What does it mean to you to live a spiritual life?

Recognising the spiritual being in yourself and others requires only one thing.

Do you know someone

Who lives a spiritual life?

Are you, you know, ‘spiritual’?

What does it mean to you?

A monk or nun in a far-away cave?

Someone who sits

On their meditation cushion

Every morning for 20 minutes?

Renouncing all luxuries, living a simple life?

Prayer? Visiting holy places?

Practising gratitude before bedtime?

If that is the case,

Then tell me why

A healer calls their partner names?

A religious community suffers from abuse?

A vegetarian kill mosquitoes?

They should know better, no?

So what constitutes a spiritual life?

What is the one thing,
That makes us a spiritual person?

I know, that you know,

That spirituality is not

About external appearances.

It’s not about religion either.

Certain religious people do awful things,

And plenty of spiritual people are atheists.

Certain clothes, a job title or a shaven head

Do not increase our spirituality.

A spiritual life is not an outer attitude,

Spirituality is an inner state of being.

And that inner state of being is one of kindness….

Today,
I want to share
This poem with you,
It’s written by Jeff Foster.

May it inspire you
On your own spiritual path.

A poem by Jeff Foster

Who are you without your spiritual story?

Please,
Don’t talk to me about
‘Pure Awareness’
or 'Dwelling in the Absolute'.

I want to see
How you treat your partner,
Your kids,
Your parents,
Your precious body.

Please,
Don’t lecture me about
‘The illusion of the separate self’
Or how you achieved permanent bliss
In just 7 days.

I want to feel a genuine warmth,
Radiating from your heart.

I want to hear how well you listen,
Take in information
That doesn’t fit your personal philosophy.

I want to see how you deal
With people who disagree with you.

Don’t tell me
How awakened you are,
How free you are from ego.

I want to know you
Beneath the words.
I want to know what you’re like
When troubles befall you.
If you can fully allow your pain
And not pretend to be invulnerable.

If you can feel your anger
Yet not step into violence.
If you can grant safe passage
To your sorrow
Yet not be its slave.

If you can feel your shame
And not shame others:

If you can fuck up,
And admit it.

If you can say ‘sorry’,
And really mean it.

If you can be fully human
In your glorious divinity.

Don’t talk to me about
Your spirituality, friend.

I’m really not that interested.
I only want to meet YOU.

Touch your precious heart.
Know the beautiful human,
Struggling for the light.

Before ‘the spiritual one’.
Before all the clever words.

- Jeff Foster

the one thing that makes us a spiritual person

How to recognise the spiritual being in yourself and others?

To me, there is one thing
That defines a spiritual person.
They are kind.
Anyone with compassion is a spiritual person.
Anyone who wants to be a good person.

It’s about ethics, a moral compass.
People who do the right thing,
Even when nobody is watching.

That to me,
Is living a spiritual life.

It’s a radiant warmth in a person,
So lovely to be around.
Soothing our entire nervous system,
Their presence alone is healing.

Spirituality in oneself
Feels like having found meaning, fulfilment.
Like a heart-felt connection
With something bigger or greater than ourselves.

A wholeness,
A loving spaciousness
In which we can practise to be kind.
To ourselves, those near and dear,
To strangers
And those we find hard to be around.
Which includes the vegetarian mosquito beater,
And the gossiping yoga teacher.
Because even when we disagree
With their actions,
We can still be kind.

Oh yes, and kindness for the planet itself.

It’s a kindness that comes naturally
Effortlessly
Because we deeply realise
That we are all one.

May these words
Give you permission
To skip the yoga if you’re tired,
To enjoy the shiny watch or fancy holiday,
To stop keeping ‘your ego’ in check,
To drop the pretence.