On Defining Spirit

"What then is the spiritual? I find it difficult to define directly. It's much easier to say what it isn't that what it is. For example -- the spiritual is often confused with the moral, but it's not the moral. Morality is concerned with issues of right and wrong. Although often attributed to the "godhead", it actually has a social basis and reflects a social tradition or consensus. What is considered moral varies from culture to culture and from time to time within the same culture. Furthermore, morality often serves as the basis for judgment, for one group of people separating themselves form other groups, or one individual separating from others. Yet the spiritual is profoundly non-judgmental and non-separative. " In this thought-provoking piece, celebrated physician and author Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen approaches a definition of the spiritual.

http://www.dailygood.org/story/2215/on-defining-spirit-rachel-naomi-remen/