As a young adult, I craved to know the meaning of my childhood near-death experiences, which drew me to the investigation of parapsychology (psychic phenomena). Years into my studies, a friend suggested that meditation would enhance my efforts to develop intuitive abilities. As a Catholic, I had been told by the local priest to stay away from Transcendental Meditation (TM), but his reasoning did not convince me; still, I approached my TM initiation with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation. Within two weeks I was having experiences of great inner peace, light, and unity.  My instructor told me that I was connecting with the “pure field of consciousness” and that regular meditation was the one activity that would raise the collective consciousness and bring personal enlightenment - liberation of the Self from the cycles of death and rebirth. I had been entertaining the concept of reincarnation for a long time. My activities for the next fifteen years revolved around the goal of enlightenment. I measured spiritual growth by the calm I felt during stressful situations, my experiences of “higher states of consciousness” during meditation, and the growing sense of interconnectedness with everything. Then, a series of events, including my involvement with the Liberal Catholic Church, awakened new feelings - the desire for a relationship with God. I wanted to experience devotion, a life dominated by the worshipful attitude of love. Unknowingly, my quest had begun: to reconcile the concept of a personal God with the meditative states of consciousness I was experiencing.

At that time I did not know that I had a fragment of God guiding me in my spiritual journey, enlivening my curiosity about God and continuously leading me toward greater understanding of my place in the universe. I also did not know that through the influence of this ministering spirit, I was retaining - with each exposure to increasingly higher levels of truth - that which is eternal in what I learned and explored. Far from needing to jettison everything from within a particular teaching or path, I was beginning to see how I could incorporate the wisdom from each to forge an expanded and more complete worldview.

Along the spirit path in my search for truth I had been exposed to multiple definitions for terms such as “spiritual experience,” “spiritual transformation,” “self-mastery,” “God-consciousness,” “self-realization,” and “enlightenment.” The many different explanations seemed incomplete, sometimes even contradictory. The insights I gained in my reconciliation process brought new meaning to these terms, revealing a clearer picture of my journey in the pursuit of God.  

This blog will explore the terms “spiritual experience” and “spirituality” because the current definition and usage of these terms is confusing to many seekers. Reconciling these concepts has been very useful to me and I hope you find this article enlightening. I am sharing some excerpts with you from my forthcoming book, Heaven Is Not the Last Stop.

I would love to have feedback from readers. Let me know what you liked about this article. Are there terms that you would like me to explain better? Is there a particular thought or concept that you would like me to write about?  Is there a concern? Blogs are meant to be interactive so that we can all learn from each other.

Spiritual experiences are usually considered hallmarks of spiritual growth, but what classifies an experience as spiritual? We tend to call an experience spiritual when it is unexplainable, especially when it is associated with a spiritual or religious practice. Spiritual practices bridge the gap between acquired theoretical knowledge and direct experience. For example, the inner experience of light or feeling of universal love during the practice of meditation or prayer may be associated with an acquired knowledge of God or spirit, and therefore is considered to be a spiritual experience.

From a cosmic perspective, however, every experience has the potential to be spiritual - to be influenced by spirit. But the spiritual power in an experience remains latent until it is activated by the response of the individual. In other words, a particular experience is not spiritual because it is perceived as such; it is spiritual because the subsequent decisions and actions reflect an expanding worldview and increasing sensitivity to spiritual guidance.

True spiritual experiences emanate from the inner ministry of the spirit, usually reflected in a great outward calm and almost perfect emotional control. They foster humility, balance, growth, and progress, and they empower the individual to:

• Enjoy more complete physical health.
• Mentally function more efficiently.
• Socialize the spiritual/religious experience more fully and joyfully.
• Spiritualize daily living more completely while faithfully performing the routine duties of human existence.
• Enhance life with a deeper appreciation of truth, beauty, and goodness.
• Conserve important social, moral, ethical, and spiritual values.
• Increase spiritual perception (awareness).

 Spiritual experiences are usually driven by the personal desire and effort to find and know God, and are often encountered during prayer and meditation. However, if our concept of God is not evolving or if personal identification with the Father is lacking, spiritual practices can lead to a preoccupation with oneself and one’s own level of attainment. It can also distort our perception of the experiences we are having. The static and blissful peace of mind experienced in mystic communion, for example, may be a result of physical fatigue, psychic dissociation, profound aesthetic experiences, or other interior impulses, rather than emanating from the superconscious realm of spirit.  Likewise, a vivid and intense emotional experience is not necessarily a divine revelation or a spiritual insight.

This is perhaps not difficult to understand intellectually, but many seekers become easily attached to the feelings associated with the meditative state, especially if they identify these experiences with a growing spirituality.  This understanding helps us to redefine the broad term “spirituality” in a manner that reflects a more precise meaning than is generally used.

Spirituality is the progressive revelation of the qualities of divinity in everything we think, say, and do. A growing spirituality is reflected when we consistently treat others as we would like to be treated in the same circumstances, and ultimately when our decisions and actions reflect the selfless attitude of a wise and loving parent. This spirituality is the goal of the ongoing process of spiritual growth on Earth.