People seek answers—it is at the very core of the human experience to search for truth. Yet, preconceived notions of what an answer is can often taint the real answer to our most profound questions.
When it comes to modern spirituality, most are pushed too far from their comfort zone to recognise how humankind is now discovering enlightenment. So what is modern spirituality and how do we replace enforced dogma with personal, spiritual expression?
Whenever we think of modern spirituality it is easy to conjure up images of religious fundamentalism, bigotry and human rights violations, or even fervent skepticism and atheism. Some may think about New Age spirituality with naked, moonlit dancing, crystal waving and deep monotonous chanting.
Yet none of these are really modern spirituality—they are old spirituality attempting to make sense of something they were never designed to make sense of (our 21st Century world). These belief systems are akin to using a hammer and chisel to fix a circuit board.
No, modern spirituality is something so radically different to what we might suppose it usually is not viewed as spirituality at all. The new form of spiritual experience is not only deeply individual for each person that experiences it; it also permeates areas of life as diverse as work and business to social interactions and technology.
Spiritual leaders are no longer priests, preachers or gurus… they are now entrepreneurs, engineers, authors and networkers. Each experiencing their very own perspective of their spirituality and presenting it through their professional, community and social relationships.
For we are now realising that spirituality is parallel other aspects of human experience, such as psychology or sexuality. And whereas we could once define a person as gay or straight, we now realise that sexuality is a transient, fluid state that can change drastically over the duration of a person’s lifetime.
Spirituality is also an essential part of who we are, but it can no longer be described through labels, such as Christian or Pagan—now we are becoming more and more aware that our spiritual experience is unique to each of us and cannot be defined in some blanket or overarching stereotyping.
Some of the most successful companies in the world such as Apple, Disney, Adobe and Virgin could be seen as spiritual organisations that encourage a complex world view of what it means to realise one’s higher potential. Words such as mindfulness and legacy are replacing meditation and karma.
We can even look to the way social interaction takes place and how certain strata within interpersonal transaction now define us, beyond the old classes and patriotic identities.
In short, our spiritual identity is something that bleeds through every aspect of life and yet, we are not even aware of who we are as modern spiritual beings.
You could ask the questions, why do we need to know? What is so important about spirituality? Isn’t it better to live life, rather than focus on what comes after?
Well, modern spirituality has a very different take on what spirituality means… modern spirituality is about how we break free of old control mechanisms, such as religious dogma, political repression and social stigma.
When you truly tap into your own spiritual nature and explore it as one might discover your own sexuality, you will begin to appreciate just how controlled people are… and how you can transcend that control.
This is merely the beginning of a conversation—not a catch-all answer to life, the universe and everything. Here, we simply tip our hats to the knowing that something within us all is more powerful than we know—and the realisation of that power is why religions, governments and social conventions have kept us prisoners for so long.
Let the dialogue begin…
