The Spiritual Self

The song “Who Am I” by the Casting Crowns states “… not because of who I am,
but because of who you are.” Who is greater than us in reference to our identity as
a person? Is there really a God, the Ultimate and Sacred? Cam we not understand
our human being apart from God? Who is God? Who is the self in relation to God?
What is the spiritual self? What is spirituality? Why are there many religions? Are
the religious practices necessary to define our spiritual self? These are some of the
questions that a man has in relation to the Spiritual Self. Revelation is God’s
manifestation of His love for us. He takes the initiative of revealing his existence.
We experience Him in so many ways. We see God as the source of life, faith, hope
and love. We experience God in creation. Whenever we witness the beauty of
nature around us, we feel God’s greatness. We experience God through the love of
people who are parts of our life. We are beings by, with, in and for others. The love
of our parents, siblings, special relationships are signs of presence of God who
truly loves. We call this mediated love. We experience God’s love because God
makes use of others to reach out to us. We see God in positive and negative
experiences. We see God in our victories, successes, joys, laughter and
achievements and all other forms of goodness. Even when we experience pain,
defeats, failures, illnesses and even death, God is present.
SPIRITUALITY AND RELIGION
Religion and Spirituality are both paths to God. However, they have different
approaches. A religious person is someone who believes in a god or group of gods
and consciously adheres to the beliefs of his or her religion. A spiritual person on
the other hand places little importance on beliefs and traditions and is more
concerned with growing and experiencing the Divine. The root meaning of
spirituality is taken from the Latin word spirits, meaning breath or life force.
Spirituality can be understood as the search for the sacred, a process which people
seek to discover, hold on to, and when necessary transform whatever they hold
sacred in their lives (hill &Parapet, 2003) Spirituality generally refers to the
meaning and purpose of one’s life, a search for wholeness, and a relationship with
a transcendent being. The sacred transcendence can be referred to as a higher
being. In addition, through acts of faith, hope and love, man is able to encounter
God and understand God’s words of salvation. The term “spirituality” originally
developed in early Christianity. Christians use the term “spirit” to describe the
Holy Spirit.
In Christian ethics, Peschke (1994) describes the experience of the sacred is
characterized by reverence, faith, fear, trust, love, and admiration which are
intimately connected to God. Worship disregarded as essential act to realize the
ultimate meaning of transcendence and human life. Acts of worship may include
prayer., reading the Bible, attending sacraments, and doing sacrifices. Religion as
defined by Emile Durkheim, is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to
sacred things, that is to say, things set apart and forbidden – beliefs and practices
which unite intone single moral community called a Church, all those who adhere
to them. Meanwhile Giddens (2006) sees religion as a cultural system of
commonly shared beliefs and rituals that provide a sense of ultimate meaning by
creating an idea of reality that is sacred, all-encompassing and supernatural. He
identified key elements of religion such as:
a. religion is a form of culture-shares all characteristics of culture such as shared
beliefs, values that create an identity;
b. religions involve beliefs that take the form of ritualized practices, all members
engage in behaviors that identify them as members of the community and;
c. religion provides a sense of purpose-feeling that life is ultimately meaningful.
Spirituality is connected with religion. All religions recognize the importance of
spirituality in one’s life. One’s spirituality may be expressed through religion and
participation in religious rituals and ceremonies. Spirituality and Religion fulfill
numerous social and psychological needs, such as the need to explain human
sufferings and death. Through the practices of religious activities such as prayers,
people may find comfort, security, and stability in times of sufferings, loss,
insecurities and uncertainties. Spirituality and Religion may also be a source of
love, hope and affection.
The Spiritual Self represents us in our most radiant and potent state, revealing the
aspect of who we truly are—the unconditional, personally relatable aspect that is
greatest for understanding and appreciating. It is the true self, the aspect that is
unconditioned and free of patterns. It encourages people to have better
relationships with themselves, others, and the unknown. Spirituality can help you
deal with stress by giving you a sense of peace, purpose, and forgiveness. It often
becomes more important in times of emotional stress or illness.
A person who is mentally healthy has a distinct life goal and the capacity to
consider the significance of life events. Additionally, they are capable of acting on
their notions of what is morally right and evil. While some people adhere to certain
religious traditions, as a Catholic I strive for peace, safe and a general feeling of
self-awareness. We should occasionally take time to think back on our lives and
the things we have done, are doing, and plan to accomplish. In the midst of life's
busyness, take some time to relax, looking back to learn from the past and then
determining what you want for yourself.
We might quickly get overburdened by our responsibilities and schedules.
However, the spiritual self also needs time to maintain its equilibrium. Therefore,
we should get into the habit of making our own schedules. So that the mental ego
can continue to function at its finest, keep it as simple as setting aside some time to
meditate. As a result, we can learn a lot about ourselves in fresh ways and carefully
consider everything. We can say that if we keep our spiritual ego in excellent
shape, we'll also be less stressed out by life's challenges.