Psychic
Path in Psi:
Pure Energy
Content Type:
Article & Practical
Posted On:
2007-02-02
Edited On:
0000-00-00
Religion vs. Spirituality
by ChezNips
The techniques used for creative visualization don't belong to any one system of belief, you should be able to practice these techniques no matter what belief you subscribe to. Some people will incorporate their belief in religion or their creator into creative visualization as a way of relating to the incredible power bestowed upon us as our right, however there is not a theological basis to it. BUT, creative visualization is spiritual at its highest levels.
The very core of creative visualization is the belief that it can work for you and you can keep nurturing this belief.
If you were to ask people to define spiritual, you would probably get many radically different views because our experiences of this concept are so uniquely personal. Going on Webster's definition of spirit, we can break down some of the meanings as follows:
The vital principle or animating force traditionally believed to be within living beings.
Breath.
The Part of a human being associated with and feelings as distinguished from the body.
Working with all three of these definitions, we can come up with a universal concept, that spirituality is a part of all of us just as the air we breathe. It is the part of us associated with mind and feelings rather then with only the physical. It is our principle animating force.
Looking at spirituality in this way, it then unites all of humanity and creation. Think what life would be like if we recognise our spirituality and are able to tap into it and into other's spirituality on a conscious level each and every day and are able to teach this to everyone. It doesn't matter if you use the terms Goddess, God, Creator, Higher Power, Great Spirit, life force, ch'i or even science as your all powerful higher belief. Spirituality is still the essence of being that ties it all together for us. There is no denying that we are all spiritual beings, but to what level and understanding we use spirituality in creative visualization is up to each one of us individually.
Now that we have defined Spirituality, let's look at religion as a defined concept. Religion is defined as a belief and thought system built on the study of God. It can also include the concept that organized religion is a group of like-minded people who decide to live out their spirituality in a community. They then agree on certain principles for living and agree to express that shared code of principles for living. This includes a common view of a creator or God. Religion is now an expression of their shared spirituality.
Does this make spirituality the same as knowing more about a Creator or God? In some ways yes and in other ways no. For some, the experience of spirituality may contain a God/creator or some divine expression. Yet for others, spirituality is not linked to anything but the understanding of the self. For me, it is the expression of finding the Divine through the process of finding true self and the process is what I call spirituality.
