People today want to feel more. They hate the idea of going through the motions day after day, starting off with work, then meals, maybe kids, getting read for bed. There must be more to life than living.
That is true. What they are missing is spiritual depth. They are caught up in toxic spirituality.
Toxic spirituality is, as the Bible defines it, having a form of religion but no personal relationship with it. It’s the people to go to worship or having regular religious experiences but have no connection with them.
Relgious leaders, like Buddist psychologist and meditation teacher John Barter, said people tend to live through their immediate sense. They pour themselves into their families and career expecting gratification. They get it through money and accolades, but the feeling doesn’t last.
“You can find some degree of gratification through the senses, but it’s not sustainable and your senses don’t last – they are aging. And what you’re seeking happiness from doesn’t last. It’s conditional and impermanent,” Barter said.
It’s not that you lose your spirituality. Part of the problem is that people start overlooking things they see and hear every day. After a while, they stop appreciating all that is around them. They lose touch with their spiritual side and that leads to toxic spirituality.
Experiencing It
Jesus said everyone should be as little children and indicated it was little children who seems to have the most faith. So, it is good to compare how adults view life versus how children view life. With children, the world is full of life, beauty and mystery. Everything amazes them.
Adults can fill disconnected from the world and cant see the beauty. They can feel emty, joyless and without purpose.
9 Ways to Reconnect
There are ways to bring out your spiritual side and reconnecting with that deep part of you will make you feel more joyful and happier. People feel whole when they are spiritually connected. There are five things you can do to get started.
Clearing Debris
It’s not that your spirit is toxic. The deep part of us seeks a higher power whether that is God, the Universe or other deity. Your spirit is there but there is probably a lot of junk getting in the way of you getting in touch with it.
One of the best ways to start a spiritual cleansing is to unplug. There are thousands of images and words being thrown at us from television, movies, smart phones and social media. These stick in our subconscious and can give rise to negative emotions. Completely unplugging will lighten your spirits and help cleanse your mind.
Add the Good Stuff
While you unplug from negative input, you need to instill good messaging. The saying goes “garbage in, garbage out.” The opposite is also true. Putting positive things in your head will produce a positive outpouring. These can be things like spiritual books, like reading the Bible or other types of things, reading a biography of a personal hero, or listening to music with positive lyrics and a nice musical quality. It could mean visiting an art museum or learning something new.
Prayer
Prayer is an important part of spiritual people’s lives. Talking to God helps people feel a connection to Him and helps you feel that somebody is in control of a situation even when you feel it is spiraling out of control. People find wisdom in prayer and prayer also tends to open up possibilities where good things start happening.
Meditation
While prayer is talking to God or a higher power, meditation is listening. It is something most religions, from Christianity to Buddahism, promote but it is the eastern religions that put important on it. Meditation also takes people’s attention off themselves and that is beneficial in relieving stress. Spiritual leaders say it refocuses the mind. People get caught up in external things and meditation helps them find inner peace.
Make Practice A Priority
Many people put things like Bible reading, prayer and meditation as a last priority. They put their job, families and paying bills ahead of it and leave spritiual pursuits to fit in the scraps of time left over.
Spiritual practices need to take a priority daily to keep ourselves in check. It keeps us focused on how to live well rather than the priorities of this world. Keeping the right priorities helps as you move through the day dealing with many different issues and making many moral decisions.
Helping others
Jesus put a huge emphasis that those who want to be leaders need to learn to be servants. This is amplified by people of many faiths serving as volunteers as well as spiritual teachers. The general consensus is focusing on yourself will make you unhappy while focusing on others reminds you of how big the world is and how little things that bug you really don’t matter in the vast scheme of things.
“This toxicity has them caught up in ‘my world, my desires, my fears’,” said volunteer Bernice Bailey, “and their small vision of life is not in line with the bigness of life. They’ve forgotten that this is a massive universe, that life is very short and is to be enjoyed and shared.
Be Grateful
One of the basic principles taught in all religions is gratitude. Jesus even said those who are grateful will receive more. Feeling blessed by what we have instead of feeling bad about what we don’t have brings grace into our lives. People can’t feel jealous or angry when they feel blessed.
Singing
Singing can change your spiritual level quickly as it increases your vibration with the universe. In the Bible, God puts an importance on singing praise and gratefulness. King David was an avid singer and musician and was called “a man after God’s own heart.”
Singing is a way to open your heart up to the spiritual side of things whether it is God or the universe. Since it comes from your heart, it can change how your think and that can bring good things into your life.
Look for Spiritual Things
The Bible says “the pure in heart can see God.” That means those who are open to the spiritual side of life will see how God works through everyday miracles. You will be amazed at the world around you. Everything from the stars in the sky to a leaf becomes a miracle to you and life suddenly becomes precious.
You can get out of a toxic spirituality but it takes some effort. Remember nothing good comes without putting in the effort.
The idea of making spiritual practices a priority rather than an afterthought is an important takeaway. Consistency in these practices might indeed help in maintaining a balanced life.
Agreed. Prioritizing spiritual activities could potentially provide a strong foundation for dealing with day-to-day challenges more effectively.
The article raises some valid points about the importance of reconnecting with one’s spiritual side. It’s essential to find balance and ensure that we are not only focusing on material aspects of life.
The notion of ‘toxic spirituality’ is compelling. It does make sense that going through religious rituals without genuine connection can lead to a sense of emptiness.
Indeed, a personal relationship with one’s faith seems to be a key component that sustains spiritual well-being.
It’s interesting to note how different spiritual practices, from prayer to meditation, are highlighted. These practices seem to serve as tools for achieving inner peace and reducing stress.
Unplugging from negative input and focusing on positive stimuli is a practical approach. The ‘garbage in, garbage out’ principle is applicable to both mental and spiritual health.