Whoever or whatever started existence noticed the enormous emptiness in this universe, and this is when spirituality was created. 

Spirituality is a certain thought or practice that makes someone feel safe. We need to view ourselves—each one of us—as large, and as important as each star in our galaxy. We do not want to be floating on a giant rock in the middle of emptiness with absolutely no control over anything. I think this is why we hold on to our beliefs about creation so dearly. Because without them, we will go back to be the creature that felt lost in nothingness at once. It’s like the feeling of “safety” was lost, and we had traveled so long to find it. And now that we have it, we are ready to do anything to keep it. We created a whole system that we called “religions,” “culture,” “family,” “community,” and “God.” 

Having a place that allows us to let go of all the layers we have wrapped ourselves within is essential for our mental health. This can mean prayer, meditation, yoga, song, place, person, or anything that feels limitless; no rules or restrictions. A time and space that opens up a range of possibilities. What we learn gets tied to us like a rope, but the moment we surrender and open up in a safe space, the rope gets so loose that beautiful warm light fills us. The less we open up and surrender, the more this rope will keep getting tighter until we consume ourselves like the stars. 

My favorite practice of prayer is to set my phone timer for one minute, and in this minute, I give myself the chance to be completely free. If the word “free” feels confusing to you, here are a few things that might help. Freedom, for me, is being without overwhelming thoughts. Now for a whole minute, don’t allow these thoughts to excite; there are no people around you, no problems, no tasks. It’s only you there. The idea of this prayer is not to give up important things, but rather see them as they are, and see yourself as you are.