Why I Write About Spirituality
Written on April 9, 2008 by Tom Stine / 19 Comments »
Why do you write? What got you involved in spirituality? Leave your answer in the comments.
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So What is Spirituality? Really.
Written on April 5, 2008 by Tom Stine / 49 Comments »
credit: You would think that one of the first things I would do with a website focused on spirituality would be to write an article on “What is Spirituality?” At first thought, the answer is obvious. But sit for a few minutes trying to think of a sensible answer to that question and you discover that it isn’t as obvious as it seems. So what is spirituality? Really. Follow along as I think out loud and explore this one with you.
Some Definitions
Well, let’s start with the good old dictionary definition as we explore what is spirituality. Webster’s offers the following four entries:
Spirituality:
- something that in ecclesiastical law belongs to the church or to a cleric as such
- clergy
- sensitivity or attachment to religious values
- the quality or state of being spiritual
Hmm…. Not the most helpful definitions, save for number 4. So let’s check out Webster’s on spiritual:
Spiritual:
- of, relating to, consisting of, or affecting the spirit : incorporeal
- of or relating to sacred matters
b: ecclesiastical rather than lay or temporal - concerned with religious values
- related or joined in spirit
- a: of or relating to supernatural beings or phenomena b: of, relating to, or involving spiritualism
Okay, I will follow one last definition, because it is important to our discussion:
Spirit: an animating or vital principle held to give life to physical organisms.
What we can glean from the dictionary is that, for the most part, spirituality, in the more common viewpoint, is
- something to do with church or religion OR
- something to do with the non-material, non-observable world OR
- something that is distinct from the physical world
For most people who give any thought to spirituality, I would guess that something along these lines would be their perspective. I know that it was mine. Spirituality seemed to be a subject separate and distinct from the rest of life, distinctly different from other topics. You know, topics such as career, relationships, health, etc. Spirituality had something to say about these subjects, but it is different somehow.
What About Alternative Spirituality?
credit: Tom Stine
Alternative spirituality is a curious term. However, it is necessary to use it or something similar in the United States since most of the activities that make-up spirituality look like some form of Christian church. Most of the spirituality in the US, as per the definitions above, looks like the Catholic, Baptist, Methodist or other churches.
Alternative spirituality is that big hodge-podge of spirit-oriented activities and beliefs that has flourished in the last 30 years. Everything from Advaita to Zen falls under this heading. Many people even make something spiritual out of acupuncture and yoga (which, in truth, would fall under the heading of Eastern spirituality, but in the US seems a bit more akin to martial arts or aerobics).
When I speak of spirituality, I usually mean something less like a Western religion and more like an Eastern one. In other words, I mean something more like alternative spirituality. Or do I? Let’s look at it some more.
My Spiritual Life
Spirituality and spiritual life are usually quite synonymous for most people. When they use the term my spiritual life, they usually mean that portion of their life that is focused upon something other than the material, day to day things. Depending upon your viewpoint, this could take the form of:
- meditating,
- chanting,
- reading spiritual books (witness the Eckhart Tolle phenomenon on Oprah.com),
- going to satsangs and meditation classes,
- going to retreats or even yoga classes,
- drumming circles,
- Unity and other churches with a more alternative spiritual bent
You name it, and someone you know is probably doing it. All for the purpose of benefiting and supporting the spiritual life.
Doesn’t Spirituality Include the Material World, too?
In recent years, a lot of attention has been given to how the spiritual interacts with the physical world. Some schools of thought look at the world, and humans in particular, as a composition of the spiritual and material. You have been encouraged to take a holistic view of yourself as physical-mental-spiritual being, not just a physical one.
And with the popularity of writers such as Deepak Chopra
But Is Spirituality Any of These Things?
As I have journeyed further and further along the path, I must say that I’m inclined to say no, spirituality is nothing that I’ve discussed above. As a matter of fact, I’m beginning to see spirituality as, well, nothing at all. Spirituality, no matter how you define it or how you look at it, is a compartment that we attempt to use to separate out a portion of our lives from the rest. And thus we say things like “my spiritual life.”
But in reality, at least as I see it, we only have life. That’s it. Just life. There are no parts. There are no compartments. There is just me living my life now doing certain things, then me living my life now and possibly doing other things. Which are the spiritual things? Which are the non-spiritual things? You see, we have to invent a compartment to house things in, and what you may call spiritual I may not and vice versa.
Moreover, the highest and most revered “spiritual masters” have been telling us throughout time that everything is one. You name it, every spiritual tradition has a great one saying “everything you see and everything you experience and everyone you meet is the same as you.” So if this idea of oneness, as told by these spiritual legends, is true, then it makes this term “spirituality” seem even more empty and even unnecessary. If everything in my life is one, then doesn’t everything in my life become “spiritual”? Or, conversely, doesn’t everything in my life become non-spiritual?
Spirituality, then, just becomes a term we use at times to describe certain aspects of life. It really isn’t a special thing, something noble or holy or grand. It isn’t even a true distinction about our lives. It is just a word. And for me, that’s about it. I’m letting go of spirituality in favor of living life. I may still meditate, attend church or satsang, go to a retreat and even talk about “spiritual” things, but I’m letting go of the belief that these things are in any way unique or special or different from “the rest of my life.” They are just what I do, and they are life.
So, I’m curious, my dear readers: does any of the above strike a cord with you? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.
My Interview on Divine Purpose Unleashed Radio
Written on March 24, 2008 by Tom Stine / 4 Comments »
Michelle Vandepas from Divine Purpose Unleashed asked me to do an interview with her on her BlogTalkRadio show last Friday morning. It was a blast. You can listen to our conversation below or download to your iPod at Divine Purpose Unleashed. Enjoy.
A New Earth: Eckhart Tolle and Oprah
Written on February 27, 2008 by Tom Stine / 5 Comments »
A friend called me yesterday to let me know about all the good things happening over at Oprah.com with regard to Eckhart Tolle’s new book, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose.
I must be the last person to read Eckhart Tolle, although I’ve seen a few of his videos on You Tube. There is a real power in Eckhart’s words and presentation, so I’m diving into both of his books
It is strange how the universe often works in our lives. Another good friend bought A New Earth at the Phoenix airport when it first came out, right after we had finished a Sedona Method retreat. He loved the book, and kept texting me every time he read a few chapters. I, of course, ignored his urgings, as I was just getting interested Adyashanti’s teachings. So far I’ve been enjoying Eckhart’s books, and I feel a real resonance with his ideas.
After my friend called yesterday, I did something I thought I would never do: I typed oprah.com into my browser and surfed her site. All those years of my ex getting “O” magazine in the mail had left me with a somewhat bad taste in my mouth for Oprah, but as I perused her site, I found some pretty good stuff. The forum for A New Earth is excellent. Maybe I will take back all the snide Oprah comments I’ve made over the years (I even made an Oprah pun in the new video I did this weekend).
Oprah is going to be offering a live webinar for 10 weeks based on A New Earth. You can get all the details at Oprah.com.
And after you’ve been to Oprah.com and then headed over to Amazon to purchase A New Earth, check out fellow writer JoLynn over at The Fit Shack who has a nice write-up on the webinar and some good thoughts on how A New Earth fits into her specialty: weight loss.
Shining the Light
Written on February 18, 2008 by Tom Stine / 4 Comments »
As I have progressed along my spiritual path, I have felt at times as if I am being led to a better and better understanding of how the spiritual journey works. I started out, only naturally I suppose, wanting primarily to “feel better” both mentally and physically. As time has passed, I have moved a little away from that original goal toward feeling more and more as if I want to be helpful to others. Don’t get me wrong; I have always wanted to help. But the feeling I have now is a bit more selfless, a bit more “other focused” rather than self focused. It is, to say the least, a wonderful feeling.
But more importantly, what I am beginning to see is exactly what I read in A Course in Miracles years ago. Namely that the key to me “feeling better” is to freely and completely give to others because, as the Course would say, I only know what I have as I give it away.
If I want to feel happy, to feel love, to feel joy, these are the things I must give to others. And it must be a free gift with no expectation of return. Giving to get something back doesn’t work. But giving out of love always works.
Lester Levenson, the creator of the Sedona Method, talked about the discovery he made during the process of awakening that he underwent. Lester said that he realized that he was only truly happy when he was loving someone, when he was giving his love to another. And the more he practiced this giving of love, the freer and happier he got, until he experienced what is typically referred to as enlightenment. He woke-up by loving. He gave, and he was healed.
For me, this beginning step of truly giving is synonymous with an experience I have had off and on for a number of years. When I used to meditate, I would at times see a “light” in my mind’s eye, shining brightly just above my field of “vision.” This light wasn’t a worldly light, because I only saw it in my mind when my eyes were closed. As time has gone on, I have begun experiencing this sense of “light” more frequently, until now I can sense it in my mind’s eye at will. It especially is noticeable when I release using the Sedona Method or meditate by sitting in silence. When I release or meditate, I can feel my awareness shift to this light and the sensation I have is one of releasing into the light. The feeling I get is one of very clearly letting go of “myself” into this light, which is completely equivalent, at least to me, of letting go through loving or by the power of love. The light I perceive and the love I feel are one and the same.
Love and light seem to go hand in hand. They are one. The light that shines in our awareness is usually obscured by the vast quantity of subconscious junk that fills our minds. A Course in Miracles spends a lot of time discussing the contents of the subconscious mind, if you care to know more. But as we let go of these blocks to the perception of the light, we can experience greater peace, love and joy than we have ever known. The love that we give to anything by releasing our feelings about it is real, it is true, and it could even be described as holy.
