11 Spiritual Ideas to Ponder in Your Spare Time

Spirituality is the way we find our connection to everything around us, and for some, as a way to connect with the source of all life, whatever that is.  But mostly, it's made up the little things around us on a daily basis.  As a RUUist, I am always thinking of how things relate to my own existence and that of those around me.  I ponder different open-ended ideas, such as:

1. Are ghosts really real?  And if so, how could science explain them?  If not, then are we just putting meaning into a part of life that we don't understand and pushing ourselves to the point of hallucination? 
2. What if our universe is a being of it's own and we're just the bacteria or virus inside of it?  If so, then how do we find meaning in our existence?  Would there be any meaning at all?  And if so, does our meaning have anything to do with the universe at all?  Are we even connected?  Or are our existences totally separate?  If so, does that even matter?
3. How come when I think of certain people in my life who have passed away, all of sudden their song will come on the radio?  Is it them sending me that song?  Is it some higher power assuring me they are okay?  Is just just a (very timely and quite often) coincidence? (note: I have "Life Songs" for all people in my life that are deceased).
4. Last summer I was in my backyard and was entertained by an anise swallowtail butterfly for at least an hour.  It was very interested in me and didn't care that I was another (very big) being capable of hurting it.  It just trusted me and loved tickling my toes by landing on them and hanging out on them for minutes at a time.  Was that a sign?  Was it a spirit of a loved one who passed was now embodying this gorgeous butterfly?  Or as it just an insect who wanted to do something different that day?  Does it even matter? 
5. Are spiritual experiences caused by an outside force?  Or are they made by our own brains?
6. How come when I need to know something I can ask a question (to myself?  the universe? etc.) and either throughout the day or in my dreams, my question will be answered?  The bigger the question, the longer it takes to get the answer, but usually the questions are small and are answered the same day.  Is this my own brain unlocking the information?  Like the information is deep in my brain somewhere and needs time to be found, like a computer file, and then I am accessing ideas in the outer world that make sense to me?  Or is there something bigger at play here?
7. Where do dreams come from?  How do our brains sift through the infinite images we have in our heads and patch them together into the experience we ultimately have?  And what am I dreaming about that I don't remember?  Will there be machines one day that can record our dreams so can watch them at a later date?  Would I even want to?
8. Why do we have the need to create things?  Why do some people have it more than others?  And why are some people born with it and others have to work at it?
9. Why is some art healing?  What possible evolutionary purpose explains that? Surely there must be something spiritual attached to it. 
10. Can science be spiritual?  The book "Waking Up" by Sam Harris entertains this idea.  He's an atheist neuroscientist and he proposes the notion that science indeed can be spiritual.
11. What if the Buddha, Jesus, and Mohammad were real dudes?  What if they were just trying to explain something they experienced in a drug-induced hallucination or a mental delusion but the messages got all goofed up.  And then they ended up just like other "gurus" who bent and distorted their original ideas to fit their own agendas?  Just a thought. (note: this is a funny thought, but something I ponder nonetheless)

Those are just 11 random ideas to get you started.  If you think of any more, please share them below.  I'd love to know what types of ideas other people like to ponder in their spare time.

Just because you don't believe, doesn't mean you can't philosophize about spiritual ideas.  Not only is it fun, it can be eye opening and lead to more ideas to ponder at a later date.

So go and ponder something great today and maybe start a "Pondering Notebook".   You can record your thoughts and ideas and maybe even one day, build them into a book to publish.  Or you can just tuck it under your mattress and read it later :)