Spirituality is the study of what can’t be explained. An intangible current of energy that ties people, ideas, and experiences together. The sensation behind love, loyalty, compassion, and creation. The rationale behind many decisions, good and evil. And yet for something so abstract, spirituality always finds a way to express itself in the tangible. The physical becomes a vessel through which spirituality is seen, shared, and remembered.

Praying turns spirituality into a visible act. The gathering of people in a shared space repeating the same words or gestures, makes a theoretical connection tangible. Each temple shares the same purpose: to present the unexplainable in something real. In these places, with shared rituals, the spiritual becomes approachable. In other words, it’s the building that allows us to touch what cannot otherwise be touched.

It’s important to note that spirituality is different than religion. While religion can channel spirituality, the actual act of devoting one’s spirit isn’t beholden only to a single mind of thought. It can show up in the art we seek or create, our daily routines, and the way we dress ourselves. Even a tattoo, a physical manifestation of a belief, value, or even just a piece of art, is a permanent form of spiritual expression. To others the tattoo may appear aesthetic or arbitrary, but spiritually charged with personal meaning to the person who wears it - physically.

Without form, spirituality remains abstract. Spirituality demands feeling, understanding, and connection. By using something physical to present the complexity of our world, we invite others to experience what we cannot explain. In other words, by placing that which we cannot explain into a physical manifestation, we transform our world into something sharable. And through shared reality, we create invisible bonds: connection, understanding, and love.