• Religion. Faith, following the biblical commandments is the path to the development of spirituality.
• Education. Spirituality implies spiritual richness; One of the ways to achieve it is to gain new knowledge.
• Volunteering and charity. By helping those who are weaker, those who find themselves in difficult life situations, a person not only shows spirituality, but also develops it.
• Work on yourself. Developing spirituality in yourself means fighting your own selfishness, insensitivity, indifference and inactivity.

• Communication with highly spiritual people - clergy, scientists, people of art, respect for their experience and knowledge helps to develop spirituality in oneself. It’s not for nothing that Christianity has the concept of “spiritual mentoring.”

Soulfulness

Soulfulness is a close unity of spiritual and sensory life, the inner content of the soul.

In English-speaking psychology, “soul” (soul) has been replaced by the concept of “mind”, which indicates the “mind”, the activity of the brain. One has only to use the word “soul” not only in psychological, but even in philosophical or aesthetic research - and you will immediately be accused of inaccuracy and unscientificness. But there are no inaccurate words. There are people and whole scientific schools, concepts, directions, incomprehensible or insensitive to words. If a word exists, it is irreplaceable; it has its own extremely precise meaning.

What is soulfulness? We will not talk about “soul” as a metaphysical concept, but about soulfulness as a human property, which is not inherent in everyone, but is familiar and observed by almost everyone. Soulfulness is not just animacy, i.e. the presence of a soul, but a measure of its activity, an intense way of its manifestation in character and interpersonal communication. By what signs do we distinguish soulfulness?

Soulfulness is associated with properties that are opposite to dryness, coldness, and rigidity. This is a kind of warm humidity, the fluidity of a person’s internal composition. In a soulful person, one can feel, first of all, his openness to the soul of another, his readiness to absorb it

States and share yours. A soulful person flows and overflows into other people. He is unequal to himself, he sways like a wave or a flame, there is sometimes more of him, sometimes less of him. The coastline around it is difficult to draw; it is washed away by the tide. His soul cannot sit still, it wanders around and around.

But sincerity should in no way be confused with sociability (extroversion). A person who is uncommunicative, withdrawn, self-absorbed (introvert) can also be very sincere. He is often visited by lyrical states that take him far and high from reality and even from some specific internal theme. He loves to daydream, think, float into everything and nowhere. It is not a work of the mind, or memory, or imagination, which is focused on certain concepts or images. This is precisely the work of the soul, which is trying to evoke in itself some all-encompassing states or cope with them. A spiritual introvert often enters into internal communication with another person, mentally stays with him in the same space, rushes with him on the waves of love, friendship, understanding, inspiration.

Thus, soulfulness can be extroverted and introverted, and in the same person. Sincerity manifests itself outwardly as sympathy, the ability to empathize with other people, take their troubles and joys to heart and trust them with yours; and internally - as lyricism, the ability to merge with the surrounding nature or art, to go beyond the boundaries of one’s “I”, beyond the boundaries of place and time, to be carried away to something or someone distant. Soulfulness is the mobility of inner life, which does not place barriers between one’s own and others, between “I” and the world, which tends to be distracted from the matter, from the essence, from the concept, from truth and benefit, and blur around the bush with some kind of generous brushstroke, a free wave, an air cloud. According to Novalis, “the place of the soul is where the outer and inner worlds come into contact, where they penetrate each other. It’s at every point of penetration.”

Finally we come to the concept of what it is happiness is spirituality plus sincerity.

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The desire to increase spirituality is a noble goal. However, each person's understanding of spirituality is different, so you may need to do some research to find out what the term means to you. You can try expanding your self-awareness or using other thoughts to gain spiritual insight. You can also try spiritual practices such as meditation, yoga and silence - many people find these helpful.

Steps

Personal well-being and self-awareness

1. Dig deeper to understand your purpose and your values. Spend time asking questions that will make you think about your life and its meaning. During this, you will be forced to acknowledge certain aspects of yourself and your personality, which will help you gain self-awareness (spiritual component).

   • For example, write down or think about answers to the following questions: “Why am I here?”, “What can I contribute?”, “What makes me happy?”, “What is the meaning of life for me?” Each person will answer differently. For example, you may find that spending time with family and friends is what gives your life meaning.

2. Acknowledge your feelings instead of trying to numb them. When you feel something, take a moment to recognize exactly what emotion you are feeling, rather than trying to suppress or numb it. Try to identify your emotions and express them in one way or another, even just for yourself. For example, if you're having a bad day, you might just want to drown it out with some ice cream. Of course, a little ice cream never hurt anyone, but first figure out what you're feeling and why. This will help you deal with your emotions. You're probably upset and depressed because your boss didn't recognize your contributions or give you the time off you requested.

   • What does it mean to express emotions? Sometimes this means expressing everything out loud to a person, and sometimes it means screaming into a pillow out of anger or crying heartily in a moment of sadness.
   • Understanding and acknowledging your emotions is a large part of self-awareness, which in turn is part of something spiritual.

3. Write about life events and your emotional reactions. If you've had a rough day, take some time to write about it in a free-form personal journal. It is not necessary to write about something specific - the main thing is to pay attention to your thoughts and feelings about what happened. Don't judge your writing. Let the emotions come out and worry about their meaning later.

   • Writing about what's going on in your life will help you become a more self-aware person. You will be able to understand your feelings about events, even if you did not notice them at the time. For example, if you write about going home to visit family, you may conclude that you feel resentful because relatives do not come and visit you in return.

   Spiritual insight

   1. Read books or articles about spirituality to deepen your knowledge. Whatever your background (religious or not), you'll likely find books that will guide you. Spend some time every day reading these books as they will set you on the path to greater spirituality.

      • If you're not sure where to start, ask like-minded friends or your favorite librarian for advice.
      • If you want to explore different directions, try reading (partially or completely) all the key religious books of the major faiths, such as the Tanakh (Holy Scripture), New Testament and the Koran.

   2. Attend lectures, seminars and classes related to your spiritual interests. Find out if local educational institutions free lectures for the public. You can also contact churches, temples, and mosques to attend meetings about spiritual interests. Libraries may also host classes or seminars from time to time.

      • You can also attend religious services at a local church, mosque or temple.
      • Or you can look for local centers of spiritual enlightenment to attend paid retreats (spiritual practices) and seminars.
      • Listening to others can open your mind to new ideas about spirituality.
      • You can also search for courses and seminars on the Internet.

   3. Meet with friends who share similar spiritual goals to guide each other. Ask your friends if anyone would like to take part in a discussion club. You can organize weekly or even monthly meetings to meet and discuss various issues, a specific book, or other things that interest you all. Try to choose a topic in advance so people can prepare.

      • A company like this will help you stay on track!
      • If none of your friends are interested, try contacting people in in social networks. You may find like-minded people living nearby who would like to meet. Try organizing meetings (through Meetup, for example) or just having conversations online!

   4. Travel to expand your mind and find yourself. Travel is a great way to learn more about the human experience, which certainly has a spiritual component. It's also a great way to recharge and reflect on your place in the world.

      • Whether you're heading to a completely new place or taking a time-tested favorite route, travel can be the start of your spiritual journey, as it takes you away from everyday stressors and gives you time to relax and reflect.

   Spiritual practices

   1. Practice silence by turning off electronics. In today's busy world, we are encouraged to constantly move, move, move. When electronics are turned on, the brain is always listening for a new email, a new text message, or a new notification. Turning off all your gadgets will give you the opportunity to step away from the rat race for a while and focus on your own spiritual well-being.

      • Try turning off your devices for an hour every day or setting aside one day every week to live a gadget-free life.

   2. Work on deep breathing techniques . Incorporate deep breathing techniques into your daily routine. Do one of these when you wake up or when you feel stressed during the day. Deep breathing techniques help clear the mind, concentrate and relieve stress. Plus, they can be practiced at almost any time of the day, as they only take a minute or so to complete.

      • To perform this simple technique, close your eyes and inhale while mentally counting to 4. Hold your breath for 4 counts, then exhale for 4 counts. Wait 4 seconds before inhaling again and repeat the process.

   3. Turn on meditation into your daily life. If you meditate immediately after waking up, it will help you start your day with less stress, as you will feel more focused, relaxed and spiritual. You can also take meditation breaks throughout the day to regain clarity of thought.

      • Try a simple meditation first. Sit somewhere comfortable and close your eyes or look down at the floor. Check in with your body as you take a few deep breaths. Feel any pain in your body and acknowledge any emotions you feel.
      • Now focus on the sensations in your body. Think about the weight of your body in the chair or on the floor, the cool or warm air around you, the touch of carpet or clothing on your skin, and anything else you can feel.
      • Try to keep your focus on just being aware, without getting caught up in your thoughts. When one of your thoughts comes up, simply acknowledge it and gently push it aside to return to the sensations of your body.
      • You can also pray if this is part of your religion.
   4. Expressing gratitude will help you be content with what you have in life, instead of constantly wanting more. Daily gratitude practice is a spiritual practice that is found in many religions.
      • Try thinking about gratitude immediately after waking up or before going to bed.
      • Let others know when you feel grateful for who they are and what they do. Sometimes it helps to express gratitude out loud!
      • Every day, write down three to five things you are grateful for in your journal.

Instructions

A spiritual person is distinguished by kindness. This quality was inherent in all famous spiritual leaders, which means it is necessary to go to her. It is achieved through forgiveness. This is an opportunity to stop holding grudges against others, to stop being angry and worrying about everything that happens. You need to forgive both those who are now nearby and those who were once there. Most start working with those closest to them: wives and husbands, parents, children. Special techniques help to raise even the most ancient and almost forgotten emotions and let them go.

A spiritual person is loyal to everything around him. He does not judge others, but accepts their choices. He is ready to watch, listen and not resist with a smile. If necessary, he can tell you what to do and express his opinion, but only upon request. You need to learn to accept everyone, but this can only be done by working with yourself. Accepting yourself is a lot of work, it is a desire to know yourself, to discover yourself different sides, and a resigned agreement with the fact that it is inside. And when the work with yourself is completed, you will be surprised that a similar feeling will arise for all the people around you.

Gratitude is a great quality, worth striving for in order to achieve spirituality. There should be gratitude for everything that happens and surrounds. This is an opportunity to form a special attitude, when everything around is good, this is a lesson that allows you to achieve more higher level. You need to thank any trouble and look for the grain of development in it, accept any insult and analyze what caused this reaction, and in the same way you become even wiser.

A spiritual person believes in a higher power. The awareness that there is something more than earthly life is a prerequisite for spirituality. Every religion and school has its own gods, its own ideas, but it doesn’t matter what to believe in, the main thing is to have this feeling. The feeling that this life is not final, that there is something else after death, that there is something special, faith in this gives strength to live. Faith is a huge power, and the more a person knows it, the more multifaceted he becomes.

Having faith gives birth to prayer. Every person should learn to pray. This is a set of magic words addressed externally or internally. These are words of gratitude, apology, acceptance that sound from the heart. This is a sincere appeal to existence, which gives peace and harmony within. Prayer is not a request, but an appeal, a desire to find a dialogue with the highest.

In this article you will be able to understand in detail where to start spiritual development and what it really is. This article is written based on the experiences and research of many people who follow different paths of spiritual growth: within and outside of traditional religions. You will definitely find everything here necessary information to begin self-awareness.

First, you need to understand the basic concepts, especially what the concept of “spiritual development” means.

What is spiritual development really?

Initially, it would be worthwhile to understand the term “spirituality” itself, which, upon certain consideration, has a rather negative connotation. If we combine information about this term with what is happening in modern spiritual movements, a complete picture emerges, which, again, does not have the most attractive appearance.

You also need to understand the clear difference between spiritual development and cultural or moral development. For example, some people sincerely believe that going to museums and theaters greatly elevates them, even though it may bring certain benefits. But this is a mass misconception, especially considering the direction in which contemporary art is moving today.

A person can do certain things for decades and think that he is progressing spiritually. But in fact, he will not advance one bit on the path of self-realization.

True, there is one nuance: if a person has talent in the field of art and he is, for example, an artist. Then visiting exhibitions and other events related to this area can help a person in spiritual development.

Why? Because:

Spiritual development implies that a person will follow his own path in accordance with the talents that he has, and also develop sublime qualities of character.

Also, before engaging in spiritual development, you need to clearly understand why it needs to be done.

The main goal of spiritual self-development

It is no secret that many of those who have embarked on the path of spiritual self-improvement have experienced certain difficulties before this. It could be a difficult financial situation, a breakdown in a relationship, or a health problem.

One way or another, life’s difficulties push a person to a more conscious life. All the world waiting for us to come out from under the influence of illusion and begin to look at this world with sober eyes.

The main goal of spiritual development is awareness of one’s true nature and development in accordance with this knowledge.

Understand that the goal of spiritual development is NOT going to temples according to a schedule or unconsciously repeating prayers because some priest said so. Everything is simpler.

We must learn to live according to our hearts or conscience, to be humane and decent, to gain real knowledge, to develop intelligence and abilities that are called supernatural.

First, try to start living with an eye on your heart (the voice of conscience). And you will see that real spiritual development has begun.

In general, real personal development (spiritual development, if you like) is always noticeable and brings results in the near future. If a person does a lot of spiritual development, prays several hours a day, visits temple every week, reads spiritual treatises, but miracles do not happen in his life and he does not really become happier, then he is NOT developing spiritually and, most likely, has gone down the wrong path ways.

Often people fall for the deception that is imposed on them by religious figures: now you need to be humble, endure and develop spiritually to the best of your ability, but after death everything will be fine. This is another monstrous lie that helps make people slaves.

You need to live here and now. You need to be happy in the present moment.

People who endure everything and are afraid of everything are ordinary cowards and ignoramuses, and do not develop spiritually or evolutionarily at all. But brave and determined people do not shake with fear and do not blindly believe in non-humans, who often dress in sacred robes.

To be fair, it is worth noting that There are also pure people within religions. There may not be as many of them as we would like, but they are there.

Where to start spiritual development: tools and their choice

If we talk about traditional religions, then in general the tools for spiritual development are the same: choice of religion itself, prayer practices, spiritual treatises, communication with like-minded people, search for mentors and spiritual teachers. And it is believed that this is quite enough to go into the spiritual world AFTER death (or achieve the Kingdom of God).

To a person who has been familiar with “religious cuisine” for many years, sooner or later it becomes obvious that among the followers of religions there are quite a lot of unhappy people. Moreover, there is a lot of information about what crimes are committed by religious leaders: fraud, theft, child abuse, drug trafficking, murder and more. All this raises many questions among reasonable and sensible people.

What to do?

To follow the path of any religion or outside of it is the choice of a particular person. The purpose of this article is to teach you to distinguish between false and genuine spirituality. Therefore, below we will discuss in more detail the tools of spiritual development that are used both in official religions and outside them.

These are the tools:

• Life according to your heart;
• Choosing a spiritual path;
• Prayer practices;
• Scriptures;
• Elevated surroundings;
• Mentors and teachers;
• Altruism or selfless activity;
• Additional tools to help you grow spiritually.

Living according to your heart or how to listen to the voice of conscience?

Today it is becoming increasingly clear that living according to your conscience or according to your heart is the safest way, in which a person will not be deceived by pseudo-spiritual personalities. Relying on conscience, a person may not be afraid of anything, since in this case he is guided by his most faithful assistant.

How to learn to listen to your conscience? No one can give specific recommendations, since this process happens differently for everyone. But absolutely every person knows which action is bad and which is not, and inside the heart there is always a response to any action. The only question is: does he listen to his conscience or not.

In my opinion, this tool on the path of spiritual development should become more important than religions, spiritual teachers, prayers, temples, etc.

How to choose a spiritual tradition?

If you decide to follow the path of any religion, then you need to take its choice seriously. And in this matter, too, everything is individual. One religion may suit one person, another may suit another religion, and another may suit a third spiritual tradition. By the way, this does not mean that they should compete with each other - only fanatics do that.

Also, a person does not necessarily have to be in the exact religious tradition in which he was born. It often happens that, having matured, a person chooses another spiritual tradition that is “closer to his heart.”

Choose your religion (tradition) wisely, using the following criteria:

• This tradition must lead to the Personality of Godhead (if in the tradition the philosophy is that only their path and “their god” are the only right ones, then this is either a false tradition or false and ignorant followers);
• In this religion there must be many truly Holy Persons (not 2-5, but hundreds, thousands and more);
• Tradition must be based on authoritative Scriptures that are many years old (at least 500 years or more);
• Many people should follow the path of this religious tradition and achieve certain results along it (for example, people reach a higher standard of living, renounce violence, immorality and debauchery, etc.);
• In this religion there must be a spiritual (prayer) practice that every sincere follower engages in;
• You should feel good about this tradition; if you experience constant discomfort, then perhaps this is not what you need;
• It’s good if you like the customs and rules of this religion (at least at the initial stage you’re happy with it).

There are more than enough criteria listed for choosing a spiritual tradition (religion) at the beginning of spiritual development. Take them into account.

I would like to draw your attention to one point. Over the past 200 years, not the best things have been happening in religions and it is my duty to inform you about this. Don’t be lazy and study the article:

For people who do not want or are not yet ready to choose a specific religious tradition, there is an opportunity to develop spiritually outside of religion. This is written in detail in the article:

Prayer practice: when, how and why?

Now about another important topic - prayers and mantras.

These practices are certainly useful and important, but only when a person engages in them consciously and sincerely. When this becomes an automatic process and a person prays simply because he has to, then the effectiveness of prayer tends to zero.

At the initial stage of spiritual growth, the daily practice of prayer or mantra will be useful. It will purify a person’s consciousness and elevate him. Everything new in this world bears fruit, but for the time being.

Over time, when a person becomes “drawn” into spiritual life, the effectiveness of prayer decreases and it often becomes automatic. And the following situation may occur: a person seems to be actively engaged in spiritual development, praying, but no particular result is visible. This means that he is not going the right way.

Prayer should be an addition, but not the main goal of spiritual development. People who live according to their hearts are often much happier and more powerful than those who, like a robot, pray for hours to no avail.

God responds only to sincere prayers when a person consciously turns to him, and does not think during prayer about what he will do after prayer or how he was unfairly treated. It’s better than automatically repeating a prayer to do some kind and selfless deed for people or other living beings. More about this in the video:

Scripture Study

We know a lot of Holy Scriptures, but the question is how intact are they in our 21st century? Through various studies, I have learned that all major spiritual treatises are subject to distortion to one degree or another. By the way, this is mainly done by representatives of official religions. Why? Because they serve a single supra-religious leadership.

The Bible, Koran, Bhagavad Gita, Torah or something else - today you need to read it carefully, with your mind turned on, and you cannot accept everything on blind faith.

Does this mean that spiritual treatises should not be read at all? Of course not. Even in distorted scriptures, many profound things remain. You just need to know what to choose to read and what to follow when studying treatises.

When reading any scripture, one must be guided by the heart. The most important commentary on what we read comes from God within us. If a person lives according to his heart, then he cannot be led astray true path even rewritten books. The Almighty will always help you find something that will help a person in his spiritual development.

You can find out how spiritual treatises are distorted in the article:

About exalted surroundings and mentors

It's hard to develop alone. It is impossible to progress spiritually outside of society. Therefore, a person must have relationships with other people. That is, he should not withdraw into himself, considering this the height of renunciation. It is in interaction with other people that we are “polished” like a stone in order to give a beautiful and graceful shape - to make us truly spiritual people.

It is beneficial to have communication with like-minded people who are also engaged in spiritual development. You can communicate with them, share experiences, discuss interesting topics, etc. This gives inspiration, energy, and can also give unexpected clues in situations that are incomprehensible to us. In times of difficulty and doubt, such an environment is a very good helper and friend.

True, it is not always easy to find such an environment. But, as they say, a sincere person who lives after his heart will never be left alone and God will definitely find him company when needed.

Even better if you find a mentor, which will tell you what to do and how to do it, point out errors, etc. Keep in mind that any situation or any person can be a mentor for us if we know how to perceive them in the right frame of mind.

But it is not so easy to become a true mentor who will give us advice and we will follow it. Such a person himself must lead an exalted and pure lifestyle for many years. The same goes for spiritual teachers.

One of the most important marks of a spiritual teacher is that he teaches the disciple to do without him, and does not try to become an intermediary between God and him. A true spiritual teacher helps a person become himself, and not someone else. A true guru speaks about God in the heart of the disciple and teaches him to live based on it.

Not all mentors and teachers meet the criteria described above. But what can you do, these are the times now... Live according to your heart and God will definitely tell you where the teacher is and where the swindler and scoundrel are.

Selflessness for spiritual growth

It is impossible to separate real spiritual progress and the commission of selfless actions. A spiritual person always lives on the basis of his talents, and it is in the talent destined for us that we can be truly selfless.

At the initial stage, while we are not in our talent, we can and should look for ways to demonstrate selflessness. There are really a lot of them these days. The importance of this quality and its development is written in detail in the article:

Important points at the beginning of spiritual development

In addition to the initial steps in spiritual development, you need to take certain actions in other directions.

First of all, this:

• Daily regime;
• Cleanliness;
• Nutrition;
• Intoxication.

Without putting things in order in your everyday life, it is impossible to progress on the spiritual path. Therefore, you need to strive to eat right, sleep at the right time, maintain personal hygiene, get rid of bad habits and much more.

During the day Pay special attention to getting up early.

Cleanliness is especially important for spiritual development and one must strive for it. This is the cleanliness of the body, linen, surrounding space, psyche, etc.

To start, start showering every morning.

Nutrition largely determines our level of consciousness, our character traits and even actions. For example, if a person loves to eat meat, then he will have a tendency to violence and lust, and this will be a serious obstacle to spiritual development. Regarding the usefulness or harmfulness of meat.

Spirituality is one of the most complex concepts on Earth. A lot has been written and said about it, but no one has yet given an exhaustive, convincing definition and it is not clear enough why a person practically needs it, which significantly reduces the possibilities of its development. Many stereotypes and contradictions do not allow us to form a complete understanding of spirituality, so we will consider the primary issues of spirituality: its concept, meaning, development and main mistakes.

Understanding Spirituality

Spirituality is the knowledge realized in a person about God, Good and Evil, about our society, one’s destiny and everything that concerns a person’s interaction with higher powers, himself and the world around him. This knowledge determines most of the basic manifestations of a person (thinking, psycho-emotional sphere, behavior, lifestyle), his individual characteristics, the attitude of other people towards him, the ability or inability to make any significant achievements, and much more.

The most important goals of spiritual development: achieving perfection (inner strength, positivity), knowledge and realization of one’s destiny. Truly spiritual knowledge makes a person’s life joyful and happy, allows him to gain power over himself and his destiny, and brings him closer to God. Pseudo-spirituality and various delusions make a person weak and evil, lead to suffering and unhappiness, and oppose him to the will of higher powers.

Inner strength is the ability to achieve any significant goals and overcome life's obstacles. It is characteristic of a few, they are born with it or form themselves, receiving the appropriate upbringing, they clearly know what they want, have a great desire for the goal, unshakable confidence in themselves and their abilities. They do not rely on chance and are convinced that everything in this world must be earned through their professionalism, development and activity; they actively act and achieve goals, respect and recognition from others. “Nothing can stop me” is their motto.

Weakness is a purposeless existence, lack of dignity, respect from others and any significant achievements, endless doubts, uncertainty, vulnerability, etc. Such people are the majority, obstacles stop them, failures break them, and they only make excuses: “What can I do?”

In esotericism, internal power has many clearly defined levels (stages of development), which describe the logic and sequence of changes in all the main components of a person: from his beliefs to external manifestations. Understanding these levels is extremely necessary for people, as it allows them to determine the direction of human evolution, the stages of his spiritual development, evaluate oneself, one’s strengths and find one’s place in the general hierarchy of beings in order to set more complex but realistic goals and objectives, and answer many others questions.

The acquisition of power is subject to universal laws, but it can be light or dark, which is determined by the goals and methods being implemented. The distinction between Good and Evil is one of the key issues of all world religions and most spiritual schools; it is this that determines the choice of the path of development. The bright path is the path of Love, Goodness, Justice, service to God and society. The dark path is perfection in Evil, the path of violence, fear, destruction, struggle with God, society, etc.

Kindness, positivity - purity of thoughts and motives, the absence of any negative emotions, the ability to maintain goodwill, satisfaction in any, even the most unpleasant situations, the ability to love and believe, to see in every person the creation of higher powers and wish him happiness. All this is achieved through appropriate spiritual practices and leads to enlightenment and other elevated states. Evil, negativity (to one degree or another are characteristic of almost every person) - deception, desire for evil, anger, envy, fears, lack of freedom, violence, aggressiveness, disbelief in God or purposeful service to evil, crimes and any other violations of spiritual laws, the will of the highest strength

The Meaning of Spirituality

The importance of spirituality cannot be overestimated. It allows a person to rise above the animal world, step by step, as he evolves, to cognize the will of higher powers and approach divine perfection. Realizing the importance of spiritual development for God, man and society, performing a great feat, their missions (beings) came to different eras high level: deities, gods) to convey spiritual knowledge to people, to found religions and teachings. They largely determined the history and culture of many peoples.

The main purpose of a person before higher powers, which is spoken of by all religions and positive teachings, is to become an assistant to the Creator in the implementation of his plans, to serve God. The path to realizing one’s destiny is development – ​​achieving spiritual perfection and revealing all the abilities inherent in a person. Life on Earth is a unique opportunity for pleasure, good deeds and development, a large classroom. When the training is completed, you can go to higher worlds, “come out of the wheel of samsara,” “be born in the world of the gods” (according to Buddhism).

Power over oneself is one of the most significant results of spiritual development. This power means that only those feelings, desires and emotions live in a person that he considers correct, that strengthen him, i.e. he is free from irritation, resentment, anger, etc., calmness, goodwill and contentment have become his nature. For such a person there are no fundamental barriers to any internal changes; he is able to realize in himself any knowledge, qualities and states that he needs.

Having received strength, power over himself, a person is able to gain power over his destiny. All major life goals: work, personal life, creating an environment - become achievable, because spiritual person knows how “things happen”, how spiritual laws, karmic tasks, the past influence fate, where a person is free in his choice, and where he is obliged to act only in a certain way. Such a person is able to accept best solutions and implement them in the best possible way, moving closer to your goal.

Our society can become more perfect only if its citizens become more perfect, if people are able to get rid of the state of loss and embitterment, find the meaning of life and receive the power to change it. Spiritual development awakens in a person the desire for positive activity and helping people, for serving society, finding one’s place in it and eliminating its main problems: ignorance, lack of spirituality, aimlessness, lack of love, crime, violence, drug addiction, poverty, environmental disasters...

Development of spirituality

Despite the fact that the concept of spirituality is quite widely known, most people still do not understand it. true meaning and the words of Krishna, spoken thousands of years ago, unfortunately, remain true to this day: “Out of a thousand people, hardly one strives for perfection, and out of a thousand who strive and achieve, hardly one truly understands me.” If a person really strives for spiritual perfection, then, first of all, he must make a responsible decision and choose the appropriate development system.

A responsible decision has a number of fundamental differences from various pseudo-decisions (good wishes, all kinds of excuses, etc.). It is based on a clear understanding of the meaning of spiritual development for oneself, one’s destiny, God and society, and this is brought to such an extent that a person can say about himself: “I will overcome everything, I can do everything.” This corresponds to the maximum possible strength of aspirations and involves getting rid of everything opposite, from any doubts about the need for development.

The path of spiritual development is not strewn with roses, it involves getting rid of shortcomings, changing many habits and seemingly unshakable beliefs, overcoming many obstacles, which is never easy, without struggle. A responsible decision is based on the fact that a person understands this and is ready to fulfill all the conditions necessary to achieve the goal. This is a willingness to take on the role of a student, recognizing that he is at the very beginning of the path and respecting the opinions of those who are one step higher.

The choice of a development system should ideally be such that a person will never regret it. This is a difficult and important task. Any normal development system, compared to self-education, has a number of undeniable advantages: a clearly developed, time-tested program and methodology that produces positive results, the ability to monitor the adequacy of development and receive the necessary consultations, a circle of like-minded people who are ready to help.

In the overwhelming majority of cases, self-education in the spiritual sphere is as futile as attempts to independently learn to play the violin, fly a modern airplane, etc. Unsystematic study of spiritual literature often gives rise to internal contradictions that a person cannot cope with, which blocks his further development. The primary purpose of spiritual literature is to awaken interest in this field of knowledge and the desire for perfection, and lead to the path of development.

Basic mistakes

The more complex the area of ​​knowledge, the higher the likelihood of errors, and in the spiritual sphere there are more than enough of them. The first global mistake inherent in spiritual schools is ignoring, opposing or rejecting the second component of complex development - energy development (improvement of the body, energy management, disclosure of extrasensory abilities, etc.). The explanation for this attitude can be anything, but there are only two reasons - a simple misunderstanding or a desire to retain the audience, killing interest in other issues.

Integrated development accelerates the achievement of both spiritual and energetic perfection. Spiritual development allows you to clear your consciousness, remove the prohibitions of higher powers, and gain the right to discover your abilities. Energy development makes a person energetically stronger: it increases efficiency, increases the speed of internal transformations and decision-making, when the vision is revealed, it allows you to come into contact with the subtle world and your soul, and test most spiritual positions in practice.

“Science begins where measurements begin.” The second global mistake of many spiritual schools is the lack of clearly defined development criteria: levels (stages of internal strength) and positivity (distinguishing between Good and Evil). In this case, it is deprived of specific goals and stages, becomes ineffective and inaccessible for analysis, and often turns into a pastime. The presence of criteria allows you not to violate the logic of development and invest effort in accessible tasks that give the greatest return.

The next mistake is not very easy to discern the first time - this is fanaticism - a distortion of loyalty, a path to disaster. Devotion is a necessary condition for development, the ability not to change the chosen path, to overcome all difficulties and temptations. This presupposes that the system adheres to the code of honor of the hierarchy of Light, the ability to see one’s mistakes, shortcomings and, if possible, eliminate them. Fanaticism is blind faith, it is a justification for any stupidity and atrocities, if they correspond to dogmas or are brought down from above, an inability to critically analyze what is happening.

A common mistake is also a negative attitude towards other schools and directions. A little sooner or later, but all positive forces will unite into a single hierarchy of Light on Earth, now each of the systems is realizing its karmic task. The Forces of Light should not fight each other; for this there are a sufficient number of other opponents: internal problems, diseases of society and other manifestations of Evil. When choosing a development path, it is advisable to check that the corresponding system is free from at least the specified errors.

Mianiye M.Yu.
Doctor of Philosophy, Professor,
founder and scientific director
Center for Human Development