There are many things that Spiritual well-centeredness is not. It is not being religious (though one’s religious practices may be integral to one’s Spiritual practices). It is not solitary (indeed community is central to Spiritual well-centeredness). It is by no means a denial of self or the sacrifice of personal needs (rather, to the contrary, it is the fulfilment of self).
I define Spiritual well-centeredness as the realization that there is something greater than “self”; that self is not the center of the Universe. I have as a daily mantra “I am third” (i.e., my God is first, my family and friends are second, and I am third). These beliefs, however, do not suggest that I am (or pursue to be) totally “selfless”. Certainly, any time I attempt to practice
“I am third”, without including consideration of “self”, it ends in frustration and anger. I will find myself struggling with the failure of others to live “I am third”. Few if any can be “selfless” without taking time for self. This includes sleep, nourishment, recreation, personal meditation, reflection, etc. So, how then does one resolve the paradox of a Spiritual self?
I believe the answer lies in “Purpose”—the idea that we are on this earth for a reason. Philosophy and religion seek to understand the deeper reasons for life. I don’t know that it is possible for the human mind to fully understand these things. As a Christ follower, I believe that Jesus points us in this direction (though religion often loses the message in the practice). There is a diversity of understandings regarding what can be called the “soul” (and with such diversity comes an assortment of terms). Call it what you will, it seems we all feel some pull or drive in our lives. I see this as the “Spiritual self”.
The “Spiritual self” pursues its rightful place in the Universe. It perfects its gifts and opportunities for the benefit of the masses—of the Universe.
I consider the dimensions of well-centered fitness to form a pyramid rather than a more traditional wellness model as slices of a pie or an interconnected circle. As such, our Spiritual and Physical form the base. Call them the “soul” and the “flesh”, if you will. They are inseparable, yet separate. All that is Physical is universally connected. In science class, we learn the Law of Conservation of Energy (that energy can be neither created nor destroyed). Thus, there is an Energy that runs through all that is physical—forever changing forms and possessors. Likewise, the chemistry behind the physical organism is dynamic and flows from one organism to another. Oxygen, carbon dioxide, foodstuff, water, etc. all share the atomic and subatomic particles that make the Universe. We share the air we breathe, for example. The oxygen I breathe was released from some plant (or the breath of another). It, for a time may reside in my cellular structures or form join with carbon and the electrons passed through metabolism to form CO2 that is ultimately passed to another. One need not be overwhelmed by physiology or quantum physics to see that all of the Physical Universe is connected—is Spiritual. We build upon this foundation the other dimensions—Intellectual, Emotional, and Social. These, in turn, feed the Spiritual and Physical leading ever closer to “self” fulfilment.
Self fulfilment is, ultimately, the fulfilment of Purpose. It is the successful accomplishment of one’s role in the Universe. Thus, I apply another of my daily mantras—be your best today; be better tomorrow—as a prompting of the Spiritual self. The Spiritual self, then, takes it rightful place in the Universe not for its own purposes but for the good of the whole of the Universe.
Be your best (Spiritual self) today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!