The difference between spirituality and religion

There is a major difference between spirituality and religion. Spirituality is your personal relationship with your creator. Religion is a man made form of worship. My biggest problem with religion is that many religious leaders try to teach that their way of teaching is the only way. Just because someone calls their creator by a different name than I do, it does not mean they are talking to someone else. They simply have a different understanding of the creator than I do.

You can be a religious person, and follow all the physical proscriptions of a given faith, yet still have no personal relationship with your creator. On the other hand, you can have a very good close personal relationship with your creator without being a part of any organized group or form of worship.

Prayer and Meditation

Payer can be one of the most healing things we do. However many religions only teach one side of prayer. That is the part where you sit and tell your creator what you want from them. However, do you ever take the time to quiet yourself, and listen to what your creator wants from you? This would be the second part of prayer. It can be achieved through simple meditation, as well as by simply being still and listening to your inner self.

Meditation is the practice of clearing your mind and listening. There are many types of meditation that you can practice. You can do a meditation to simply clear your mind. You can meditate on a certain mantra or thought, or you can allow yourself to drift, not forcing a clear mind, but allowing your thoughts to flow. I practice all 3 types depending on the situation.

When you use the two together, you are able to develop a close, personal relationship with your creator. You will find that many of the things that trouble you will fall away.