From a philosophical point of view, in the Larousse dictionary definition, spirituality is defined as being that which is of the order of the spirit, considered as being distinct from matter. Therefore, everything related to the nature of the spirit is understood as being spiritual.
Are we witnessing the return of the hippies?
Well, to be polite… What a dismal cliché! We all know that the end of the 1960s was a gigantic turning point for spirituality, and that the Woodstock generation propelled it to the top. The end of the 60s was the beginning of interest for yoga, meditation, oriental philosophy and much more. But the comparison stops there.
The ego singled out as "the enemy to be defeated"
Etymologically, the word "ego" comes from ancient Greek, and means "I" or "me".
In a society where the ego is given a high value, where material success holds a prominent place and is attributed as the symbol of success, where competitiveness, competition and rivalries are maintained by everyone, in addition to being a source of suffering, the ego is most often pointed out as being the major obstacle that lies across a spiritual path.
Could we claim a new spiritual era?
The year 2000 will be spiritual, Paco Rabane promised us: Fun for the end of the century... Although he maintains an ambiguous relationship with himself and with his appearance, in 1999, Paco Rabanne embarked on a trajectory where the spiritual aspects tended to get carried away.
Yet to this day, he has become outstripped by other authors such as Deepak Chopra, Don Miguel Ruiz, Eckhart Tolle, Carlos Castaneda, Krishnamurti, to name but a few. All of these spiritual guides also explain to us what a spiritual person can be in their eyes.
And in the 2020s, what is a spiritual person?
The 2020s and especially the years 2020 and 2021, where lockdown created more free time for many, has prompted a good number of people to look within. It must be said that during this period, we learned that we controlled absolutely nothing except the present moment, which was, for many, a huge spiritual lesson.
Spirituality has invited itself into our everyday lives, see our article: “When spirituality invites itself into our lives".
To be content with what you have is to be rich
Nothing is ever enough and enough is never too much... OK, so is spirituality or a spiritual person, just an average human being, who pretends to give up everything that is superfluous, materially speaking, while adopting a lifestyle according to a spiritual method?
We can never repeat it enough, money does not buy you happiness! However, a BUT has been added; “it contributes...". So, what now?
It is difficult to give a perfect definition of a spiritual person, as the explanations, each one as plausible as each other, blend from one bestseller to another, having made these people rich and famous personalities. The editorial team of Womensdestiny has invested much time in reading many of these books, which are as fascinating as they are enriching.
And the conclusion of what a spiritual person is, by agreement of all the editorial staff without making a consensus, is that the universe has its mysteries, and words are our lives! Better to have self-knowledge and infinite inner wisdom. Being spiritual also means being in harmony with oneself and with everything around us: nature, animals, human beings.
For us, spirituality is a journey within, where you look within yourself. The final destination of this journey is to BELIEVE, believe in yourself, believe in everything and in the divine strength that guides us towards the spiritual path, which some call their guardian angel, others their lucky star or higher power. According to Alain Boudet “Spirituality is not a religious system, but a natural experience that allows the person to flourish in their true greatness.”
Life is anything but a long calm river
Choosing to experience a spiritual awakening is choosing a new way of life, where luck no longer has its place, where "yes", but "no" and "if, only if", do not have their place, and have no place in the spiritual vocabulary either. This is far from any notion of fate, where only the acceptance of each moment of life with care and recognition, become the benefactors for those who practice this way of life.
It goes without saying that generosity goes hand in hand with this concept and that gratitude is a feeling and an act to be committed freely and without any expectation with it. Much more than a way of life, spirituality undoubtedly inhabits all human beings on this earth… Simply at different levels.
We will end with a quote from Epictetus. which sums up the whole story of this article and remember: "Happiness and joy are within us and do not come from external conditions."
