Balance is important in life – it’s one of our four pillars of the Perfect Madness frame of mind. We mention it frequently in our blog posts but there’s a part that I don’t really talk about.
There’s one aspect that I’ve never quite explored properly. It’s not been completely clear. Spirituality just hasn’t made sense to me.
I don’t know if I’m the only one out there that’s battled with the concept. The problem, for me, is the context and association with religion. I don’t have a problem with religion. But it has often been politicized, it’s been pushed to extremes. This isn’t anything new – there have been many wars fought because of religion.
Yet, with spirituality, I want to avoid the religious theme. I want to embrace spirituality and to do so with friends that aren’t just atheist or agnostic, but christian or muslim as well. So I’ve avoided the subject and refrained from it.
But spirituality is fundamental within the Perfect Madness life that we live. If we want to fully embrace our lives and the utopian journey that we are embarking upon then we would be foolish to avoid spirituality and ignore it.
What Is Spirituality?
The answer is, I’m afraid, that I don’t know. The experts, whoever they may be, have slightly different views and opinions. There are different types of spirituality with terms like new age spirituality, contemporary, traditional, post traditional, modern and many more – and these are just the newer terms.
So, I worked out what it is for me. The definition isn’t important – a definition is a label that others need to put on something. I’m not sure I need to put a label on spirituality. Maybe words can’t fully explain what it is or maybe I just haven’t had a deep enough experience to be able to do so or maybe my literary skills just aren’t up to it. Whatever the answer, the definition isn’t important. It’s about the blissful experience, about embracing. It’s about the process of transformation – something I experience daily through vedic meditation. It’s about values and meaning and purpose.
Finding Your Inner Self
It comes down to being about our inner self. What fuels you? What drives you? What lies right at your very core, that gets your blood pumping, excites you, provides the meaning and purpose to your very existence and provides the values to which you do what you do? That’s what your inner self is all about.
You need to ask those deep soul searching questions. You need to find what makes you happy. Not just short term happy, but longer term happy. What is it you need to do, to embrace? What is that deep filled purpose? You need to delve deep. Really deep. These aren’t simple questions.
You don’t have to get a straight answer or an exact answer. You can even change your answers. This isn’t an exam. There is no right or wrong. This is about you.
Achieving Your Spirituality
There’s no one way to achieve spirituality. There’s no text book answer for me, or for you. Finding the spirituality within yourself is where you naturally need to migrate. It’s about letting go. Taking the time to unwind from the stresses of our modern lifestyles. It’s about gratitude and tolerance. About patience.
For me, at almost the one year point of my meditation practice, I am just starting to understand how to apply this now. My patience is returning, I’m becoming more grateful, I can let go for slightly longer and I’m finding my feet with my purpose in life. Achieving the right balance of spirituality will be an ongoing mission that I will find myself tending to, but one that I will enjoy.
3 Minutes
I want just a few minutes of your time. Right now. Immediately. If you don’t do this now, you probably won’t do it at all.
Take these few minutes to search your inner self and wonder what lies at your core? Have a few mindful moments. Count your next five breaths. No, make it ten. Remember what you’re grateful for.
If you’re searching for your own definition of spirituality, you just found it. Whatever you did in the last three minutes, that was it. Now all you have to do, is do it again tomorrow. And every tomorrow.
Main image by Angela Marie Henriette.
