Practical Spirituality

It seems that no matter what area of personal growth or self-help you're researching, you will eventually stumble onto the topic of spirituality. Some take to it really well, while others will immediately scoff and turn the other way. I'm willing to bet many people won't read this blog for the simple fact that the word "spirituality" is in the title. I'll admit that, as an atheist, I tend to feel a twinge of resistance every time I see the word myself. However, there must be a reason it shows up everywhere. There's obviously something to the concept of spirituality that people seem to need. Is there a way for non-believers to incorporate this into their lives without subscribing to a religion or belief system?Though the concept of spirituality could easily be defined a hundred ways, I find that the definitions usually fall into one of three categories:

• Religious spirituality - Being in contact specifically with the supreme being that created the universe.
• New-age spirituality - Some sort of nebulous connection to some sort of nebulous thing that is bigger than us. You'll often hear people who subscribe to this kind of spirituality say that it means being connected to "The Universal Mind," "the universe," "love," "one consciousness," or something similar.
• Psychological spirituality - Generally refers to a subjective experience of transcending our default state of mind through meditation or some other ritual or routine.

I'll just come right out and say that we have no real evidence that the first two are anything other than psychological spirituality being mixed with belief and mistaken for something it probably isn't. In other words, when someone says they feel connected to Jesus or Allah, they are most likely experiencing some form of psychological spirituality, but their belief system is causing them to interpret it as something supernatural or metaphysical.For obvious reasons, I don't care for the first two. However, I believe that psychological spirituality is not only real but necessary for true happiness. Our unhappiness is largely caused by being caught up in our thoughts and "becoming" them. For instance, when the average person gets angry, they don't usually focus attention on their anger and observe it closely. The anger takes the steering wheel and dictates their behavior. They become their anger and are generally incapable of stepping outside of it mentally. This leads to lots of unhappiness and suffering and can cause people to feel guilty or ashamed after periods of acting out on their anger.What I consider spirituality is the ability to observe and be aware of your thoughts without letting them define you or control you. The more you are able to do this, the more you'll be able to experience true peace and happiness that isn't contingent upon outside circumstances. In other words, you'll learn how to be happy just by being present with yourself. Luckily, you don't have to take my word for it that this is possible, you just need to practice some mindfulness meditation and experience it for yourself. Do a Google search and you'll find plenty of places to download free guided mindfulness meditations. My personal favorite is marc.ucla.edu/audio.As long as we are run by our thoughts and urges, we can't fully be free and happy. We will constantly be looking for the next pleasurable activity to keep us feeling good.  Only by stepping outside of our thoughts and observing them without resistance or judgment can we truly be free from their influence on our behavior and emotions. The next time you see the word "spirituality" in a book, magazine, or website, don't immediately label it as woo and run away. Take a look at it and see what category it falls under. If it's religious or new-age, you'll probably know pretty quickly and be able to look elsewhere. If it's psychological spirituality (practical spirituality, as I call it), then take a moment to learn about it. This kind of spirituality is perfectly logical, useful, and attainable.