The Spiritual Self

What I Need to Know

1. Understand the spiritual and religious concepts of the self.
2. Analyze the impact of spirituality on self-concept and self-awareness.
3. Determine ways to nurture the spiritual self.
4. Develop ways to further enhance spiritual aspects of the self

What’s In
Humanity is constantly confronted with the great mysteries of the universe, and such mysteries
give birth to wonder, and wonder leads to awe, and awe leads to devotion, and devotion, to worship. In
every culture and era in human civilization, human beings opening up to the idea of the divine is a common
initiative, which is why one of the early markers of globalization is the spread of religion, and medieval
philosophers, for example are known for reconciling human reason and faith. It is part of human reasoning
to look for and call on something greater than their selves most especially in times of despair or whenever
they are confronted with limitations.
As a vital part of self, the spiritual well-being of a person must be considered. Regardless of social
status, social identity, or religion, one must be in sync with and nurture their spiritual facet, amongst others.
In this module, we will discuss how spirituality and religiosity greatly influence the self and how they nourish
self-awareness and one’s self-concept, and how to nurture one’s spiritual aspect of self.

What’s New

Activity 1. Introspection

Write a short reflection about your spirituality and religiosity. (I will be sending the mechanics for this to the
moodle).

Questions:

1. What are the religious practices you learned from your family?
2. Are you happy with your religious life? Explain.
3. Are you happy with your level of spirituality? Explain.
4. What do you think your answers say about your self-awareness and self-concept?

What Is It

The Spiritual Self

William James (1890) on his discussion on soul and spirituality, as a part of the psychological
theories, assumed the reality of the soul; humans are spiritual beings. Our conceptualization of spiritual
identity is therefore similar to the theistic model of human development proposed by Richards and Bergin
(1997). Grounded in the teachings of predominant world religious and spiritual traditions, Richards and
Bergin’s theistic model makes explicit assumptions about spiritual reality: God exists, human beings are
children of God, humans possess temporal physical bodies and eternal spirits, humans are able to
communicate with God through spiritual means, and humans are able to recognize/remember their true
nature as eternal beings of divine potential. It affirms that without faith that God exists and that humans are
in fact spiritual in nature, the concept of spiritual identity has little merit, being merely a different aspect of
social identity (Smith, 2003).
Historically, on the perspective of the soul, there have been two foundational facets to discover
these truths: religion and spirituality. Although they have many similarities and there is a relationship
between the two, there are also clear differences between religion and spirituality.

Spirituality and Religiosity: Definition

Religion. By definition, religion is an institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and

practices; the service and worship of God or the supernatural. Religions are most often based upon the
lives, teachings, and beliefs of a historical or archetypal figure (e.g. Christ, Buddha, Moses, Krishna,
Muhammad). The detailed lives and teachings as holy or highly evolved beings have been passed to us
across time through oral tradition and written scriptures. These entities that are subjects of worship and
devotion comprise the foundation of religious practices in our society.
Spirituality. Spirituality connotes an experience of connection to something larger than you; it is
living the everyday life in a reverent and sacred manner. It is a broad concept that involves many
perspectives but is centered to the notion that we have this connection to something bigger than us, and it
typically involves the search for the meaning of life.
Some may find that their spiritual life is intricately linked to their association with a church, temple,
mosque, or synagogue. Others may pray or find comfort in a personal relationship with God or any higher
power. Still others seek meaning through their connections to nature or art. Like your sense of purpose,
personal definition of spirituality may change throughout one’s life, adapting to one’s own experiences and
relationships.
As Christina Puchalski, MD, Director of the George Washington Institute for Spirituality and Health
contends, "spirituality is the aspect of humanity that refers to the way individuals seek and express meaning
and purpose and the way they experience their connectedness to the moment, to self, to others, to nature,
and to the significant or sacred."

Relationship Between Religion and Spirituality

Spirituality Religiosity

Belief,
Where do I personally What is true and
Comfort.
find meaning, right?
Ethics,
connection, What practices,
Individual
and value? rites,
experiences,
that affects the or rituals should I
way a person follow?
think, feel, and
behave
Differences Between Spirituality and Religiosity

Objective and Organized vs. Subjective Experience and Formless

A formal religion often offers objective experiences. As part of the practices, there is a focus on the
material symbolisms: e.g. place of worship, books of scripture, rituals, observances and festivities.
Religion is a structured, frequently rule-based construct that to some degree governs the behavior
of its members. Moral rules, laws, and doctrines, as well as specific codes and criteria that comprises the
organized structure that contains the religion’s specific belief system. The rules and system of belief of a
religion give some sense of certainty and help guide and comfort those whose faith are lacking.
Spirituality leans more toward the internalization of one’s awareness of one’s soul. It is an inward
journey that may often involve changes in awareness rather than some form of external activity. Spirituality
focuses more on inner understanding than outer worship. Though, it is not that worship is not part of
spirituality, it is a matter of where devotion and worship are directed: e.g. to an external practice, object, or
figurehead, and/or to your soul, higher self, or divinity within.
Spirituality is formless, it is free from the restrictions and rigid structure sometimes associated with
organized religions. The spiritual person recognizes that he or she is on a “pathless path” of self-discovery.
They are following not a set of external rules, but their own inner call to spirit. In this way, spirituality can
sometimes feel like a rebellious act of going solo and leaving the tribe, very much in the spirit of American
philosopher and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson when he said, “To be yourself in a world that is constantly
trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment” (Brady, 2020).

Traditional and Exclusive vs. Evolutionary and Inclusive

Religions are by nature often deeply rooted in tradition, ritual, creed, and doctrine. Religious
institutions conservatively guard its practices and values, holding rigidly to the past and the original
interpretations of their fundamental teachings. It is essential for religions to preserve their teachings so it
can be transmitted through history.
There is a sense of exclusivity in religion as its traditional beliefs are commonly based on rigid
interpretations of fundamental principles, that can isolate those who may not share its views or
interpretations.
By comparison, spirituality is often less focused on the rigidly traditional approach and often favors
an evolutionary mentality. This refers to both a more flexible and adaptive mindset toward core teachings of
the great wisdom traditions but also reflects the understanding that, as the name implies, spiritual growth is
an evolutionary process. Spirituality embraces change and the evolution of consciousness. With spiritual
practice, ideas and interpretations change as individuals, societies, and the world move forward (Brady,
2020).
Another point is that spirituality favors an inclusive approach. It recognizes that pure spirit is a
unifying force, thus no one must be left out. Also, another highlight of the spiritual perspective is that no one
has a monopoly on the truth.

Belief vs. Spiritual Experience

Religion is about faith, that means that your belief in something is based upon unconditional
acceptance of the religion’s teachings. Unlike the scientific worldview, religions do not require evidence to
validate its claims. Through religion, you are taught to have faith in God or the scriptures as being the
accurate and ultimate truth of reality. Acceptance and surrender to the divine are taught as the path that
leads to ultimate salvation.
It is important to note that spirituality does not dismiss faith, though it leans more heavily on direct
experience of the soul or divinity. The spiritual practices such as meditation, yoga, silence, and
contemplation may allow you to make conscious contact with more expanded states of consciousness, thus
helping to experientially validate the set of beliefs rather than accepting them on faith alone. Spirituality may
manifest if you have experienced something directly and have allowed it to resonate, not just by taking the
words/teachings of others.

Importance of Spirituality

The sense of meaninglessness and lack of purpose in life causes anxiety, unreasonable fears, and
depression, and it has been established with evidences that spiritual awareness enhances self-concept and
overall well-being. Regardless of who we are and where we come from – our need to experience happiness
drives all our pursuits. It is common to all of us regardless of cultural background, religion, gender, social or
financial status, etc. However, though research, it is found that, on the average, people experience
happiness only 30% of the time.
One of the main reasons of unhappiness is due to problems in life, and such problems comprise
those that are physical or psychological in nature, or those which have a spiritual root cause. And even if
the problem is primarily caused by spiritual reasons, it can manifest as a physical or psychological problem.
There are contemplative practices that harness spirituality, such as meditation, praying, yoga, and
journaling (journal writing)— that are often overlooked. These activities can help one become more aware
of one’s inner life and feel more connected to one’s experiences and the world.

What I Can Do

Activity 2. Journal Writing

Select 1 contemplative practice to nurture your spirituality that you will be doing for 5 days. Document your
spiritual journey by writing short reflections daily. (I will be sending the mechanics for this to the moodle).

References:

Beauregard, M., O'Leary, D. (2009). The spiritual brain. New York: Harper Collins.

Brady, Adam (2020). Religion vs. Spirituality: What Is the Difference? Retrieved September 11, 2020 from
https://chopra.com/articles/religion-vs-spirituality-what-is-the-difference

Brawner, G. D & Arcega, A.F (2018). Understanding the Self. Quezon City: C&E Publishing, Inc.

Spiritual Science Research Foundation. What is Spirituality? Retrieved September 11, 2020 from
https://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritual-practice/spiritual-paths/what-is-spirituality/

University of Minnesota. What Is Spirituality? Retrieved September 11, 2020 from

https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/what-spirituality