Spiritual Suggestibility

The word “spiritual,” imbued with so much potential meaning and promise, is one of those words behind which many people hide and about which there is much confusion and obfuscation. On the social media, people readily bandy this word about. An entire industry has been created to take advantage of our “spiritual suggestibility.” And, yes, we are all suggestible–all of us.

One of the most honest ways to explore our spirituality is to explore what it means to be “fully human” in the face of the great mystery and miracle of our lives. So few people, including many of those who call themselves spiritual, seem to experience this mystery and miracle in the midst of their daily lives, to remain open to the unknown and to the uncertainty of living. Many entrench themselves instead in the protective layers of their own particular spiritual concepts and beliefs, which enable them to move through their lives without awareness of themselves as they actually are. Using these beliefs, many people try to bypass, even to deny, their own difficulties, confusion, fragmentation, disharmony, and suffering, and, in so doing, become lost in a fog of self-deception, creating myriad problems for themselves and others. Surely, true spirituality must include and embrace all levels of our humanity.