I was asked if I could explain the difference between being religious and spiritual and it made me think that maybe many of us were not clear about this. So after giving it some thought, I have written my perspective of it on this website for all to see in the hope that my view will help many who have as yet to start on their spiritual journey. 

In my opinion, spiritual beliefs are not akin to religion and never have been, but many a lay man may be confused about what exactly it does mean, believing there is an intermingling of the two. As a result I thought it would be advisable to try and discern what I believe to be the basic spiritual truths to help us to be clearer about the distinction.

Spiritualism is about self developing. It is about the long thought through realisation of who you are and how, with dedication and hard work (true spirit), you can better your individual perspectives. It is not about hard and fast rules that have to be rigidly adhered to. There is no right or wrong way to go about it, it is a natural process and one which I am sure you will never stray from once you have journeyed it. By progression I refer to the stages of development that we choose to tackle, with the hope of purifying and increasing our connection with the divine source.  We all have the ability to link with the greatest power if we so chose to, it is down to individual self will. Self will is the strongest, most important aspect of spiritual belief as without this we would be robotic, prepared to be led, never taking responsibility for ourselves. 

This is the fundamental aspect of being spiritual, to learn to live a life akin with nature and our surroundings without contradicting or damaging our essence, for we all have a powerful resistance within us that can cause confusion or harm if we let it.

So where do we start with such a wonderful exposé? For many, without some sort of direction it will be hard. Religion is set within very strong boundaries and to an extent, for those fearful of developing themselves, this may seem an easier option. I am not for the easy way, where God’s work is taught solely from the Bible or the Koran, for I believe there is a much more powerful form of communication and that is through ourselves, through our own divine spirit here on earth.

‘Know thyself’ is a well recognised phrase for most of us and yet more often than not we don’t know how to accomplish it. Self development through recognition of who we are and what our values are is a massive accomplishment, a life long ambition, but worth every step we make towards it.

In order to achieve some kind of spiritual balance we need to start by working on our traits, to see the positive and negative aspects of our everyday life and how, through perseverance and grace, we can alter the less pleasant ones and hence relieve ourselves of internal stress.

Internal tension is an indicator that signifies we are straying from our true nature, and with practice and experience we will all be able to judge our individual perspectives, to develop our own ways to self improve, ever striding for balance. Balance may seem a fairly insipid goal to aim for but I can assure you that to apply it to all of life’s situations is a test of your infinite nature. There is no direct path to spiritual enlightenment that I know of, it is all about perseverance and intention to improve that will gain us the benefit. There is not a set speed to work at; the pace is totally governed by ourselves. We will instinctively progress into the areas that we most need to recognise and improve so long as we are honest and open minded with our approach. It won’t be easy, this is not the soft option, and at times it will seem painful. But the benefits outweigh those odd moments of discomfort a thousand fold. I cannot stress enough the beauty of self development and how much stronger you will feel once you start to notice the improvement within.

Once along the spiritual route you will find others join you, you will naturally attract like-minded individuals that will support and improve your prospects. And once you have developed you will be able to help others, the greatest gift we can give.

So going back to the beginning of this article, no, I don’t see the need for a direct link between being spiritual or religious.  Yes, we can all hold our own individual religious beliefs to give us strength and confidence, but to know thyself takes courage and belief in no one other than yourself.