What Does it Mean to be ‘Spiritual’?

By Okomfowaa Akua Asantiwaa

As I was writing my piece on who the ancestors are, I realized that conversation went hand in hand with a conversation on spirituality and that I cannot speak about my relationship with spirit family, without a clear conversation on what my understanding of spirituality is. It became very clear I needed to write these pieces concurrently, not because I waited until the last possible minute to write all my papers for my initiation, but to speak to the beginning of the journey.

I was originally thrown by the question: what does it mean to be “Spiritual”? In more and more spaces in the US, we are given an “out” when it comes to identifying our personal belief system. Many people no longer want to identify with a certain religious group. Some would say they are culturally Jewish or culturally Catholic, but not wish to further align themselves with the spiritual part of their traditions. Some not wishing to disconnect themselves with their notion of the divine will say that they do not have a religious affiliation however they see themselves as Spiritual and so the term: “Spiritual and not religious”. In more and more places, to identify what faith or guidance system one follows, Spiritual and not religious is a choice. That idea that one follows something, but has decided to step off the path of adherence or discipline to a particular doctrine, that no longer speaks to who they are.  So I wanted to bring this up because that understanding of “being spiritual” is not what I think of when I think of Spirituality. I believe there is a rigor and specificity to Spirituality that is lacking in a sometimes passive and amorphous “Spiritual.”

Firstly, Spirituality to me is that universal thing that connects us all. It is the base of every religion, which are tools to get us to connect with that thing.  I say “thing” because I don’t have a word that could possibly describe the magnitude of the energy which connects us all: Some say Nyame, God, Universe, Divine, Infinite, Higher Power, Vibe, Flow. As I mentioned it is not passive, so to me not only is Spirituality the thing that connects, it is the understanding of the thing and the act of connecting to the thing as well.  

For my first Odwira at Sankofie, I created an extensive plan to facilitate my personal understanding of Spirituality.  This plan takes us into the new year with a clean slate, new understandings, renewed relationships among others. I chose my starting point by looking at the 12 Spiritual Laws of the Universe as we had been studying them each Sunday. I also wanted to contemplate forgiveness, which is promised to be cathartic and healing, but which I find difficult.  Previously in one of our Sunday sessions, a group of ancestors came into the shrine house as we were speaking about the first Spiritual law. We were trying to drill down to the innards of the concepts of the Law of Divine Oneness. They assured us that we had understood all we needed to know about the law on earth.  This was an incredible moment!

So, what is  Divine Oneness?  In essence: we are all connected. And “we” meaning, every living thing. Living in Jamaica really tested this for me. I’m not afraid of people, I’m afraid of creepy crawlies. Some would say it is an irrational phobia and not just fear. So you could imagine the test it was, waking up at 4am to go to my altar knowing that a menagerie awaited me, and not the good kind, a menagerie of ugly. I learned that I had to pause before sitting at my altar if I did not want the rat in the kitchen to run over my lap as it ran out the house. Waiting for me on the wall above my altar were massive croaking lizards, with their sickly looking translucent skins, getting closer and closer for a better look. They seemed to look forward to my visit and loved to watch me as I prayed. And of course the dreaded four inch long flying cockroaches that hung out on the curtains or by the door, who would fly towards you or chase you down when they saw you. And Lord have mercy, the ever present fear of the duppy bats – 10 inched wingspan black moths sent from deepest regions of hell to torment me. They also would fly around the house in pursuit once they got in.  In fact, all were sent, and I cannot be convinced otherwise, to torment me. 

Daily, I had to do the impossible, to fix my mind first on that, we all share one earth. Even though I had proof that we were actively sharing the earth, I had trouble accepting that we were equal inhabitants of the earth, so moving on to we are all connected was harder. At the very least through our habits, I could recognize we were: the croaking lizards knew when I was coming out, I knew the light would trigger the rat to leave and maybe invite a duppy bat if I didn’t close the windows the night before, and roaches were just caught out doing their business. 

And of course, this concept extends beyond our immediate environment. Globally we are all connected through our behaviors – climate change is an extreme and terrifying example, especially where developing nations are being punished by the unsustainable actions of the wealthier ones. But there is that unseen, that thing, that also connects, that flow, that vibe, which might be experienced during a performance when collectively we all fall under the spell of the musician, or have a spine tingling sensation listening to a singer, or moved to tears by the words spoken by the actor. This invisible thing that connects us also connects us to the invisible. We remain connected to our family in the spirit world, we are connected to the abosom, and ultimately we are connected to God, Nyame, Creator, Source.

This “Source” is where we get our energy, our inspiration. I have learned you cannot cultivate, connect to, express, celebrate spirituality without understanding your own spirit. This year’s members' retreat Nana brought the concept of a Spiritual Diet into the space. I come from a family where I translated how I grew up to: just keep working. I pushed aside things I loved in favor of working to find success. Unsurprisingly, any success I achieved was not fully enjoyed as it rarely had anything to do with satisfying my spirit. 

Since I have been home, I have had the opportunity to connect with the loves I had left behind when I left home for college: I studied ballet for 15 years and studied the piano from when I was 8 to 21, we had a fabulous garden and a few houseplants, my aunts and uncles always asked me to decorate their homes for them. My passion as an adult was cycling to and from work, salsa dancing, and choral singing, which would get left behind when I would work late or attend work events around topics I didn’t enjoy.  All the things I loved, I have brought back and are doing just to do and not to exploit for money. And doing as best as one can do given the global pandemic. What I have learned is that very slowly, I am starting to feel like myself again. I feel grounded and peaceful. I feel a stronger trust for myself, particularly that I have my own best interest at heart. Of course, the number one way this period has nurtured my spirit is that I am around people who love me and who I love. Plus, the responsibility to care for one sick parent and another elderly parent has also brought my spirit back into my body. Such a joy.

By nurturing my spirit, I am able to learn what my spirit needs and what my spirit wants. I’m learning what my spirit does not like and what makes it sing. By nurturing my spirit, I also am able to better connect with and to also nurture the other spirits in my home. My father was very low in his spirit after my mother’s hospital stay a few months ago and subsequent intense month-long convalescence. It was the ancestors that brought it to my attention first and gave me solutions, and then my parents’ neighbor in a chance meeting reiterated what they said later that day. I started seeing things as they are and not the way I wanted them to be – as if I could will my vision to be true. 

My biggest lesson in nurturing my spirit and the spirit of those around me, is in how I have to change my schedule and my thinking, to make time for it. And, right now, it is more than I can manage as it is new to me. Here is what I mean when I say Spirituality is not passive. I must actively and daily cultivate my connection to a greater Spirituality, while working on my own spirit and recognizing the spirit of those around me, even the cats and the houseplants that I have agreed to help care for. So everything I’m learning that energizes my spirit and connects to the spirit of those around me, plus an actual spiritual practice that connects me to Source, my ancestors, my intuition, fortunately most are the same.

Here, I feel like I have said all I need to say about my personal understanding of Spirituality and how mine continues to grow and mature during my time at Sankofie and during my time at home. So I will circle back to the “being Spiritual” with a quick response to a google search with my notes. This list is from 10 Signs that You Are a Spiritual Person https://www.inner-wellbeing.com/post/10-signs-that-you-are-a-spiritual-person, June 8. 2021

1. You have no fears. As a person who would proudly state that fear takes up a significant part of my life, I will say that what Nana Sankofa said one Akom: “Fear and God do not live together” has really changed the way I viewed sitting at my altar and creating a relationship with my ancestors.

2. You see things as they are. The article states this perfectly: “Seeing things as they really are, without illusions, sets you free. Spiritual people are not bogged down by expectations, assumptions, hate, resentment, extreme desire, or attachment to things and people. They understand the nature of impermanence, including their own, as everything and everyone around are in constant change.”

3. You don't speak ill of others or gossip. I think this goes without saying. It also speaks to the Ifa principle of Iwa Pele – walking in good character.

4. You are knowledgeable about the right things. I think personally, I hope to live up to this. 

5. You are loving and kind. Another quality that I hope to live up to. But I am finding loving yourself is a strong part of cultivating your spirit, and this type of love becomes infectious. 

6. You believe that the soul is eternal. Absolutely.

7. You meditate. I could do better with this…

8. You feel your life has a purpose. Dr. Anthony Ephirim-Donkor in African Spirituality: On Becoming Ancestors spoke to all the elements one has to achieve to live successfully. I was impressed that finding the right work was part of the requirements of a successful life. While purpose is not just about employment, many are caught in the cycle of underpaying and under stimulating work. Speaking from experience it is crippling to the spirit.

9. You take care of your mental and physical health. The body is a vessel. Yogis created yoga not for exercise but so they could sit and meditate for hours with a body that was strong enough to support that effort. 

10. You have inner peace. And this for me is one of the goals. 

As my understanding grows, I return to the 12 Spiritual Laws to gain new insights and a deeper understanding of how the energies or the thing is used. But I think that is for the next round of papers I need to write.