Trying to define spirituality is rather like trying to define yourself. There always seems to be a invisible block on your assessment, until someone or something electrifies your awareness. It seems to me that the most important things in life are indeed those which we cannot see, or physically hold. Feelings; of love, care, compassion and faith, weave individuals and societies together and shape a sense of our own intrinsic worth.

I have been fortunate to have met some people who seem to emanate a profound sense of spirituality, as if it were an aura surrounding them. These people have come from all walks of life and they all shared an ability to love and care for others unconditionally.

The notion of spirituality lies within the heart of us and in the land around us. It is about recognizing polarities in life, certainty and loss; beauty and pain; laughter and tears - of time passing and of a sense of timelessness and opening up oneself to trust and love unconditional - and treating each of these elements as part of the rich tapestry of life.

Spiritual experiences and Spirituality are not the privilege of a select few. With self-discipline and commitment you can build your own foundation of spirituality. Spirituality is about having the courage to keep delving down through infinite layers of meaning. It is not about any particular set of beliefs or practices. It is not about a church or a religion or a vision of God. It is not about determining the meaning of life in general. What it is about is each individual taking on the question of the meaning and purpose of his or her own life, even if the search is never ending, even if there are no final answers. And we are not talking about finding one answer that will make sense of your whole life. We are talking about tuning in to your purpose in the here and now. The question of meaning and purpose is one that must be asked and answered at each moment of your life.

To embark on a quest for meaning requires an openness to the possibility that life is in fact meaningful, that each life is a story with a plot that makes sense rather than a random series of unrelated events. This is not to say that you have to start with a firm belief in the meaningfulness of life in order to be spiritual. Faith is not a prerequisite. You merely have to be able to suspend your disbelief long enough to allow an exploration of meaningfulness to take place.

Any activity that helps you reconnect with your ability to listen for and hear life’s call in the moment amounts to a spiritual practice. Anything that helps your body feel more alive (like deep breathing or massage or yoga), anything that reduces distractions (like meditating, or going into the country), any attempt to identify and satisfy the real needs that underlie addictive behaviors, any cognitive theory that teaches you how to listen or helps you feel okay about surrendering, any healing of the wounds that lead you to close yourself down so as not to feel - all of these can take you on a spiritual journey.

Spirituality. I think that the word spirituality has stumped the vast majority of people. For many, they have viewed it with suspicion, as though it bordered on the occult. This is an unfortunate fact. I believe that spirituality provides a vocabulary that has been missing from the world. Such a lack, not having some way to express aspects of one's whole life, actually diminishes both human productivity and personal satisfaction. Such alienation Karl Marx perceived and commented on quite differently than I will today. For Marx, alienation was of the worker from the object of work. The very process of production, as Marx saw, was reduced to the parts of the process, and lacking the sense of satisfaction found in the artisan's or craftsman's previously completing the entire cycle of work. While alienation may have come about for economic reasons, it is the spiritual side of the problem I wish to address.

Spirituality, simply put, can be considered as the integrating principle of a person's life. Given this definition, we can talk about a variety of spiritualities. For some golf or running becomes the integrating principle, or for some power might be the integrating principle, or even a sense of social justice might provide an integrating principle. However, it is through the integration of truly religious principles that a proper spirituality may be found. For as much as some things can integrate, the religious principles clearly offer us the most satisfying means for human integration. Having said that, I need to explain.

The kind of alienation that plagues our modern post-industrial information society is the tendency toward fragmentation of life. For the sake of managing our lives we tend to compartmentalize even our life itself. No longer an alienation of the means of production but we now face an alienation in our means of living, a self-alienation. We compartmentalize our lives into fragments: work, play, rest, home, kids, school, church, social and personal blocks. Unfortunately, the end result is a fragmented life. Spirituality provides a way of bring about a kind of completion or wholeness in one's life that is lacking due to this pervasive alienation. In the work place, spirituality pertains to the ways in which the work place environment lends itself to the kind of integration needed, not only in the work place, but for all of life as well. It takes the chaos and confusion not only of work, but of the many desperate bits of people's lives, transforming them into a mosaic of meaning. By way of illustration, it is not unlike the holographic posters popular a few years back. Their meaningless bits and dots fell into place not by focusing but by un-focusing so that the image could be seen.

The spiritual quest is the quest for the meaning of our lives, a meaning that shifts and changes as we grow and develop through the stages of life. It calls us to look into the abyss of what we do not know or understand. If you have ever experienced a moment when you knew in every fiber of your being that you were doing exactly what you were supposed to be doing, you will know why so many people head directly towards that abyss. And if you can’t remember a moment like that, ask someone who follows a spiritual path and see what motivates them. It could be worth your while.

It is our birthright to have a close connection to the Divine while we experience our lives here on Earth. With this spiritual connection, we will experience the peace and happiness we all deserve. Find all of your Spirituality information here!

Compared to the excitements of the day-to-day, outer world, some people would liken spiritual joy to an inner peace. According to physics, there are two types of excitement. One type increases activity, such as increasing the volume of a sound. The other type - the one we are referring to here - raises the frequency.

They’re so much fun to be around because they already possess fourth-density consciousness. The very same fourth-density consciousness into which the human race is evolving.

When you meet dolphins in the wild, out in the ocean, and they turn their attention towards you, something changes. All of a sudden, you’re not sure if you’re dreaming or awake. This is your first big hint that dolphins think and function in fourth-density instead of the usual third-density of human consciousness. Humans visit fourth-density consciousness mostly at night when they enter the dream state.

Dream state, fourth density, dolphins, joy, happiness, it’s all connected. Dolphins do not swim around looking somber and sincere. They do, however, jump for joy at every possible opportunity. And they live in the Now.

So, if dolphins exist in fourth-density consciousness, and that is where we are headed, then why not learn from the ready-made example that performs summersaults before us? It’s not just a playful attitude. It’s an example of a pure, fourth-density flow of consciousness.

It is no accident that following your inner joy brings you to experiences that are in tune with your “destiny” in life. Destiny is something that you plan at the level of soul-consciousness (fifth density) before you are born. Your destiny is simply a plan for the issues that you wish to explore in this particular lifetime.

You can stick to the plan and unfold your destiny beautifully, or you can wander off track like people sometimes do and waste opportunities for learning from experiences which could have been yours.

Living your life “on plan” requires inner contact – regular meditation sessions – and the willingness to listen and respond appropriately to inner promptings.

Inner joy is really a refined type of excitement. It is also your birthright.

What comes to mind when you say the words spiritual?

The answers to this question are sure to be diverse. Some may identify the word with religion; others with the New Age movement, still others relate it to nature. Some may see a sunrise in their mind and some may see nothing at all and instead feel a direct connection to Creation.

Everyone has a different symbolic picture that comes to their mind's eye when they hear the word. The variance of these individualistic references is based on the belief process we were taught as children and our life experiences. Sometimes a new reference may be stronger than an older reference and the belief structure and the identification changes. Sometimes the identification with the word spiritual remains throughout life.

Beneath all of this identification that we have to have in order to exist in this third-dimensional plane, is the actual essence of the word. Webster defines spiritual as, "of the spirit or the soul, as distinguished from the body." We know the body. The body is solid and tangible. We know the mind and pride ourselves on being able to learn, to think and to rationalize.

But do we really know the spirit that exists within each and every one of us? It generally can't be seen or physically touched. It can't be tasted. It doesn't smell and can't be audibly heard. It can't tell time or compute a mathematical problem. It doesn't resonate to any of the labels we use to recognize the things around us. So what is it?

The spirit is the direct connection to the Divine. It is the cohesive sum and substance of who and what we really are; an energy that is harmonious with the Creator. It doesn't require a three-dimensional descriptive identification as the totality of it's unseen dynamics can be seen everywhere, in everything. Without the spirit, the physical and the mental would have no reason to exist as neither would be whole.

The physical and mental aspects of life are, in fact, compliments to the spirit. The physical body will pass from this and other lifetimes and the mind will require training and expand and grow with each new life experience. But the spirit, our attachment to the Divine, will remain intact, complete, all-knowing and everlasting.

Many ask how to make or recognize this connection between the spirit and the Divine. There is no right or wrong way to make the connection. To me, spirituality is the process by which we connect directly to the Divine. It isn't a belief. It is a knowing that is felt within the entire being.

My preference is a one-on-one connection because I feel more comfortable aligning myself directly with the God. But that is my choice. Some may favor finding the bond in the form of a religion, through a prayer or through a meditation. Others may find it by smelling a flower or by hugging a tree. How the connection is made is up to each individual. The important objective is making the alliance between God and spirit.

We care for our body, we educate our mind, but all too often we ignore the most vital part of ourselves. Imagine what the world could be if each of us were more cognizant and nurturing of our spirit.

For the last the last 20 years I have been a 'medical model' consumer. That ceased three years ago and now I have converted to the 'recovery model'. I knew my spiritual needs were not being addressed by the medical model. My recovery plan addresses the holistic approach, which takes on board the need to strengthen my spirit.

I would like to talk about the issue of spirituality and the need to discover the hidden meaning of the holistic formulation necessary for one's own recovery.

Everyone should be acquainted with the notion of 'mind, body and soul' (the holistic idea); the soul being taken from the Ancient Greek 'psyche'; hence the word psychiatry.

The application of spirituality in modern psychiatry is sadly lacking.

For example, do clinicians carry out a spiritual assessment in Crisis Assessment? Do you often see the Chaplains as part of the Treatment team in a ward setting? Are consumers made aware of the existence of spirituality and the need for this for their own recovery? Is a consumer suffering schizophrenia actually hearing spiritualism, or is it a manifestation of their symptoms?

Perhaps spirituality "does not appear tangible enough for some psychiatrists to bother about and perhaps it is difficult for them to access because it requires a high degree of experientially based understanding, personal development, empathy, spiritual insight, and "talent" to factor in matters of spirituality and soul in a therapy setting."

The context of spirituality I talk about is about your relationship with the Universe; of non materialistic matters of your soul and your personal relationship with a Higher Self; the intelligent non-physical side of you, that is your prevailing mental or moral state.

Perhaps I can talk about my experience of spirituality in my own recovery.

I have Lupus. In my view, the person's ability to access their own spirituality, in depth, is proportional to the amount of baggage you were born with (genetic) and the amount your parents burdened you with (environmental) or life's experiences; in the formulating part of your early development in your human journey.

The panic realization, by yourself, that something 'is rotten in the State of Denmark', triggers a chain reaction of survival techniques which are often negotiated without realizing what is unfolding. To me it is apparent that a 'blueprint' exists for your own psyche's evolution and something which you have no control over. I call people who have or are suffering a mental illness, 'the chosen ones'. They have been shocked out of their social comas and are chosen to alter their holistic being for the betterment of their own psyche.

The "Eyes" have it!

My last point on spirituality is the ability of using your eyes in communication to another 'soul'. Indeed the eyes are the mirrors of the soul. I have a problem with new borne babies (new souls). They and myself seem transfixed in a stare campaign and it is more likely myself calling it quits. Again I get this sense of inner peace and contentment. My eyes are telling them I realize that they have just entered this world quite possibly fresh from another existence and in return they beam approval to me of my progress of my journey toward recovery. Normally I call the stare competition quits after a smile of approval flashes over the young person's face. To walk away from this experience leaves you quite stunned for a moment. Rest assured it is enough to put a spring back into my gait. It also prompts me that I am being constantly reminded I am being 'watched' by something; to see how I am going.

My last Corporate job was working with Koreans. They basically were mesmerized by eye communication. To communicate with eyes in the Korean culture, is a sign of spiritual strength. I soon learnt that my eyes could get me out of trouble when I was in it. I will stare into a person through their eyes and go deeper; undressing their defense mechanisms and appealing to their inner self. I know with some people it is very easy to talk to their psyches; with other people the effect can be quite alarming, as most people do not know how to communicate at this level.

Mixed in with the above is my ability to relate to deja vu and also to recognize a hostile environment or imminent danger. Have you ever been tapped on the shoulder when no-one is there, or sometimes can you feel some-one brush past you, again when no-one is there?

I have been lucky that my illness started very early and the development of my search of my spirituality has helped me along my recovery path.

So, you say, I fell ill recently, what can I do?

Perhaps you are new to spirituality and everything at the moment is under your microscope, including the meaning of life. It was a wise person who once said, 'get thee to a nunnery', because that is where you are now and where you will find most security for your psyche.

In the acute stages of my illness and one which necessitates an admission to a unit, it is a good time to accommodate the 'soul' part of your tripartite into your own Recovery plan.

As much as clinicians ask me which recovery model I advocate, I cannot answer which spiritual path you should follow. Each of us has different templates. To put 10 Lupus patients into a room and expect one recovery model to suit the lot of them is totally out of order. The same can be said about the road to travel down the Spiritual Highway; this is up to you.  I will also warn you about the perils of the Spiritual Supermarkets available today. Beware of the crack-pots, for in your present state you are indeed vulnerable. All I can wish is safe Spiritual travel - and discern wisely.