Spiritus

So often linked with ethereal planes or celestial beings, the word “spirit” actually has its roots in a simple earthly physical drive. It derives from the Latin for “breath”: the same word root found in “respiration.”

 “Spirit” is a word synonymous with “courage” and “valor” because it is named for the most fundamental triumph: breathing fully, and thus continuing to live.

“Spirit” was thus not named for life-pausing acts of meditative breathing, stillness, or contemplation. Rather, the word spirit originates from the physical act that propels life and action: the breathing that keeps one from drowning under water, the heightened breathing that allows one to evade the mouth of death or protect others from it, the expanded capacity for breath that propels one to chase down what is needed or desired, and the controlled breathing that sustains the notes of soul-baring singing. Spirit is not exclusive to human beings; animals have great capacity for spirit, which they effortlessly reveal.

Spirituality in its most fundamental sense concerns only spirit. It has no need of religions, deities, gods, cults, icons, gurus, symbols, shrines, scriptures, congregations, or other human constructs in order to be at its most powerful. Spirit in and of itself has no compulsions to announce or categorize itself.

Spirit can morph through time and space, working over and around seemingly insurmountable obstacles. It can do so without gratification, without rite, without validation, and without reward beyond itself.

Spirit does not come from above, but from below. It bubbles up from the darkest swamps of real life but can eventually transcend human representation. It cannot be expressly taught, will not be substituted for by ritual, and cannot be fully elucidated by human knowledge. True spirit resonates even when sound waves have stopped. It can permeate in silence. It often defaults to a place without speech, because even the most eloquent words are poor conductors of its power.

Spirit shines in the eyes, in the hands, in a voice. It can nourish lasting discernment and unbreakable wills. It can live on through sacrifices and creations. Even when the breath of a body ceases, true spirit remains.