What Are Spiritual Roots

Our roots require emotional and spiritual nourishment in order to grow. Feelings, wants, desire, longings, and hope are the five primary roots of the human heart.

Feelings

We experience life through feelings as we emerge from the womb. They are fundamental to our human experience and help us connect with our hearts. We use sensations to express our God-given desire for connection.

The Eight FeelingsTM was created by Dr. Chip Dodd to help us name what we are feeling in our emotions. They are the starting point for all human emotional expression. We can name conditions of the heart based on these primary sentiments, such as amazement, grief, jealousy, anxiety, depression, revenge, delight, and boredom.

In Chip Dodd's book, The Voice of the Heart, you can learn more about The Eight FeelingsTM.

Needs

We were designed with far more powerful needs than just food, clothing, and shelter. The truth about our susceptibility is revealed by our emotional and spiritual demands.

More for ourselves, more from others, and more with God were all included into our design. We were made as emotional beings, but we were also created as needy beings. The truth is that the more we experience, the more we require. This is excellent news since our needs reveal our humanity, which connects us to everyone else.

Desire

Desire is the energy that propels us toward fulfillment and expression once we've identified our requirements.

The force that propels you toward fulfillment and expression is desire, or the thirst for life. Desire is a direct reflection of who you were created to be. You will crave whatever is noble, pure, lovely, admirable, true, right, and good if you are in touch with the depths of your heart, and you will hunger to participate in producing these things if you are in touch with the depths of your heart.

Longings

The heart's profound emotional and spiritual yearnings for justice, rest, peace, safety, and home are known as longings. They are both painful and lovely–painful because they will never be fully realized on this planet, and great because we can have just enough to teach us to wait for more.

Hope

Hope is an inexhaustible force that attempts to bring our createdness—our ability to feel, require, desire, and long—to fruition.

The heart's desire for life is hope. It is the unquenchable flame that enlightens our desire for connection. Hope is the voice that encourages us to look, believe, and trust in the future. Taking chances with one's trust is a good thing.

What are spiritual principles in the Bible?

Spiritual principles are universally accepted underlying truths. If you throw a stone, for example, it will fall to the ground. That is a natural result governed by gravity. The same law applies to human behavior and activities.

How do I grow myself spiritually?

Seven Ways to Boost Your Spiritual Well-Being

• Examine your spiritual foundation. You are merely asking yourself questions about who you are and what you mean when you explore your spiritual essence.

What it means to grow spiritually?

Spiritual development entails letting go of false and unreal conceptions, thoughts, beliefs, and ideas in order to become more conscious and aware of our inner selves.

This method reveals the inner spirit that has always existed but has been veiled beneath the ego-personality.

Spiritual development is the process of inner awakening, of rising above ordinary, everyday living and of awakening to Universal truths. It entails going beyond the mind and ego to discover who you truly are.

What are the basic spiritual principles?

Acceptance, hope, faith, courage, honesty, patience, humility, willingness, brotherly-love, integrity, self-discipline, and service are the 12 spiritual principles of recovery.

What happens when you have a spiritual awakening?

As Kaiser argues, this is the start of your spiritual journey, as you begin to doubt everything you previously believed. You begin to purge certain aspects of your life (habits, relationships, and outdated belief systems) in order to make room for new, more meaningful experiences. You may sense that something is lacking, but you aren't sure what it is. It's common to feel disoriented, confused, and down during this time.

Can you be spiritual without religion?

Spirituality is a topic that is frequently discussed, but it is frequently misinterpreted. Many individuals confuse spirituality and religion, and as a result, they bring their religious ideas and prejudices into debates about spirituality. Although spiritualism is emphasized in many religions, you can be “spiritual” without being religious or a member of an organized religion.

What are the stages of spiritual growth?

There are four factors to keep in mind when addressing the dynamic of the spiritual life, according to a recent webinar on the Stages of Spiritual Growth and Freedom. She connected these ideas to one's personal growth, as well as how spiritual direction might help with this.

The Definition of the Human Person

Victoria led guests through a synthesis of Catholic teachings on the human person, beginning with an introduction to anthropology anchored on Scripture and Church Tradition. “Then God said: Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness,” says Genesis 1:26. Man is created “Imago Dei,” in the image and likeness of God. The fact that we were made in the image and likeness of God, who is a communion of people in the Holy Trinity, is the foundation of our fundamental dignity as human beings. We are earthy creatures (i.e., we have a physical body) with a spiritual nature, implying that we were created for something more than this life. Indeed, we were created for someone greater than this life, God himself. We were made to have relationships with God and our fellow humans.

Dynamism of Holiness

In light of this anthropology, Victoria described how attaining divine beatitude, or eternal existence with God in paradise, fulfills our dignity as human beings. We are on a dynamic, though gradual, path toward relationship with God as we go through life. Victoria described how the people of the Old Testament, as well as many figures from the Gospels, experienced the journey to God in stages, based on the Scriptures. God gradually exposes himself to the people of Israel throughout redemption history, and finally fully in the Incarnation of his Son, Jesus Christ. God exposes himself to us in prayer and in our response to his grace using the same approach. Our journey to holiness is a long one, made possible solely by God's grace.

Spiritual Growth and Progression

The purgative stage, the illuminative stage, and the unitive stage are the three stages of development that make up this steady expansion. While not entirely linear, these stages tend to reflect the stages of human development: childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. In the purgative stage, a person goes through his or her initial conversion and reacts to grace by turning away from sin and pursuing virtue. A condition of remembrance is included in the illuminative stage. In fact, “recollection,” or “continuous attention of the mind and emotions of the heart to thoughts and sentiments that elevate the soul to God,” is “the primary virtue of this state.” At this point, one begins to adopt Jesus Christ's thoughts and heart. Finally, the unitive stage is characterized by a person's experience of oneness with God through love, as well as the real experience and exercise of that love. Here, prayer takes on a more meditative tone, while virtue takes on a more mature, even heroic quality. St. Maximilian Kolbe, who gave his life for another prisoner during the Holocaust, is an example of this stage. He did so with heroism, courage, and peace, as well as humility and humility, demonstrating a high level of holiness and spiritual development.

The Role and Application of Spiritual Direction

A spiritual director can be beneficial and perhaps necessary at each of these levels to support one's spiritual progress. A director can be a source of inspiration in the purgative stage, encouraging the directee to take active steps away from sin and toward virtue. A director can assist you in seeing and identifying God's hand in your life during the illuminative period. Finally, at the unitive stage, the director can assist the directee in identifying growth nuances and staying on track.

Spiritual direction is an invaluable gift in the growth of one's spiritual life. If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a spiritual director, the Spiritual Direction Certificate Program provides a combination of theological and human sciences as they apply to spiritual direction, as well as acquiring the art and skills of human interactions and supervision. Six online seminars, two four-day onsite residencies, and a practicum are included in the curriculum.