What Does Spirituality Mean in Your Life?
Spirituality is an essential aspect of holistic wellness, but what does it truly mean? The term "spirituality" originates from the Latin word spiritus and the earlier Greek word pneuma, both of which mean "breath." This connection suggests that spirituality is something deeply elemental.
Spirituality encompasses the beliefs, practices, and rituals that ground us in life itself. Just as breath sustains the physical body, our spirituality—our beliefs, our connections, our gatherings—sustains our sense of purpose and orientation in life. This is profoundly simple: everything that exists is connected to everything else. Spiritual practice is about cultivating this awareness of connection and oneness.
We often ask ourselves profound questions like: Who am I? What does it mean to be fully alive as myself?
At its core, spirituality is about supporting the fullness of life. The journey often begins with asking, “What does it mean to be truly me, and how can I connect more deeply with myself?” From there, the questions expand: “How can I connect more meaningfully with others and with the world around me?” and ultimately, “How do I deepen my connection with my source?”
Thus, connection with self, others, and source forms the heart of spiritual exploration. It all returns to that simple yet powerful word: breath. You can survive many days without food, a few without water, but only a few moments without breath.
This analogy extends to spirituality. Just as we cannot thrive without breath, we cannot thrive in the long term without a sense of spirituality—without a connection to ourselves, others, and our source.
Since the earliest days, human beings have been religious, which simply means being part of a formal community with its own teachings, rules, and norms.
In recent decades, however, the concept of spirituality has evolved. What was once confined to religious communities now exists beyond them. Many people are seeking a deeper sense of spirituality—a connection with self, others, and source—outside of traditional religious paths. And there are those who navigate between these spaces, not attending regular religious services but still deeply inspired by a specific spiritual lineage or tradition.
We are all on a quest for an authentic path to the divine. I believe that God is everywhere, and that truth and wisdom await discovery in every corner of reality. Every approach to the sacred carries its own gifts and shadows. There is light and shadow in everything.
There is light and shadow within each of us, and in every path we take toward the sacred. This includes both spiritual but not religious approaches and traditional religious paths.
Even atheists, though they may not use the term “spiritual,” are grappling with many of the same questions: What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to thrive? What does it mean to find well-being and connection with others? How do we care for the fragile world we inhabit?
If you are a human being with a beating heart, I am passionate about walking alongside you and learning from you as we explore these profound questions about the nature of existence.
How are you cultivating your spirituality at this point in your life? What actions can you take to strengthen this connection, so you can thrive forward?