I've been thinking about what it means to be spiritually awake and have not yet figured out what that means.  I've been going from one Internet site after another looking for information that will explain exactly what spiritual awakening is all about.

The nearest I came to finding an answer talked about being a Christian and all that has to it.  But, being a Christian is only a very small part of what it means to be spiritually awake.  One site talked about the attributes of a spiritually awake person in a paper titled "The Purpose of Life is Spiritual Growth".  I can agree with this statement but still it is only a title to a paper.  Within the paper it gives a statement about the fact that there are 2 types of people in this world. 

One is the materialist-minded person and the other is the spiritually-minded person.  The paper says that a person with a "materialistic mind is greedy, selfish, competitive, cold hearted, deceitful, unintelligent, close-minded, ill mannered, unfriendly, easily addicted, overly emotional, easily angered, revengeful, vicious, barbaric, inhumane and war like.  They are destructive through their thoughts, words and actions".  The paper goes on to describe the "spiritually-minded person as being generous, kind, helpful, cooperative, loving, forgiving, caring, considerate, compassionate, patient, calm, honest, intelligent, logical, open-minded, friendly and peaceful.  They're constructive through their thoughts, words and actions".

Ok, you are a spiritual person, so what do you do to prove it?  Do you work with the sick and dying?  Do you go to church and pray for all the needy people in this world?  Maybe there are other things you do that you believe proves that you are a spiritually-awakened person.  Or, maybe you just think about all that without doing anything… Maybe…

What is it that constitutes true spirituality? Is it sitting in a church service saying nothing – just being quiet and observant? Is it praying constantly to the God of your understanding 24/7? Perhaps, it is nothing more than just being me/you or, maybe working behind the scenes to bring about a better way of life for others?

All of the above questions about spirituality have their answers in a positive "yes". True spirituality has its place in everything we do, day in and day out. We are all spiritual beings here on this earth and it is one of our goals to find God and practice his teaching in the best way we know how. We are here to search the "scriptures" to find the teachings that best express our spiritual understanding and to evolve spiritually.

The other day, I went to a gathering of people of like mind and we talked about John Paul II, the former Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. One man talked about how John Paul came to him in a dream and healed him of his illness. It was a very moving experience for the man because he was still emotional as he told us about his experience. How can anyone really know if a dream is real or not? I cannot answer that question because it just happens even though there are billions of people in this world who have had similar dreams. The skeptic would scoff at the idea of a dead man coming to a person in his dream and healing them. Many other people wish that something like that would happen to them.

Spirituality is something that is being discussed about throughout the world. It is a very big part of people's conversations. It is talked about on radio and television. It is written about in articles, books, magazines and newspapers. Spirituality is something that is a bit of a mystery for us because we don't have anyone to show us how to be spiritual. Being spiritual is within us. No-one can show us what it is. We all experience it in our own way and it shows up in our lives. I know that I have not solved the question for some of you, but the fact is spirituality is in the ways we practice our faith and belief in the God. –Rev. Ron Koch

The Universal Life Church is a great place to learn about spirituality and growth. The ULC Seminary offers free ordination and ongoing ministerial support.