Terms, such as spirituality and religion are often times confused as terms that identify basically the same thing. However, this is not the case in any way, which is something that we can easily see once we look at the term, that is, exploring contemporary spirituality and spiritual conceptions. In fact, it is this very term that is used to hold, describe, as well as, constitute the essence of any religion, in its purest form.
So, at the heart of religion lies spirituality and, in turn, lies at the heart of every single spiritual idea or even practice, regardless of its era of development and how complicated as well as complex its doctrines might be. In fact, it does not even matter how fundamental the texts or scriptures might be, or even how dysfunctional the codes of conduct, regulations, and even rules could be.
All in all, no matter what the details might be, nothing can change the fact that spirituality holds the essence of religion. But people don’t see religion the same way like did they did before. What has changed in our perception of spirituality throughout the 20th and 21st centuries? Throughout our modern contemporary era?
People have always looked for a connection with God. Historically, this connection was achieved by following a specific religion. But not all people were accepted by religion. This lack of acceptance, whether it’s over gender, sexual identity, race, or a different lifestyle, has led many people to seek the connection with God outside religions.
And this is where contemporary spirituality comes in.
What Is Contemporary Spirituality?
So, what is contemporary spirituality? What is this post-religious postmodern spirituality that exists within the modern era currently? It is essentially an approach that enables a connection to your divine self, without being chained to a specific set of beliefs and traditions, rather than offering people techniques and methods to find and nourish their inner connection with God.
However, unlike traditional spirituality, contemporary spirituality has the ability to speak to us according to the current time that we are living in. So, no matter what, it will always be era-appropriate, and equal to all people regardless of who they are or how they choose to live their lives.
What Does Contemporary Spirituality Have To Offer?
Since contemporary spirituality evolves with the evolution of the mindset and morality of humans, it has a lot to offer to us, regardless of what society we’re coming from. It offers, to us, techniques and teachings to fulfill our spiritual potential, i.e. enabling us to live life in harmony, where every aspect of it is driven by being aware and acknowledging guidance from a higher power.
This theme of higher guidance is being expressed in contemporary spirituality often, as it relies on the principle of spiritual connectedness, which states that everything in the universe is all part of the same bigger picture. That everything is created by the same energy and exits through that same energy, for the same universal purpose and cosmic destiny.
This feeling, of belonging to something that is greater than us, is something that many people are looking for, but fail to find it in religion, simply because many if not most religions don’t accept all people, and don’t treat and consider all of the people and their beliefs to be equal.
How Does Spirituality Exist Within The Post-Religious World
Every single religion, no matter where it originated from, is known to have been immaculately conceived by its followers, which is based on both purity as well as peace. So, all of the different religions that exist, were known to have emerged throughout different eras of mankind. This means that, we can determine the human consciousness that was prevalent within the era of origination for that very religion.
This rise of spirituality in the essence of religion was seen at such a time, in which the majority of the population was within the constructive stages of their evolution. Since then, we as humans, who have their own consciousness, have been able to evolve. This evolution, whether it is good or not, is reflecting in our current beliefs and way of living, and not necessarily in the ones that were conceived hundreds and thousands of years ago.
So, contemporary spirituality, in this post-religious modern western society is an ideology that is simple, uncomplicated, and, unlike many traditional religions and religious establishments, incredibly uncorrupted. It is a new and fresh manifestation of the spiritual element that exists in every person, regardless of how they are defining themselves.
Contemporary Spirituality As A Way To Self-Mastery
While reviewing contemporary spirituality, we found out that its existence also plays a significant role in helping spiritual individuals to embark on their journey towards self-mastery and strengthen their spirit. Contemporary spirituality, in fact, gives us an opportunity to embrace self-mastery by mastering our emotions, thoughts, senses, bodies, and more.
It allows us to cultivate and strengthen our self-discipline, self-awareness, knowledge, realization, love, and even self-actualization. In fact, contemporary spirituality helps in guiding the modern western spiritual individual towards enlightenment and unconditional love for themselves.
So, contemporary spirituality can be considered as an internal and external call for intuition, gnosis, and more. The good part, like any other religion, you don’t need to have any special talent, brains, status, finances, looks, in order to embrace the values that it has to offer, you just need to open your heart.
Leaders Of Contemporary Spirituality
One cannot bring any justice to the act of reviewing contemporary spirituality without looking at the prominent leaders of the various fields of contemporary spirituality.
Dalai Lama
The current Dalai Lama, which is the 14th inline, Tenzin Gyatso, has spoken prominently upon the harmony of religion, several different human rights, and non-violence, all of which stems from spirituality and therefore, contemporary spirituality. In 1989, he received one of the most prestigious awards, that is, the Nobel Prize for peace.
Paulo Coelho
Paulo Coelho can easily be considered as one of the most known leaders in the realm of contemporary spirituality. In fact, a significant part of the population that seeks spiritual awakening read his books. In his most popular book of all, that is, The Alchemist, he searches and reviews the mysteries of a treasure and within this journey, he crosses paths with an alchemist.
It is through this very alchemist that he feels inspired to not look for an external treasure, such as gold and jewels, rather the real treasure that lies within himself. One can interpret that this very book touches upon the essence of contemporary spirituality. In fact, that treasure could very well be contemporary spirituality.
Apart from that, he is also known to apply the ideology of contemporary spirituality while setting out to write his incredibly popular books. Paulo Coelho has stripped himself from any time limitations of spirituality within his writing process, which allows him to adapt to spirituality in this modern post-religious era, particularly in western society.
Eckhart Tolle
As a best selling author as well as a spiritual leader, Eckhart Tolle, has shared his remarkable spiritual awakening life story. He preached that spirituality exists within religion as well as outside of it. This means that he inspired his non-religious followers to also unlock contemporary spirituality.
He also inspired western society, through his book, to embark on a journey towards contemporary spirituality due to his claim that if one lives in a singular culture for a significant amount of time, they are then, conditioned by it, subconsciously. So, to break out of this spiritual rut, living only in the present and this current moment, is the path for finding spirituality and create a new reality.
Deepak Chopra
Another significant contemporary spirituality leader is the Indian American Doctor, Deepak Chopra. He claimed that spirituality is what lays within the essence of enlightened leadership. In fact, he correlated enlightened leaders to be people who have achieved spirituality within their own era, as he claimed it to be void of any form of dogma.
So, according to Deepak Chopra, one can unlock almost every domain in their life, such as the domain of awareness, of truth, of being good to others, of beauty, of an abundance of love, of compassion, and even that of intuition through contemporary spirituality.
In fact, he famously claimed that it is through this form of spirituality that we can move beyond something as tribal as our own identity and instead, perhaps even reach a domain of awareness that is broader than that, that is, universal.
Marianne Williamson
A prominent spiritual leader, politician, and even activist in modern western society, Marianne Williamson, has been known to pick the teachings of contemporary spirituality and apply it to her life as a politician. Marianne Williamson told her followers and supporters that people who are a part of her spiritual journey have always asked her why she keeps on bringing up politics and that many people who are a part of her political lives have asked her why she always brings up spirituality.
So, essentially, Marianne Williamson taught her supporters the very nature of contemporary spirituality, and that it can even exist in a modern democracy. In turn, showing them that contemporary spirituality can exist in any and every aspect of their world since it is always evolving with time, as it evolves amongst the people themselves through time and it reflects in the country and democracy accordingly.
Herman Hesse
A poet who had mastered the art form of contemporary spirituality, Herman Hesse was known to correlate a human’s spirituality with that of a tree. He claimed that human form, in that of a tree, was just like a sanctuary and so, every tree has the capacity to embark on its journey towards spirituality. He inspired people to do the same and, in that process, become strong in all the elements.
The Importance Of Contemporary Spirituality In Modern Western Society
All in all, contemporary spirituality is incredibly vital within this post-religious modern western society. It is essentially giving modern western individuals a gentle push and encouragement that will help guide them in letting go of their duality, that is, their attitude, and indoctrination of separatist religiousness, and lead them to a better, peaceful, happy, more harmonious, way of living.
So, essentially, through contemporary spirituality, the entire world can embrace their unity and equality together, which will in turn allow all the people in the world to progress as a global society. Through contemporary spirituality, one can also unfold themselves and guide them towards a true connection with God and their divine self.
So, you, as a conscious and ever-evolving individual should be inspired by contemporary spirituality to embrace spirituality, in itself. In fact, in the end, you will be able to center yourself, speak truthfully, and listen with your heart, and awaken into a new reality.
