Swimming the Sacred River

To my mind, there is no such objective thing as essence, at least in the sense of a soul, genius, augoeides, higher self, or other non-corporeal form of self-being. In relation to this, I also do not recognize different spiritual states. By that, I mean that any experience of a “spiritual state” is a purely psychological phenomenon. This is not a bad thing at all; in fact, I am a big proponent of seeking such experiences. But they are purely subjective—no one is “more spiritual” than another person in any essential, objective sense.

There is a reason I put these two things together, spiritual states and essence. Religious transformations have not been shown to change the fundamental nature of people—such experiences can often change things like attitudes, aims, and beliefs, but not personal capabilities, bio-psycho functioning (with a caveat given below), or personality (a la the Big Five). Rather, such transformations often are aimed not at the biopsychosocial self but at one’s essential self, frequently in terms of being “born again,” “initiated,” or “attained.” The idea of attaining to objective spiritual states is an ancient one, although it takes a good number of forms, depending on the model one is working within. It’s useful to remember that those models are all manmade.

Now then, certain religious practices certainly can change brain function—meditation, Yoga, and entheogen intake, for example. But it must be noted that significant changes to brain chemistry can also be induced by other practices, such as playing music, riding a roller coaster, or making love. The ability to change one’s mental state does not imply nor require the existence of a spiritual essence.

For the most part, I don’t care one way or another if someone believes in spiritual essence. But I am disturbed by many beliefs associated with it. For example, I very much dislike the idea that one’s essence requires certain experiences for whatever reason and manipulates events to make them happen—this is an especially distressing explanation of why suffering and cruelty occur (e.g. “she was raped because her soul needed to learn something from that experience”). This general belief is dangerous because it takes agency and responsibility away from people and places it on mysterious, unseen forces.

Another related problem is spiritual bypassing. In this case, when someone wants to avoid dealing with difficult or intractable problems in real life, or even just normal adult responsibilities, it is possible to focus on one’s spiritual essence. Similarly, people who are insecure can assuage their social anxiety by claiming spiritual superiority. In both cases, working with spiritual essence becomes a substitute for improving practical and social skills, becoming more conscientious, and facing personal demons.

For myself, I simply think that spiritual essence is not a very useful idea. Humans are not modeled on a Platonic ideal nor powered by an ethereal battery. We do not have a spiritual constituent within ourselves that rises or falls on some mystical axis. Rather, all things arise dynamically out of the complex soup of reality, a moment to moment emergence of being. As such, our existence does not require an unseen force, just as light does not need a luminiferous aether within which to travel.

It should be no surprise to you by now that I would argue that the root issue is existential anxiety. Belief in a spiritual essence can provide an emotional buffer against an indifferent universe. This makes perfect sense—it’s challenging to think of being stuck in such a dangerous place as Nature. There is a social element as well; humans are intrinsically social creatures, and as such are designed to work within hierarchies. When someone feels socially inadequate, imagining an idealized spiritual self can be a great comfort. Again, perfectly sensible.

This is why I believe it is so important in one’s spiritual life to work within several core areas, including intentionality, connectivity, character, exploration, and creativity. These are all areas that can lead to improved meaning, fulfillment, and joy. At the same time, it is useful to remember that the flesh is not corrupt, we are not Fallen, and no Final Judgment awaits us. There is no Grand Scale upon which our essential spirits are weighed. We simply are what we are, and what we are is both amazing and sacred, through and through. Our job, therefore, is not to be purified, idealized, or ascended, but rather to examine ourselves and work towards reaching our given potential, whatever that might be. We can always find ways to express ourselves in a more genuine way, to expand our horizons and gain insight into life and the universe. This really is a grand adventure and we are marvelous creatures. If we want to call this totality of our being essence, then I would be satisfied.

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