What is spirituality? 

In it’s simplest form, spirituality is taking an introspective look into your being. Why am I here? What place in the world do I have? Is there more to my life than simply living day to day? Will my actions in this world be remembered as a gift? Or a plague?

Without doubt, Spirituality is one of the more vague and philosophical of the eight Virtues. I do not seek to demean the other seven, as one is not more important than another, but Spirituality is the Virtue of which more debate seems to arise. My pupils often hear me query them on the difference between Spirituality and Religion. I will get into that question in a later article, as it is a long discussion. So before I get too deep into the various intricacies of Spirituality, I thought this first article would be best to talk a little about how Spirituality is achieved, through the three Principal Virtues.

As defined by Lord British, Spirituality is comprised of Truth, Love and Courage. The combination of all three principal Virtues is where Spirituality gets much of its complexity. Is Spirituality equal parts Truth, Courage and Love? Is one component of the Principal Virtues more a part of Spirituality than another? I cannot answer that as fact, but I do have my opinions.

It is my belief that Spirituality is made up of primarily Love with smaller contributions from Truth and Courage (in that order). Why do I think that? Let’s examine the fundamental question of Spirituality. If one’s definition of Spirituality is to be introspective, and to evaluate one’s place in the world – most would conclude that such a line of thinking would lead down a path similar to Sacrifice or Compassion. Compassion, by definition, is comprised solely of Love.

So in order to fully understand Spirituality, it is inherent that one must first understand Love. I would put forward that a person without Love, is a person who is incapable of Virtue. Even our resident scowling artist Sigma, as hard as he has tried to hide it, has shown Love. I have seen it. Love can take on two main forms: one of affection for your fellow being, and one of affection toward your beloved. While affection toward your beloved is certainly a Love to cherish, I believe that Virtue calls us more toward a love toward our fellow beings. This can be terribly difficult.

The wise Priest Ca’arn Olandi told me long ago, that recognizing one’s weakness is the first step to conquering them. If that is so, then perhaps there is hope yet. As my speeches often turn to soapbox ramblings, I think I can summarize Love more clearly with a song. A song of Love, and a song of Spirituality:

Contemplate, my friends, on what Love calls us to do. We have to be able to Love one another before we can advance down the path of Spirituality. The next installment on Spirituality will focus on the question of Spirituality versus Religion. Until then, think on your place in this world…