Becoming Spiritual
“I am a human being, not a human doing or a human futuring. I am also a human who dreams, who takes action, and who continually imagines a future different from what I am experiencing in the moment.” – African Zen ( p.232)
When was the first time you realized that religion and spirituality were not identical concepts? What is the difference from your perspective? For me religion tells us how to behave and what to think, while spirituality invites us to listen to the God/Spirit within us and be in communion with our own connection to the Divine. Going within can be scary for some. Friends and colleagues have shied away from meditation for that reason. Meditation for me is the convenient way to go within, but it’s possible in any moment. Just be aware of your breathing and be still. You’ll feel the deep rest of a 7 hour sleep within just a few moments. Going within is sloughing off the body in your awareness and touching the spirit that you are…the loving spirit that lies within you always.
You are so much more than you think you are!
nine principles for joy 
Religion is man-made; Spirituality is innate authentic truth. Religion is extrinsic, an external force telling an inspiring and loving story; spirituality is intrinsic, being the story with the power to change the story from moment to moment as a spirit of compassionate love. Spirituality is what Christ and the Buddha exemplify for us, knowing and being the divinely powerful presence, the breath of life embodied.