What Are Your Spiritual Beliefs & How to Find Them!

Have you ever asked yourself, what are your spiritual beliefs? Well, you might just find asking is the first step to discovering your answer.

With so many different religions and spiritual modalities, it can be hard to know where you stand. Spirituality is so personal, that you may find you don’t fit perfectly into any specific belief system, and that’s perfectly okay! However, learning about religion and other types of spiritualism can help you discover what you believe.

So, what are your spiritual beliefs?

Well, to find out we’re going to cover, spirituality vs religion, spiritual beliefs and practices, examples of spirituality, the belief in a higher power but not religion, what are the beliefs of a spiritual person, and what are your personal beliefs.

 

Spirituality vs Religion

The first step to discovering your beliefs is knowing if you’re more spiritual or religious. Chances are you have an idea of this already. If you currently practice a religion, attend a religious service, read a religious text, or find yourself drawn to religion, you’re beliefs are likely religious.

 

Religion

Religion is about following the path that’s been laid out before you. It’s outlined in religious texts and taught by preachers. It’s often reliant on following a predetermined set of rules and beliefs. Usually, it includes prayer, a belief in a higher power and an afterlife.

 

Spirituality

Spirituality, on the other hand, is less predetermined. It can look just about however you’d like and may include a belief in a higher power, but it doesn’t have to. Spirituality is anything that gives your life purpose or reason. It may be your job, or helping others.

Keep in mind, that religion can in and of itself be considered spiritual, but not all spirituality is religious.

 

Related: What is Spirituality? How Does It Differ From Religion?

 

Spiritual Beliefs and Practices

 

Spiritual Beliefs

Now that you know what spirituality is, what are some spiritual beliefs and practices? As stated before, some spiritual people may believe in a higher power or powers. This higher power, however, doesn’t have to be “God”. It may be the universe, fate, gods or goddesses. It’s really up to you what you believe.

You may not believe in a higher power at all, but rather that everything happens for a reason, or that your purpose is to serve the less fortunate, and this belief gives your life a deeper purpose, which can be incredibly spiritual.

 

Spiritual Practices

Spirituality doesn’t rely on any practices. There’s nothing you must do to consider yourself spiritual, other than call yourself spiritual. However, there are some practices some spiritual people may choose to partake in such as prayer, meditation, mindfulness practice, yoga, breathwork, or even tarot or astrology.

You don’t have to believe in any of these practices to be spiritual, but some may find it aids in their beliefs and overall well-being.

 

Related: What is Tarot Reading & How Does It Work?

 

Examples of Spirituality

There are many different ways to be spiritual, some examples are:

• praying, reading a religious text, or attending church
• meditating, practicing yoga, and breathwork
• believing in a higher power or afterlife
• finding purpose in your work or other areas of your life
• treating others with respect and kindness and seeing oneness within us all

As you can see, there are many different ways to practice spirituality, and you may find yourself in one or many of these examples.

 

The Belief in a Higher Power but Not Religion

What does it mean to believe in a higher power but not religion? The belief in a higher power but not religion can be categorized as spirituality, but truthfully, you can label yourself however you’d like. Some people may not like the label “Spiritual” because of its presumed connotation with religion or the many questions it procures due to its vagueness.

In this case, you may choose a different label or you may decide not to label your beliefs at all. Some people may like the label of Pagan due to it being somewhat of a “non-religion”, while others may adopt certain Buddhist philosophies.

 

What is Paganism & is It Right for You?

Technically speaking, Paganism is any religion that does not worship the God of Abraham. Aka, the God worshipped in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The idea is that, to these groups, pagans are worshiping false Gods.

 

Pagan Beliefs

There’s no specific god that Pagans must worship and some may not believe in a god at all. These are known as Secular Pagans. While on the other hand, some Pagans may worship many gods or goddesses.

Many Pagans emphasize the natural world, such as the cycles of life and death and the divinity found in nature. However, unlike most religions, Paganism doesn’t follow a doctrine. Many Pagans, however, follow the notion, “If it harms none, do what you will”.

You may also choose to follow one of many subgroups or types of Paganism, such as Wicca or NeoPaganism.

 

Related: What it Means to be Wiccan – The Pagan Religion on the Rise

 

What are Buddhist Philosophies?

Buddhism is considered a religion and a philosophy, and some non-religious people adopt its teachings. Many of the main philosophies of Buddhism surround the concept of suffering, impermanence, and no self.

 

Three Universal Truths

Buddhism is defined by these Three Universal Truths:

• Everything in life is impermanent and always changing
• Because everything changes, holding onto anything causes suffering
• There is no permanent self and the self is a collection of characteristics and attitudes that are always changing

 

Four Noble Truths

The Four Noble Truths are about how we handle suffering.

• Human life is full of suffering
• The cause of this suffering is greed
• There is an end to suffering
• The way to end suffering is to follow the Middle Path

 

The Middle Path

Following the Middle Path means living a comfortable life, not of luxury or hardship.

There are eight guides for following the Middle Path, known as the Eightfold Path, some of which are right values and attitude, right speech, right action, and right meditation.

 

 

What are the Beliefs of a Spiritual Person?

To be Spiritual means to believe in something larger than yourself; some greater purpose or meaning. A Spiritual person likely thinks about their beliefs often, they may frequently question their beliefs and search for answers. They find meaning in themes of love, altruism, purpose, compassion, wisdom and truth, life and death.

Spiritualists may believe in concepts such as the ego, a false sense of self that we often feel defines us, seeing their true self as the spirit within. They may also practice yoga, meditation, and the concepts of non-striving and non-judgement.

Non-striving means accepting exactly where you are in the moment and not striving to be further ahead. It is often practiced during mindfulness and meditation.

Non-judgement is accepting everything exactly as it is without wishing to change it.

Many spiritual people may also reject the concept of religion, believing it to be man-made and often causing more harm than good.

 

What are Your Personal Beliefs?

To discover your spiritual beliefs, you first must ask yourself, what are your personal beliefs? What is it you value above all else?

It may be your religion, your job, your creative passions. Or it may be love, community, or fairness.

Find what your values are. You can look up a list online or use these value-sorting cards to determine what values are and aren’t important to you. Try to narrow it down to a top 10 and ultimately a top 5 to discover your core values.

Next, ask yourself, do you believe in God? Or any other higher power? What about an afterlife?

How do your values inform these beliefs? Or vice versa, how do your beliefs inform your values?

Do these beliefs fit a predetermined belief system or are they of your creation?

Are there any belief systems you feel drawn to or want to learn more about? Or are there bits and pieces from different ones you resonate with?

Even if you don’t come to a perfect conclusion today, whatever your answers, these questions will give you a better insight into understanding and building upon your spiritual beliefs.

Remember, it’s also okay if you never find that perfect answer. Life is all about discovery and you may find that your beliefs transition throughout different seasons of your life. It’s perfectly normal to grow and change, and there’s no point in making yourself miserable by holding onto something that no longer fits. As the Buddhist philosophy goes, everything is impermanent and always changing.

 

As you can see, there are so many ways to be spiritual. There’s no one-size-fits-all formula, it’s incredibly unique to each of us and our values. And even if you think you’ve found what works for you today, you may just find, there’s still so much more to discover.

 

By Morgan Peters

 

Sources:

White, Ethan Doyle. “Paganism.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 11 June 2024, www.britannica.com/topic/paganism.