is NOT the same as religiosity. Religiosity is inextricably linked with a reliance on rituals. Spirituality transcends all rituals...it is a manner of living, a way of life.
A religion is a pre-packaged set of teachings, ideas and a specific lifestyle. Spirit transcends all religions and represents ways that help a person live better. For a complete life, we need to live in a spiritual manner...i.e., guided by our spirit.
So, what is this spirit?
Tao says that "Spirit represents the movement of your life."
I looked up the word in the Cambridge Dictionary, and this is how spirit is defined - it is a particular way of thinking, feeling, or behaving....all of which are movements...
In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for spirit is ruah, meaning wind, breath....again, movement. When applied to a person, ruah means vital powers or strength....these are all dynamic. Ruah refers to feelings as well...feelings that need to be changed - discard those that don't work for us and find, adopt and keep those that do. Because the spirit is dynamic, it is life-giving. The New Testament says the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, forbearance (patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control... Though here Spirit refers to being one in God, it can also be taken to mean that if we actively love, are joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle and self-controlled, our lives will be richer with meaning. All these qualities have to be worked towards. They don't just happen. Thus, spirit is more a travel style....
A word deeply linked to spirituality is Grace. By definition, Grace is a path of growing potential; it is elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion, or action. Tao says there is nothing static about this word at all. Its definition varies from person to person, from moment to moment. The definition of grace shifts, dances and grows as you yourself grow. Dynamic....movement....
When deciding that the old ways are not working any more and there is a disconnect in more than one areas of a life, or we are feeling trapped in the old lifestyle, a transformation is required, and this transformation is all about the grace (dynamism) of seeking a better life...a life of greater potential....and becoming one's own person. Transformation is not a rushed process. It takes time. We have to move away from what is not working towards finding what will work for us and then we have to grow into that new life. We cannot act out of fear - the fear that time is slipping away and here we are trapped under mountain of ways that are not working for us any more. Fear will lead us to chase all kinds of quick fix answers and solutions which only end up diminishing us.
The secret of life is all about living in a manner and style that will help us to grow... it's a life of the spirit defined by grace...