What Does it Mean to You to be Spiritual?

I think many people throw the word around but few people know what it really means. To some, maybe doing your daily yoga makes life more "spiritual", or maybe attending church or reading your religious texts makes life more spiritual. Maybe your morning meditation,nature walks, or even exercises are spiritual to you. Some even consider the use of mind altering drugs, for example Rastas and marijuana use, for "spiritual" purposes. For others, spirituality is freedom, and the freedom to be able to do what you want, when you want, whenever you want; being "free as a bird ", with nothing holding you back. Some may even find spirituality through sex, for example tantric sex. Some even find spirituality in obtaining money, and the security and peace of mind it gives one.

While all of these things may be hold varying degrees of spirituality, recently I think Ive found it what it really means to be spiritual. It's quite simple, yet, a rather inconvenient definition. To me, to be spiritual is to suffer. If your not suffering in this physical plane of existence, your not being spiritual. You want to reach spiritual enlightenment? Simple, go on a 40 day water fast and I promise the suffering you will endure will put your mind, body, and soul through enough suffering to have a spiritual epiphany. A wise man once said "you have to experience hell before you can reach the heavens". I think this is absolutely true.


The reason for this is that we are multidimensional beings. This "3D" realm is simply one realm of existence, the lowest one at that. By giving up everything pleasurably in this 3D realm, you start to tap into the spiritual dimension and you become more lucid in this realm. However, by living a gluttonous lifestyle, you think that the food and pleasure it gives is real, and you get stuck in the illusion and thus fail to ascend into the higher realms of consciousness.

By going through a fast (doesn't have to be 40 days, I just used that as an example as that's low long Jesus did it for), you give up not only the comfort of food, but all mind altering substances as well such as coffee, alcohol, weed, etc. Your body will mostly experience both physical and mental pain of varying magnitude. This in my opinion is what being spiritual is, to give up all worldly pleasures to reap the benefits of the heavens. I think this is why we are constantly bombarded by advertisement by TPTB pushing booze, coffee, etc, to keep us in a state of content, and thus avoiding any form of mental and emotional pain. Try going completely sober from all forms of drugs for a week (heck, even a day), and you'll see what kind of mental pain I'm referring too.

I already mentioned Jesus, and how he fasted for 40 days to resist the temptation of satan as an example, but take the Buddha as another example. He came from a royal family in India and actually was "destined to live the life of a prince, with three palaces waiting for him". Instead, he gave up everything, including his political power and wealth, to go meditate under a tree. According to Wikipedia, "He tried to find enlightenment through deprivation of worldly goods, including food, practicing self-mortification". The result? He ended up reaching spiritual enlightenment. In this example, not only did he fast, but he also gave up a very high social status and wealth. Could you give up your wealth and status in society to go sit under a tree? Probably not. I'm not judging; I probably couldn't either.

You don't have to be a spiritual messiah to be spiritual; a dad struggling to make ends meet, working 12 hour days to feed his family, could be considered spiritual by my definition as he is struggling and sacrificing himself for the greater good of his family.

A coffee addict giving up coffee could be considered spiritual as the suffering caused from withdrawal is real. Any addict overcoming their addiction is a form of spirituality, as they are overcoming their instant gratification.

Their are countless other examples, but a question I have for you is, how much are you suffering on a daily basis?

If you noticed, some of the spiritual "activities" included in the first paragraph are, by my very definition, the opposite of spiritual as they are comfort inducing, such as pot smoking, yoga, sex, being "free" to do as you please, etc.

Anyways, just wanted to share what this word means to me as I recently gave up coffee for a month, which I have been drinking for years, and went raw vegan for a month and gave up several of my favorite foods. The struggle was real. However, to say it was a a spiritual experience would be an understatement. Feel free to comment if you agree, disagree, or just want to share an experience of the human struggle.

a reply to: sekerofknowlege
The New Testament meaning of "spiritual" is "guided by the Spirit of God". That is what Paul means when he says things like "I thought you were spiritual, but you are not".
So it's not so much about "what you do" as about "what is guiding what you do".

How does people write such long stories i make no sense after two lines..

Spirituality = Humanity

I dont know what sort of life you are living, but the vast majority of people are already suffering! I really dont think they need to suffer even more just to know the meaning of a word!

I find spirituality through science and healthy choices for me and those around me allowing us all to live to our full potential. I think understanding cause and effect of our choices on a deeper level is spiritual. Combine that with love and there is a start. I don't think spirituality is entirely made up of suffering.

Here is an article I found on the subject.

Suffering doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing. It can help us grow and mature in ways we can't even imagine. It can give us realizations about life which otherwise would be difficult to acquire. I'm not suggesting we go out and look for suffering. Rest assured, it will find its way into our life.

Huffington Post


I do think that suffering allows us to grow. I don't think we have to be negative about it, though. For example, taking a daily run improves one's stamina and strength just as training one's mind to learn math results in deeper understanding of the subject. Slicing off one's fingers to improve one's skill in cooking is the wrong approach.

Spirit is the breath of life, the balance between air and fire, the force of creation in nature and creativity and in humans.
Spirituality is the path we follow to find our purpose, usually through philosophy and intellectuality,
as to answer inner and deeper cosmological questions.

What most call spirituality is in reality a new age counterfeit of true spirituality.

Satan counterfeits everything that God does.

He is a master of disguises.

"And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light." 2 Corinthians 11:14

This is why religion is probably his greatest masterpiece.

This is also why religion does exactly the opposite of what it is meant to do.

Real enlightenment only comes when we place ourselves under the rule and reign of the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is the reason why spirituality is the elite's PRIMARY target.

Enlightenment is a COUNTERFEIT which means there MUST be a genuine article.

The genuine is connecting with and walking with God (from the root meaning of the word religion)

The counterfeits are enlightenment, illumination, and ascension.

Light is what makes things visible or affords illumination.

Without light nothing would be visible.

This is why Jesus was hated by the religious people, He exposed the real deception of religion.

"The road to self enlightenment is a hard climb upwards and once you get there you'll find you really weren't going up after all, but down. I know from experience and my real enlightenment was when I found this out. Its hard to tell where your headed when darkness becomes light, and light is considered darkness. That is the great deception."

Source

New Age "spirituality" is just another TRAP set by the elite and inventors of religion, for the purpose of social control. People who aren't buying mainstream religion are in danger of finding true unified consciousness, which is exactly what the elite don't want, so they created New Age religion to keep people trapped in the matrix of CONTROL. It's like a last ditch effort to hold people down, to keep the ones who are "getting away" from escaping their control.

Notice how so many new agers defend the very religions that have mass murdered hundreds of millions of people using "I honor all paths" as an excuse, and they even go so far as to say that "people cause wars, not religions" but then ignore the fact that most of the world's wars have been INSPIRED by religious dogma and theology. They are just hypocrites defending mass murderous cults, and behaving no better than them. Mainstream religions do NOT deserve to be respected, they deserve to be condemned based upon their hypocritical, mass murderous, genocidal actions and anyone who defends these religions is defending genocide. Period.

The vast majority of new agers claim that they are "spiritual but not religious" but notice how so many new agers believe in Jesus, Buddha, Krishna and other "ascended masters" as "historical people." They're buying into bull# and believing in these mythic deities in the total and complete ABSENCE OF ALL EVIDENCE just the SAME as mainstream religious folks. Believing in fairy tales, myths and legends isn’t called being “enlightened” it’s called being gullible and living in the dark.

"New Age" Religion/Spirituality: Just more HYPOCRISY and MIND CONTROL

Spirituality to me is finding the divine spark that is within everything and finding unity with the universe. Once you find the divine spark you realize that we're all the same on the inside and parts of the greater whole.

a reply to: Murgatroid

This is why religion is probably his greatest masterpiece.

Real enlightenment only comes when we place ourselves under the rule and reign of the Lord Jesus Christ.

You do realize that the two above statements don't really make any sense together, right? Putting yourself under the reign of Jesus Christ IS religion. It is what the Christian religion (all denominations) promote without fail.

a reply to: sekerofknowlege
Prove we are multidimensional beings. Also, define spirituality, as I'm afraid I haven't the faintest idea what it is.

This is the best definition of "spirituality" that I've ever seen. I wish I could take credit for it, but I can't. It's a quote from Nancy Ellen Abrams...

“experiencing our true connection to all that exists.”

In my mind, that includes experiencing a true connection with yourself. I'm not talking narcissism. I'm talking about really knowing and understanding you. Suffering makes no one more "spiritual". It is how you perceive yourself, and the world around you that aids in your connection to the non-corporeal.

Spirituality is awareness. It is first going within, which then aids in our understanding of that which is without.

a reply to: sekerofknowlege

@What Does it Mean to You to be Spiritual?

To 1 it means to regain the ETERNAL Awareness of 1z existence within the phases of life and death within Existence.
Meaning the more Eternal Spirit/Soul/Internal Energy based part of me is becoming more aware of "current" existence reality setting.
Settings that 1 may have not been aware of or forgotten due to being to attached and distracted to/with the materialistic worlds pressures experienced day to day.

As I began to become more spiritually aware via Conscious updating-upgrading through some meditative practices usually unique to myself as well as some shared practices AND SOME STAR -SOUL SEARCHING CONNECTING BEYOND I began to learn not to let the pressures here basically eat at me as much as they were. For this is just a step of many for 1 or us...

I knew yes 1 must do what it takes to survive in the current materialistic world, unless prepared to burden another, which I would not. But that does not mean let the pressures and responses to them to get me down.

I learned to recognize these current setting give them my best go and hopefully allow some learning and gain some knowledge to upgrade my Eternal spirits conscious memory why here.

This is some of what it means to be spiritual to 1

NAMASTE*******

know thyself!

this is the essence of teaching from eastern religions.

The point of fast is not suffering, but renunciation of material world completely. One most even renunciate the renunciation. This is the ultimate goal of renunciation and not suffering. As long as you think that way, you are still only clinging to body and ego and material, because soul never suffers and is far from that.

interesting link about fasting:
www.meditationexpert.com...

a reply to: Klassified
That was a cool definition. So tell me, how does one know when they're experiencing a true connection to all that exists as opposed to a false one? Also, does one have to know all that exists to know when one is experiencing connection to said all-ness?

originally posted by: Klassified
This is the best definition of "spirituality" that I've ever seen. I wish I could take credit for it, but I can't. It's a quote from Nancy Ellen Abrams...

“experiencing our true connection to all that exists.”

And that connection is the spirit , and experiencing, seeking or trying to explain this mystical connection is spirituality

We're all saying the same thing basically.

In my mind, that includes experiencing a true connection with yourself. I'm not talking narcissism. I'm talking about really knowing and understanding you. Suffering makes no one more "spiritual". It is how you perceive yourself, and the world around you that aids in your connection to the non-corporeal.

Know ThySelf was the essence of spirituality in ancient Greece

Be at one with yourself, accept what life hands you and make the best of it, do what you can for others, and don't hate. Spirituality for me.

ETA: embrace your family, the good, the bad, and the ugly. They belong to you for life.

originally posted by: Thetan
a reply to: Klassified
That was a cool definition. So tell me, how does one know when they're experiencing a true connection to all that exists as opposed to a false one? Also, does one have to know all that exists to know when one is experiencing connection to said all-ness?

You don't know, that's the point, spirituality is the path you follow to find out..

originally posted by: Dr1Akula

originally posted by: Thetan
a reply to: Klassified
That was a cool definition. So tell me, how does one know when they're experiencing a true connection to all that exists as opposed to a false one? Also, does one have to know all that exists to know when one is experiencing connection to said all-ness?

You don't know, that's the point, spirituality is the path you follow to find out..

The destination is unknown, the path to it is our life.

originally posted by: Thetan
a reply to: Klassified
That was a cool definition. So tell me, how does one know when they're experiencing a true connection to all that exists as opposed to a false one? Also, does one have to know all that exists to know when one is experiencing connection to said all-ness?

I'm no sage, but there is a scene in Star wars, in which Yoda takes Luke to a cave, and tells him he must go in. Luke asks him what is in there, and Yoda says "Only what you take with you". To me, everyone must enter their own cave, and come out the other side. Once you "know thyself" as the Dr. above me quoted. No one will need to tell you a real experience from a false one. Or when you are connected. We're getting all metaphysical and philosophical tonight. Lol.

originally posted by: 3NL1GHT3N3D1
Spirituality to me is finding the divine spark that is within everything and finding unity with the universe. Once you find the divine spark you realize that we're all the same on the inside and parts of the greater whole.

This is probably one of the most profound things I have read on ATS. I know religiously you and I do not agree, but on this statement alone, we are tied together. Wish I could give ya 10 stars for this one.