The Streams of a Spiritual Life
We often see descriptions of healthy living that delineate various domains, a common set being “mind, body, spirit.” Within Religious Naturalism, of course, we do not acknowledge the existence of a “spirit” needing tending. Although we do not have souls that need to be nurtured, it is certainly reasonable to talk about developing a healthy spiritual life.
Exactly what this looks like will be different for every individual, of course, but one might say that it essentially entails promoting meaning, fulfillment, and joy, perhaps from an explicitly religious perspective. By this I mean from an orientation that includes experiences such as gratitude, reverence, and a sense of deep connection with all things.
But if we agree that there is such a thing a spiritual life, it is not really separate from “mind” or “body”, but rather emerges from the total matrix of our biopsychosocial self. In this sense, one’s spiritual life is not unlike one’s sex life. As important as it is for adults to have a healthy sex life, few would list it as a primary domain, e.g. mind, body, sex (although many might list it as a primary interest, of course).
But what really sets spirituality apart is the degree to which it can potentially become infused with virtually all aspects of living. For this reason Sacred River delineates seven core areas of living, all of which can be profitably approached with a spiritual perspective:
- Self—fundamental functions of the self, including the biological, psychological, and characterological.
- Relational—personal friendships, romantic partners, family, and community (e.g. neighbors, colleagues, classmates, etc.).
- Work—labor in domestic, occupational, religious, and community settings.
- Epicurean—creative or enriching experiences, such as art, food, music, travel, sport, dance, theater, and so on.
- Intellectual—development of critical thinking and reason, education, research and analysis, and pedagogy.
- Sociocultural—interaction between the self and the larger culture; working to influence social change in some meaningful way.
- Natural—connection to and experience of the natural world, including and beyond human beings.
In reality, all these Spiritual Streams are interconnected via the body and mind; however, developing a spiritual life is not a metaphysical exercise, but ideally becomes an approach to living. In other words, this list is but a convenient way of focusing attention and implementing pragmatic action. At the same time, I am confident that it does a fairly good job of modeling, if not irreducible then at least well-demarcated domains of human life.
Some of these areas are not traditionally associated with spirituality, especially the Epicurean or Intellectual Streams. Pleasure is often seen in many religions as being the enemy of spiritual purity, with the latter often being the enemy of faith. We think it is time to change both sets of attitudes. I look forward to getting into specifics in another essay, but for now I will say that sacralizing both pleasure and knowledge is a vital step towards integrating spirituality with the goal of genuine human fulfillment.
The point of this brief note is to express the notion that spirituality isn’t something done alongside physical health, emotional well-being, or one’s job, family, or hobbies. While a life can certainly include explicit spiritual practices, such as ritual or meditation, spirituality ideally becomes infused within all activities, allowing for even the most mundane activity to become a source of meaning, fulfillment, and joy. This act of sanctification, of consecration is of living itself. No external authority is needed for this, only the power inherent in your being as a holy expression of Nature.
This is really about the basics of existence. In a book that has now just been released, I lead the reader to a leap in awareness, a fresh look at reality. From this position we then explore the meaning for our life as individuals, as family, as society, as biosphere etc.
There is also a call for new religious initiatives, such as SACRED RIVER. I have studied your website thoroughly and it is amazing to see how your views and those of the book are in agreement, although in different words.
I stress that we are one being, and not different parts. If we really understand reality (through that leap in awareness) then spirituality comes naturally. It is just there. It is the understanding that there is something immaterial to the universe.
The title GODS OF THE EARTH – The Basics Of Existence, can be ordered on line on http://www.GodsoftheEarth.com or over the publisher website: http://www.eloquentbooks.com/GodsoftheEarth.html. The book is shipped from New York. The author can be contacted via his website.
Hans Hämmig, South Africa
http://www.GodsoftheEarth.com
It is the understanding that there is something immaterial to the universe.
I guess it depends on how you define “immaterial”. If you are referring to ideas and feelings about the universe, then sure, those aren’t “material” as such. But the universe itself is material, in the energy/matter sense. Religious Naturalism sees no need to add anything non-material to reality; the universe is perfectly amazing as it is. But perhaps I’m misunderstanding your language.
I stress that we are one being, and not different parts.
Well, we are all different parts of a whole, just like our individual cells are parts of our whole body. Each cell is, in itself, a fully functional and independent system. But together, a new whole emerges. I love emergence theory for this very reason…it provides a model for understanding how I am an individual but also a completely integrated part of society, which is itself fully integrated into the biosphere, which is itself….and on and on.
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PS. I don’t mind a little self-promotion, but just be sure it doesn’t cross over into spam. Thanks.