Do You Need Spirituality in Your Life?

Do you know that feeling? A kind of emptiness. The sense that you're in the wrong place, or missing something essential without being able to name it. What if that's a need for spirituality? More and more people are asking themselves that question today.

This article sets out to clear up some of the confusion around spirituality. It's a humble attempt to offer a few leads if you have questions. If you want to see more clearly on your path toward that “something” you're missing, this is for you. For now, let's call that something “spirituality.”

First, we'll look at what creates this need for “something.” Then we'll explore the paths toward spirituality: philosophy, religion, and the key differences between the two. Next, we'll cover the misconceptions and traps that can catch you on your spiritual awakening. Finally, you'll get a few practical tips for starting a spiritual journey as an adult looking for meaning.

In all humility, think of this article as a flashlight. It won't show you the whole road. It will light up your first conscious step toward your own spirituality.

If this topic speaks to you, listen to episode 23, “Do You Need Spirituality?”, on our podcast Une Alchimie de l'Éveil.

Spirituality isn't something you live on the outside. You live it within, in your very being. Iker Aguirre

Spiritual Growth: 3 Key Paths to Explore

• Personal Development

The moment you start asking questions about yourself, everything points toward personal development. But be careful not to lump things together. Personal development is really a gateway to self-knowledge. It's the first step out of ignorance about who you are.

Once you set out on a path of awakening, you start asking questions. How were you shaped? What's your personality? What's your story? That's the first stage of personal development.

• Inner Development

Asking how you were shaped will lead you to look at how you operate. Now you want to learn everything you can about your potential and your capabilities as a human being. This is the path of inner development.

As soon as you take an interest in your inner development, you build new bridges inside yourself. And those bridges take you even further.

• Spiritual Development

After those first two stages, you can finally step onto the path of spiritual development. Here, you want to “know everything” about your place in the world, your mind, your consciousness, and more.

Want to go deeper into these three paths? Listen to episode 1, “The 3 Major Stages on the Path to Awakening,” on our podcast Une Alchimie de l'Éveil.

Understanding Spirituality: Definition, Meaning, and Practice

What the Dictionaries Say

• First, spirituality has a philosophical meaning. It describes what is independent of matter (Le Robert).
• Spirituality also has a religious meaning. It covers the beliefs and practices related to the life of the soul, the spiritual life (Le Robert).
• Finally, spirituality is the quality of what is spirit, of what is free from all materiality (Larousse).

The Konxus Definition

What these definitions tell us is that spirituality is a form of inquiry. It's about understanding your place in the world. It's also about understanding the world itself and how the universe came to be.

You can sum up spirituality in a one-word question: “Why?” It's a search for meaning. Who am I? Where do I belong?

We've mentioned philosophy as a gateway to religion. But between the two lie a billion possibilities that often go unnoticed. That's the ground we want to shed some light on.

Why Do We Need Spirituality? Understanding a Deep Human Need

We live in a society that spent years denying and rejecting spirituality. The result has been a massive loss of meaning.

Materialism holds that anything that can't be proven doesn't exist. It started by drawing a hard line between itself and religion. But “you can't prove it” doesn't mean “you can't experience it.”

So you don't need to prove that spirituality exists if you can experience it within yourself. Think about your thoughts. We all experience them, yet none of us can truly explain them.

Materialism quickly became tied to atheism, and that led to a rejection of spirituality. In France today, half the population says they don't believe in God. But don't confuse religion with spirituality. You can be an atheist and still have a spiritual life.

And yet, in these times, spirituality is making a powerful comeback. More and more people are looking inward and searching for meaning. Many of us are trying to find purpose in a world that has lost its spiritual compass.

Look at the society we live in. We're not wearing a tinfoil hat here; there's plenty of data to back this up. We see media manipulation. A system in decay. Shrinking rights. War. Cronyism, nepotism, and politicians who campaign more than they govern. Abuse of power. A fractured social fabric. People growing poorer, both financially and intellectually.

So what are the major stages toward spirituality that can help you stop feeling lost and adrift?

The Key Stages Toward Authentic Spirituality

To begin with, the path toward spirituality can be secular. Or it can be religious.

“You don't have to belong to a religion or a faith tradition to have a spiritual life.” – Iker Aguirre

Let's start with a simple fact. To move toward spirituality, you first have to move away from ignorance. Once you want out of ignorance, you'll naturally turn toward questions of meaning and consciousness.

The first stage is philosophical inquiry. You start by questioning yourself:

• Who am I? What am I?
• Where do I belong in the world?
• What is my role?

This self-reflection will uncover a lot of unknowns. And those unknowns will send you looking for answers.

The next stage is waking up to yourself. That inevitably leads to waking up to other people and to the world. On this quest, you keep coming back to the three paths from the beginning: personal, inner, and spiritual development. The journey isn't a straight line. It's a spiral, and it never stops moving forward.

That's how your spiritual life grows. And there are countless paths, all leading to the same place. Buddhists say there are 10,000 paths to the top of the mountain. You only need to pick one.

Following a religious path is, in a sense, a “method.” It's one way to reach awakening and transcend the self.

A secular path, on the other hand, works for people who don't believe in God or don't want a religious path. Its challenge is that it raises one essential question: “Which way do I go?”

One word of caution: you need some clarity about this need for spirituality. Otherwise, you can walk straight into a few traps.

The Main Pitfalls on the Spiritual Path

Here's a list of pitfalls on the road to spirituality. It's not exhaustive, and it's in no particular order. The point is that spirituality calls, first and foremost, for an honest look at where you stand.

• Pitfall #1: Being spiritual doesn't mean being religious (or following a particular faith).

The reverse is true too. Plenty of people practice a religion on autopilot and lose sight of its spiritual core.

• Pitfall #2: Being spiritual doesn't mean being awakened.

You can be on a spiritual quest without being awakened. One doesn't automatically come with the other.

• Pitfall #3: Being spiritual doesn't make you a good person (unfortunately).
• Pitfall #4: Meeting a spiritual person doesn't mean the two of you are meant to get along.
• Pitfall #5: Being spiritual doesn't mean you're free of ego.

To discover more pitfalls, including why spirituality is not the same as spiritualism, listen to episode 23, “Do You Need Spirituality?”, on our podcast Une Alchimie de l'Éveil.

The Best Ways to Cultivate Your Inner Spirituality

We don't claim to hold the ultimate answers about the path to awakening. What we offer are a few pointers, so you can start your own spiritual journey if you choose to.

We've identified three paths: the individual path, the group path, and the “royal road” (yes, really)!

• Cultivating spirituality through the individual path:

First, you can cultivate your spirituality on your own, by working on yourself. This path has two branches. The inner path means observing what's happening inside you. The outer path means someone guides you as you discover your inner path. Either way, the inner path is unavoidable. Sooner or later, you have to walk it.

“Spirituality isn't something you live on the outside. You live it within, in your very being.” – Iker Aguirre

So be wary of any spiritual path that lets you off the hook for your own responsibility. If it hands control of your journey to someone else, it is very likely a path of wandering and manipulation. (That's a personal view, and it's Iker Aguirre's.)

• Cultivating spirituality through the group path:

The group path is far less common. In most communities of spiritual seekers, living together is surprisingly hard. And that's among people who are actively cultivating spirituality and self-awareness.

The key to understanding this is the balance between “I” and “we.” Once you've started on both the individual and the group path, one more path remains. It's an inclusive, unifying path that embraces the world as a whole.

• Cultivating spirituality through the royal road:

If you want a place to start, Iker Aguirre recommends meditation. Why? Because this royal road leads you to observe, with a contemplative eye, what lives inside you and what's going on in there. It works like a set of Russian nesting dolls. Every discovery opens up new questions. And each one brings you closer to what you are and who you are.

Meditation is an excellent tool for personal, inner, and spiritual development. We did tell you it was the royal road!

Check out our series on meditation from the podcast Une Alchimie de l'Éveil, “Everything You Need to Know About Meditation”:

• Episode 5: Understanding Meditation (1/4)
• Episode 6: How to Meditate (2/4). Everything you need to know to practice like a pro!
• Episode 7: “Meditation Is Hard!” Is It, Though? (3/4). Taking down every obstacle to your practice!
• Episode 8: Is Meditation Risky? (4/4). Answers to the most common questions that might hold you back, so your practice stays 100% safe.

Conclusion

We never claimed to answer the question of spirituality. Our goal was to shed some light, so you can take the first steps on a path of awakening.

If this need for spirituality and this search for meaning resonate with you, listen to episode 23, “Do You Need Spirituality?”, on our podcast Une Alchimie de l'Éveil. The episode goes into much more detail than we could here.

Spotlight: A Beacon for Hard Times in the Heart of France — Le Bost, Auvergne

There are several major schools of Buddhism. You've probably heard of the Dalai Lama, right? He's the spiritual leader of one of them, the Gelug school. He may be the best-known Buddhist in the world. But few people realize he doesn't represent all Buddhists. He leads one branch among many, and not the largest one.

The Karmapa is the spiritual leader of the Karma Kagyu school, which by some counts has more practitioners than any other.

France has a very active Buddhist community, with temples known around the world. One of them, Le Bost in the Auvergne region, draws a lot of attention. A few years ago, the 17th Karmapa reportedly predicted that the world was heading into a very dark period. And by dark, we mean lights-out dark. Not exactly a pretty picture.

He reportedly went on to say that Le Bost would become a key center of influence for Europe and the world. He then asked prominent Buddhist leaders to pay special attention to the place.

Since then, the center has become hugely popular. It draws thousands of people from across Europe and around the world. It has even pushed up real estate prices in this remote corner of the Massif Central!

Julia and Iker from the Konxus team visited Le Bost last summer. They had the privilege of seeing the temple from a truly exceptional angle. The experience was moving and powerful. But one thing struck them most: the peace they could see on people's faces.

Just noticing that invites you to let go. You feel safe there. Could this be the positive influence the Karmapa spoke of, taking shape? It will surely grow far beyond this. But Julia and Iker got a first, delightful taste of it.

Wandering through the temple's bamboo grove is an experience in itself. You'll find little corners of paradise that invite you to slow down and reflect. They all surround a pond full of colorful koi, happily making the most of their idyllic home.

The temple visit alone will leave you speechless. It's hard to believe you're in France and not in some faraway country. You'll feel a world away from home!

Whether you're curious, a tourist, a practitioner, or searching for “something,” this is a vacation idea you won't regret. And if you're lucky enough to be there during a special event, get ready to be blown away. The energy is both beautiful and powerful!

Originally published in French on Konxus Média ↗