“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” —A.W. Tozer
When I was in college, I read the preceding quote from the theologian/philosopher A.W. Tozer. The substance was so profound I have never forgotten its message almost 15 years later. It continues to spring up again and again in my mind on a regular basis.
I realize spirituality can be a very touchy topic that arouses countless strong opinions, intellectual arguments, and far too many unspeakable emotional wounds. Nevertheless, I believe the quote above holds true. There is nothing more central to our lives than our understanding of spirituality. And it is a conversation we ought to engage in far more often than we do.
Whether we have intentionally pursued a personal spirituality or not, our beliefs have a profound impact on our lives. Consciously or subconsciously, it influences us in countless ways. Consider how it impacts our understanding of…
- Ourselves. Does God care about me? Is He mad at me or pleased with me? If there is no God, who am I? And where did I orginate?
- Others. Are all lives equal? If so, on what basis? What is my responsibility to care for others?
- Minimalism. If we have removed the pursuit of worldly possessions from our affections, with what will we replace it?
- The world around us. In what specific ways should we care about the world and the environment around us? Is our motivation in this regard more significant than survival of our species? And if so, how do we as humans responsibly interact with it?
- Morality. Is there a moral set of truth for the universe established from a higher power? Or is morality determined by each individual?
- Evil. What am I to understand about the evil and suffering in the world? Is it there for a reason? To what extent should I try to counteract it?
- Money. Does the universe give money/status to some and not others? Or is money/status earned by the individual? What should I do with it when I obtain it? Do I hold any responsibility to care for those with less?
- Afterlife. Is there life after death? Is death something to be feared or welcomed? And either way, how should I be preparing for it today?
No doubt, our understanding of spirituality carries great influence on our lives. For that reason, one of the most significant journeys we can ever embark upon is the exploration of it.
I understand fully this community is made up of readers from every imaginable religious/non-religious background. I am so very thankful for that reality. And I should be quick to mention this post is not an endorsement of any specific religion. Instead, my hope is only to prompt each of us to further consider the role of spirituality in our everyday lives. And cause us to joyfully embrace the journey rather than shy away from it.
Because of the important role it plays, you will never regret any time spent furthering your understanding of the Universe. Whether you have never tried, have tried but given up, or spend time everyday seeking one specific God, let me offer seven beginning steps that are central to our personal exploration of spirituality.
A Beginner’s Guide to Exploring Spirituality
1. Respect those that have gone before. The quest to understand spirituality is as old as humanity itself. Billions have gone before and have spent countless hours seeking spirituality. Don‘t overlook their efforts. Consider their findings and their writings—even those outside the religion you have become accustomed to.
2. Your journey must be your own. You alone must be the decision-maker for your view of God. You should not blindly accept the teachings of another (even your closest mentor or parent). Your heart must ring true and your spirit must rejoice in your spirituality—or it is worthless.
3. Start right where you are. We all have special gifts of character: compassion, laughter, self-discipline, love, etc. Use them as your starting point. Are you facing a trial in life (disease, loss, rejection)? Use it as motivation to further pursue your understanding of spirituality. Lao-tzu once said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” He was right in every regard. Start your journey with whatever first step makes the most sense to you.
4. Ask God for help. By this I mean, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by making the request. If there is a God, He may answer your prayer. And if there is no God, the process of making the request will still work to help focus your senses and desire.
5. Practice, practice, practice. Like everything else in life, spiritual growth is mastered through practice. If you don’t find your answers after your first few steps, take some more in a different direction. It will require time, effort, and energy. But given its influence on our lives, it is always worth the effort in the end.
6. Don’t be afraid of unanswered questions. Although leaving questions unanswered may sound contrary to the goal of the pursuit, we should not be afraid of them. These unanswered questions will cause some to forever abandon the journey. And while our spirituality should make sense of our heart‘s deepest questions, it would seem unreasonable to believe our minds could successfully fathom all the mysteries of the universe.
7. Be wary of “everyone is right” thinking. If there is no God, there is no God. If there is a God, He is something specific. Personally, I am skeptical of the thinking that says God can change from one person to another—that philosophy crumbles under the weight of its own logic. God is who God is. And it‘s our responsibility to successfully find Him.
Again, I realize fully this journey is going to look different for every single one of us. Spirituality is a highly personal matter and will likely result in different outcomes. This is not a post that endorses any specific religion. It is simply a post of encouragement and a reminder this journey is important.
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I do not typically moderate comments too closely (unless they turn offensive). But I might make a suggestion for this post. In the comments below, I would be interested to hear about your personal journey toward spirituality. How did it begin? And how did you arrive at your understanding? I think this conversation will be more helpful and encouraging than a specific argument made for choosing your view.
Image: overgraeme
The journey of spirituality… K.
In my consciousness today, I think this journey already started without me knowing it. When I was born and just now, have started to feel the importance to really respect my own feelings and my thoughts. Do something about it. Because if I dont, I will always be in the loop of trying, achieving and supporting other’s interests and perceptions of living life.
Another thought just knocked me… and it says,
The divine is always present in our consciousness and it is activated since we came to this universe called Bhuurlok; or Earth. We are all living creatures learning from our own experiences, distracted by the conditioning’s of our society. We all are loving children of divine and wants to provide, achieve everything we can in order to be noticed and feel appreciated.
As of now, I want to seek out voices in my head and soul. Vouch for what is there for me to feel content and where do I belong?
Sharing a kind of connection, I feel truly in-tuned to divine is when I am dancing ecstatically which have tried in past. Is this a kind of spiritual pursuit practice? Should I just follow it?
Love is life and life is what you make it. its temperance; what you put in is what you get out. you complain about trying to drink from an empty cup yet you are the only one in this life who has the tap to fill up said cup. it may be rusty but that’s where you find your WD40 which may be hidden in a different location from where you are looking. I know I’m speaking metaphorically here but in a literal sense, you’ve got to search your whole self in order to find love for it and it will be effort but that’s the fun in it
I feel unique in the fact that i dont belong on this planet, i feel i am unintelligable. I have not found a relationship with the opposite sex not for the want of trying in the past, these days i dont bother as i am now 61 yrs old. I have looked for salvation in religion, asking god for answers but i never get a reply. In the last 15 yrs i have constantly been swayed to spiritualism but have not really studied in depth despite inner feelings of really wanting to. Sorry for what seems like a shallow comment, i suppose im basically saying ” I am not worthy”.
I’m young, so I’m not sure if I have the best advice on everything. But don’t tell yourself you’re not worthy or you’ll start to believe it. You’re more than what you say you are, and whatever God you’re seeking to become closer with will always be there for you when you’re ready. Goodluck! I’m starting a journey tonight myself. (:
I’m only beginning my spiritual journey. But I can tell you this, You are worthy. Just as any other living thing
R. Smith
I need a deeper understanding on spiritual growth
Western culture is largely dominated by the writings in the Hebrew Bible. In the Hebrew Bible it says that God created man in his own image. There is a lot to unpack in this quote, the pronouns the Capitalization….so much.
In university I encountered this passage with fresh eyes and suddenly understood…..we actually create God in our own image. We created frightening vengeful gods because the bad old days were dominated by war and the struggle for survival. So we figured that God must be into all that stuff. Hence the vengeful, jealous, petty gods came to life in our imagination. We are not really able to conceive of a god that is different from what we know about life and the world. It like this if life is hard and scary and god creates it all then god must be scary and hard on us.
Thankfully we live in times where we can encounter endless ideas about god and have access to the good and bad in all religious traditions. We are freer than ever before to experience god directly in our own hearts and lives, no fear of being burned at the stake.
Years ago I gave up on vengeful scary gods and began looking at god with fresh eyes, eyes focused on love and not fear. This allowed me to own and create a spiritual practice that is focused on being generous with myself and others. I have one overarching guiding question for my current spiritual practices, “does this make me more open minded and are these ideas life affirming?” If what I’m creating spiritually isn’t in line with this then I walk away.
Doing my best to create a divine image of myself/god that keeps me open to limitless possibilities and to open to love. It’s a deep spiritual practice as it requires that I observe and choose my thoughts and feelings carefully. That’s the biggest part of spiritual practice for me being present with what is going on inside my mind/body.
I feel like a lot of the teachings that can be taken from God being vengeful aren’t that of an angry god but heeding Its warning of poor behaviors. There are also simultaneous stories of the benefits of doing right and the grace that life brings within that. For me that is heaven and hell on Earth. I wholly feel you should embrace a perspective of life in a kind place. This is God built in the reflection of man and man built in the reflection of God. To me one in the same.
My mother my whole life was Mormon, up until I was 7 years old. She wrote a book, which I won’t name here as not to DOX myself and respect her, about her near death experience where she met God. I grew up thinking that I lucked out, knowing exactly what happens in the afterlife and who’s religion was “right”. But then, she decided suddenly that she wasn’t Mormon anymore.
My siblings are envious of me, saying she used to inflict the fear of God in them. One day in the car she got a phone call, and was never the same again after that. To this day, I have no idea what was on that phone call. I’ve asked her more than once, and she’s baffled with the idea that a single phone call could have changed everything like that. That it wasn’t sudden to her. But it was sudden to me, and a core memory.
Suddenly she smokes cigarettes, she’s telling her children to be who they truly are. She’s talking to her mother again, after growing up briefly in a disgusting and terrifying cult. I was allowed to stay over at people’s houses as I pleased, as a teenager I came to her drunk and high or depressed about breakups and knew no matter what that she loved me the same.
Suddenly the idea of God wasn’t even spoken in the house anymore. She would joke saying “let’s pray before eating” and my siblings would laugh and tell her to shut up. It’s so odd to have everything flipped upside down, and for upside down to feel so correct. To see my mother able to joke about these things, and to be so close with my mom that we can say anything to her.
And now, I’m confused. I have a strong set of beliefs, one based in rigorous soul searching. But to feel as if I believed blindly because of my mother and to suddenly be told “actually, I was wrong” after she received proof of her belief system, I don’t know how to make the right choice. And for one, I don’t align with a spirituality that has a name to my knowledge, and I am frustrated trying to find anyone with a similar idea of what I feel.
I feel in my soul that God the name of a sheet of mathematics, a giant fractal of a pattern of numbers that are the “code” to life’s existence. The reason a flower knows how to be a flower, that it’s a piece of this fractal. And that I don’t mean this to say that God is unfeeling mechanical either. But rather the opposite, that our feelings, our beliefs and thoughts are mathematical. And that although I believe in freewill, I also believe that our actions, thoughts, and the seconds that tick by between them create new limbs of this fractal, and thus creates an equal reaction elsewhere (like a quantum twin). This is how our decisions affect others.
The second part of this belief system in the Universe, the place where this fractal unfurls. I believe that the Universe helps create separation in this fractal, so that we can exist separately instead of as a part of God. Like a grid with boxes, my existence is a “box”. But along a third axis, this box extends for every moment that passes, another grid. That I am a different piece the next moment. This means that the past exists as an extension of the self, in a separate box. I believe that we are in a symbiotic relationship with God, to extend the organism as much as possible with our experiences and life. The purpose being to look on a life that were proud of at the end of it, a beautiful personal piece of the fractal.
The third and final aspect of what I believe is the Universal hive mind. That if I need to manifest, to communicate, to understand with or through God, that I just need to ask that piece of myself that already is God. That if we’re all little pieces of God, down to the dirt and as far as the nebulas, then it is easy to communicate by asking the Universe as if it’s a librarian. Like asking for a history book, and the Universe brings it to you. You just need to know how to communicate, and that everyone does it in different ways.
I sometimes think that phone call my mother answered decades ago didn’t exist in her version of reality, only in mine. A literal “call to action” to question my compliance. Her equal reaction that affected my life.
I have had confirmation in my beliefs in many ways. Meditation, premonition, and divination. Ever since I started taking myself seriously instead of thinking I was silly, I’ve seen and done such incredible things. But that’s why I’m even here, commenting on this article. The Universe has asked me to figure out what I actually believe in. To take part in existing rituals the right way. To learn from masters of different religions and practice respectfully to extend my knowledge of what I believe in, and learn to properly execute my own belief system.
But I’ve been frustrated, and I don’t understand now. I am attempting to learn more about the institutions and methods in which I communicate with God, but I’m stumped. I don’t know what to look into, the closest information I can find is through occultism. But that’s much too broad a subject.
I think I may have just needed to tell someone about the way that I feel. I haven’t spoken to many people in the last 5 years. It’s lonely to search for a sense of sameness in spirituality when I haven’t found any information of anyone believing what I do, or even a similarity in another sense of belief. If you have any suggestions on what I should look into, even if it’s just a good book or to hear your sense of sameness, feel free to reply. But I appreciate if you’ve read this far, and I wish you luck in your journey to understanding your relationship with spirituality.
Hiya, I can relate to what you’re saying. Some teachings I have been interested in lately are bahai and kriya yoga. My main guide is Jesus (Yeshua) on how to walk in both worlds at a safe pace and direction etc. I like Eckhart Tolle, esp. stillness speaks.
I like to be a light (everything that is good and lovely and perfect) detective.
Hi I am Lufuno /Love.
My beliefs are so many, and the life that I am who I am today is a blessing from God. From my childhood and as a Man today, comes from the growth, love, happiness, sadness, heavy pains of losing my family through their passing. From my father, mother, sisters and my twin brother. Both of my beloved ones where here with me, before everything I experienced in flash. Today I’m a Man, who can creates, practice guide, help everyone who is around me. The power of God is who we are, because the knowledge, abilities, creativity, talents etc. You can name them.
For me Spiritually, IAM the Spirit of God. What I do and change people’s life to be the best life that is ORGINALLY their life and each and one got their differences in their Phath. Now I’m 42 of age and everything, about the grace of God, those Lessons I felt deeper in my heart, pain of how I experienced and see, how all of family passing. I was with them. And they left me, standing alone. Crying asking myself, what’s happening, or am I dreaming.. Everything I in real life. I was not dreaming. The love of God and God’s Power created Who I am today. And still doing everything for people, that I need people, to know and that God, is with all the living beings here on the planet. The Universe, is everything I call Home. Thank you all for allowing me to, Share the beauty of knowing that I am the Son of God.
NDE studies are very telling.
Proof of what? The most plausible explanation is that they are hallucinations caused by all the natural drugs our body releases at death. It’s even more plausible that we have loads of our decedents memories stored within our DNA. We are learning every day about new things buried in our firm ware.
Hi Jane,
It was very soothing reading about your spiritual journey. Honestly, I stumbled upon this article by searching on Google and didn’t expect I’d be reading something profound even in the comments section too. I agree with you, that there is God within us.. and all we need to do is ask from that part of us that is connected to the Universe.
It may seem overwhelming to even think a part of the Universe resides within us considering its vastness and might, but I believe no matter how infinitesimal we feel, our actions affect the Universe. It changes with us. ????
I’m trying to find my way back to my spirituality… I feel like I have diverged into what I truly want to experience in this life. I’m rooting for you and everyone’s spiritual journey. May we find bliss in search for meaning, even if we won’t find the answers. Not until after our last breath perhaps? or maybe not.. let’s see. ????
As a new fish to this even though I should have a much better understanding at 35 but we all start were we are and go were we do and I nearly did loose myself and I’m going to be baptised on the Sunday by my friends pasture he wants this I would of gone anywere at this stage I need to have a better understanding of Jesus god in myself and my journey as a hole I’m very lost I feel so vulnerable but not fear like I’m being seen through myself sometimes either way I been doing some research and it turns out being of true Romani decent me and my sister maybe adept in ways I always felt something but was always told to dismiss such things growing up by my dad mainly seemed very closed minded but when he was 14 he had birds flocking to him bird man was his nickname so intune with nature and so is my sister it’s like I missed a train because I was trying to convince myself it wasn’t always there gonna be there or simultaneously there and on its way at the same time. I just know my sister who I would call my twin shared dreams had alight preventions that sort of thing but she can’t even speak of it plainly with her own sibling so I know I must find out myself and meet her on her level somehow.
Truth resonates. Once included, never stupid. Thank you for sharing, you are not alone… being kind to self and others. Becoming so small and smaller yet, not of lesser importance, instead connecting to the infinitely large in reciprocity now one made whole. This is love, gracious inclusion, a property of the universe.
Run to and not from the fear to love. When you have a choice of being kind or being right, choose kindness for it is in alignment with your spirit. In this there is no conflict, nor remorse or shadow of turning.
Peace and blessings. As a child of course we think as a child. When you were a child, and you heard those changes that your mom had gone through. There could be a huge shift in your existence. As adults, we are also developing and can have a shift in our foundation and belief systems. We’re trying to still figure it out and when we have children around us, of course they’re gonna see changes that we might make our lives when we make choices to go down a different path. it sounds like your mom went from one extreme to the other.
I teach yoga go to Buddhist temples to learn how to meditate. I even lead teacher training and very familiar with the yoga sutra. However, my greatest peace and joy is having a relationship with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. I went through the book of John Bevere the Awe of God. I found that to be very inspiring. You can also read the book The untethered soul by Michael Singer. , Wayne Dyer. He has a really good book There’s a spiritual solution for every problem.
Reading the Bible also really allows you to get to know the voice of God. I believe that once you reach out trying to find the knowledge that God will send the people in your life to help you through your journey.
My beloved, I wish you nothing but Peace, joy, and happiness.
Everything you mentioned resonates with me. I’m on the same journey as you, searching and practicing a spiritual belief that I don’t see a religion for.
I am almost 80 years old. I had an abusive childhood, but became a psychotherapist and pretty much worked through that stuff. The focus of my 40-plus year career was working with abused, angry, violent kids.
I was basically a choir member/weekend Christian until retirement in 2017. Joined a bible based church, spent some years studying the bible and developing a personal relationship with Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
About four years ago, I began an intense study of NDE’s. (I was extremely interested in Moody’s book in 1975, but so busy with work, I put it on back burner.)
Reading about the experiences NDE’ers described, I couldn’t avoid the understanding that my current Christian beliefs did not address all the information I was internalizing. First response was sadness. I love the God of my religion. I rely on the Holy Spirit every day! I don’t WANT to give that up!!
I very quickly determined that I WOULDN’T give up anything I didn’t want to, and I felt sure in my heart I wouldn’t be punished for my continued love of Jesus.
Fine.
So here I am. And—my MAJOR emotional
angst is that I have always been certain that I have NO ability to access a more “spiritual knowing.” Since I was young, I would hear about a supernatural experience or two that my mother and grandmother had experienced. I was so envious! I would beg the universe to give me a “sign” of some kind, and throughout my life I got dead silence. I’m still pretty sure I’m a very young soul. I WISH it weren’t so, but I sure feel like the “thin veil” that’s so often mentioned, is an iron curtain in my case.☹️
Regardless. I am determined to continue on my quest to learn all that I can. I am great at reading ( listening) to books and podcasts, but I am having an inordinately difficult time getting started on a meditation schedule. What an understatement! I have NEVER meditated, and I don’t truly know why I keep stalling. I felt it necessary to buy high quality headphones ???? , and they’ve been in the box since Christmas. I have, for a couple years, been saying, “I’m SUCH a lazy arse!” believing that’s the holdup, but as I’m writing, that seems insufficient. I AM determined to try it out, and see what happens, but I’m not sure what to use as an aide.
Bottom line: (1) I’m looking for books or blogs, etc., of well respected teachers.
(2) I’m want, so much, to think there are other beginners LIKE ME who, sadly, exhibit NO spiritual sensitivities, or advanced “knowings”, but still have a passion to grow-if it’s possible.
Thank you so much for caring.
Rayma,
First of all, stop your negative self-talk. It is hurtful to your soul. We are all beginners – it is after all the place to start. You felt driven to purchase the headphones – that WAS an inner knowing. And when you are ready to use them, you will know. Fear stops us from ascending. They say ‘fear is the mind killer’ but it is definitely the progress-stopper. Don’t think of yourself as lazy to hide that you are afraid to step out of your comfort zone. Meditation is not easy, it is not guaranteed and it is not the same from one person to the next. There is no textbook way to meditate – only guidelines. And you won’t be good at it at first. It is a practice and you have to practice it to figure out what works for you. But you will succeed, once you begin to try. Be gentle with yourself – you are light, you are love, you are infinite & finite. You are worthy and you are loved.
TRULY SPIRITUAL JOURNEY WITHOUT THE ANOINTING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT UPON RECEIVING OR BELIEVING JESUS CHRIST IS CONSIDERED UNREALISTIC AND PAINFUL LIFE EXISTENCE (BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE). WITH REGARD TO RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION, I GOT TIRED OUT OF IT, BUT BY THE GRACE OF GOD, I CAN FELLOWSHIP WITH THEM WITH PEACE AND JOY, PRACTICING THE LOVE OF GOD THROUGH CHRIST, I BELIEVED IN HIM, LIFE IS EASY AND MANAGEABLE THROUGH THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME. YOU WILL NOT REGRET IF YOU PRIORITIZE AND FOCUS ON HOW JESUS AND HIS FOLLOWERS CONSIDERED HIM GREAT AND GOD MANIFESTED IN THE FLESH TO FULFILL HIS MISSION ON EARTH. HIS FINISHED WORK AT CALVARY, REDEEMS THE WHOLE HUMANITY FROM DEATH TO LIFE. THE BIBLE AND OTHER SPIRITUAL BOOKS ARE MY REFERENCES. TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY.