The topic of spiritual development remained relevant and exciting at all times and during any evolutionary processes. People on an unconscious intuitive level feel that they need spiritual self-improvement. The role that each person assigns to himself in life depends on this. But few have a clear idea of the actions that need to be taken for the growth of spirituality and self-development.
Spiritual self-improvement that a person puts into this concept
In the concept of "spiritual self-improvement" human consciousness puts a lot of sublime and enthusiastic. But, despite the rapture and dreams of the heights of the spirit, reality turns out to be more capacious, "down to earth" and requires experience. The catalyst for spiritual growth is always unresolved problems of a personal nature: health, mental and emotional difficulties in the family, breakdown of relationships, differences and misunderstanding in the worldview, values, life quests, and more.
Spiritual self-improvement is a way to overcome delusions and mistakes. It is associated with the psychological maturity of a person and the degree of his awareness. Everyone knows that there is no becoming of awareness without pain, but this is how a person is able to comprehend the fullness and harmony of this world, to get away from illusions and delusions, to achieve truth.
According to the Australian-American scientist Roger Walsh, psychological maturity is synonymous with spirituality. He connects these concepts with the realization of a person's potential. In his opinion, this process involves the development of the spiritual qualities of a person, such as patience, determination, equanimity, generosity, wisdom, truthfulness and kindness. The means and purpose of achieving spirituality is determination.
In the process of spiritual growth of a person, his perception is comprehensively changing, the consciousness is cleared of untrue concepts and thoughts, prejudices that distort the vision of the world around him and himself in it. People of high spirituality see life in all its fullness, they are in a state of peace of mind, have gained faith, are able to sincerely love and sympathize with others. Spiritual self-improvement can activate the inner human reserves.
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According to the theory of the world famous psychologist Assagioli, there are several critical stages affecting spiritual development. A person is going through a profound transformation and rebirth. He seems to "turn on", having passed the crisis of spiritual rebirth, the processes of transformation are launched.
What is spirituality?
Many existing interpretations and definitions carry a single meaning: spirituality is a harmonious combination and a set of qualities such as peace of mind, awareness and unconditional love.
Spirituality includes all manifestations of the material nature of humanity, therefore this concept reflects more than morality and religiosity. This is a vector of vertical aspirations, while morality is horizontal. They intersect and form an invisible cross - the basis of personality.
Spiritual self-improvement of the individual should be based on the basis of theoretical materials and spiritual practice that would contribute to the formation of universal human values.
Spirituality is the understanding and discovery of your inner capabilities, through your "I". This is when a person's moral self-improvement is at such a level that, under any circumstances, is the highest manifestation of virtue. As a result of bodily, spiritual and mental transformation, the personality moves to the next level of consciousness.
The concept of spirituality includes: defining the essence of one's own "I", positioning oneself in the world and society, choosing the meaning of activities and goals, the limits and possibilities of personal growth. And this is not the whole list.
In life strategy, the subject learns the personal organization of time, self-regulation and satisfaction with the results, acquires volitional qualities (responsibility, initiative), experiences emotional experiences of himself in time. These questions are eternal for people of any historical era.
In the process of comprehending the listed problems, spiritual development is carried out, a person gains spirituality. It is important for an individual not only to acquire knowledge and enter a certain social environment, but to realize the meaning and purpose of this knowledge for human development. Spirituality is the acquisition of the meaning of life and being, as well as the construction of oneself as a person.
Common human values and how to develop them?
The core of a person's essence is formed by such values as Truth (intellectual aspect), Peace (emotional aspect), Love (moral aspect), Righteousness (physical aspect) and Nonviolence (spiritual aspect). They are independent of race, nationality, religion and habitat. There is an undeniable interdependence and interconnection between universal values.
The growth of spirituality depends on the development of its foundational. Faith develops as a result of getting rid of beliefs that inhibit, absorb internal energy and motivate those that increase resources.
If beliefs are real and not self-deceiving, they need to be cultivated. For example, a person is deceived if he thinks that he is the smartest. The reality may be the belief that he is able to improve his level of self-education.
You can achieve peace of mind thanks to an external source of strength (belief in the help of God, higher powers). It is important that the individual is confident that he will be able to overcome any difficulties and trials. This question is closely related to the search for the meaning of life and other issues of being.
When the processes of awareness are turned on, it becomes important for the subject to know who he is, why he is here and what mission he carries. A person must understand that everything that happens is not in vain and has a purpose. Thus, he acquires faith, knowledge and realizes the external source of strength and finds this source within himself.
Love shapes personality
Love is a factor in the formation of a personality, the development of its spiritual qualities, a breakthrough in everyday life, experiencing the uniqueness of another person, avoiding loneliness, replacing revenge and evil with tender affection and sympathy.
Finding true love is not an easy process, but it makes sense. First of all, a person learns to perceive others as they are, studies society, learns to understand the nature of human actions and thoughts. As a result, he begins to treat others not with prejudice and wary, but with sympathy, respect and love.
This process is associated with personal self-development and self-knowledge. The more a person knows himself, the better he understands others. At the second stage, the person learns to transfer attention from himself to others. She reaches a certain level of awareness in order to move away from the ego and reckon not only with herself, but also with the feelings of other people, taking into account their interests.
The highest degree of spirituality is the realization that all people are interconnected and constitute one living organism, and that by harming another, we harm ourselves and the entire planet. At this stage of spiritual self-development, the subject lives in harmony and love with himself and with the outside world.
To learn to live consciously, you need to define your desires, pay attention to unresolved problems and inner fears, and understand your purpose. The answers will not appear immediately, but gradually, but if a question arises, then the answer already exists. Therefore, it is important to understand the issues that are truly troubling.
Finding the meaning of life
The spirituality of a person is always determined by the extent to which she thinks about the meaning of life. Austrian psychiatrist Viktor Frankl argued that such reflections are the spiritual core that distinguishes normal people from those who suffer from any pathology.
A person discovers the problematic nature of his existence and experiences the ambiguity of his life. In certain periods of life, these questions become the most "acute", which speaks of spiritual quests.
A deep emotional shock can lead to the search for the meaning of life. Regardless of the reasons and the chosen path of spiritual development of the individual, such searches are an indicator of the meaningfulness of being and the development of the individual. The existence of a person is not meaningless and until consciousness leaves him, he must be engaged in the realization of his values and be responsible.
"Justification" by a person of his true destiny occurs through experience, by trial and error. The conventions of mental programs are eliminated when certain experiences and emotions and feelings associated with them arise. Until a person controls his mind and learns to be aware of the games of the mind, union with the spirit will be incomplete.
It is equally important to establish a connection with your own body, learn to hear it, develop feeling and purposefully use the mind. These skills will get rid of dissonance in sensations and self-perception, help to achieve full-fledged spiritual harmony.
Unresolved problems and conflicts - obstacles to spiritual growth
Any unresolved emotional conflict is an obstacle to the development of spirituality and expansion of consciousness. Therefore, such problems need to be solved voluntarily, learning to take responsibility for their behavior, beliefs and attitudes.
In the first stage of emotional growth, a person takes responsibility for their actions, which leads to spiritual development. If a person continues to blame other people for his misfortunes and problems, he cannot resolve his emotional conflicts, as a result of which spiritual blocks are created.
Between the responsible subjects and those who avoid this responsibility, there is a misunderstanding, strong tension, unconscious reactions that create tensions. A person needs to learn to maintain self-awareness in such situations, especially in relationships with loved ones, which will remove emotional blockages.
Many dysfunctional behaviors and responses are formed in early childhood and are reflected as unhealed trauma and wounds in adulthood. As a result, concepts such as love, sex, and emotional needs can be confused with abusive behavior with no boundaries.
If this dysfunction is not corrected, deviations will distort and shape action and interpersonal relationships. A person with a dysfunctional pattern feels disconnected from the world, unloved, experiencing sexual suffering, unable to satisfy emotional needs for communication and set personal boundaries. Therefore, on the path of spiritual growth, the subject needs to heal his personal emotional trauma, which can hinder all areas of self-development.
One of the important stages of spiritual development is the creation of the space of Love-Wisdom in your closest environment (loved one, parents and children). Otherwise, the imaginary flight to freedom will further distance the individual from taking responsibility for his life, the ability to manage it and achieve true freedom. In other words, avoiding pressing problems, changes and transformations in the first main circle of life ties, a person falls even more into spiritual slavery.
Close communication with parents and their children helps a person learn life lessons. If they are not realized and passed, it is impossible to reach a new level of spiritual development. Hence, personality problems act as a trigger for triggering a wave of spiritual quest.
What can lead to degradation?
Psychologists give the following recommendations on the path of spiritual development of the individual:
- Unnecessary stressful situations should be avoided;
- Do not let yourself fall into apathy;
- Make sure that everyday problems do not occupy your whole day;
- Work on the correct expression and direction of emotions;
- Set aside time for yourself every day, pay attention to the feelings of the subconscious "I" and intuition.
Spiritual self-improvement can be compared to the development of the body. If people stop developing physically, they rapidly age or degrade. The same with spirituality: if a person gets stuck at one of the stages, he degrades.
Spiritual self-improvement of any person is an individual and difficult path. It lasts a lifetime. Everyone chooses whether to accept the idea of developing spirituality or not. But do not forget that the quality of our life depends only on us.
Author: Svetlana Belova