True Spirituality Is About Everyday Existence

It is often assumed that to lead a truly spiritually aware life we must increasingly distance ourselves from the material world and be more fully immersed in the spiritual world. We must reduce our involvement with all things physical, and instead focus exclusively on the non-physical or metaphysical.

This is, however, not what being truly ‘spiritual’ is about. True spirituality is in fact quite the opposite. It is about living this physical life to the fullest. It is about being present in every moment and living with joy, appreciation, and gratitude.

Spiritual living is about honoring and expressing the love, grace and compassion of God, Source, Spirit, the Divine in our everyday existence. It is about relishing in the divine beauty and abundance of creation, and embracing the unconditional love and light of divinity in our lives every day.

As spiritual beings in physical form we do need material things in order survive in this physical reality, and ensure a more fluid, comfortable existence. And while we are busy focusing our time and energy on acquiring those material things that we need, it does not mean we are no longer being spiritual, or not being ‘spiritual enough.’

For instance, most of us need to work to earn a living, to put food on the table and a roof over our head. Going to work every day and being of service is just as much a spiritual act as spending time in transcendental meditation, for example, or participating in a prayer circle.

Spirit suffuses everything; and so the spiritual life is simply life, wherever and whatever, seen from the vantage point of spirit ~ John Shea

For most people ‘putting a roof over their heads’ means to buy or rent a conventional house or apartment. However, I also know of a very spiritual woman who lived in a tent for many years with her five children, with complete success, because she believes that is what a truly spiritual person is supposed to do. Well, to each her own, but to be truly spiritual there is no necessity for such an extreme lifestyle choice. Both houses and tents are, after all, divinely inspired inventions.

I have been experiencing an ongoing mobility problem with my feet because of an injury I suffered in an accident years ago. Rather than walk for physical exercise, I now prefer to ride my bicycle. Does this make me less spiritual, and more material? Certainly not. Those serene two hours riding my bike in the glorious outdoors is often when I feel most at peace and deeply connected to the higher realms.

Every happening great and small is a parable whereby God speaks to us, and the art of life is to get the message ~ Malcolm Muggeridge

True spirituality is also not just about spending a solid hour or two in an intensely focused and formal spiritual practice. Those brief, random moments throughout our day when we reflect on life, love and the meaning of life are equally spiritual and metaphysically important. In truth, being joyful, observant, and truly appreciative of the many small miracles that happen in the world around us every day is in my view even more spiritual than the most sophisticated prayer, meditation, or chant.

Of course, it is an amazing achievement and blessing to spend some quality time in focused spiritual contemplation or a formal metaphysical practice. But it is naïve and self-defeating to strive towards maintaining this kind of aura for every given moment of every day. Perhaps the idea is not to constantly aim for extreme, all-encompassing spiritual perfection, but instead to simply allow divine love and light to gently flow through our everyday existence.