You may remember the tests as a child: putting blocks into patterns, working out which of two trains would reach their destination first. Your performance on such tests would be rated as an IQ score. This would supposedly indicate your potential for success in the world. In those days intelligence was defined solely in terms of your mental functioning: could you use reason and logic to solve problems? Psychologists have come to realise, however, that rational intelligence does not guarantee a successful or happy life. You can have an IQ score that qualifies you for membership of Mensa and yet still live a life that is socially, emotionally or vocationally dysfunctional.

Emotional 'intelligence' is therefore recognised as an additional quality needed in a person's makeup. It gives the person the ability to work effectively as part of a team and to form satisfactory relationships with others. We could even move a step further and consider spiritual 'intelligence' as another important capacity to develop. Our spiritual nature includes our capacity for love and compassion and the awareness of being part of a greater whole. Without some form of spiritual sensibility we can have an outwardly successful life but feel an inner emptiness and a lack of meaning and fulfillment.

Spirituality can seem irrelevant in today's global techno-corporate culture. Money is the final arbiter in political and corporate decision-making and the media often emphasise wealth, goods and lifestyle. Spirituality is invisible from this focus, but if you look at the level of individuals you find many people speak of having a spiritual focus in their lives.

This new spirituality incorporates the wisdom of many cultures and religions. First, there is an emphasis on developing an inner awareness and equanimity that comes from Eastern religions. There is acknowledgement of the indigenous cultures' wisdom that understands the existence of a spirit of the land and that human beings need to work with the earth rather than plunder it. There is also a commitment to making a contribution to the external world that is part of the Christian tradition of 'good works'. There is the notion that people can have direct experience of the spiritual realm themselves; that they do not need a priest to mediate for them. This is similar to old Gnostic religions. Finally, there is the understanding that ritual is important in our lives because it helps to facilitate and honour the milestones and stages in life.

It can be difficult for some people to acknowledge the importance of spiritual intelligence because they associate spirituality with religion. Religion has sidelined half the population. If you are gay, use contraception, engage in premarital sex, are divorced or a single parent or believe in having women priests, religion can appear alienating. A client, Julia, expressed it well: ""I am sick and tired of the guilt. I am sick of the joyless, judgmental attitude of the religion I was brought up with. And yet I miss it... or rather I miss having something.""

Religion is different from spirituality. Religion puts a set of codes, rules and dogma around central spiritual truths. Spirituality, on the other hand, refers simply to the fact that there is another aspect to existence apart from the physical/material realm. Spirituality affirms it is important to take account of this other aspect of reality. This spiritual realm is, in a sense, hidden because it cannot be detected by the intellect or by scientific instruments. You need to develop other capacities in order to sense spiritual reality. Without it, however, life will always seem to be lacking something. You end up with a constant and endless drive for substitute fulfillment, which is what we see going on in our present materialistic, hedonistic culture.