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Webster’s dictionary offers very little insight into this term. Generally we will refer to the term ‘spiritual’ as “being concerned with development of the aspects of human existence that exist outside mechanical, material, or biological parameters.” In this approach we will treat all aspects of describable material existence as non-spiritual, including all observable phenomena such as feelings, perceptions, impulses and consciousness. Obviously we need to use our already established consciousness to navigate the spiritual path in the beginning, but true spirituality is not contained within material reality. Our explorations must eventually take us to a non-realm that is beyond even the most abstract of thoughts or ideas the mind can conceive.

The first step to becoming a spiritual person is to have in your heart the notion that spirituality is an EXTREMELY personal thing. You’ll progress faster once you get rid of the idea that a man-made system of religion contains all the guidance and answers you need. Religion can be a catalyst for spirituality, but they’re not the same thing. Religious people aren’t necessarily spiritual, and spiritual people aren’t always religious.

There are many spiritual systems, and religions that contain spiritual systems. Learning spirituality within a format isn’t the highest form of learning, but it can be a good start for people just beginning their paths. It’s very helpful at a more basic level to hear or read about other peoples’ explorations. That’s why formatted spirituality is a useful tool. Once you develop a spiritual path for yourself, you can rely less on the words and ideas of other people. Certain schools of Buddhist and Taoist thought encourage this transition, so it’s natural to explore possibilities within those formats. Once again, the systems are man-made, and eventually your personal path should take you into new spiritual territory that is specifically yours. If you can find a school, teacher or author that is expert in an orthodox, traditional system of spirituality(which also encourages the transition from formatted learning to personal exploration) then check it out. Don’t necessarily be turned off by the ‘system’ of that particular school.

Religion isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s just that most people who embrace a religion don’t delve too deeply into its spiritual aspects. This is probably the case because we are generally lazy creatures. We want everything in life packaged conveniently so we can just grab it and call it our own, with little or no real effort on our part. We must learn to break free of this tendency if we are to grow spiritually.