HRH Queen of Valimar
Posts: 27
(1/7/02 10:28 am) Reply
What/How does one feel "spiritual?"?
The dictionary defines "spirit" as...
1 : an animating or vital principle held to give life to physical organisms
2 : a supernatural being or essence: as a : capitalized : HOLY SPIRIT b : SOUL 2a c : an often malevolent being that is bodiless but can become visible; specifically : GHOST 2 d : a malevolent being that enters and possesses a human being
3 : temper or disposition of mind or outlook especially when vigorous or animated <in high spirits>
4 : the immaterial intelligent or sentient part of a person
5 a : the activating or essential principle influencing a person <acted in a spirit of helpfulness> b : an inclination, impulse, or tendency of a specified kind : MOOD
6 a : a special attitude or frame of mind <the money-making spirit was for a time driven back —J. A. Froude> b : the feeling, quality, or disposition characterizing something <undertaken in a spirit of fun>
7 : a lively or brisk quality in a person or a person's actions
8 : a person having a character or disposition of a specified nature
9 : a mental disposition characterized by firmness or assertiveness <denied the charge with spirit>
"spiritual" as...
of, relating to, consisting of, or affecting the spirit
"spirituality" as...
sensitivity or attachment to religious values,
the quality or state of being spiritual
As I am not spiritually inclined as it relates to religion or ghosts , #5, 6 and 7 appear to be the closest thing I can relate to. For example, I can look at a piece of artwork, hear a song, read a moving story, watch the expression on a child's face, feel contentedness while lying on the beach, etc. and feel emotional or spiritual.
Can anyone else relate to the above?
Now, saunter over to my place, kick off your shoes and just relax!
ATHEISM WHATEVER FLOATS YOUR BOAT... My ezboard community
I tend to agree with you LV.
The word 'spiritual' has become less of a description, and more of a slogan.
Like the word 'natural' as it applies to, say, medicine.
Almost impossible to define.
In some quarters, it is synonomous with 'flakey,' but that may be taking things too far.
But it can't be denied, that the more difficult a word or phrase is to define, the more comfortable some people feel describing themselves in such a way. Hard to criticise something with a meaning that is blurred and easy to 'move the goalposts' if one's position is threatened.
Or maybe I'm just a little cynical...
We could regard 'spirituality' as the form and depth of communication one has with 'the universe' (for want of a more specific term.) The form of one's personal relationship (emotionally and intellectually) with either parts of or the whole of what constitutes 'the totality of being.'
Re your example of music; we could attach some spirituality to the music itself, or say that no the music itself isn't spiritual. In saying that music is inherently spiritual we are superimposing a human value over a physical phenomena.
Music is itself a system of aural mathematical intervals that form a cadence which is pleasing to our ears (or not, as the case may be.) Our mind takes the elements of that system in and redefines them as 'melody'. Ultimately we struggle to make a judgement over whether or not music itself is spiritual, even if we agreed absolutely on what 'spiritual' actually means.
We can however easily make a judgement over what we hear, or how we interract with the patterns of sound. The sounds are simply what they are. It's our relationship with them, how and why and to what extent we value the notes that defines their spirituality to us. How we take the melody inside us, to match it with some inner beauty we have a concept of, that's the realm of spirituality, independent of the pure mathematical system of sound pitch intervals.
The same rule can be applied to emotional abstractions such as love, or phenomena of scientific reality such as sunsets or distant galaxies. Also (and especially for some of us) endeavours in the creative arts; painting, literature, poetry.
For me the night sky is deeply spiritual (both as a work of natural visual art and as a physical phenomena) I feel the same about the ocean. Though when I say that, that I regard such and such as deeply spiritual, I'm really speaking of the value I place on them, the regard in which I hold them, which is with awe, with reverence. Before I knew anything at all about astronomy I used to look up at the stars and go, "wow." Now that I've done a fair amount of research into astronomy and know (on a basic level) the whys and wherefores of it, I look up at those same stars and go "wow."
In the end, wherever else we may or may not see spirituality existing in purely scientific or logical terms, if we admit to feeling a spiritual connection with anything then one place that spirituality does clearly exist is inside us.
HRH Queen of Valimar
Posts: 45
(1/10/02 3:21 pm) Reply
Re: What/How does one feel "spiritual?"?
Sanduleak:
"For me the night sky is deeply spiritual (both as a work of natural visual art and as a physical phenomena) I feel the same about the ocean."
Yes, I feel the same way.
" Though when I say that, that I regard such and such as deeply spiritual, I'm really speaking of the value I place on them, the regard in which I hold them, which is with awe, with reverence. Before I knew anything at all about astronomy I used to look up at the stars and go, "wow." Now that I've done a fair amount of research into astronomy and know (on a basic level) the whys and wherefores of it, I look up at those same stars and go "wow."
Yes, it is the value we place on them!
"In the end, wherever else we may or may not see spirituality existing in purely scientific or logical terms, if we admit to feeling a spiritual connection with anything then one place that spirituality does clearly exist is inside us."
Again, yes, it is a feeling inside of us. And if that is the case, then religionists can certainly claim the same about a relationship with their chosen deity. Agree, disagree?
colorebel Traveller in the arts
Posts: 4
(1/17/02 5:48 am) Reply
Re: What/How does one feel "spiritual?"?
I have to agree with Sanduleak...
Spirituality can exist anywhere. I'm not sure it's definable...maybe that's why it's such a widely debated and discussed idea.
"If you walk you can dance, If you talk you can sing."
Saundra Kane Traveller in the arts
Posts: 23
(1/24/02 7:30 am) Reply
Re: What/How does one feel "spiritual?"?
When I am having the experience of loving a sunset or enjoying a walk in the woods, in other words, being out in nature and feeling lifted and invigorated by it, I might not be feeling spiritual so much as enjoying my own human nature. We (the human race) existed long before the buildings and paved highways and the malls,etc. Sometimes we mix up feeling spiritual with feeling pleasantly instinctual.. Having said this I think these same experiences can put us in touch with the feeling of spirituality. I don't think we want to mix spirituality up with structured religion. Somehow most religions I have been exposed to do not encourage this feeling of spirituality. Others may have had a different experience.
, #5, 6 and 7 appear to be the closest thing I can relate to. For example, I can look at a piece of artwork, hear a song, read a moving story, watch the expression on a child's face, feel contentedness while lying on the beach, etc. and feel emotional or spiritual.
Re: What/How does one feel "spiritual?"?
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