The Importance Of Spirituality And A Spiritual Leader
People often associate spirituality with religion. However, spirituality differs a bit from organized religions.
Religions are specific beliefs and practices that a community of people shares. Spirituality is more of an individual experience. A spiritual person may not be religious but still believe in something greater and that allows a person a sense of peace and purpose.
So, if religion and spirituality differ, what is a spiritual leader?
What Is Human Spirituality?
Human spirituality is made up of values, purpose, and relationships. All people throughout the ages have expressed and followed some type of feeling of belonging while looking to spiritual leaders for guidance.
In older times, spiritual leaders consisted of a variety of people, depending on the ideals and location.
- Shamans
- Wisdom keepers
- Healers
- Sages
Today, a spiritual leader is a person in your church who you look to for guidance, maybe someone with shared beliefs who you look to for support.
What Is The Role Of A Spiritual Leader?
The role of a spiritual leader is not to influence or convert anyone to a specific way of thinking about the world and beyond. Instead, a spiritual leader is a role model who inspires and guides others in their spiritual journey and life.
A spiritual leader, in a religious sense, is someone who guides others to live a life that revolves around their church's beliefs and values. A church has spiritual leaders to guide members to live a closer walk with the divine.
No matter what type of spirituality a person has, a spiritual leader should possess similar attributes.
- Love themselves and others
- Care about animals
- Cares about the planet
- Understand we are all one
A spiritual leader tries to honor the idea of Oneness.
What Is the Importance Of Spirituality?
Healthy spirituality helps individuals balance all aspects of their lives. It gives a person a sense of peace and wholeness.
For some people, the path to spirituality is paved with suffering and struggles. These experiences can include painful or even frightening experiences.
A spiritual leader guides a person so that he or she can achieve a balance between the emotional, physical, social, and spiritual aspects of life. With good spiritual leadership, a person can achieve a higher sense of purpose, hope, and peace.
The role and type of spiritual leaders depend on a people's ideals concerning religion and something greater than themselves. Therefore, any who inspires and guides can be a spiritual leader. If you would like to know more, feel free to contact spiritual leaders such as those at New Element Consultants.