ABSTRACT
There are many descriptions of spirituality that reflect how difficult it is to define. People also disagree about whether to define the spiritual or not; some see it as problematic to try to define what is essentially subjective, beyond words, but others find being more explicit helpful. Essentially here, I use a definition that emphasises the experience of the spiritual as transcendent and grounded, which can be recognised across all spiritual and religious groups and traditions. Religion is relatively easy to define in terms of those in a particular religious tradition sharing beliefs, coming together for shared worship and other rituals usually supported by a trained religious leader, who also helps foster a sense of community and mutual support. Four separate groups of people are identified: those who do not see themselves as spiritual or religious (but for whom meaning is important), those who see themselves as having spiritual practices but are not religious, those who identify as religious but not limited to one religious tradition and those who identify with one religious tradition. Finally, the implications for practice with all four groups are named briefly.
