Victor Frankl's book, "Man's Search for Meaning", added an invaluable insight into psychotherapy. Prior to Frankl, Carl G. Jung had already deeply impacted the psychological community. Not just breaking with his mentor Freud, but introducing an element into the process which had been, and still is today avoided.

Man's spirituality, an essential component to psychological growth, is more and more being entertained in psychological circles today. To the ancients there was no such division, and in eastern cultures even to the present no division was ever existent.

The quest for one's spiritual center is not a short one, indeed it lasts a lifetime. Each culture has its rites of passage, even western society which has become unaware of the necessity of having a spiritual center, but has definitely felt what author Thomas Moore has termed "Soul loss".

In an interview, Joseph Campbell gave us a clue how to determine what faction determined the values of society. He suggested looking at the tallest buildings which would show us just what that community valued. The tallest buildings have moved from temples, to government buildings, to business offices.

Spirituality has been replaced by economics and is now replaced in many areas with dogma. A sad state of affairs indeed in a spiritual life which needs constant acknowledgement and nurture. So what can we do to strengthen our spiritual quest?

The first is a realization that there are two kinds of people. Those who know they are on a spiritual quest and those who do not. In many of the ancient writings, it is illustrated in many different ways all people have a connection to the divine, but some come to the realization only after it becomes obvious it has been there all the time.

Second, look within yourself. Perhaps one of the hardest things we can do, both psychologically and spiritually is to open ourselves completely to lower our own dogmas which stand in the way of growth. Black Elk summed this point up nicely. "The sacred mountain is everywhere." Whoever we are and whatever we are, we are sacred. If for no other reason we have been touched by deity in some fashion or other. This realization will change the way we interact with each other and with us as an individual. Our imperfections are what make us diamonds.

Third, do not get wrapped up in forms. Let your heart respond naturally. You will know if it is a nurturing response or not. The Hindus have a term for the highest form of deity which comes out to translate as, "The name which has not been sullied by human tongues." Form is secondary.

Fourthly, it is OK to walk a solitary spiritual life. Not everyone needs to belong to a church or religious community, although there are gifts in one which are not found in the other. Human beings are communal in nature, but solitary walks are sometimes necessary and are deeply parts of many spiritual quests. One can be solitary, without being a hermit cut off from society.

Whatever your path, live it whole heartedly. Do not half step it, for to do so will result in a stunted spiritual growth. I once heard a speaker say;

"Look at chaos in your life as a divine visitation."

Like anything else in this life, spiritual harmony is something we need to invest time in. You can't just do nothing and expect to have a healthy spiritual life. It has to be embraced and tended, loved and cherished. Weeds and all. Each of us seeks the grail in our own way, but we must never stop seeking.