Spirituality and Happiness

‘I am not this hair. I am not this skin. I am the soul that lives within.’
– Rumi

We’re all familiar with phrases such as ‘body, mind and spirit’; or ‘heart and soul’.

Yet, many of us go through life being fully absorbed by just the physical and mental aspects of ourselves.

We rarely give any thought to the spiritual aspect that makes up our being.

Not only can this lead to confusion and misunderstandings. It often paves the way for much unnecessary suffering in our lives and in our world.

Having a basic understanding of our spiritual nature can help us to better understand ourselves. This in turn, helps us to create happier lives and a happier world.

I’m probably the most under-qualified person on the planet to write about this subject. I’m also not a saint or pious person by any means (quite the contrary)!

Yet, knowing how important spirituality is to happiness, I feel compelled to give it my best shot.

So, I’ll share some basic details to give you a rough understanding of the topic. Then, I’ll provide some links to help you explore it further.

The Nature of Spirit

Spirit is pure consciousness or awareness. It is eternal and all-knowing.

Spirit is creative, and at the same time, the basis of all creation. It is the genius inventor and creator of worlds, as well as the raw material that makes up everything in our universe.

It is all things, and therefore, It is not one thing (nothing).

Spirit is not bound by the laws of physics of this 3D physical reality. It is therefore not bound by space and time.

It can be everywhere, and as a result, It is not tied to one particular location (nowhere).

So in summary, Spirit is eternal and all-knowing. It is everywhere and nowhere. It is all things and nothing. It creates everything and IS everything.

Spirit is the Field from which everything arises and to which everything returns.

Spirit is the underlying reality of everything.

The Relationship Between Body, Mind and Spirit

As the opening quote hints, we are not physical beings.

Dr. Wayne Dyer explained the correct position beautifully when he said:

‘You are not a human being having a spiritual experience. You are a spiritual being having a human experience.’

Therefore, we can say that we are spiritual in essence and this spiritual aspect is what creates our physical form and animates it.

The human mind acts as an interface between these two.

So, we are spirits and we have a body and a mind. But we’re not our bodies or our minds.

We take on a physical body and a mind in order to fully engage with and experience physical reality.

The idea is very similar to when a person adopts an avatar when playing a video game so they can experience a virtual-reality through that character’s eyes.

But why does any of this matter and what does it have to do with happiness?

Everything!

Understanding my spiritual nature and developing what I call a ‘spiritual awareness’ has helped me understand myself and Life so much better.

This clarity has been invaluable in making decisions and navigating through life. It has also helped me become happier.

I will therefore expand on these themes a little more.

Before moving on, I must confess that spirituality has given me as many new questions as it might have answered!

I’m not sure what more to say about that, except perhaps that maybe I will discover the answers to these new questions in time.

Spirituality and Self-Knowledge

Spirituality has helped to answer (at least to some extent) basic questions such as who am I, where am I, what am I doing here, what do I want, and how do I get it.

This has given me a stronger foundation on which to build my beliefs and understanding of life. And I feel less ‘lost,’ as a result.

Spirituality and My Relationship with God

Spirituality gave me another chance to have a relationship with God.

As I mentioned in my previous post Christ Consciousness, I chose to part ways with religion when I grew up because I found religious teachings and rules to be too restrictive for me.

Religion also made me believe that I was a sinner–separate from, and lesser than, God.

These ideas (or at least, my interpretation of them) had the unfortunate result of severing my connection with God and the Divine (or so I thought at the time).

But spirituality changed all that.

It led me to believe that I was part of God and that I was always connected to this Source of love, wisdom and power.

It taught me that God was pure love and non-judgmental, and this helped me to feel close to God.

I felt that I was free to create the life experience I wanted, so long as I didn’t intentionally hurt anyone, or wrongfully take from others.

I was aware the Law of Cause and Effect still applied and that I would have to live with the consequences of all my thoughts, words and actions.

But I felt more free to live life on my terms now.

Spirituality and Personal Power

Spirituality taught me that I was connected to all knowledge and wisdom.

It taught me that I was infinitely creative and could create solutions to help me overcome all of Life’s problems and challenges.

I just had to learn how to calm my mind and move it out of the way, so I could tap into this power.

Spirituality taught me that I was a powerful creator and that I could create and experience more or less anything that I wanted, provided I learned to use these abilities correctly.

I learned that it was not so much a case of doggedly making things happen, but more a case of letting things be done through me. (I’m still working on this one.)

It taught me that my dreams, desires and passions mattered–that there were reasons why I had them and that these came from a higher Power, which was always ready and willing to help me manifest and experience them.

Spirituality taught me that I had a Divine nature that I could choose to nurture and develop while I was still in physical form, and that when I did so, I improved not only my own life, but the lives of all beings on this planet.

It taught me that love was a superpower and that the more I could feel love inside me, the better my life would be, and the better it would be for the lives of everyone else.

Spirituality and Self-Love

Spirituality taught me that I was no longer a lowly sinner but a magnificent child of God, endowed with many powers and abilities.

It taught me that God’s love for me was unconditional.

God didn’t care that I failed every day to live a life of virtue. In God’s eyes, it meant a lot that I cared enough to wake up and try again, the next day.

God didn’t care about my O Level results, my bank balance, or even how big my nose was, either (it’s pretty big–like Gonzo’s, from the Muppet Show).

God also didn’t care if I was unemployed or a CEO.

Yes, I could (and maybe should) aspire to great things and work to realise my full potential. But I could remain exactly who I am now and God would love me just the same. I would matter just the same.

Since God loved me exactly as I was, I too, was finally free to love myself as I am–unconditionally.

Spirituality and My Relationships with Others

Spirituality taught me that I was part of everything and everyone, and that they were a part of me.

We were all God’s children and we all mattered the same amount to God. No one was more important in God’s eyes.

This made me develop a deeper respect and reverence for all people, and for all forms of life.

(I’m still not too fond of snakes, sharks and crocodiles etc. Plus some people still get on my nerves. But I started liking cats recently. So there’s hope…)

It made me want to love, soothe, comfort, care and forgive more.

It just felt right and I knew it would benefit me the most, even though it seemed like it would benefit others.

Spirituality and Hope

Spirituality not only taught me that I was a blessed and powerful being, but more importantly, it taught me that I was loved unconditionally by the Most Powerful of All.

Now, with this most powerful of allies in my corner, anything was possible for me!

It also meant that I could trust more and worry less. I could hope and dream more, and fear less.

I was free to laugh, play, have fun and be happy once again.

Spirituality and Grief

One of the things that caused the most amount of unhappiness in my life has been the sense of loss and separation I have felt whenever a loved one passed, or when a relationship that I valued, somehow ended.

But spirituality has taught me that we are always connected to those we love, and that this love endures beyond lifetimes.

It has also taught me that there is a reason for everything, and that people come into our lives, and sometimes leave, for reasons that somehow serve us all.

And since I believe that I am always/still connected to people who are no longer in my life, I believe that they can somehow ‘feel’ my thoughts, my good wishes, and other feelings for them.

I feel like I can maintain or heal relationships at a distance.

These things have enabled me to make peace with myself and others.

They have also helped me to make peace with some of Life’s otherwise painful partings and incidents.

And this, in turn, has brought me so much relief!

Concluding Thoughts

I hope that I have managed to convey at least some of the ways in which spirituality has helped to create more happiness my life. I also hope that this will inspire you to explore this connection further.

Resources

Ask and It Is Given, by Abraham and Hicks, and Conversations With God, Book 1, by Neal Donald Walsch, are probably the best resources to consult, if you’re just starting out.

Dr. Dyer’s work and that of Gregg Braden have also been hugely helpful to me.

I love David Icke, but I should caution you that his work is not for everyone as it covers some dark and controversial subjects. But he was an integral part of my journey and a fantastic teacher, so I had to include him.

Christ Consciousness
The Field
‘I am Me, I Am Free,’ by David Icke
‘Infinite Love is the Only Truth,’ by David Icke
David Icke’s Website
‘Ask and It Is Given,’ by Abraham and Hicks
Abraham Hic ks’ Website
Conversations with God, Book 1: An Uncommon Dialogue, by Neale Donald Walsch
Neale Donald Walsch’s Website
Gregg Braden’s Website
Dr. Wayne Dyer’s Website