What Are Spiritual Viruses

“Employees must wash their hands before returning to work,” it says in every restaurant washroom. I've even read thorough advice on how to properly wash one's hands in bathrooms!

In 1546, Italian physician and scholar Girolamo Fracastoro proposed that contagious diseases were caused by unseen “germs,” and the idea that germs caused sickness was born. Because they couldn't “see” the germs, it took years for this notion to be proven correct.

We've observed a spiritual connection between our physical world and our spiritual existence time and time again. So, if physical disease is caused by invisible “germs,” spiritual diseases, or illnesses of the soul, are similarly produced by minor issues that evolve into major issues. AND, if we can be conscious of these “little things” and prevent their “infection” in our soul, we may maintain a healthy spiritual life! But, of course, you must “wash your hands!” on a frequent basis.

Our Lord Jesus provides us the spiritual microscope in today's Gospel Lesson so that we can “see” a “little thing” that infects a man's spirit, putting him vulnerable to spiritual illness. Look at Matthew 16:6-12 for an example:

‘Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees,' the Lord warned his students. They talked about it amongst themselves, saying, “We didn't bring any bread.” But Jesus, who was well aware of the situation, said. ‘O men of little faith, why do you talk about your lack of bread among yourselves? Do you haven't noticed yet? Do you forget about the five thousand loaves and how many baskets you gathered? Or how many baskets did you gather from the four thousand loaves? How could you miss the fact that I didn't say anything about bread? ‘Beware of the Pharisees' and Sadducees' leaven.' Then they realized that he wasn't warning them about bread leaven, but rather against the Pharisees' and Sadducees' teaching.

Baking bread was a regular habit in Jesus' day, and it was an excellent illustration of how the “leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees” produces spiritual disease. You can't see it because it's hidden. It works “within” the heart, preventing one from experiencing connection with God.

What exactly is this leaven? The Sadducees were not distinguished by their superior education. They belonged to Jesus' day's ruling class, which was affluent and well-educated. They had administrative, political, and diplomatic skills. And the Pharisees were strict observants of the Jewish Law. They lived dedicated prayer lives and were always in the Temple, as per Moses' Law.

They did, however, have a flaw and blind spot that caused illness in their spirits. It was referred to as “prelest” or “spiritual pride” by the Fathers. Both the Sadducees and the Pharisees “know” their “virtues,” and their virtues became vices as a result. They ruined all of their “good” accomplishments by forgetting thanks, mercy, patience, and love.

It is not possible to avoid the germs of the Pharisees and Sadducees by refusing to be educated. It isn't about avoiding religious and careful faith practice. It's not as simple as reducing faith to “feelings” or even “positive intentions.” It's a single-minded emphasis on the Source of how we do all of this amazing job in the first place. We must remember that God is the source of all good things. And the greatest way to keep that in mind is to remember our Orthodox faith's central icon: the Holy Eucharist! The “antibiotics” that eradicate the germs of “prelest” are fostered by a Eucharistic life focused on the Eucharist. Because a truly Eucharistic existence produces thanks, thankfulness, and love, and the Pharisees' and Sadducees' germs can't survive in that atmosphere.

What do you have in front of you today that reminds you to be grateful to God? What everyday activity helps you stay focused on the fact that God is the one who has given you life? This day was given to you by God. God is the one who gave you the ability to breathe. Remembering to be grateful on a regular basis destroys the “germs” that afflict the soul. It's no surprise that the Church considers the Lord's Eucharist to be the core vision of a healthy Christian life. It's at the heart of Orthodoxy with a Purpose!

What does spiritual disease mean?

Soul loss, ancestor spirits, tame domestic spirits, wild forest spirits, malicious spirits, or shaman spirits are some of the illnesses attributed to supernatural forces, although they can also be attributed to magical meddling by humans in the form of curses. As ancestors may be made upset by activities performed or not performed by humans, illnesses caused by ancestral spirits are frequently a way of communication.

Spiritual therapies must be used to repair these deeds, otherwise the illnesses will continue and lead to death. Spirits can even be blamed for catastrophic accidents and poor luck.

When one or more souls split from the physical body, spiritual ailments can ensue. Separation can take place in a variety of ways. A soul may be “frightened away,” stolen by a malignant spirit, disturbed by an ancestral spirit, or just unsatisfied with the earthly body and seek reincarnation.

The severity of the illness is determined by the number of souls lost, the time of departure from the body, the distance between the soul and the body, the spirit's influence over the soul, and the specific conditions surrounding soul loss. Traditional healers, such as soul callers and shamans, are commonly consulted to cure spiritual disorders when natural home remedies have failed.

What do you mean by spirituality?

Spirituality is defined as the awareness of a feeling, sense, or belief that there is something more to being human than sensory experience, and that the greater total of which we are a part is cosmic or divine in nature.

What is a soul spiritually?

The immaterial part or essence of a human being that confers identity and humanity, generally considered synonymous with the mind or the ego in religion and philosophy.

What are spiritual issues?

• Over the last 30 years, psychological study on a number of spiritual issues has been done. Spiritual problems are one spiritual issue that has garnered a lot of attention.
• People are affected not only psychologically, socially, and physically by major life challenges, but also spiritually.
• Natural disasters, accidents, sicknesses, and other stressful circumstances can put people's spiritual lives in jeopardy or cause them to struggle spiritually.
• Spiritual coping problems are attempts to protect or transform people's relationships with whatever they consider precious, such as their connection to God/Higher Power, spiritual identity, and religious community connections.
• Terminology. Many studies on spiritual difficulty use the phrase “negative religious coping,” but we and other researchers have started to use the term “spiritual/religious problems.” Why?
• Spiritual conflicts can be watershed moments in human development or “forks in the path.”
• According to several research, persons who are able to resolve spiritual conflicts over time gain and grow from them.
• Others may choose to temporarily or permanently withdraw from spiritual challenges.
• Others who are stuck in their troubles emotionally and physically deteriorate.
• Even atheists and non-religious people may deal with spiritual issues such as feeling distanced from, unhappy with, angry with, or abandoned by God.
• See Constructs/Our Measures for more broad background information on spiritual problems.
• Spiritual conflicts refer to disagreements with God/Higher Power, oneself, and others over spiritual topics. Distressing feelings and doubts about one's spiritual journey in life arise as a result of these tensions.
• Internal/intrapsychic spiritual conflicts—inner conflict about spirituality or religion
• Spiritual conflicts with other family members, friends, clergy, community members, or the greater culture concerning spirituality or religion are interpersonal/communal spiritual challenges.
• The 7-item Negative Religious Coping subscale from the Brief RCOPE is most typically used to assess spiritual problems (Pargament, Feuille, & Burdzy, 2011). For the entire Brief RCOPE and lengthier scales to more fully examine spiritual problems, go to Constructs/Our Measures.
• For additional information on how we define these two overlapping concepts, see Defining Religion & Spirituality.

What comprehensive empirical research on Spiritual Struggles in Coping with Marital Problems has been conducted?

• Despite substantial research on spiritual issues in other areas, there has been essentially no systematic research on spiritual struggles in marriage. Nonetheless, the Relational Spirituality Framework emphasizes that serious or persistent marital issues, such as infidelity, can lead to private or communal spiritual challenges with God.
• Prior research on spirituality and marital problems has relied on indirect indicators to determine if people feel spiritual struggles as a result of marital problems, such as frequency of religious attendance or overall value of religion in everyday life. We employ definitions and measurements of spiritual challenges established in past research on non-marital stressors to stimulate more in-depth study on spiritual struggles with marital problems (e.g., natural diasters, health problems).
• In practice, we have concentrated our research on Divine Spiritual Struggles rather than Internal or Interpersonal Spiritual Struggles in relation to marital issues.
• When it comes to interpreting and reacting to marital problems, we characterize Divine Spiritual Struggles with Marital Problems as having a confrontation with God. It's helpful to define conflict before delving into this definition. We define conflict as an individual's internal or external conflicts over his or her life goals and/or paths to achieving those goals. When troubles emerge, humans can be in conflict with God, just as they might have internal or interpersonal conflict. Problems in marriage can jeopardize life ambitions. An individual may have a disagreement with God about why marital difficulties have arisen and what should be done to resolve them. These conflicts with God might lead to negative feelings and thoughts regarding one's relationship with God.

For psychological research, how do we measure Divine Struggles in Coping with Marital Problems?

• We used the following three sub-scales (three items each) from Pargament's R-COPE to assess divine spiritual struggles with marital troubles in our transition to parenting study. These nine items were mixed in with R-COPE sub-scale items from other sub-scales. For additional information on the history and development of the R-COPE and Spiritual Struggles Sub-scales, see Constructs/Our Measures.
• Instructions for dealing with marital troubles include the following: The sentences that follow outline particular ways that people might manage with the inevitable marital problems that arise from time to time. When you think about the challenges you've had in your marriage, how much do you use each of the following to deal with them? When I'm having marital issues, I…

How might Divine Spiritual Struggles in Coping with Marital Problems benefit or hinder a marriage or couple relationship?

• To the best of our knowledge, our study on the transition to parenthood is the first attempt to investigate how much married couples experience spiritual struggles as a result of marital difficulties, and what impact these divine spiritual struggles have on the marriage and each spouse's psychological or spiritual well-being. We are presently doing analyses and will report back when we have more information.

What is spiritual malaise?

Spiritual malaise, in my opinion, is a form of burnout that robs us of the energy we need to live the life we want. It is a deep sense of discomfort and irritation with daily existence, marked by a lack of self-connection and engagement, rather than a grounded experience or phenomenon. It's less anxious than anxiety and more uncertain than depression. It does not reveal itself or spread quickly; instead, it sits, like smog, destroying the oxygen in the environment. In some ways, it's a modern-day affliction. We barely have enough time to examine the things that make life worthwhile with so many everyday distractions, from cell phones to job competitiveness to family and relationship pressures.

How do I take care of my spirit?

Visualization. Close your eyes, relax, and envision yourself in a quiet environment, such as a forest. Hear the cracking leaves, smell the damp soil, and feel the breeze with all of your senses engaged.

It's like reciting a mantra. Select any meaningful or relaxing word, phrase, or sound while sitting silently. The mantra can be said vocally or silently. According to experts, the repetition induces a state of physical calm.

Deep inhalation. Comfortably sit or lie down. Place your hands on your stomach and relax. Count to four slowly while inhaling deeply through your nose. Feel the increase in your gut. Take a deep breath and hold it for a second. Exhale slowly while counting to four, preferably through pursed lips to keep the breath under control. Slowly, your stomach will sink. Rep a couple times more.

What are the signs of lack of spiritual growth?

Knowing and comprehending the need for spiritual growth is the first step. However, you will not work in that direction if you do not feel the need to improve. As a result, the first and most obvious indicator is that you don't feel compelled to progress. (You might also be interested in: How to Detox Your Soul.)

We are all aware that our lives are full with stress and distractions. Therefore, if you are continually stressed or busy, you will not have time to grow spiritually or experience spiritual growth. (Also see: What are some daily routines that can help you develop inner serenity.)

Occasionally, you may experience a spiritual disconnect as a result of an event in your life. This prevents you from exploring your spiritual side, and you miss out on spiritual growth as a result. (Also see: How God Communicates With Us During Difficult Times)

Many people are influenced by negative forces in society and engage in heinous behavior. Your mental process is defined by your firm, thus if your company is awful, you are not spiritually progressing. (See also: Does spirituality have a place in today's fast-paced world?)

Spiritual connection entails letting go of your attachment to the material world. If you have such an addiction, it signifies you are not spiritually progressing.

How do I stop spiritual burnout?

Realign your thoughts. Remind yourself that God is in charge, and spend daily time with Him, renewing your mind in His Word and asking Him to lead and guide you as you serve His people. If you're feeling burned out, ask God for rest, renewal, and guidance.

What are the 3 elements of spirituality?

In their eternal wisdom, all shamans, healers, sages, and wisdom keepers of all centuries, continents, and peoples claim that human spirituality is made up of three aspects: connections, values, and life purpose. These three components are so strongly linked that it may be difficult to tell them apart. Take a minute to ponder on each facet of human spirituality to determine the state of your spiritual well-being if this is possible. This will be a three-part monthly series, starting with relationships.

Internal (your domestic policy)—how you deal with yourself, how you nurture the relationship with yourself and your higher self—and external (your foreign policy)—how you relate, support, and interact with those people (and all living entities) in your environment—are the two categories of relationships.

What criteria would you use to assess your internal relationship, and what steps could you take to improve it?

How would you assess your external relationships, shifting from the perspective of domestic policy to international policy?