Wheel of Life - Spirituality

Can I admit to you guys that I haven't been looking forward to this week's Wheel of Life?  I mean Spirituality? How daunting!!

All I could think was that I really wasn't qualified to talk about spirituality.  I believe myself to be a spiritual person, in fact I rated my satisfaction in this area quite high.  However, when it came down to it, I didn't really have a working definition of my spiritual path. Uh-oh.

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So I did some research.  And by research, I mean I chatted with some close friends to see what their take on it was.  Here are some of the comments that I heard:

Regarding the definition of spirituality:  "It would depend on where you are in your life/journey. If you already have a church you would want to further that knowledge and deepen the relationship you have with your Heavenly Father and Jesus. If you haven't found a religion that you are a part of or a way to fulfill that part of your life than it would be to work toward finding what rings true to your soul."

(What rings true to your soul -- doesn't that sound like a perfect spiritual consideration?!)

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One friend mentioned that her spiritual path involves "a community of believers, seekers, skeptics, and agnostics who are trying to find and follow God together."

I love how inclusive this particular mission statement is.

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Yet another described her journey this way:  "I'm a Christian so, for me, it's about a personal relationship with my Savior, Jesus. I talk to Him daily and follow His leading in my life."

I am humbled by the strength of this woman's beliefs.

And then, one my oldest and dearest friends (she's not old, the friendship is old) shares her views:  "I suspect that all spirituality originated in nature, since before we had a command of technology we were dependent upon nature and it was a largely mysterious force, and one that could offer us redemption or death.  My own spirituality very much takes into account nature, and the reliable cycles of it.  I see birth, death, and rebirth in nature everywhere - all the cycles and seasons, all the promise of new life, are all reflected in nature.  It's such a grounding reality.  It's hard not to be humbled by the awareness of some force at work that is greater than I am when I'm surrounded like that."

Um,...yeah!

In the end, I think we all agreed that spirituality was different for every individual, and that it was a passage and not a destination.  

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I spent some real time and consideration trying to create a definition for my own spirituality.  Here's what I came up with:  "My spiritual path is mainly about connections, recognizing that I am but a small slice of an immense pie (yes, even in spirituality I am thinking about food), and that my purpose and value is born of my relationships with others.  These connections are founded on love, honesty, and gratitude, and focus on my bonds with myself, with other living beings, with our natural world, and with the universe."  

If you want to hear the extra long version, where love manifests in compassion and consideration, and honesty bears integrity and ethics,....yadda yadda,....let me know and I'll post my spirituality manifesto.  :)

I would love to hear what your spiritual path entails.  Please feel free to share in the comments.

Here are a couple of quiz sites that may help you hone your understanding of your own spirituality.

Spirituality Quizzes:

What Spirituality Is For You? 

Are You Mind, Body, or Spirit?

Spiritual Gifts Quiz (this is a long one)