How do you greet the day? How do you greet your friends, family and coworkers? How do you greet other matters of importance in your life? Are you confident or humble, eager or reluctant, formal or casual, practical, hedonistic, or do you approach the world in some other ways?
Your attitude to life and living may say a lot about your approach to spirituality. How do you approach the sacred or divine? A humble person may seek to worship a higher power, or to honour their higher self. A realist may seek to live in the moment, or taking life as it comes, going with the flow, or practice acceptance and receptivity.
It is also worth looking at where you're coming from in your approach to spirituality. Your origin, social class, gender, and many other factors play into your path. Perhaps social justice is an important issue for you, or the desire to belong to a church that accepts women into the ministry. Or perhaps you are formal or traditional and would prefer to attend ceremonies and services that are offered in the original language or wear historically accurate clothing. Perhaps your level of education or training are a factor and you want to be intellectually stimulated by your sacred texts, and join in book studies or read commentaries written by theologians throughout the past.
How open are you to new ideas and interpretations of doctrine? Are you looking to explore other sects of your religion, or other religions, traditions, cultures or historical periods?
Do you have expectations or assumptions about spirituality, and would you like to address those? A quick way is to define spirituality in your own words. Don't reach for the dictionary, take a minute to think it through. What do you include? What do you leave out? Do you feel entitled to certain features of your spiritual path? Do you have something to share, or a need or desire to fulfill?
And finally, how do you approach your daily living in the grand scheme of things? Are you living according to your Deity's plan, stumbling through fate or destiny, or perhaps you co-create your reality with the divine. Are you called to lead or to follow?
There are many roads to explore, as you begin to understand yourself and your path. If you do not already keep a journal, I highly recommend starting one today. You will discover as you grow, change, have experiences and learn life lessons that spirituality is the journey, not the destination. Let your journal be your way home when you need a compass.
Blessings on your journey,
Jacki Moss