Alchemy Of Spirituality7 min read
And when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it
Alchemist
In an endless revolving sphere, with no beginning and end, how do we define time linearly? If so, how do we then define our life and spirituality if we neither have seen the beginning nor will live off the end? Alchemy of spirituality differs from religion as it is a journey from ignorance to truth and the latter being rather a social enterprise.
Existence of supreme power
Our contemplation to understand the universe and the things beyond it will be the most universal journey one has to endure in one’s life. The beginning of the universe is indeed thousands of (light) years far in time and distance. Yet as long as we live here; we search for an answer. Call it Power, God or Nature. We have but defined it as supreme and eternal. Irrespective of our color, caste and creed we somehow relate this eternal entity to God. But the similarity ends there. It diverges into various cultural and religious existence. We represent that entity from Saguna (virtuous) to Nirguna (Nirguna Brahman– without qualities) divinities. These representations are then propelled by various philosophies like dualism (existence of two distinct spirit and matter) ; one among the Shad Dharshans (six schools) of Hindu Philosophy) to Semitic, monotheistic faiths (like Islam, Christianity) to even a mixture of dualistic and monotheistic faith (like Zoroastrianism).
It is the ear of the ear, the eye of the eye and the word of words, the mind of mind and life of life. Those who follow wisdom pass beyond and on leaving this world become immortal. There the eye goes not, nor words, nor mind
Keno Upanishad
Spirituality is journey of no beginning and no end. The experiences you gain is more valuable than the journey itself.
The purpose of spirituality is to realize that formless eternal power through God (the God-image is diversely portrayed from the Himalayan Shiva to the Middle Eastern Jesus) in the same way we see God through the various religious earthy idols. The realm of spirituality is unlached to us when we travers through all these three Idol-God-Entity stages.
Spirituality and Religion
If religion is God then spirituality is what constitutes God. Beyond the sacred texts and scriptures of various religions, the idea of divinity is still open to interpretations and to philosophical perspectives. Even, the Sanskrit word for philosophy is “Darshana” which means seeing or perception. Such diverse perceptions are what constitutes the base of spirituality.
Spirituality
Spirituality is a journey to elevate your spirit (not your heart or brain but your spirit or soul ) to revelations and further truth. When the soul is formless and shapeless to the naked eyes. Such spiritual revelations too will be obscure to the human eyes. The core idea of such spiritual journey is self-realization and enlightenment of an individual rather than the society.Such enlightenment is never an invention that you make. It is rather a discovery that you find. It is not something that you can steal from a Saint or Holy Scriptures. You have to work towards it; to believe, discover and realize, aided by all those spiritual guidances (Religion, Scriptures, Saints and Sages).Like Shasi Tharoor says:
A religious text is a breach in the fog of ignorance that enshrouds the human mind.
Why I am a Hindu
Spirituality is the journey to further truth, from ignorance. Spirituality is individualistic in nature, it is personal. No one is going to be spiritually exemplified by someone else’s work and belief. Your spirituality is defined by your individual effort to be in that belief system or enlightenment.
Religion
Religion can be defined as the sum interaction of people on the idea of spirituality. It ranges from daily rituals to yearly festivals, from personal hymns to public prayers. That therefore makes religion a social aspect of spirituality. Religion is always an evolving and dynamic entity. As such an outdated religion is a very recurring phenomenon. One wonders why? This is purely because of the social aspect of religion. The purdah system which is generally related to the Islam religion however, has only been actively promoted after the Islam revolution in the 70s. Whereas, ghoonghat in India, has been there for centuries and has even become a part of their religious marital traditions. Every custom, ritual and tradition caters the concurrent society. Those that are socially approved stays, rest perishes. That is why spirituality is a personal and individual act and religion a social one.
Spirituality and Religion in a Society
The journey doesn’t matter. It is to observe and understand everything around us. It can be scientific or not .
Spirituality is a mental journey. It can be scientific, logical, atheistic, monotheistic or polytheistic. There are no wrong paths; there are only path to more truth and realization. On the other hand, religion is the social conglomeration of like-minded people. It is the social facet of the soul that enhances the idea of human being as a social animal. From the initial spiritual grail, the cultural, social and racial diversity spans out into diverse festivals, customs and rituals. Historically speaking, religiously evolved social customs like caste system, child marriage and sati had existed in India because of a plethora of complex aspects (social, cultural and political) which even dates back to the ancient period. Such customs and traditions might be justifiable then; in the midst of war, chaos and plunder. But, such social practices must and will change with the evolution of the social dynamics of people. When temples became the prime bait for looters owing to the rich religious pampering, restrictions were imposed on temple entry as bulwark. Early marriages were initiated during the Muslim invasion in a hope to prevent foreign invaders from home entry despite temple entry.
Today, none of these are digestible and acceptable in our current social relationships purely because of the evolutionary nature of society. All such dynamic relationships is what constitutes the social and religious existence of each époque (refer How men and women coexist?). And hence the religious interactions will always be evolutionary and subjective in nature.
The Afro-Brazilian religion Candomblé is an example of such evolutionary nature of religion and society. The birth of Candomblé is facilitated by the migratory nature of the society (people from Africa and the Portuguese Catholics) combining the philosophies of African Yoruba and the European Catholic belief system.
Key to Spirituality
The core philosophy of the multifaceted religions can rather be summarized into Unity and Love.
Quoting from bible “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” is reminiscent of the Hindu philosophy of Aham Brahmasmi (I am God), finding equal love in everything.
As a matter of fact, the one thing that is most important in this world is love. Love for oneself, for others and the universe; it is that alchemy that solves any problem we face in this world.
One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving
Alchemist
Precursory religious rituals and traditions might be an absurdity to you. In fact, they were never meant to serve you. For the present , you yourself have to define your religion . Consequently, such ever evolving religion will be the perfect platform to love and be loved.
Like Kahlil Gibran says:
Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is a book that is to be read less and thought more. It is a fantasy, quest novel that engages us with a simple but relevant storyline. The experiences we gain are more precious than the journey itself. Beyond the end goal, it is those experiences and revelations that defines one’s spiritual journey and enlightenment. If anything at all, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho will ignite your quest for existential questions. I would highly recommend you to read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho if the above musings sought your attention.
Musa Creativa Magazine
I loved this article so much! Mostly because I am a very spiritual person. I believe spirituality leads us to an amazing self-discovery that can change us for the better. The Alchemist is also one of my favorite books!! It was wonderful reading this ♥️
Ambuj Saxena
You are a deep thinker and I am glad to have come across your post. I was confused between spirituality and religiousness but your post has put my thoughts to rest!
Amber Myers
I will have to check out this book. It sounds like an interesting one! I am not religious, but I do believe in being a good person.
Emily Fata
I totally believe in the Universe conspiring to deliver what we put out. The law of attraction is 100% a legitimate thing!
Shea
Very well thought out and interesting read. I have always found myself to be more spiritual than religious and I appreciated much of what you had to say on the subject. ‘The Alchemist’ and ‘The Art of War’ are both on my list. Thank you!
Kileen
I loved this post! I truly believe that if you put your wants, needs and goals out into the universe; the universe has a way of pushing you in the right direction to achieve everything. Thank you so much for sharing!
Kileen
cute & little
Kathy Kenny Ngo
I agree. When you want something and you work for it, the universe will help you to make it happen.
Krysten Quiles
I love this so much. I don’t consider myself a religious person, however I do consider myself to be spiritual.
tweenselmom
This seems to be a really deep and meaningful book, I’ll be sure to keep this in mind and give it a go sometime! Thanks for sharing this with us!
Gervin Khan
I am a bit religious and spiritual and this sounds like a perfect book for me to read, really interesting.
Lyanna Soria
This seems to be an interesting book to read, I’ll be sure to add this to my to-read list. Thanks for sharing!
World in Eyes
have heard a lot about the book and going to have it in a few days..therefore quite excited to read it..glad you shared the review…
Ramil Hinolan
There are plenty of discussions about spirituality and religion. I am becoming confused. I believe though that there is a divine power in this universe that controls everything.
https://www.thecityrat.com
Marie Phillips
As a religious and spiritual person, I find this article very thought provoking. Thank you for sharing.
Natalia
I love the quote from Alchemist! I need to give this book a try, as I’ve never had a chance to read it! 🙂
melissa
Spirituality is extremely important at this uncertain time. I love how inspiring this article. I feel like I can take on the world.
Ashlyn Smith
I haven’t read the Alchemist yet, but I think I will have to pick it up one day. I truly believe that we begin to understand the world around us, and in us through our experiences and our gradual understanding.
TARA PITTMAN
There is a force out there that is higher than us. I do believe in a creator of the universe
Celebrate Woman Today
I’ve read this book by Pauolo and all of his other books some years ago. All of them present an insight I was drawn by.
Mosaics Lab
This is so so awesome!!! I enjoyed it so much I read it twice!!! I’ve always considered myself spiritual but not religious…Now I feel I am neither…
Britt K
I have always been fascinated in the concept of religion and the role that it has played in our society over the years. That being said, I was raised in a Christian home and no longer identify with Christianity. My personal journey of spirituality hat led me away from the Christian church opened my eyes to how many other religions and spiritual practices there are in the world. I began to research and explore them one by one, needing to learn and understand if I was ever going to find what fits with my own beliefs. It led me to being very open-minded when it comes to religious conversations and has left me fascinated with the world’s religions to this day.
Josfolio
If you are categorizing religions into good and bad, every religion will fall into both categories. After all. religion is a social interpretation of spirituality. It is a way we, as humans express our spirituality.There is nothing wrong in that. You can either embrace all religions or none or just one. All those choices are fine. Because at the end of all, we are searching for the good things that you get from a religion. You will find that in every religion.
Claudia Blanton
A very interesting article! I am a polytheist, pagan Hedge Witch, so I am reading this from a very unique perspective. I have not read this book that you mentioned, however, I have been told to do so by many, so maybe I will check it out one day. Nice quotes, blessings!
Lisa
You write so well about this subject. I’ve read The Alchemist many years ago, but now I want to take another look.
Lyosha
It was an interesting read to me, very deep and showing me things on the other side of my regular thinking. thanks, I enjoyed it a lot!
RACHEL
This was a super interesting read. I’ve long lapsed in my spirituality but this was great.
Vaibhav Mehta
I am not a spiritual person but I am definitely intrigued by the whole concept of it. Some lovely insight there
Joanathx
We love your articles, and definitely, it is true. Spirituality is the true essence and origin of every religious movement. The difference between religion and spirituality is not so much about what you believe and how you live. Thanks for the info.
Sushmita
I have read the book and have never felt so well understood before. I am not sure if believing in the power of the universe makes you spiritual. I am absolutely not religious. 🙂
sikis izle
Hello. This post was extremely interesting, especially since I was investigating for thoughts on this issue last Thursday. Corri Jereme Judah
terrance coppess
Hello! I could have sworn I’ve been to this blog before but after browsing through some of the post I realized it’s new to me. Anyways, I’m definitely happy I found it and I’ll be book-marking and checking back frequently!