Dear Fractelle and Romany,

Both of you inspire me beyond what I can express in mere words.

Thank you for sharing you thoughts so openly.

You always give me so much food for thought.

What lovely stories Fractelle, Foxy and Romany - thank you for sharing pieces of your life with us.

I would not know how to define spirituality - perhaps 'of the spirit' in the way we might interact with the world around us or the meaning we might give to certain experiences and places. Perhaps we don't need to define it.

Before coming on-line today I spent the morning in the garden digging, weeding (not very spiritual :)) and planting out seedlings before the cold weather hits. I mulched and prepared a new area for a chicken coop to use in a permaculture type system. The smell of the earth, the picking of last season's vegies (even some late tomatoes) the promise of future fresh organic vegies and eggs, the joy of being outside in the sun doing something productive and natural could be a kind of spirituality. The feeling is certainly one of great contentment.

Interesting topic, Fractelle and some fantastic reactions.

Foxy “I did not want to disturb the quiet magic of the spell.”
That sounds like a very spiritual moment to me, just beautiful! What a lovely Christmas eve!
I can recall some very special moments that I’d class as spiritual moments as well. These moments are experienced as so peaceful, so relaxed and I think that we look for these moments when meditating.

I don’t know if others experience these moments more when they’re not feeling well. I do.

I have wondered why and I guess illness takes us away from the day-to-day activities and routines and allows us to focus on yourself more, on our feelings and thoughts, to find new balance, to see things in their real proportion. Things that may have caused us some worry or distress seem to evaporate- we realise that we have given these things too much weight in our lives. Appreciation of the little things in life becomes more important again.

I also think that we have a better chance to keep our health in balance if we regularly just sit and e.g. just ‘be’ for a while- be aware of our thoughts, our activities, of our needs and of other’s needs.
For some, like Boaz, this time may involve prayer, for others, like Romany’s mother it may involve reflection, nature, animals, music...

Having talked about spirituality here and in other threads, I’d like to say that I do struggle with the term perse.
I think that I am in need of a better word than ‘spirituality’, which to me has a supernatural connotation. To say that humans have a spirit is like saying that there is an additional ‘something else’ in addition to a mind. This is a religious idea.

The mind is just a function of the brain. The brain is part of the body. That’s why the brain and body are responsible for our whole being including our emotions, thoughts, feelings, conscience, etc.

Continued

What do I think involves spirituality?
My list is a personal one and in no way complete but more an illustration:

- Awareness of your own being including the connection between your mind and body, thoughts and actions.
- Feeling the inter-connectiveness between yourself and the world.
- Even if you feel no connection, just being aware of the missing feeling of connection or link involves spirituality also.
- Letting go of the 3D structure of the material world.
- Finding the right balance between opposites.
- Finding a balance between your self and everyone/everything else in your life.
- Respect for life, the environment, others and yourself.
- Accepting and respecting diversity.

Romany, you should seriously consider a career at Hallmark! :)

Here's a definition I googled in case it helps:

adj.
Of, relating to, consisting of, or having the nature of spirit; not tangible or material. See synonyms at immaterial.
Of, concerned with, or affecting the soul.
Of, from, or relating to God; deific.
Of or belonging to a church or religion; sacred.
Relating to or having the nature of spirits or a spirit; supernatural.

I'll reflect on it as requested.

Romany,

I hope I didn't cause offense, but I cant help giggling about some of the content here.

Fractelle,

Mawkish - Good word. I looked it up (I'm only semi-literate) and it describes perfectly my opinions on the emoting and validating going on in here.

I think Romany, Fractelle, Foxy and Pelican all need to have a big group hug, and a tea party with lashings of ginger beer!

I apologise for playing court jester, but I think even the court jester deserves a turn with the talking stick.

'Yes, some people have it and some quite obviously do not (or at least fail to locate it within themselves).
'

Everybody has it. Some just don't feel the need to romantasize it.