Spirituality Basics
Spirituality is the general term for a worldview that places an emphasis on interconnection and the presence of larger forces beyond the realm of the individual human being. This worldview differs from a strictly religious orientation, which seeks to describe reality in terms of a specific set of organized beliefs.
Spirituality does not correspond to a particular set of beliefs. Instead, it corresponds to a range of personal beliefs that feature such things as an embodied or disembodied higher power, a sense that life has a special goal or purpose, an expansive and inclusive view toward interactions with other people, and an ongoing desire for personal mental/psychological evolution and growth. Activities commonly associated with a spiritual worldview include prayer, ritual, involvement in community service, purposeful exploration of life’s “big questions” and involvement in conversations or organizations centered on larger issues beyond material survival. Some people with a spiritual orientation follow the tenets of a particular religious tradition, while others do not follow such tenets or combine the tenets of two or more religious traditions.