Everyday Life Is a Spiritual Experience

What does it mean to be spiritual or to have a spiritual experience? In times past, your spirituality may have been defined by how often you attended church, or what culture, tribe or family you belonged to. But in today’s world such definitions no longer work for the vast majority of people. I believe that each and every one of us is already a spiritual being. Spirituality is your essential nature. You don’t have to try to be spiritual because this quality is already within you. Human life, with all its demands and distractions, can take us far away from our inner, spiritual essence. We forget about the true nature of our inner selves by focusing so much attention and energy on the outside world.

Spiritual Experiences are Everywhere

Many years ago when I was living and working in London I had an experience which made a great impression on me. Down to my last pennies as a backpacking traveller I managed to get a job with a business in Covent Garden, amidst all the hustle and bustle of London’s West End. Like all the newcomers to this company, I was made to work in the dispatch area picking items off the warehouse shelves and packaging the orders that would be taken out by the couriers and delivery men.

Dispatch was basically a garage with a big open doorway that faced out onto a narrow lane. This particular day was cold and wet and not at all busy. While I sat with a few of the others who also worked in dispatch, we clutched our 5p cups of coffee and tea and tried to stay warm. Then a stranger wandered in. He was an old man, ragged, dirty and obviously poor, probably homeless and definitely cold and wet. Without saying a word he ambled in and sat amongst us on the last remaining empty chair. He was friendly enough and we all started to chat with him, ask him questions and someone even ran down the stairs to the drinks machine to purchase a 5p cup of coffee for him. Within minutes we were all having a bit of a laugh and it was obvious that the old man was grateful for the rest and company. Before we knew what was happening, our bookkeeper, an elderly and conservative man, came out of his office and without a moment’s thought began to berate this old man, insulting him and ordering him to leave. He was all indignation and superiority as he waved him out the door. At this point one of the owners of the company came in to see what was going on. All of us were just dumbfounded as we watched the man leave, we felt sorry that our hospitality had been cut short and that he had been treated so rudely.

In the pub that night I chatted with the owner. He was still upset by what he had seen. He had come too late to turn the situation around and the old man from the street was already too embarrassed by then, I think he would have insisted on leaving even if the owner had tried to convince him otherwise. The owner of the business told me that the old bookkeeper was a ‘staunch churchgoer’ and shook his head in dismay. He said that he believed that people like me and the other folk in dispatch who had welcomed that man were the truly spiritual people and that going to church didn’t make anyone spiritual if they couldn’t put their beliefs into action. For the second time that day I was at a loss for words, no one had ever told me that I was spiritual before, but the meaning of the owner’s words sank deep. True spirituality is not just about a belief or an idea, it’s about how you live your life. The owner was right, for that period of time our willingness to sit and chat with a lonely old man for a few minutes was spiritual in its own simple way.

You Are the Embodiment of Spirituality

You are a spiritual person right now and much of your spirituality is already active in your life. Everyday, without exception, you help someone or do something positive that benefits the wider world. You may not see yourself this way, but this is how you are and with the support of your Angels and some practices that will help you to know and love yourself better, the ‘spiritual you’ will grow stronger every day. Your spirituality is something that can never be taken away from you or even diminished. All that has happened, throughout lifetimes of trying to survive and make it in this world, is that you may have forgotten or neglected the spiritual qualities inherent in your nature. Earning a living and achieving certain things in life have become the priority for most people not because we are thick skinned and uncaring, but because this is what we thought we had to do.

The time has come to turn the tide and bring some balance back into our lives.

Throughout history and right up to the present day nuns, monks, devotees and seekers of all kinds have shunned the wider world to go in search of a deeper meaning to their own lives and life in general. They have sought a more profound connection with their own spirituality and their Creator by letting go of as many distractions as possible. But this kind of life is not feasible or even appealing to most of us. You do not have to become a nun or a monk to be a truly spiritual person. Whilst choosing the opposite of the hectic and materialistic lifestyle does work for some, it is not the solution for the majority.

Spirituality is not about being perfect. I may well have been capable of sharing a bit of my time with a homeless old man in London that day many years ago, but I certainly have not been a tower of compassion and humility every moment of my life! All of us get tired, irritated, impatient, fearful and so on, and we all do things we wish we hadn’t done or say things we wish we hadn’t said. That’s how human life is sometimes. Hating or shaming ourselves and others for it just adds to the negative energy we created with our initial ‘mistake’.

Everyday spirituality is what is important now, irrespective of your religion, country of origin, upbringing, education or life situation. Reconnecting with your spiritual self and making these qualities and principles a more active part of your life is both attainable and very rewarding. With daily practice you can enjoy the company and support of your Angels, the guidance of your own intuition and inner wisdom and a much more profound and satisfying sense of meaning and purpose in your life. Although this kind of daily practice does take some application and even discipline, none of it is difficult, it is easy and it can also be also a lot of fun.

Bring More Mindfulness into Your Life

Today there are many people who despair for the future of the human race and our world. It is easy to come to the conclusion that there is very little true spirituality left in the human race. In the face of all of this difficulty and doubt a spiritual basis to your life becomes even more important and the ultimate solution is actually very simple. Start by switching off your television and putting down your newspaper, then when you are ready, go ahead and make a decision. Decide today, and every day from now on, that you are going to rediscover your spiritual self. By focusing on yourself and choosing to uncover your own inner Light, you bring a little more light into this world each day. You cannot be directly responsible for the actions of corporations, governments, armies and individuals around the world. They will come to their own true spirituality when they are ready, but you can redevelop your own spirituality and thereby make your own personal world a better place. This act of personal development then has a magical effect because you become happier, stronger, more peaceful and more trusting.

Your inner peace and light, heightened by more spiritual experiences, will flow out from you and positively affect those around you.