The Sensitive Man - HSM's and the Spiritual Path

You hear this a lot lately, people describing themselves as being spiritual, but not religious. This familiar moniker is on online dating profiles, overheard at meetups, gatherings and is a general verbal calling card when dealing with people, perhaps, ones you don’t want to deep dive with.

More and more people are distancing a bit from traditional religious affiliations and preferring the, oh, yeah, I’m spiritual, but not assigned to a church, synagogue or mosque. It’s a safe parking space for most folks who are leaning towards the abstract meme “there’s more to life than what we see”, but not quite at the “everything is random and you are a happy accident” polar opposite. It’s a broad spectrum. I’m not sure we even know what spirituality means anymore.

But, where do highly sensitive people tend to congregate? Because of our sensitivity we are more likely to be more spiritual (inwardly focused) and due to our heightened sensory awareness we gravitate towards spiritual ritual for some peace and quiet. Let’s do a little exploring on this spirituality thing for HSMs.

As a species we have always strived to connect with the cosmic thread, driving the urge to connect with something greater than ourselves. From an instinctual, survival perspective, I’m not even sure this urge is essential to continuation of our tribe, but, nevertheless it still persists almost universally.
At its essence, it’s not even about connecting with other souls, but rather a connection with the infinite, tethered at one by our longing to connect and at the other to the omniscient and infinite --  a lifelong path that ends in our reconnection to the infinite.

So, we create religions, a man made construct, and embrace philosophies to help us obtain this link with the dimension of spirit. As humans we look for connection and confirmation to our abandoned status in the physical arena we call life. We reach out to our “good books” and religious leaders and institutions for that guidance. They sometimes help, sometimes deflect, and sometime obfuscate the matter. But do we really need them?

HSPs, we know, are always turning inward for guidance, rest and regrouping. We are naturally drawn to the contemplative life, but does that make us more prone to being spiritually attuned? We seem more intuitive and are more open to internal inspiration than most and rely more heavily on our own internal receivers to drive our thoughts and behaviors. Does that deep connection create the environment for a richer spiritual life? And if so, are HSPs also likely to be spiritual leaders?

How many of the great spiritual teachers were HSPs? If you look at the big three, Jesus, Buddha and Muhammad, examine their lives and read their philosophies, you will see elements of what one would consider to be thoughts similar to what one would expect from a sensitive, compassionate, and contemplative individual. There was also an emphasis away from the teacher and more focus on the teachings. Each came to bring the fold pack into the spiritual pen, so to speak.

Looking at today’s spiritual landscape, it would seem that some of the most profound spiritual teachers are men and women of high sensitivity. Some of these spiritual leaders move towards the more esoteric and often borrow from multiple doctrines with an emphasis on loving compassion, acceptance, tolerance and hope. These are all principles that resonate with HSPs, which is not to say that all HSPs are potential great spiritual leaders or that all HSPs are further along the spiritual path than others, but as a whole we tend to lean into spirituality naturally.

We are made and equipped for spiritual journeys. We as HSMs are looking for our path to follow, maybe more so than other non-HSP men. It may be a trait more than a calling. With that said, being able to easily look into the spiritual mirror does not always mean the image is any clearer for us. We need to be seekers and acknowledge that quest for meaning.

Starting a spiritual path, if you haven’t already done so, is an important step for HSMs. The path is of your choosing, whether a strict religious path or a loose and evolving spiritual path, addressing this element in your life, complements the other work we HSMs need to do (body, mind, etc.).

What can HSMs do to explore their spirituality?

• If you have not done so, begin a spiritual practice. Sit in your evaluation room, a metaphor for the internal space in your mind, and meditate, contemplate and ruminate. Like most HSPs this should be natural and easy for you to do. They key is the repetition and discipline of regularity. This is not a one and done effort. You don’t get spiritual by taking a pill.
• Explore the great religions, interpret them for yourself. Examine the different teachings, many are common across the religions, embrace what resonates for you and incorporate into your practice. To limit the infinite to one teaching is ludicrous. Accept that truth and help others understand. The concept of rightness of way is man-made and limiting; don’t fall into that trap. 
• Use your intuition, let go of knowing, open up to reception and faith. Empty a space for the messages you will receive.
• Be tolerant. Spirituality is a sensitive topic, with many ways of expression. Many will disagree with your beliefs. As they say, there are many paths with a single destination.
• Intend to be hopeful. Hope is a choice. It’s not a state we are in. We lay hope over the morass which is life because we believe that things will work to our benefit. So intend to be hopeful.
• As you follow your journey, recognize the infinite, the omniscient, which you are a part of and wish to commune. Give it space in your life; see it in everything around you.
• Show gratitude and make it a spiritual ritual. Like hope, we choose to be grateful not just when it’s easy, but when it requires deeper examination and evaluation of circumstance. Lay down a blanket of gratitude, it will keep the sand spurs off your ass.
• Let your kindness, be your teaching. It’s what you can give easily and you know everything you need to know about it and have since you were a child. Receive kindness too; there are lessons on both sides of this gift.

 
Thanks for dropping by, until next week…


References:
http://www.hsperson.com/pages/2Feb11.htm

http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/7-traits-highly-sensitive-people/

http://www.circleofa.org/library/acim-commentary/manual-commentary/ten-character-traits-of-the-spiritually-advanced/

https://michaelhyatt.com/characteristics-of-spiritual-leaders.html

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