There are many interpretations of ‘spirituality’, and they all relate to things outside the realms of physical nature or matter. Living spiritually doesn’t  mean following a particular religion, but it does infer the understanding that the universe has some order and that the creative force behind it (whatever that may be) is intelligent and purposeful.

Spirituality is highly practical. It is about finding meaning and purpose in an apparently imperfect world then using what we learn to create happy, healthy, prosperous and fulfilling lives. It is not a special thing to be found in out-of-the-way places – it is Life itself, flowing, ever-present and abundant.

The world we detect through our five senses is not the ultimate reality. Objects that appear to be solid are not as solid as we think they are.

One of the first to understand this was the Greek philosopher, Plato. He realised that everything we perceive through our senses is merely an expression of universal ideas or ‘Forms’ – independent entities which exist whether or not we are aware of them and able to grasp them with the mind. Love, for example, exists in the universe as an idea; we only become aware of it when it enters our experience. Even then, my experience of love may be different from yours. Meanwhile, the idea of love itself remains constant, permanent and unchanging, as do other universal ideas such as wisdom, justice, honesty, beauty and so on.

For more than two thousand years, Plato’s theory was just that – a theory. Then at the beginning of the twentieth century it was verified by scientists when quantum physicists discovered a ‘substance’ or ‘energy’ out of which all physical things are formed. In other words, the universe is not solid at all. It is made of energy and shaped by information fields. And so are you!

©David Lawrence Preston, 4.12.17

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