My best definition of spirituality is:
- Mankind’s innate need to understand the world and his place in it.
Or for a more clinical definition:
“… a routine practice dedicated to the cultivation of a contemplative mental mode in which one’s attention is directed toward reality as a whole, its foundations and unchangeable aspects, and the place of the observer and humankind within it.” Segev, Arik. (2023). Secularism and the Right to Spirituality: Work, Leisure, and Contemplation. The International Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Society. 13. 99-115. 10.18848/2154-8633/CGP/v13i01/99-115.
Spiritual paths
Most people equate spirituality with religion but that is not the case, as spirituality precedes religion. Spirituality is the foundation upon which religions are built.
With this in mind, there are three general paths people take to satisfy their innate spiritual needs.
- Religion
- Mysticism/new age
- Secular
Religion: Religion is the most popular spiritual path as 85% of the world identifies as having religious beliefs, as per Major Religious Groups in the World – 1945/2025.
Mysticism: Mysticism… represents an introspective pursuit aimed at experiencing direct communion with the divine or transcendent reality. So mysticism also entails a belief in some form of the supernatural.
Secular: And finally, the only path that doesn’t depend on the supernatural, is the secular spiritual path.
Spirituality manifests itself in many ways. Some positive and some negative.
Positive methods reflect actions that satisfy our spiritual needs
- Religion
- The general search for meaning and purpose
- Personal development
- Meditation
- Art & creativity
- Charitable work
- An interest in philosophy, psychology, sociology, or cultural anthropology.
Negative results happen when our spiritual needs aren’t met
- Existential crisis
- Midlife crisis
- Crisis of faith
- Over use of alcohol or drugs to escape reality
- Depression, hopelessness, despair, suicide.
Which came first: spirituality or religion?
Spirituality proceeds religion because mankind’s innate spiritual nature is the foundation upon which all religions are built. Our spiritual nature asks the questions and religions developed over time to provide the answers.
- Spirituality is a function of human nature.
- Religions are a function of human culture.
There have been thousands of religions throughout history, most/all of which are either doctrinally or logically exclusive of each other.
- This confirms that religions don’t actually have to be true to be effective.
But religions as a whole have survived and even thrived because they are so effective in satisfy man’s fundamental spiritual needs.