What is popular today is to talk about spirituality without talking about “religion.” The word religion is from the Latin root religio that means “to tie back.” Sadly, religion has, whether based in actual experience or by misunderstanding, been too often perceived as tying one down, handcuffing if you like, a person to some set of dogmas or practices that are alien to his or her experience of this world, or that alienate a person from him or her self. In actuality, the most basic purpose of religion, apart from aberrant expressions, is to reconnect a person to his/her deepest sense of self as realized in connection with the transcendent (God) and others (including all of creation.) Said differently, religion, when plumbed to its various depths, aids individuals in evaluating and enhancing the authenticity of their relationship with God, neighbor, and self.
Authenticity is not a static state but a developing and expanding experience. (It is never too late to “get real!”) Over time, we come to know ourselves – first in infancy (my toes verses the cat’s tail), childhood (all cookies are not my cookies), adolescence (dependency and autonomy can share the same space), and on through adulthood into old age. I would like to suggest that as we develop beyond early adolescence and throughout the rest of life, we have a choice to grow, or not to grow, in wonder at the mystery of life – how all of us and all of creation are interconnected, how we are dependent upon and reflect the grace of that transcendent one who many of us call God. Said differently, to ask how my life’s decisions affect me and others, help me keep awake to my relationship to God and creation – in short, convey a deep reverence for the mystery of life.
Spirituality then, is about those underlying principles that are present in every healthy expression of religion, regardless of particular creed. Spirituality, apart from any specific set of beliefs, is part of the human experience and given expression in religion. I would suggest four foundational principles of spirituality:
1. Pay attention to the data of your experience: BE AWAKE! (*)
2. Work to understand fully all ideas – yours and others: BE INTELLIGENT!
3. Challenge yourself to exercise judgment based on facts: BE REASONABLE!
4. Act based on the greatest good and reverence for all: BE RESPONSIBLE!
Perhaps it is time to revisit your religious tradition, take a deeper “spiritual” look, and mine its depths for the mysterious treasures awaiting you there. And if I may aid you in that process, I’d be honored to do so.
*For further exploration on these four principles, see Daniel Helminiak’s helpful book. The Human Core of Spirituality: Mind as Psyche and Spirit. State University of New York Press, 1996.