I live a deeply spiritual life

☀️It’s important to emphasize that in my understanding, spiritual life is not separate from everything else. For me, there is no division into aspects like family, health, professional activity, children, nature, vacation, and a separately isolated spiritual life. Our entire life is essentially spiritual. We, as spiritual beings, live each day immersed in a constant spiritual process. Even when I say “I,” I feel my existence as something much broader than just physical life.

Spirituality is not only a state of meditation; it’s the essence of every person. Even evaluating spirituality is difficult because it might be nothing more than theory or various layers of understanding and analysis. For me, life as a whole is spiritual, and within this life, everything else takes place: whether it’s an interview, sleep, shower, exercise, running, working on a project, business meetings, earning and spending money, discussing ideas—everything occurs against the backdrop of my spiritual life.

Therefore, when I talk about spiritual life, I mean a diversity of events, including spiritual aspects, not just the material ones. The core of my understanding is that life does not boil down solely to the material.

The meaning of everything, of all events, of all material things, is fundamentally spiritual first, and only then everything else follows.

In my view, the spiritual cannot be fully encompassed by the material, and spirituality cannot be born out of the material. That would be creating false constructs, an attempt to tie the spiritual to the material. Often, we humans try to connect the spiritual with the material through words, but these are only descriptions—different ways of expressing the same idea, whether through sound, words, paintings, or photographs.

All these are merely forms of description, and they cannot be the source of truth. Describing something with sound, song, a photograph, or a painting is not an error, but it’s also not a source of truth. What matters is what we are trying to describe. In the modern world, spirituality is often perceived through a material lens. We tend to think that reality is the words describing space, rather than the space itself. A picture, a photograph, a film—they’re merely representations; they don’t provide a complete sense of the essence.

For example, if we photograph a tree, that doesn’t mean the photograph has become the tree. It doesn’t convey all that emanates from the tree’s inner nature. The same goes for spirituality—it exists beyond material descriptions, living in every moment of our perception and experience.

It’s impossible to fit the concept of spiritual development into clear parameters. Consider a figure like Lucifer. Is he considered spiritually developed? After all, he’s not human. This example shows that spiritual development can be viewed on different levels and layers. In the human world, there is a certain hierarchy, but if we consider all people in general, there are many factors. For example, a person’s soul age, their experience, or their influence on others. Can someone who follows the true laws of the Universe be considered spiritually developed? Yet everyone understands these laws in their own way.

There are people who consider spiritual development to be the path to accumulating power, while others see it in peacefulness and compassion. Thus, spiritual development can unfold in both light and dark directions. It doesn’t always mean positive growth. The qualities that develop can bring either benefit or harm.

Like the issue of health, spiritual development is hard to define precisely. A person’s health can’t be evaluated solely by physical parameters; their internal state and decision-making ability are also important. The same goes for spiritual development—it’s a matter of internal experience, not just external manifestations.

In the spiritual realm, notions of better or worse, good or bad, may not exist. Everyone has their own understanding of these categories. A child, for example, may perceive good and bad completely differently from an adult. They might not distinguish the difference between words that sound the same to them. Therefore, trying to define spiritual development in terms of black-and-white assessments may be misguided.

If we step back from attempts to define levels or criteria of spiritual development, the question becomes even more interesting: how can we define spiritual development at all? I previously suggested some reference points for comparison. There is a vast amount of data and information to analyze when studying the spiritual world, but this goes beyond simple material or physical understanding.

For instance, if we examine the concept of spiritual development through the lens of video, we’ll see that everyone has their own criteria for assessing quality. The same applies to business: what makes it good or bad? It depends on the chosen evaluation criteria.

The first step toward understanding spiritual development is to realize what the spiritual world is and how we perceive it. It’s not just external manifestations, but also a deep exploration and expansion of our own perception. The material world is not solid and absolute; it’s only one of the spheres for understanding spirituality. But even knowledge and awareness do not always lead to positive development. Knowledge can be used in different ways, just like information about a neighbor’s wealth.

Therefore, the important question is: what constitutes the right action? For me, some fundamental principles are living in accordance with the laws of the Universe, which many know: not stealing, not killing, etc., and living with an understanding of love for other people. I believe one of the best practices for spiritual development is daily reflection on how I treated others.

I ask myself if I was honest, if I tried to manipulate them or change them. This self-examination helps me understand how I follow my values and universal laws and helps me identify my mistakes.

So, spiritual development is the process of observing and becoming aware of one’s actions and their impact on others. It’s not just adhering to some abstract ideas, but continuously interacting with reality and oneself, constantly striving for understanding and improvement.

☀️A few days ago (November 2023), I gave an interview to a professor from St. Petersburg State University in St. Petersburg. It was related to a sociological study. She warned me that the results of this study would not be published or disseminated, and that there would be no press coverage. Many of those she had warned about this reacted negatively. I felt something strange when I heard it.

I told her not to worry; I just came for the interview and was at her disposal. I didn’t want to present myself as special or better than others. I was simply invited to the interview, and I agreed because it was important for the person conducting it. I had no expectations about how the questions would be asked or how I would be perceived. I just came to give the interview.

Afterward, I might form an opinion about the interview and the interviewer. I might assess how competently the questions were posed, whether the research was truly necessary, and how well I managed to convey my thoughts. But ultimately, this is just my personal perception and reflection on what transpired.

I’ve always felt that every person is not only a physical body but also a spiritual being. If it were otherwise, a person’s body wouldn’t begin to decompose so quickly after death. This confirms that there is something more in us than just matter.