Beyond labels and boundaries

Spirituality is a mysterious and vast field of discovery, and there are as many definitions for it as there are people on the planet. The first error of judgment we are likely to make on the topic is to think that we have a defining answer for exactly what it is. Believing in personal immortality, or having faith in an anthropomorphic God or Gods is not a pre-requisite for an individual to engage in the process of discovery. In fact, quite often as individuals delve deeper into their own search, many of the more commonly accepted religious or spiritual beliefs and idealisms tend to drop away and give rise to a more experiential, practical, and wisdom oriented way of being in the world.  

Psychiatrist Dr Larry Culiford said that “Spirituality can be thought of as the ‘active ingredient' of major world religions (and some humanistic ideologies too). Why not think of the spiritual dimension as a kind of adventure playground, a place to learn in and have fun, a place in which to extend yourself, to grow?” This quote is a great example of the kind of thinking that frees us from pre-conceived fears and hesitations of religions, cults, and other ways that ‘spirit’ has been watered down and manipulated for distorted ends. Let it be said now that spiritual exploration need not be boxed in to any one ideology, associated with any religion, institution, or system; one is truly free to explore however he or she sees fit.

The word ‘spirituality’ may even feel like an unsuitable label to you, and could be replaced by terms such as ‘Self discovery’ ‘Self actualization’ (coined by Abraham Maslow), Transformation, or ‘Individuation’ (coined by Carl Jung).

For the sake of this article, let’s assume that every interpretation is valid, every definition is right, but also that they all contain a partial truth, and all partial truths can be integrated into a larger more comprehensive definition of spirituality.

Discovery and Experience

A primary theme that most would be in total agreement with, is that spirituality is very much a way of life that involves a depth of sincerity and discovery. Discovery of the external world’s teachings, theories and knowledge’s, and the internal world’s wisdom, growth, and source or essence of being. The spiritual quest requires us to take a step into a deeper world, beyond the distractions, habits and sense gratifications that keep us bound to our day to day mindset. This involves reflection and contemplation on the great mysteries of existence, with questions such as “Who am I? What is the meaning of life? What is my purpose and potential? Is there more to life than what we experience through our senses?”

“The real meaning of spirituality is awareness. If you can be self aware, then you are spiritual. The first step in spirituality is to ask questions “What do I want” “Who are my heroes?” “What’s the meaning and purpose of my existence?” And if you live in those questions, someday you will move into the answers. “ - Deepak Chopra

One of many effects that may arise from these soul stirring questions are, remarkable, transformative inner-subjective experiences. Experiences like these have been reported to have occurred in millions of people from around the globe, often spontaneously. These ‘mystical experiences’ are considered to arise from a significant shift in consciousness, within those that are either enduring great adversity, or those who are just asking these ultimate questions with compelling depth and sincerity. Whether these experiences signify an opening to an authentic connection with a divine source, or an innate, extraordinary dimension of the human brain, it is the experience that holds the primary and life-changing value above the theories that surround it. Many atheists have had these ‘mystical’ experiences of transcendence, as have many religious and ‘spiritual’ people. The fact is that the experiences are there; they are life changing, and anyone can take on this discovery if the desire is sincere. Many people devote their entire lives to the unfolding of these mystical experiences, to live in direct communion with the spiritual source of existence, in whatever form or name they choose to give to it.

"There are four major stages of spiritual unfolding:  belief, faith, direct experience, and permanent adaptation:  you can believe in Spirit, you can have faith in Spirit, you can directly experience Spirit, you can become Spirit” - Ken Wilber

Again, as Dr Larry Culiford said “Spirituality can be thought of as the ‘active ingredient' of major world religions.” We are safe to assume that most, if not all religions were founded on the deep realizations and experiences of individuals––who went on to interpret that information into human language––in the context of the culture of the time––which was then filtered through the decision making authorities––infused with conventional morality––packaged––institutionalized––and sent out for publication to the masses. This example illustrates the reason of why our modern generation, particularly from the mid 20th century onward, have started taking spiritual matters into our own hands, no longer subordinating to the scriptural authorities. We have realized that spirituality is a universal calling, and that we all have the capacity to ask the questions, seek the knowledge, and explore the experiences without mainstream religious intervention.

Wisdom

The payout that we can expect to gain from a long and honest process of reflection and discovery is first, understanding, and then secondly, wisdom. And what a great gift to give to yourself; the gift that keeps on giving, and one that nobody can ever take away from you! Wisdom is universally regarded as a set of personal qualities, such as understanding, insight, balance and sound judgment, usually gained from a long life, and from learning from experience. Yet wisdom is not exclusively reserved for those who have lived a long life, and can be cultivated from a young age. Wisdom involves coming to a deeper understanding of the underlying principles that work behind human behavior, relationships, world events, etc. It is only through understanding the inseparability and interdependence of opposites, and the underlying motivations behind human behavior and world events that we can step back from our projections and judgments and approach life with a balanced, inspired mind.

For example, we observe somebody demonstrating the quality of ‘selfish.’ The unwise individual judges, condemns, says “I’m not like that”, and tries to avoid selfishness from that point on. This results in inner conflicts, avoidance of honest self reflection, and unnecessary labeling and conflicts with those perceived as selfish. The wise individual sees ‘selfish’ in another, and identifies that he too has that quality; That selfishness has as many benefits as it does drawbacks. That sometimes we need to be selfish; or we end up as a passive, selfless doormat...

“When you meet anyone, remember it is a holy encounter.
As you see him you will see yourself.
As you treat him you will treat yourself.
As you think of him you will think of yourself.
Never forget this, for in him you will find yourself or lose yourself.”
- A Course in Miracles.

The wise individual observes conflicts, wars, gains, losses, breakthroughs and breakdowns, and instead of getting emotionally entangled and labeling events as ‘good and bad’ or ‘right and wrong’ he sees the inner workings of why these events are happening. The wise individual sees that highs are proceeded by lows, gains come with losses, wars are followed by peace, capitalists are balanced by communists, and so on. It is through sustaining a balanced, understanding, curious, playful and appreciative mindset, regardless of what’s going on in the outside world, that the true power of wisdom is revealed.

“Enlightenment is not imagining figures of light but making the darkness conscious.” - Carl Jung

Spirituality, as we have identified, involves a process of discovery both in the internal and external world. It has been stated by Dr John Demartini that an individual’s form of spirituality is expressed through that person’s highest values; their highest inner priority, what is most inspiring to them. From this perspective you can see in a musician, an athlete, an entrepreneur, a parent, or a coach––all of these people are expressing their own unique form of spirituality through their actions in the world; and that applies to everyone who is truly living their dreams. We have seen in so many examples that people who are inspired and focused on what they do, are considered to be remarkable individuals, they need less sleep, have unlimited energy to do what they love, and often report experiences of transcendence; of going beyond their senses to a state of oneness where genius, creativity and inspiration take hold.

“I think spirituality is a part of everything. It doesn't need to be separated out from everything else.”  - Anthony Robbins

If spirituality is expressed in the form of our highest values, we can look out at the diversity of our world and come to the conclusion that spirituality is being expressed in every way possible; through mind, body, culture, nature, in politics, in sport, technology, academia, the arts; in every way conceivable. And if spirit is the primary energy-substance from which all life comes into being, we must ask, “Where is spirit not!?”

Whether you consider spirituality to be religious, moral, mystical, physical, psychological, material, immaterial or whatever, you are right, according to your own values. There’s plenty of room on the planet for everybody to have their own version of spirituality.

Each individual on the planet has a set of values that are as unique as his or her fingerprints. Spirituality is expressed according to those values. Whether you take a traditional and organized, or independent and individualized approach to spiritual discovery, you are doing what’s right for you at your current station and level of awareness in life. In response to the question in this article’s title “What can it do for me?” the answer is again as unique as you are. Spirituality can be a process of transformation and development, ie: Self Actualization and Individuation. It can be a life of service and submission to a teacher, religion, or charity. It can be a quiet and humble life of meditation and creativity. It can be an all out conquest for success, fortune, and wealth. It can be all this and more. Your unique spirituality is demonstrated in the way you live your life.  

“All learning is remembering” - Plato

The focus of this project, and the individual’s involved in delivering the material, is not to provide absolute answers, but to inspire, inform and challenge you to actualize yourself and find your own truth. We hope you have enjoyed this brief introductory article, and we have provided a list of resources that may be helpful in your research of topics related to spirituality and personal transformation.

Spiritual Resources:

The internet is becoming more and more centralised, organised and unified, and as such, it is so easy to search for information, downloads, videos, blogs and articles on almost any topic you could imagine. As we’re sure you already know, websites like Google, Wikipedia and Youtube are loaded with endless resources. It really just comes down to you narrowing down which particular author, speaker, system, book, program, blog or documentary that you are interested in exploring. Instead of providing a conventional list of links for you, we will instead provide a list of popular 'hot topics' and noteworthy individuals that you may find interesting and helpful in your spiritual explorations.

Popular Spiritual Traditions, Systems, Philosophies

• Buddhism (Zen, Tibetan, Vajrayana, Mahayana, Theraveda)
• Taoism
• Sufism
• Hinduism
• Vedanta
• Shamanism (tradional or contemporary)
• Gnosticism
• Esoteric Christianity
• Spiritualism
• Theosophical Society
• Paganism/Wicca
• Psychedelic experience
• New Ageism
• Integral Theory
  

  Preventitive Medicine, Health & Holistic Healing

• Ayurveda
• Traditional chinese medicine (acupuncture, moxabustion, herbalism)
• Reiki
• Shiatsu
• Naturopathy
• Colour and Sound healing
• Music therapy
• Holotropic breathwork
• Reflexology

  Popular Spiritual Practices (Deep inner experiences)

• Transcendental Meditation
• Zazen
• Yoga (Kundalini, Strala, Asana)
• Zen Koans 
• Tai Chi & Chi Gung (Qigong)
• Muraqaba
• Mantra
• Pagan/Wiccan ritual

  Shadow Work/Psychological healing & Re-integration

• Psychoanalysis
• Counseling
• Talk Therapy
• Art Therapy
• Music Therapy
• Quantum Collapse Process (The Demartini Method)
• NLP
• Primal Therapy
• Cognitive Therapy
• Hypnosis
• Holotropic Breathwork
• Mindfulness Meditation
  

  Teachers, Philosophers, Noteworthy individuals

• Aristotle
• Plato
• Socrates
• Lao Tzu
• Sun Tzu
• Zhuangzi
• Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha)
• Confucius
• Helena Blavatski
• Ralph Waldo Emerson
• Ramana Maharishi
• Friedrich Nietzsche
• Sigmund Freud
• Carl Jung
• Timothy Leary
• Aldous Huxley
• Deepak Chopra
• Dr John Demartini
  

These are in no way intended as fully complete or exclusive lists, but are simply a guide to historically and contemporarily significant spiritual resources that are widely held to be popular, helpful and effective. 

If you are interested in a skype consultation to explore any of the above in greater detail, or for some assistance in accelerating your own journey, please feel free to explore our services. We would also love to hear your feedback, comments and constructive criticisms of this and the other articles we have on the website.