Spirituality booklet 2015
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Transcript of Spirituality booklet 2015
SPIRITUALITY OPEN CONCEPT
Naveen Rudolf Rodrigues
INTRODUCTION TO SPIRITUALITY- BASIC APPROACH IN HEALTHCARE
S-Simple P-Practice I-Involving R-Reflecting I-Internal Searching/Inward Journeying T-Transcending
It's the Spirit who gives life; the flesh accomplishes nothing. Humans can reproduce only human life,
but the Spiritus Creator gives birth to spiritual life.
When you do a spiritual practice, enter into your closet, and when you have shut your door, pray to
your Father which is in secret; and your Father which sees in secret shall reward you openly as in
the Figure
Foreword
Spirituality is everyday life. This booklet is for those who want to begin understanding the basic
approach to concept of spirituality and that,habitual practice of spiritual activity leads to
finding meaning related to all dimensions of life. It will enable oneself to identify spiritual
dimension in one’s life and how it’s deeply integrated in our very being (soul). To draw full
profit from it, some aspects have to be practiced habitually to reach your own understanding.
This book will be useful for beginners for the initial understanding of basic concepts of
spirituality. It’s written as an open concept and can be understood differently at different
times.
There is no readymade system of spirituality as it’s a human effort with divine action.
TOPICS
Introduction
What is Spirituality?
Classification of Spirituality
Who can Spirituality be applied to?
Spiritual Journey –Human choice/Mystery
What are Spiritual Concerns?
Spiritual practice resultsand benefits
Spiritual Activity
Exercise
References
Glossary
INTRODUCTION
First and foremost spirituality is not a science but experience .To understand spirituality is
fascinating and rewarding. It is fascinating because so many of the concepts involved have
implications for both professional and personal behavior and constant growth. It is rewarding
because it places emphasis on wellbeing which is an eternal source of finding meaning to life.
Spirit is the gift of life that human beings possess for the duration of their earthly existence. As
long as the “breath of life” remains in them, human beings are “living souls . Humans become
like Spiritus Creator and live in a human way. Therefore we have two lives in us, a human life
and a spiritual life. We are made up of mind, body and soul which are held together by the
Spirit we chose.
Spiritus Creator, the source and ground of all life confers on his creatures, for we have received,
not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is from Creator; that we might know the things
that were freely given to us of our creator.
The spiritual life is a choice we make in order to find existential meaning by transcending
through habitual spiritual practice. Spirituality is a deep journey; deep in our being what we call
‘soul’, where we understand ourselves with the Spiritus Creator. It is purely a never ending
journey towards perfection till we finally rest in the Spiritus Creator.
Whereas spirituality provides decision makers with a rational means by which to grow and
could be measured through personal performance, attitude and reflections day in and day out.
Many provide the theory, concepts, and tools necessary to make better choices. Thus, the primary purpose of this booklet is to help individuals, healthcare professionals and students
explore the spiritual dimension by better decisions. The text is designed primarily for those moving into the health services or those wanting to find meaning in life.
The major difference between this text and vast available texts is that this text focuses on
factors unique to our own spirit that harbor’s within us for a great journey with the spiritus creator for better meaningful life.
This needs efforts on our part as Socrates said “Know thyself”. Spirituality can be expressed by
various ways by different people, but eventually means whether the existential meaning is
present or disturbed or lost. Spirituality is an essential faith journey for human harmony in our
mortal life to immortality.
How to Use This Book The overriding goal in creating this text was to provide an easy-to-read, content-filled book on
understanding basics of spirituality and exploring the dimension in ourselves and using it for benefits of our soul. The text contains several features designed to assist in learning the
material. First, pay particular attention to the Learning Objectives. These objectives give readers a feel
for the most important topics in each chapter and set learning goals for that chapter. After each section, except the Introduction, one Self-Test Questions are listed. Answers to these questions
are not provided. When you finish practicing section, try to provide reasonable answers to these questions. Your responses do not have to be perfect, but if you are not satisfied with your
answer, reread that section and understand before proceeding.
Structure of the book is designed to make the understanding of Spirituality as easy and efficient as possible.
Learning Objectives
After studying this chapter, readers should be able to
• experience the difference between earthly and spiritual dimension.
• discuss the role of spirituality in healthcare setting or individual life.
• describe the basic spirituality with their advantages and disadvantages.
• discuss the two basic types of SPIRITUALITY and explain why it is important when making decisions.
• explain how the goals of spiritual life benefits us and all, and
• describe, in general terms, the spiritual exercises apply both to individuals and to healthcare professionals.
WHAT IS SPIRITUALITY?
There is no readymade system of Spirituality.
Defining SPIRIT: may bedefined as an existential invisible force/activity leading always to a definitive growth/change/action with definitive purpose always related.
‘Spiritualitas’- latin: state or nature of being spiritual
Spiritual-To do with the spirit related to breath
Spiritual-related to
Human spirit/soul-intangible
Higher power – Incarnate (Embodied spirit).
- Human spirit- Depths of one’s being where a person decides FOR or AGAINST
Good/divine
- NATURE OF GOD:-Holy/ Perfect/ Selfless love/ Joy/Peace/Faithfulness/Patience.
- ATTITUDE OF THE MIND: Ethical/ Moral/Standards/ Values/ Norms – for the sake of
common good.
CLASSIFICATION OF SPIRITUALITY
Spirituality
Religious
Permanent
Mystical
WHO CAN SPIRITUALITY BE APPLIED TO?
Spirituality can be applied to any person who believes
- In the human spirit
-In the divine spirit
WHAT ARE SPIRITUAL CONCERNS?
-Ethical or moral values
All these brings the dimensions into the lifeof an individual.
Meaning and purpose in life.
Interconnectedness and Harmony with other people or the universe.
A right relationship with God or ultimate.
Reality.
Secular
Temporary
Mystery often
SPIRITUAL JOURNEY -BASIC EXISTENTIAL MEANING-CHOICE FACTOR
Spiritual Life-Journey beyond human understanding of life leading to bearing fruit.
Fruits depend on the CHOICE we make through human life or through divine communion.
Self-Check before /after
Exercise
Fruits of the Spirit check yourself(√)
LOVE
JOY
PEACE
PATIENCE
KINDNESS
GOODNESS
FAITHFULNESS
GENTLENESS
SELF CONTROL
HUMAN APPROACH IN SPIRITUAL JOURNEY –CHOICE FACTOR
Dynamic
SPIRITUAL PRACTICE RESULTS-as described earlier
BENEFITS: Against such things there is no law.
Mind
Body
Soul
Human
Divine communion
through Transcendence
communion
Choice
Law/Moral
code/virtues
Virtue Divine Spirituality Secular Spirituality
Existential Meaning Existential Meaning
Eternal Effect Temporal /Eternal Effect
Fruits of Flesh/Spirit Fruits of Divine Spirit
SPIRITUAL ACTIVITY
It is the conversation of the intelligence with Spiritus Creator, the green branch of sweetness and the
liberation from evil, the exteriorization of joy and gratefulness.
Spiritual Activity is the elevation of the intelligence to Creator, not in order to learn about Creator but
to discover Creator; not to know about creator but to know creator, to experience Creator in one's
own life.
SPIRITUAL ACTIVITY
RESULT
Human choice made
Any time in life /Any moment/ Anywhere /Any situation
Earthly Way of Life Divine Path (living the divine
in human way)
Either - through self /help seeking/getting helped/mystery
Based Upon FAITH/HOPE/LOVE/VIRTUES/MORAL CODES AND VALUES
Doing only GOOD
Divine
Do Good & Avoid Bad
Human/Divine
Avoid Good and Bad
Spiritually DEAD
Human choice made
EXERCISE-HOW TO FIND SPIRITUAL DIMENSION AND BECOME SPIRITUAL?
What is LectioDivina?
Lectiodivina (pronounced "lec-tsee-oh di-vee-nah"), Latin for “sacred reading,” “divine
reading,” or “holy reading,” is a spiritual practice that has been in use for over a
thousand years. It was originally practiced by monks who spent a large portion of their
days praying and reading sacred books. While reading they noticed that at times
individual words, phrases, or verses seemed to leap off of the page with a special
personal importance. Have you had the same experience? These special words or
verses can give a sense of encouragement, comfort, thankfulness, or conviction that
often applies to present situations and can draw us closer to spiritus creator.
Lectiodivina is an intimate way of communicating with the creator. All too often in prayer
and worship, we talk to our Creator but don’t give him a chance to communicate back to
us. Lectiodivina employs creators own words to have a personal conversation with him.
Four Stages
The four traditional stages of lectiodivina are
1.Lectio (reading),
2.meditatio (meditation),
3.oratio (prayer), and
4.contemplatio (contemplation).
The steps were created simply to provide structure and guidance for people who wish
to learn how to perform this practice. Consider how people learn to play a new
instrument. A man who is learning piano must go through the steps of reading the
notes, putting his hands in the right place, pushing down on the keys, listening to the
notes, and then repeating the process. At first, each step seems rigid and awkward, but
over time he learns to perform each of these steps as one fluid process leading to the
actual art of music.
HOW TO PERFORM LECTIO DIVINA
Choosing a Time and Place
set aside the right amount of time in a place where you are able to focus intently. The
amount of time varies between people and spiritual maturity levels. (10min -60 min)
The setting can vary as well. Some people prefer to have background noise or
something to focus on such as a cross or a nature scene. It simply needs to be a place
where you will not be interrupted and can feel relaxed, focused, and comfortable.
What to Read
Choose a passage from any Holy Book. Some like to meditate on lengthy passages
such as a whole chapter or even an entire book. Others choose to reflect on only a few
verses.
Use a reading plan what to read each day
Work methodically through the holy passage
Focus on a theme (e.g., love, patience,joy, or various attributes of creator)
Preparation
A great place to start is to simply sit up straight, rest your hands on your lap, and relax
your body and breathing. Enjoy this moment of silence and choose to temporarily forget
about all the work, duties, and anxieties the day may hold so that you can focus on the
task at hand. Once you feel peaceful and calm, say a brief prayer.
Invite the Spiritus Creator to come and guide you through your experience. Ask him to
make known anything he would like to reveal to you. Calm your mind and heart in a way
that will help prepare you to meet God in the sacred writings.
Stage 1: Lectio (reading):
It is absolutely vital to remember exactly what you are reading. Reading is the first
and foremost part of lectiodivina.
First, read through the entire passage very slowly. Take the time to note every specific
word. Think about the intentionality of the word ordering. Look for repetition, themes,
pictures, and dialogue. Try to picture yourself inside the story. Stay alert for a single
word, phrase, verse, or message that catches your eye, stirs you, moves you or
connects with you emotionally. Reread that significant piece over and over. Repeat it
(some people even say the phrase out loud), lingering over the phrase. The goal is not
only to see the words with your eyes but to feel them with your heart, mind, and soul.
Stage 2: Meditatio (meditation):
Much of this stage is about using your imagination. Think about what the phrase that
stood out to you meant .Picture yourself in the setting and context of the passage. Play
out the scenario in your head. Reflect on how it might apply to your life. Is it relevant to
something that you are going through? Does it bring to mind a struggle that you have
been dealing with? Do certain people come to mind that Creator may want you to reach
out to or reconcile a relationship with? Is there a strong sense of a movement or change
that needs to happen? When you are thinking about a passage ask the Creator to
illuminate that passage so that you can grasp the message in terms of your own life.
Stage 3: Oratio (prayer): The next step is to take all the thoughts, feelings, actions,
fears, convictions, and questions you have meditated on and offer them to the Lord in
prayer. Praise Creator for who he is. If you feel convicted about a poor relationship,
simply apologize, request forgiveness, and ask for guidance on restoring the
relationship. If you feel thankful for something that Creator has done for you, then pour
out those feelings of thanksgiving. If you feel a specific anxiety about something in your
life, present it to the Lord. Simply talk to Creator and tell him what you are feeling, just
like you would with a good friend or family member. It is so important to ask Creator to
help us in the areas in which we need improvement. We are a community of broken
people and cannot do any good on our own.
Stage 4: Contemplatio (contemplation):
This final stageis one of vital importance. The “task” in this stage is to simply be silent
in the presence of Our Creator and feel His tender love and embrace. Just “be” with
the Creator.
At the end of the contemplation stage simply close off your lectiodivina session with a
prayer of thanking the Creator.
Final Thoughts
Lectiodivina is a process that will take some getting used to. Try not to quit if you aren’t
fond of it after your first few attempts. Remember that it is much like learning to play the
piano. At first each step may seem rigid and awkward, but after some practice and
experience you can learn to have life-giving communication with Spiritus Creator.
REFERENCES:
Sacred Books
GLOSSARY
Healing: process of touching, soothing and alleviating the dis-ease in the spirit/mind
Health: A scale of measurement of the ease or dis-ease in the spirit, mind, body or Person/a
community.
Health care: Systemisation of the delivery of healthy process to individualised persons/communities.
Faith:-Innate human power/capacity to express /engage “other”
-One experience of relationship with whatever he or she considers divine.
-Personal relationship and/attitude / confidence / devotion or hope.
Belief:To hold Dear.
Religion: “Reli-Gare”-to gather together.
-It ties together, organises the common belief, behaviour and values of particular faith/ tradition/
community of faith.
Moral: Concerning principles of right and wrong.
Virtue: Strength of soul, an inclination to do good.
Prudence: Making the proper choices and decisions.
Justice: Giving everyone their due: to God, neighbor and to oneself.
Fortitude: Fearlessly fulfilling our duties and overcoming every difficulty.
Temperance: Virtue which enables us to check our sensual inclinations in all things.
Mystery: The hidden plan of our Creator for man’s salvation as it unfolds itself.
Faith: Man’s response to God’s invitation to share his life.
Hope: Unshakeable confidence in God.
Charity: God’s way of loving; a communion with God.
Spirituality: How a person is united with God.
Spiritual Direction: Personal relationship between two people in which one assists the other to grow
in the spiritual life.
Soul: the self as enduring and as related to God