Sharon Janis

Spirituality goes deep into the heart of every matter and extends far beyond the physical world of matter. Understanding what spiritual principles are (and aren't), can help to improve your life, empower your mind, and nourish your soul. Whether you’re looking for happiness, inner peace, or supreme enlightenment, no knowledge can propel you to achieve your personal goals and provide as effective a plan for living as does spiritual knowledge.

One of the great gifts of spiritual knowledge is that it realigns your sense of self to something you may not have even ever imagined was within you. Spirituality says that even if you think you're limited and small, it simply isn't so. © True Touch Lifestyle / Shutterstock.comYou're greater and more powerful than you have ever imagined.

The following exercise can help you to rise above the illusions of your own life-movie by giving you a way to practice controlling your levels of absorption in the illusions of a theatrical movie. Some religious and spiritual traditions guide you to withdraw from the world and to hide yourself in a cave or go to a mountaintop where you can escape the illusions of life.

Spiritual images are invocations of the divine presence and reminders of the symbolic ideals for which they stand. Although some religions frown upon worshipping idols or forms, others find this practice to be a powerful way to communicate with God on a tangible, personal level. The following figures show several spiritual images and objects that devotees from different traditions may choose to include on their altars or in other areas of their home or work environment.

Here are ten lines that may sound spiritual on the surface, but could have other not-so-spiritual meanings. Laughing at the foibles of yourselves and others is part of the cosmic joke, and spiritual efforts don’t get exempted!“I am detached from all material possessions!”This line may really mean “I’m flat broke and don’t have a penny to my name!

Life brings a variety of pleasant and challenging experiences: One day everything goes smoothly, but another day is filled with obstacles. One time you are showered with good fortune, but another time you’re dragged down by misfortune. You may feel constricted by your past, fearful for the future, or hopeful about a new possibility.

From a spiritual perspective, small efforts can be as significant as larger ones. Whether you’re cleaning up a piece of garbage from the park, selecting a spiritual book to read, or picking up your child from school, your level of spiritual awareness and intention determines the spiritual significance of your actions.

Two important goals of becoming more spiritual are growth and evolution. Yet with or without any specific spiritual efforts, human beings continue to evolve and grow. This drive is programmed into the very nature of all life — an innate pull toward growth, evolution, and transformation. Well, then, if everything is happening by itself, why not just coast along for the ride?

Look at the trials of your life with a spiritual approach: Until your heart has been broken to the things of this materialistic world, you can't open your heart into the higher world. Now, you shouldn't feel compelled to go out and try to get your heart broken or seek after trials and disasters so you can grow from them.