Spiritual, Not Religious

"I'm not religious, I'm spiritual!"

Being spiritual is defined as 'relating to or affecting the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things'.  To be religious is to be a part of or ascribe oneself to a certain religion.  So, how,  in the end, do these two terms differ? And, more importantly, can one that is religious, or rather, is a practitioner of a religion, be spiritual as well?


Personally, from one that has in the past publicly aligned myself with an organized religion and now one that does not, I do not see a difference truly between the word 'religion or religious' and that of 'being spiritual'.  I think it comes down to the intention of the heart in the seeker.  

I no longer want or require any system outside myself to define or structure my understanding of any sort of divine connection.  At one point, I needed that and as disastrous as it became, there were and are some basic components about it that were uplifting and overall helpful.  Some foundations taught to me in my fundie days helped in my overall spiritual journey.  For instance, the morning quiet times that were bible devotionals and such back in the day have turned to a wide assortment of spiritual texts, personal journal entries, meditations, or morning walks.  And, all have the ability to quiet my mind, spirit,soul, preparing me for the daily chores and circumstances to arise. 

I know that there are still many that need the confines of an organizational external system to help guide their spiritual walk.  We all have our journeys and our means of discovery, and more often than  not, these means will need to change, in order to require us to advance into a fuller,  more open and connected, spiritual being.
  
It doesn't matter, in the end, how we find peace and spiritual understanding, the only thing for certain is that we need to persevere in our own way.  When we can find ourselves in a place where we no longer need to judge, condemn, or convert, not only will we have arrived in a place of true peace, internal satisfaction, and deep calm, but our influence towards others of whatever walk of life will be more apparent and more lasting.