul to soar free and to feel a great love for THAT, of which I am the essence. It elevates my sentiments and kindles within me a certain purity in life, faith in and humility before one’s higher self and a profound respect for all the spiritual gifts received. To be spiritual is therefore to wake up to your own potentialities. Most people, even though they don't know it, are asleep. They're born asleep, they live asleep, they marry in their sleep, they breed children in their sleep, they die in their sleep without ever waking up.

I do not pray, in the traditional sense, on a regular basis, nor do I visit temples any longer by conscious design, but my thoughts are almost constantly contemplating the source of my origin. Just as all rivers must ultimately merge with the sea, so does my soul feel the compelling urge to unite with and experience the bliss of the cosmic ocean. I can no more deny that urge than I can deny my own existence.

Spirituality for me is therefore an everyday experience. I feel its presence in whatever I do and feeling the presence of the higher power is an ecstasy. One has to feel it to even begin to understand it. The fountain of cosmic bliss is available to everyone. Whether to drink from it, or not, is however a choice that all of us have to make. As the Arabs say, "The nature of the rain is the same, but it makes thorns grow in the marshes and flowers in the gardens."