Meditation for Thursday 14th August 2025
I’m often asked the question is meditation a spiritual exercise?
The answer I give is most definitely yes though there are those who are reticent as they are fearful it aligns them too closely with institutional religion. To be spiritual means that whatever one’s belief we all have a human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things. Granted it’s a mystery but even the most hardened of souls appreciate that life is more than just the intellect/mind. It’s true that one can be a spiritual person without being a religious person but for believers it is generally about a relationship with God, who lives in a spiritual sense.
Spiritual exercises may include meditation, mindfulness, prayer, the contemplation of sacred texts, ethical development, and retreats. None of these is mutually exclusive.
A spiritual person has a deep connection to the natural world and a deep respect for all beings. A spiritual person is compassionate, curious, open-hearted, courageous, and kind.
When meditation is taught the teacher will usually prescribe the time, the places and the techniques that are used to still the mind. Spiritual author Joan Chittister OSB has written….
”In every tradition we are taught that it is not a matter of separating the sacred and the secular. It is a matter of staying conscious of the fact that the sacred is in the secular. There is, in other words, such a thing as a spiritual well where simply being in that place can tap open that special part of our souls and enable us to touch the sacred in the secular.”
And now as we meditate, we are spiritual people engaged in a spiritual exercise.
Meditation
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