The Practical Virtue Proofs of an Authentic and Effective Integral Spirituality Lifestyle

This post appeared over at Integrative Spirituality a few days ago. It seems like a useful list of values that can be obtained through spiritual practice, no matter which tradition one practices in. It includes an anonymous values quiz that asks some good questions.

The Practical Virtue Proofs of an Authentic and Effective Integral Spirituality Lifestyle

When lived in a balance, the list of virtues and values found in this article are the resultant authentic fruits of the Spirit. These fruits of classic, modern and post modern virtues are a reliable and observable broad spiritual community validity "proofs" for the results of authentic and effective spiritual practice, spiritual growth and a congruent spiritual lifestyle for an individual within the world. Compare your current spiritual lifestyle against these virtues criteria now...

Within the majority of world religions they also are considered to be the time-proven community validity and reality tests for the legitimacy of the results that are to be achieved if o­ne is xperiencing authentic spiritual practice and spiritual growth. In the list below you will find some virtues and values from the modern, postmodern and integral worldviews not specifically mentioned in earlier classical or traditional worldview lists of virtues and values.

The virtues below do not absolutely imply belief in a God/Buddha or being self-aware that o­ne is o­n a "spiritual" path. People can embody or practice these values and virtues as a secular humanist. The values and virtues can be also thought of as o­ne of the best results and proofs of authentic "enlightenment."

For ages, these virtues and values have been called the "fruits of the spirit" in humanity’s religious materials. While o­ne could live and demonstrate these virtues without being spiritual, claiming to be spirituality growing or having an authentic and congruent spiritual lifestyle and practice without increasingly manifesting living more of these virtues lived in balance is a spiritual incongruity.

Click here to use our o­nline tool to rate your relationship and life application of the virtues listed below. This will make it easier to see just how balanced your application of them actually is.

Accepting - tolerating without protest, o­n a deeper level recognizing the inherent and neutral truth/existence/"isness" of every occurrence

Adaptable - capable of adapting to varying conditions

Altruistic - unselfish regard for or devotion to the welfare of others

Amiable - being friendly, sociable, and congenial

Appreciative - having or showing gratitude

Attentive - heedful of the comfort or condition of others

Authentic - true to o­ne's own personality, spirit, or character

Autonomous - existing or capable of existing independently

Aware - having or showing realization, perception, or knowledge

Balanced – mental, spiritual and emotional dynamic steadiness

Benevolent - disposed to doing good

Capable - having general efficiency and ability

Centered - emotionally stable and secure

Charitable - merciful or kind in judging others

Committed - able act with deliberation

Communicative - able to transmit information, thought, or feeling so that it is satisfactorily received or understood

Compassionate - showing empathy

Competent - having requisite or adequate ability or qualities

Considerate - thoughtful of the rights and feelings of others

Consistent - marked by harmony, regularity, or steady continuity

Cooperative - a willingness and ability to work with others

Courageous - mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty

Co-Responsible - being a co-responsible agent doing at least your approximately o­ne six billionth fair share part to co-evolve our shared world toward the necessary improvements that you see and know need to be made.

Creative - an ability to create beauty and or art in o­ne’s life as well as bringing increased levels of creativity or co-creativity to solving the problems of life

Decisive - to find out or come to a decision about by investigation, reasoning, or calculation

Devoted - consecrated to a purpose

Direct - free from evasiveness or obscurity

Discerning - showing discriminating insight and understanding

Eco-Friendly - displaying environmental co-responsibility and sustainability

Ethical - guided by that which is morally good

Evolving - moving o­neself forward physically, mentally and spiritually

Fair - characterized by frankness, honesty, impartiality, or candor; open; upright; free from suspicion or bias; equitable; just

Flexible - characterized by a ready capability to adapt to new, different, or changing requirements

Forgiving - allowing room for error or weakness and to give up resentment

Generous - showing or suggesting nobility of feeling and generosity of mind

Good - possessing moral excellence or virtue

Grounded - having a firm foundation

Honest - free from fraud or deception. Marked by integrity. Marked by free, forthright, and sincere expression

Hopeful - desiring some good, accompanied with an expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is obtainable

Humane - compassionate, sympathetic, or considerate towards humans or animals

Humble - not proud or haughty: not arrogant or inappropriately assertive

Inclusive - broad in orientation or scope

Integrative - forming, coordinating, blending or integrating parts into a functioning or unified whole

Interconnected - to be or become or understand our mutually connectedness in the web of life

Interdependent - understanding that both or many parties are needed to be successful

Just - rendering or disposed to render to each o­ne his due; equitable; fair; impartial

Loving - feeling or showing affection

Loyal - true to any person or persons to whom o­ne owes fidelity, especially as a wife to her husband, lovers to each other, and friend to friend; constant; faithful to a cause or a principle.

Ministering - to supply or to things needful; esp., to supply consolation or remedies

Open-minded - ready to entertain new ideas

Patient - good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence

Peaceful - peacefully resistant in response to injustice

Productive - producing, or able to produce, in large measure; fertile; profitable, also creating or maintaining productive, equitable and ethical relationships of exchange with others, society and world

Responsible - to be reliable; to be trustworthy

Self-Disciplined - correcting or regulating o­neself for the sake of improvement

Sufficiency - the quality or state of being sufficient, or adequate to the end proposed, knowing when "enough is enough" particularly in relation to the excesses of materialism

Tolerant - showing respect for the rights or opinions or practices of others

Trustworthy - taking responsibility for o­ne's conduct and obligations. Worthy of trust or belief

Truthful - conformity to reality or actuality

Willing - voluntarily disposed or inclined towards

If you have not done so already click here to use our o­nline tool to rate your relationship and life application of the virtues listed above. This o­nline rating tool will make it far easier to accurately see just how balanced your current application of the virtues actually is.

For more recently added information o­n the values of an integral citizen in the integral age, click here.

For information relating to where the virtues have come from and their relation to both spirituality and nature click here for more o­n Evolutionary Spirituality. To discuss your ideas o­n the virtues, click here.

Tags: Practical Virtue Proofs, Authentic and Effective Integral Spirituality Lifestyle, personal growth, self exploration, values, Integrative Spirituality