What is Spirituality?

What is Spirituality?

As long ago as 1755 Dr Samuel Johnson defined spirituality as; Ò...acts independent of the body; pure acts of the soul; mental refinementÓ1 although it has been a term not widely used until recent times, when it seems to have taken on a far more general meaning. It does not, however, appear to be one that is easily or clearly defined and, although the word spiritual is listed in the Chambers 21st Century dictionary, there is no mention of spirituality, except to refer to it as a noun.2 Given that it is, in the sense of its usage, a ÔmodernÕ term, one would expect to find reference to it in an up-to-date dictionary. The fact that it is not may be an indication of the difficulty in pinning it down and defining it in such a way as to be acceptable to everybody. Spirituality can mean different things to different people, if not all things to all people! The task then is to find a concise definition that encompasses the essence of spirituality that is both ...