I’m having a spiritual crisis. I haven’t stopped believing in God (or whatever you want to call the Divine Creator). I just can’t seem to feel connected to It.
In fact, I don’t just want to feel connected. I want to receive an inflow of Divine wisdom and love. I want to be an open channel for the Universal Mind. And I want the sense that I’m consistently guided.
I’m not saying this because I think I’m special or have a big ego. I don’t think I deserve a “special” relationship with God more than someone else. I just want to have a spiritual experience of my own…daily.
How about you? Do you have or want that?
Writing as a Spiritual Experience
Once upon a time, I had a little experience of what I’m talking about. I had been researching a particular topic, and suddenly got inspired. I wrote the beginning to a longer book and then turned it into a short book.
As I wrote, the information simply came through me. The writing of that book made me feel connected and as if Something Bigger than Me had urged me to sit down at the computer and write. When I complied, I was provided with the words and information to put on paper.
As I wrote, I felt that connection. I had a spiritual experience.
No, I don’t think I channeled this work. I just feel I was guided.
I used to spend time each morning pulling Tarot and Kabbalah cards. I’d intuit a message, and this gave me the sense that I was tapping into Divine guidance. I don’t do that as much any longer. I need to start again…
Because that’s what I want…to feel guided daily. I want to have a spiritual experience regularly.
How Do You Define “Spiritual”?
But what is a spiritual experience?
Does it involve falling down on the ground in ecstasy? Does it include hearing a voice whispering in your ear? Or does it mean you suddenly are psychic, can access the Akashic Records, or that your degree of empathy goes through the roof?
I don’t think so…although I’d welcome most of those experiences.
I think you can have a spiritual experience just sitting and listening to the birds, enjoying the magnificence of a Redwood tree, or looking into the eyes of your lover. You can have it while reading scripture, attending a religious service, or meditating alone. Your spiritual “event” could happen when the person who rings up your groceries says something that changes your perspective, you receive a “miraculous” bit of news, or suddenly release an old resentment or hurt.
I think “spiritual” can be anything and everything. We decide what is spiritual and what is not. Each person defines it in his or her own way.
The Classic Definition of Spiritual
I’ve often broken the word down and said that we feel spiritual when we are “in spirit.” By that, I mean that we feel that connection to our soul or to God.
Traditionally, the word “spiritual” is defined as “relating to or affecting the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things” or something “relating to religion or religious belief.
I believe you can be spiritual and not religious or religious and not spiritual. In fact, I’ve known many people who have no set religious practice or affiliation but are enormously spiritual. They spend their days feeling connected to a Higher Power. I’ve known others who claim to be religious but really don’t believe in God or the experience of connection to our Creator.
As for the definition, I do believe that the word spiritual relates to the soul and things that are not physical.
Your Definition Makes a Difference
How you define spiritual makes a difference in whether or not you have a spiritual experience. Without a clear definition, how will you know if you’ve had a spiritual experience?
So, it’s up to you to determine what the word means and the qualities that go with it. Will you hear a booming voice, see a burning bush, or experience a sense of peace, connection with everything and everyone, or have an out-of-body experience?
Once you know, you’ll notice the times when you have such an experience.
You also need to know how you get to that spiritual experience. Is it through relationships, time in nature, writing, meditating, praying, conversing with God, or swimming in the ocean? Only you know the answer, and finding it could take some experimentation.
How to Feel Connected Again
With a definition and proven techniques, you may find that you can bring spiritual experiences into your life at will. And you will likely feel more connected to the Creator more often.
I know this is true, and so I, too, will be going through this process. I have a good idea of what activities remind me of my connection, and I plan to spend more time doing those things. I’ll be on the lookout for a spiritual experience.
How do you define the word “spiritual,” and what helps you feel connected to God? Tell me in a comment below. And if you found this post useful, please share it with someone you care about.
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Lovely observations, Nina. But it is the ”I’ that cannot experience the Divine. When one withdraws from the notion of ‘I’ in consciousness, then the Presence arises within you. That’s what my writings are all about from living this experience.
I love this, Muz. It’s the ego that’s attached to how the experience will look anyway, right? So we need to detach from that to have a spiritual experience. Thanks for your comment.
It is not necessary to believe in God to be a good person. In a way, the traditional notion of God is outdated. One can be spiritual but not religious. It is not necessary to go to church and give money – for many, nature can be a church. Some of the best people in history did not believe in God, while some of the worst deeds were done in His name.
Pope Francis
I totally agree, George. And some don’t believe in “God” but in nature or a Universal Mind,or something else. We each have to find our own spiritual path.
Hi Nina,
“How you define spiritual makes a difference in whether or not you have a spiritual experience. Without a clear definition, how will you know if you’ve had a spiritual experience?”
I have had “experiences” for 65 years (and 55 of those years were topic oriented). The quote from you above was never an issue in what went on in my life, because the methodology used was different … basically it boiled down to constructivism, which essentially is the direct opposite of “classical teaching” (here are the answers) and simply boils down to – “you figure it out.” It’s essentially summed up in a line by : Alexandra K. Trenfor
“The best teachers are those who show you where to look, but don’t tell you what to see.”
At any rate, I was 5 years old (either ’54 or ’55) when this began, and the “study” that was part of all this began in ’73. I was never asked to do this – it was totally up to me. I was simply presented with a couple of “pictures” as a child … and things went on from there if I decided to do it. My notes on all this are 356 pages, and I’m going to write a final summary – and I’m done.
There’s more to this – “spiritual world”- as people call it, and I just call it the “invisible world.” The bottom line to everything is summed up in the Australian aboriginal idea of the “split” in humanity. In other words, the aboriginals claim to have split / separated themselves from the “rest of humanity” that “went down the tubes.” The question should pop up at this point – what exactly is “went down the tubes?” There’s an interesting story regarding this that goes back to C 13,000 BC, with connections that go back to C 33,000 BC. Then, there’s the information we were supposed to know … but … we lost it over the last 10,000 years at least. The “explanations” we have been handed over the last 5,000 rounded years since writing, have made things worse. People call it “religion” – I call it animism phase two. Today we live in a world where all the “answers” contradict each other – and the mental programming aspect makes people think “I’m right, and everyone else is wrong.” Sounds like we’re in an awfully deep hole.
People mention “God” … yet no one looks at the historical picture to see where this idea came from. You want answers … answers are out there … but no one looks.
At any rate, that’s the fun I’ve been having LOL. If you want to talk more you can email me.
Jim
Interesting take, Jim! I appreciate your long comment and read it all! It sounds like you’ve had an interesting spiritual life.