Is Spirituality A Universal Human Experience?

People around the world and throughout time have always had an idea of spirituality. The spirit has been thought of as an essential part of human nature. The evidence is in the common culture of religions in the world. The soul is the essence of humanity and spirituality is the condition of one’s soul. Spirituality is the condition of a consciousness. One answer to creating this essential growth in spirituality is Transcendentalism. Transcendentalism is the rebellion of one’s soul against the societal laws that humanity upholds. It is the integrity of a being and the healing of a scarred mind through nature. Ralph Waldo Emerson was a major figure in transcendentalist literature and wrote two separate essays, one being named “Self-Reliance”, and the other “Nature”. Spiritual growth of all kinds is motivated by these transcendentalist impulses, shown through literary impressions and comparisons, mainly through Emerson, around the themes of self-reliance, poetic nature, and the influence of that nature on the soul.

According to Mussell (2005) spirituality is a “state that reflects inner peace, personal harmony and balance” (p.122). I believe that I have found inner peace, harmony, and balance. I found it through constant questioning of my purpose on earth and have concluded that I was placed here to help others. Thus, I believe that bettering myself in all these needs is essential before I can help others. Mussell (2005) suggests that intuitiveness should be used to guide us in our everyday lives (p.122). Through trial and error, I have learned that my intuition is usually right and is something that should not be second guessed. Mussell (2005) also suggests that spirituality is valuing “the Great Spirit” (p.122), which is the First Nations God. I do believe that there is a supreme being who choses our destiny, but I am not certain of who it is or what his or her full capabilities are. I was brought up in a Lutheran family, but as I have grown up I more believe in Evolution Theories rather than Creation Theories. Furthermore, I do believe in reincarnation. I feel as though there has to be something more than just this one life. I struggle to understand my spiritual needs and beliefs, but I know through time it will become more

How does one find their spirituality? The overlaying theme between Michael Yaconelli’s, Messy Spirituality, the book the Wounded Healer and the guest speaker Roy Petitfils are all closely intertwined. How do we accept and grow to find accept and find our inner beauty and divine chosen path? Introspection and acceptance are critical to personal growth and enablement of happiness.

Spirituality does not have one definite definition, it varies depending on who is searching for the meaning. The meaning of spirituality can change within one person, the more they search for answers and find their beliefs. To this writer, spirituality reaches beyond ourselves, it is the connection between ourselves and something greater.

1. Comment on the passage on page 54 that begins "Most of the craziness in this world-violence, addictions and frenetic activity comes from running away from pain." Disguising a person 's name (if you use one) and applying the value of confidentiality, discuss some of your observations at your field placement of people (or perhaps even staff or the organization as a whole) in "pain". Using a "person in environment" perspective and a bio-psycho-social-spiritual lens, discuss your findings. (Hint: use this question to get ready to informally present a case or pertinent clinical example during small group in the next few weeks.)

Spirituality is defined in several ways as it pertains to different worldviews. Today we will look at the worldview as it relates to Pluralism, Scientism and Postmodernism.

The video titled “Spirit at Work: Sidd Bobb explicitly mentions that spirituality allows for the entirety of the human person (both their identity and history) into practice and incorporate it in a positive way. Sid Bobb further states that one’s spirituality should be used for the betterment of the earth, where one should strive to do no harm. Another explicitly poignant statement made in the video “Spirituality,” wherein the German Students state that spirituality involves believing in something without any scientific proof validating that belief. This also implies that the only truths worth believing in are those truths, which have been scientifically proven. The explicit factor that speaks to my own sense of spirituality is the need to

Spirituality and religion hold different values and truths depending on your personal beliefs. Being religious is a belief or practice that contains certain values one should follow. When looking deeper into religion you can find spirituality which is the part of religion that effects our spirit and soul, it is not tangible. “The Sacred within” is spirituality and pertains to God dwelling inside of our heart and soul. When looking at “the sacred within” there are certain senses that we can tap into so, we may obtain that sort of spirituality. Through solitude, silence, imagination, and nature, we can have a better sense of spirituality.

Spirituality is defined by the Merriam-Webster (2015) dictionary as “the quality or state of being concerned with religion or religious matters.” That is the simple definition of it from a dictionary. In depth, spirituality is defined as a person’s beliefs, attitudes, values and connection

According to Hutchison (2013) the biopsychosocial approach used by many social workers is an examination of the biological, psychological, and social systems; all are seen as interconnected. In recent years the spiritual dimension has also gained popularity in research and recognition as being inseparable from other dimensions of personhood. Culture is also seen as a powerful environmental dimension that demands acknowledgment to truly gain insight into a person’s worldview. The following is a brief summary of these dimensions in regards to youths experiencing bullying.

Spiritual needs are inherited from our ancestors because humans are the only species on earth who are born with the capability of worshipping super or unknown power. Either from most isolated tribes or from the modern society, the finest buildings are always worshiping places. Because our ancestors’ lives are mysterious to us, we worship our ancestors. This occurs in ancient cultures all over the world, and also in modern times. It plays an important role in primitive religions. Ancestor worship is rooted in the belief that the dead live on (as angels or ghosts) and are able to influence the lives of later generations. These ancestors can assert their power by blessing or cursing, and their worship is inspired by both respect and fear. The ancestor cult consists of praying, presenting gifts, and making offerings. In some cultures, people try to get their ancestors ' advice through oracles before making important decisions.

“Spirituality is derived from the Latin word spiritus, spirit, the essential part of the person which controls the mind and the mind controls the body. Thus the spirit is the vital life force which motivate people and influence ones life, health behavior and relationships” (Baldacchino & Draper, 2001). She also stated that spirituality is the mainstream of life which unifies all aspects of the human being. Spirituality applies to both believers and non believers, including the presence of diverse cultural beliefs (Baldacchino & Draper, 2001). Culliford stated that : “In times of emotional stress, physical illness, loss, bereavement and death human beings tend to find comfort, peace, inspiration, reverence and meaning by focusing on their spirituality whether they believe in God or not” (Culliford, 2002). In a study conducted by Tuck and Thingajana the meaning of spirituality was voiced by person living with HIV disease and healthy adults. The definitions voiced by the HIV patients were that “Spirituality is relating and believing in God, who is always present. It is perceived as being guided or helped or being inspired or giving unto. Spirituality includes the process of journeying, discovering and centering and is outwardly expressed” (Tuck & Thinganjana, 2007). The definitions of Spirituality expressed by the healthy individuals were that:

What is spirituality? Everyone has it however not all understand what it is exactly. Individuals can experience and express spiritually differently. It can be confused with religion or ghosts (Lepherd, 2015). For many years, there have been many definitions and descriptions of spirituality; it is described as the search of the meaning of life, alleviation of suffering, or creating inner peace in an individual. Which explains how spirituality is made useful for meditation and practicing yoga. Each person’s spirituality is different from others because according to his article, ‘Spirituality: Everyone has it, but what is it,’ Laurence Lepherd (2015) explains, “People have [different levels] of depth or intensity of spirituality, from [person to person].”

What is spirituality? And is it only related to religion? It is hard to answer these questions as there are a lot of definitions of spirituality and what is it related to. For some people, spirituality has no meaning outside the circle of the religion. On the other hand, some people say that spirituality can exist inside the religion and also outside the religion. People should stop relating spirituality to only religion. Instead, people should know the true meaning of spirituality outside the circle of the religion as it will open doors for knowledge and have a butter understanding and better life. In the United States, religion is frequently equated with spirituality or a personal relationship with God

     Spirituality and psychology are two complex subjects to discuss and they become even more complicated when you try to relate one to the other. Psychology deals with the processes of sense perception, thinking, learning, cognition, emotions and motivations, and personality, focusing on the behavior of individuals. Spirituality, on the other hand, is all inclusive. “Spirituality is living one's life from the realization that the body/mind/ego personality we have been taught to identify with is just the tip of our iceberg, our little head sticking through the window of the senses into this world, whereas our true body is the universe. It is recognizing that our perceived world is mostly an illusion, a shared