Definition: Spiritual Journey

You are spiritual by nature which means that your inborn capacity to live within the meaning of human experience and participate in the development of consciousness is a process waiting to form over time. The depth, the extent to which this capacity forms, depends upon you. Spiritual illumination comes with honest effort - do not expect it to drop out of the sky or come in a special, hand-delivered envelope.

Where to start? The desire to grow in wisdom and understanding is a first step. At birth as you are trying to make sense of the everyday world, your spiritual awareness takes the opportunity to grow as meaning forms. Insight will evolve as you grow within a willingness to explore questions and change personal attitudes.

From your early days until the present, the ordinary world has offered endless opportunities to mature in a process of discovery leading to deeper insight into the mystery of Life. Because these experiences occur every day in the context of personal history, your interpretation of them plays a big part in the direction you take. Exploring the emotional history of your life can reveal the unresolved issues that might be delaying, distorting or misdirecting your natural desire to grow in Spirit. Problems, pain, human suffering of all kinds will strengthen your interior life if these are grounded in the attitude of personal accountability. Without honest self-evaluation, your spiritual path can seem to go around in circles.

You may choose a specific belief system within a religion to guide you, and you may rely upon your insight and personal experiences to deepen your spiritual journey. You may seek out life lessons found in literature, art, music, philosophy. There are many religions, many teachers, many spiritual disciplines to inspire, guide, inform your spiritual journey – all are vehicles to carry your process of developing awareness leading to your inner Wisdom. But finally the most important spiritual tools to take on you spiritual journey will be your attitude of interest, your openness to discovery, your willingness to discard fixed interpretations. These will allow you to choose the appropriate path as you direct yourself forward.