What is Spirituality?
By Anshul Dhawan, 0→1 Product Builder, product leader, and game developer.
Philosophy · 2025-11
On spirit, identity, meditation, gratitude, affirmations, and living consciously.
Spirituality is a way of living with a constant realization that we are "ALL" spirits. And "ALL" includes all of humanity, all of the animal kingdom, all the birds, all the fishes, and all of plant life.
Naturally, we live with our inherited identities that we did not choose. We live with what our mind and ego think is us. And that is essentially what stops us from reaching this realization.
So spirituality, in other words, is not allowing your mind to drive your life but allowing your heart to drive your life.
It is commonly said to do what your heart says or listen to your heart; however, guess what? The heart does not say anything, no matter how closely we listen. At best, we will hear a heartbeat.
What we attribute to the heart is nothing. It is what our spirit wants.
But because we cannot see the spirit, we assign its role to the heart.
So, how does one become spiritual?
There are unlimited ways to become spiritual and have this realization. One of the modern, immediately effective, however unsuitable ways to have this realization is by consuming psychedelics.
Psychedelics break the structures associated in our mind with our ego and identity, making us see the world as spirits.
Unfortunately, that realization and outlook go away with time unless you consume psychedelics again.
One of the oldest, slowly effective but sustainable ways to become spiritual is meditation.
However, meditation without the knowledge that we are all made of three components - mind, body, and spirit - is likely not going to make anyone spiritual.
Meditation without this knowledge will still calm your mind, which in itself is a great outcome; however, to truly become spiritual, one has to go really deep into the meditation practice and control one's mind.
How does one control one's mind?
This is where the mind-body connection comes in. There is only one activity we do unconsciously and consciously, and that is breathing. By breathing consciously, we can bring the mind into a conscious state from the usual autopilot state it is always in by default.
Deep breathing
By breathing deeply, we can observe our minds from a third-person perspective. We can notice our thoughts and focus wandering endlessly from one worry to another, one task to another.
With some little practice, we get better at maintaining our focus on our breath and letting go of our thoughts briefly.
Once this state is achieved, the basic level of meditation, aka the basic level of awareness called mindfulness, can be achieved.
Deep breathing means ...
Gratitude
To reach the next state, one must go from basic deep breathing to the state of gratitude. In the state of gratitude, one starts to consciously start being thankful for everything major and minor happening in one's life.
One can be thankful for an infinite number of things that are working well in one's life: good health, happy moments with friends, supporting family, sunny days, a sports team winning, new episodes of a favorite show dropping, the list goes on.
This practice re-programs the mind to look for more things to be grateful for, thereby helping one go deep even further.
Affirmations
To reach the next state, one must start associating themselves with the attributes, traits and state of mind they want to be in. In this state, one reprograms their mind by suffixing desired attributes, traits and state of mind to "I am".
One can attribute an infinite number of things to themselves like I am calm, I am kind, I am protected, I am capable of anything, I am funny, I am ...
These meditation practices provide a very strong foundation for living a conscious spiritual life. However, the real work starts with trying to live consciously.
Scientific Studies Validating the Claims
- Impact of Psychedelics on Spirituality. Research has shown that psychedelics like psilocybin can induce profound spiritual experiences. A study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology found that psilocybin can lead to long-lasting increases in the personality domain of openness, which is associated with creativity and spirituality (Griffiths et al., 2006).
- Meditation and Spirituality. Numerous studies support the claim that meditation can enhance spiritual experiences. For instance, a study in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that regular meditation practice is associated with increased spiritual well-being and reduced psychological distress (Shapiro et al., 2008).
- Mindfulness and Mental Health. The discussion on mindfulness and its benefits is supported by scientific literature. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy has been shown to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety by promoting a state of awareness and acceptance (Kabat-Zinn, 2003).
- Gratitude and Psychological Well-being. The practice of gratitude has been linked to improved mental health. A study in Personality and Individual Differences found that gratitude is strongly correlated with well-being and positive affect (Wood et al., 2010).
- Affirmations and Self-Concept. Affirmations can positively impact self-esteem and self-concept. Research in Psychological Science has shown that self-affirmation exercises can buffer stress and improve problem-solving abilities (Creswell et al., 2005).
These studies provide empirical support for the claims made in the text about the benefits of psychedelics, meditation, mindfulness, gratitude, and affirmations in fostering a spiritual life.
References
- Griffiths, R. R., Richards, W. A., McCann, U., & Jesse, R. (2006). Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 20(5), 620-632.
- Shapiro, S. L., Oman, D., Thoresen, C. E., Plante, T. G., & Flinders, T. (2008). Cultivating mindfulness: Effects on well-being. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 14(3), 293-298.
- Kabat-Zinn, J. (2003). Mindfulness-based interventions in context: Past, present, and future. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 10(2), 144-156.
- Wood, A. M., Froh, J. J., & Geraghty, A. W. (2010). Gratitude and well-being: A review and theoretical integration. Clinical Psychology Review, 30(7), 890-905.
- Creswell, J. D., Welch, W. T., Taylor, S. E., Sherman, D. K., Gruenewald, T. L., & Mann, T. (2005). Affirmation of personal values buffers neuroendocrine and psychological stress responses. Psychological Science, 16(11), 846-851.