I like to call spirituality devotion to the path of love. It's nothing more or nothing less in actual fact.
Living a spiritual life is rather different than following a religious organisation or group. It's a way of being which infuses every part of your existence, including the depth of your conciousness.
There is no hard and fast set dogma or rules that you must follow. It's about exploring everything and consciously connecting with what feels right. It's human exploration of self discovery via your own experience.
There is no fixed God you must worship or Goddess you must embody, there is just a knowing that all paths lead to the same place, the same light, the same consciousness and essentially the same God/Goddess despite the variation in names. (Shiva, Buddha, Krishna, God, Solar Consciousness, Great Spirit, Mother Earth).
Spirituality acknowledges that what we seek is always within. Beneath the chattering mind, the external distractions and temporary pleasure is a still spot. An internal bliss point which always allows you to feel happiness deep within, it's an inner contentment, an inner peace, based on unconditional love for self, others and the universe. This point essentially connects you with source and allows for an increased awakened state of existence.
A spiritual being understands we are not seperate from nature but an integral part of the eco-system. Thus treats his/her physical body and the earth like a precious temple, knowing to abuse one abuses the other.
We fear not what Pachamama can do to our homes or communities when she is adjusting or sending us warnings, we simply acknowledge her power and give thanks to her ability to rebirth, re-create and unconditionally provide support for us. Hence, we are conscious and aware of the implications our actions have on the environment and make choices in all areas of our lives based on this.
To strengthen your relationship with the earth you may find simply spending more time in nature allows a reconnection. Otherwise, I find devotional rituals to Mama Gaia are somewhat like a tool to fast track this process.
Ritual is complementary to a devotional life. It is a tool which deepens relationships with community, earth, plants, self and spirit. It's a place:
- of deep gratitude, stillness and acknowledgment
- of conscious actions filled with love & kindness
- to set intensions and manifest
- for change and expansion
- of intensified energy which offers profound meaning to your life
- where your prayers become medicine and separation dissolves
Connecting with Mama Gaia allows you to deepen your awareness and clarity of your life purpose. As you ground with earth energy, she purifies your physical, emotional, spiritual and mental bodies. With this purification the inner voice becomes stronger and you can trust in being guided by source to live a life on purpose and full of true joy.
Spirituality is about the way we speak to ourselves and others, it's about how we live, how we move, how we respond. A spiritually conscious mind is able to recognise when these things are coming from a place of ego rather than love and works on the transformation this awareness can bring in healing old habits, wounds and in creating new ways of being.
One is able to lovingly observe and experience the feelings, emotions and the humanness of situations to allow for personal growth. Though transformation of self, self enquiry and devotion to the path of love we can collectively awaken the new humanity as we raise the vibrational frequency of the planet.
If all you were to do is devote your day to loving, your spiritual path would become a devotional embodiment of god consciousness. By loving your shadow, your emotions, your body, your enemies, the storm… by loving everything for what it is or the opportunity it presents you naturally become a spiritual being awakening to the gift of life.
I believe shaman Don Oscar offered up a perfect explanation of the essence of spirituality:
"Consciousness begets matter,
Language begets reality,
Ritual begets relationships,
Nature begets purpose,
Love begets life."
In summary, spirituality is a way of living with gratitude and awareness, a way of co-existing on the planet with all forms of life in a beautiful dance of understanding and respect and a way of raising vibrations to create the type of life you crave.