*Traditionally, spirituality refers to a religious process of re-formation which "aims to recover the original shape of man," oriented at "the image of God" as exemplified by the founders and sacred texts of the religions of the world. In modern times the emphasis is on subjective experience of a sacred dimension and the "deepest values and meanings by which people live, often in a context separate from organized religious institutions.
Modern spirituality typically includes a belief in a supernatural (beyond the known and observable) realm, personal growth, a quest for an ultimate/sacred meaning, religious experience"
The meaning of spirituality has developed and expanded over time, and various connotations can be found alongside each other.
The term "spirituality" originally developed within early Christianity, referring to a life oriented toward the Holy Spirit. During late medieval times the meaning broadened to include mental aspects of life, while in modern times the term both spread to other religious traditions[14] and broadened to refer to a wider range of experience, including a range of esoteric traditions.
Modern spirituality
Modern notions of spirituality developed throughout the 19th and 20th century, mixing Christian ideas with western esoteric traditions and elements of Asian, especially Indian, religions. Spirituality became increasingly disconnected from traditional religious organizations and institutions.
Traditional spirituality
Especially traditional spirituality is an Animism the religious belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual ... It is still practiced in a variety of forms in many traditional societies. .... Who, in 1708, had developed the term animism as a biological theory that souls formed the vital principle and that the normal phenomena of life.
Christian mysticism refers to the development of mystical practices and theory within Christianity. It has often been connected to mystical theology, especially in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions. The attributes and means by which Christian mysticism is studied and practiced are varied and range from ecstatic visions of the soul's mystical union with God to simple prayerful contemplation of Holy Scripture.
The notion of "religious experience" further back to the German theologian Fried rich Schleiermacher (1768–1834), who argued that religion is based on a feeling of the infinite. The notion of "religious experience" was used by Schleiermacher to defend religion against the growing scientific and secular critique. It was adopted by many scholars of religion, of which William James was the most influential.
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