Spirituality

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I used to think that spirituality was just recognition in a higher power. I thought that to be spiritual meant to believe in the power of the beyond; be it the presence of ghosts, juju, or in a deity. This Comparative Religions class has led me to question my unconscious beliefs in what is truly supernatural and spiritual.

Roy asked our class at the beginning of the semester to, once a day, observe “a thought well thought, a word well spoken, and a deed well done” as Zoroastrians do. Being aware of and recounting the paltry happenings of my day was a very spiritual experience for me. I started to recognize how pure and sacred the smallest things I think, say or do really are. Such a miniscule action like cuddling with my brother, playing the piano, or taking my dog for a walk became very spiritual acts for me because I recognized their distinctive beauty. So often do I let the days pass and not acknowledge what I said, did or thought to make them well lived. I now recognize spirituality in myself in daily blessings. It is the moments I get to myself; those brief peaceful breaths of solidarity where I can caste off the business of the day and take into account my current being. I realized that being spiritual doesn’t mean committing oneself to the rules and regulations of a religion. I recognize the magnificence of my spirit and it’s spirituality when my pen is to the page and I am composing poetry; when my paintbrush freely strokes my mind onto a canvas; when I sit at my piano bench; when I go for a run and hear only the thunder of my feet on a dirt road; when I sit on the kitchen counter and gaily observe my bickering family; when I can offer my love to a distraught heart; when I can see my breath on a frigid morning; when I am humbled by the august mountains that surround me; when I laugh; when I love; and when I smile, I feel a spiritual connection within myself and with the world.