This topic came up for me today while listening to the radio. I found some judgement in myself against a person simply exercising their right to believe in something that I happen to find a bit bonkers. Pure escapism, I thought. Oh Maggie. For one thing, it’s perfectly valid to want to use any means of relief in a world that is increasingly horrible to live in. If the person is functioning, happy, contributing and doing no harm to anyone else then the problem is really with me – and probably because I have the same doubts about my own spirituality. We could of course, claim that, alongside spirituality, books, television and the internet are forms of escaping into other worlds. How about holidays, long walks, visiting galleries, sport? It is so easy to think the dividing line between what constitutes the ‘real world,’ and what fantasy, is the same for everyone – but what happens if we look under the hood of those assumptions?
Optimism
Research indicates that people who pursue an active faith are happier and more optimistic. Now, we could get into semantics about whether spirituality and faith are the same, but let’s not. Instead I’m going to suggest that a spirituality is less to do with belief and more to do with active engagement with some form of (most often benevolent) consciousness beyond yourself. It just makes the load easier if you think the universe is listening and that you matter to it. Like so many people I went through a dark night of the soul in my late teens and one of my conclusions at the end of it was that I preferred a life where I thought we mattered to the universe to one to one where we didn’t.
Optimism is, in my view, very different to fatalism. I don’t believe that a saviour is going to come and rescue us at the last minute – but I do find great optimism in believing we are part of a larger consciousness that has nurtured our planet and isn’t going to destroy itself in a hurry..
Ideas
Traditionally, spiritual experiences have been the cradle for inspiration: the muse, genius loci, valkyrie, holy spirit, incubated dreams, deity inspired ecstasy. For a more modern take we can turn to Elizabeth Gilbert’s notion of a divine genius.
Ideas, by their nature, do not exist in anything other than the person who then carries them through into manifestation. We need new ideas in the world, ways of being and doing that weave peace and support more sustainable lifestyles and economies. Frankly, the innovators, trail-blazers and hope-generators can believe in whatever they want – with love, reverence and passion – as long as they keep doing their thing.
Perspective and insight
I’m going to draw on my own spirituality here. Odin, who happens to be my primary patron deity is well known for seeking other perspectives and deeper understanding. I often think this is why his wolves are called Geri and Freki – both meaning ‘greed’. Odin doesn’t eat, so what does he crave? I think it’s wisdom.
Through the course of a single day Odin is said to visit his ‘high seat’ where he and his wife Frigg survey the worlds, he consults with Saga the goddess of prophecy and wisdom over a beverage or two, calls in his ravens Huggin (thought) and Munnin (memory) who bring him news from across the worlds, then he pops over to Urðarbrunnr along with the rest of the Gods to consult with the Nornir (the fates). He’s also not averse to wandering the worlds in disguise to get the real gossip and undertaking shamanic trance rituals or pretty much any description.
Spiritual people do readings, oracles, shamanic journeys, trance rites, rituals and retreats to gain perspectives unavailable to us when we are busy with the ever-day tasks of life.
Once again, a little caveat here. I will, on occasion ask someone to do a reading for me. Not because I’m abrogating responsibility but because I know I have become too entrenched in my own perspective – I need someone who isn’t in the thick of it. Does that mean I will then mindlessly follow what they say? No. I still have agency, it’s simply a more illuminated agency.
Integration and understanding
Gosh our brains are complex things aren’t they? Remember Huggin and Munnin flying all over the worlds and then coming back to Odin with all the juicy tit-bits they have gleaned?
Odin is the integrating, deciding consciousness. As he journeys through his day seeking insights from so many different sources he allows himself to become the space of integration, understanding and decision-making.
Dreaming, meditating, praying, yoga, trance, sound healing (and pretty much any energy healing), embodiment, maze-walking, forest bathing: these are just some of the ways in which we enter states where deep processing can take place. These are the foundation of good decisions – and the world sorely needs them right now.
Respite
Let’s head back to escapism for a moment shall we? Only I’m going to try out a different term: respite. Respite offers us a chance to heal, rest, retreat and regroup. The world is far from perfect, far from it. We all need a space apart to rest and replenish – to draw forth the energy reserves needed to do more than just getting through the day intact.
When spirituality is an active process it takes us out of the head, helping us leave our problems behind rather than carrying them with us so, when the silence hits, they just scream even louder. Sometimes spiritual practices will help us find the answers – but sometimes all we need is space to breathe.
Surrender
Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference – attributed to the Lutheran theologian Reinhold Niebuhr
Spirituality is the difference between surrendering in helplessness and surrendering in hopefullness. I believe that, collectively, we have the power to change the world in ways that individually we have no hope of achieving. It doesn’t really matter whether you hold a Humanist belief that this force for change resides within us, or whether you find that source of strength beyond us. What matters is that, if we try and hold the weight of the world as well as the part that is ours to carry – we will never have the strength.
Last thoughts
I have no doubt I’ve missed out some other key medicines that an active spiritual life offers. Do write to me with your thoughts and ideas – let’s keep growing the list. For my part I wrote this article to remind myself that spirituality comes in many forms and the act of belief, in and of itself, is never a reason to judge someone as wrong. Out there in the world are over 400,000 plant species, more than 30,000 of which have a documented use. Perhaps the diversity of our spiritualities represents the diversity of uses to which those spiritualities need to be put in the world? At the beginning of this article I asked the question: is spirituality escapism or courageous action? My own conclusion is that, far from cowardly escapism, the decision to engage the spiritual self is a conscious exit from current problems to seek out the wisdom and energy we need to take courageous action.
Working my way backwards, I think spirituality can be both, escapism and profound action. For me, when I meditate or simply ponder, I find that my body rests as does the rest of my system. It’s all about energy. And then, if inspired, action can be taken which can be very fulfilling and using up some of that energy to put out into the world in some form of love. As for the madness that’s going on now, I believe that spirituality can step up to determine its voice, it’s action, it’s beingness and then fill in the void that will certainly show up when this becomes exhausted. It is not sustainable that which is going on now. But it seems to be necessary for our growth. For my country, it’s like we’re in our terrible two’s, stretching our newfound powers/voice and throwing tantrums. Ted Andrews mentions that, being that the bald eagle is our country’s totem, the immature eagle is naturally obnoxious. So here we are. I believe we are part of a more profound and important system, more important than we even know. All is sacred as are we. We are children of the earth and sun, truly literally. I can almost feel like we’re being watched to see how we’re doing. When it goes seriously wrong, someone/something intercedes, and we survive. Years ago I read Hank Wesselman’s books starting with Bowl of Light. Over the passage of his books he describes his experiences with someone in the future and he gets to see this future. So in 5000 humanity does survive, but things look very different. And not bad. I wont’ tell you how this is done as I don’t want to spoil the plot in case you read the books, but it’s very reassuring. Spirituality wins out.
But it’s all about evolution. A dear friend of mine who passed five years ago was a walk-in, someone who enters a body from another realm with total agreement on both parties. He was from a blue planet on a different dimension. In many conversations with him, he ended up thinking that he was here to feel what it was like to be in a three dimensional world as his people left that behind long ago. He was hear to become a teacher and go home to show them what this experience is like, to help them make that decision as a collective. They have not been corporeal for eons. So he decided to come for them. This tells me it’s all about evolution, learning…always. So. I hope my simple sharing makes any sense to this conversation. Thank you for this opportunity to tell you a little more about my past. Mahalo nui loa and blessings.
Thank you Kathy. As always I appreciate the depth, generosity and openess of what you bring. To a future where we find our maturity!