Tag: spiritual journey

Spiritual Activism: Receiving and Responding to Inspirations of Divine Energy (last essay of series)

For this seventh and final essay of this series, I return to the revised definition of spiritual activism I offered in essay two.

Spiritual activism: Intentionally reforming (i.e., challenging to the status quo/business as usual) words and actions for the common good (and/or justice for vulnerable and/or oppressed people, animals, nature, etc.), informed and inspired by a growing understanding (and possibly direct experience) of the ultimate unity of all life coupled with an intensifying inner love for others, life, and the Spirit of Life (i.e., God, Ground of Being, Universal Love, Divine Light, etc.) AND, over time, a deep healing/ liberation/recovery from destructive habitual patterns, in part, by regular, consistent, long-term spiritual practices.

Yes, there is a lot to work with in this definition of spiritual activism. Thus, I invite you to read and reread it aloud, slowly. With that working definition refresh, let us also return to Dante’s Divine Comedy. You may recall that Dante began his journey lost in the dark woods until Virgil arrived and offered him guidance to the Mount of Joy visible in the distance but blocked by three beasts (see essay #5).

With Virgil’s guidance as well as much inner work along the way, Dante makes his way from the dark woods to a bright green, light filled forest, the final level of Purgatory, the Garden of Earthly Paradise where Virgil crowns him the lord of himself (i.e., self-awareness & self-mastery). As Vernon highlights, Dante’s motivation is now pure; his will correctly oriented, and his heart is free to love fully and genuinely. Virgil then bids Dante farewell and departs as reason has taken Dante as far as it can to the border of Paradise (i.e., the transformation/union phase of the spiritual journey). Beatrice (symbol of love) enters the story and becomes his primary guide into Paradise (Note: I am barely scratching the surface of this timeless classical masterpiece. I encourage you to explore it directly yourself along with the assistance of Vernon’s Dante’s Divine Comedy: A Guide for the Spiritual Journey and/or Dante’s Road: The Journey Home for the Modern Soul by Marc Thomas Shaw).

As beautifully illustrated in Dante’s Divine Comedy, the transformative/union phase of the “3-Fold Way” necessitates a letting go of rational understanding; a dropping of preconceived notions and an opening of mind to more unitive ways of knowing while also surrendering to the flow of divine intelligence and energy. From my limited understanding of Taoism, we could also refer to this as wuwei or entering a state of active receptivity. In this state of active receptivity, we open ourselves to the flow of life energy or life force (aka, Holy Spirit, ruach, shakti, chi, etc.) and to the fresh inspirations or movements of the soul that may arise as we surrender our personal agendas.

It is important to note that this is a practice of a lifetime that requires discernment and humility, self-honesty, and openness to feedback themes (Note: If multiple people provide similar feedback, there may be something there to examine). It is also helpful to observe the impact actions have on others—unifying or divisive, helpful or hurtful, constructive or destructive? However, most if not all the systems of self-transformation I have studied and worked with directly emphasize the need for detachment to specific outcomes or results. In other words, assuming good intentions, right effort, and an authentic discernment process, we follow the inspirations and “we let go and let God.” It is critical to reemphasize the necessity for regular self-observation and examination of conscience, in addition to engaging in reality checks with a trusted friend, coach, or spiritual director. Humans have blind spots, shortcomings, and biases. We are all a work in progress! We are going to fail and fall, repeatedly; however, that is the path of healing, maturation, and transformation.

I am going to conclude this series on the topic of spiritual activism with this final essay even though there is much I have not covered adequately. Therefore, if you have not yet chosen a holistic and comprehensive system of self-transformation, please do so before moving on from this essay and series, because as highlighted by Brant Cortright in his book, Psychotherapy and Spirit,  “People generally think of the spiritual path as safe-if not easy, then at least a protective haven from the existential insecurity of life, a soothing balm from the inevitable anxieties, fears, and pain of living. But like any great endeavor, the spiritual journey also has its risks and dangers.”

We live in amazing times with the world’s wisdom traditions at our fingertips; however, simply reading these essays or a book or two on spirituality will have little value. The value comes from adopting a way of life that nurtures healing, maturation, wholeness, and transformation over the course of a lifetime. Happy travels fellow sojourner and spiritual activist! Our world needs YOU!

Spiritual Activism: Healing Ourselves, Healing Our World (Essay 1 of Series)

The labyrinth of Chartres cathedral

When I first created the working title for this essay in parallel with a mini course on the topic, the subtitle I used was “Transforming Ourselves, Transforming our World.” However, when asked to shorten the description for the announcement, I returned it with the subtitle, “Healing Ourselves…”  Once I discovered my “error” I quickly made a note to send an email to correct it. However, upon reflection, I realized that “healing” was a more fitting term for this initial essay on spiritual activism, because as I have learned from study of various models of the spiritual journey and my life experience, this journey, a life-long endeavor, typically begins with some phase of inner healing.

For the last eight months, I have been studying Dante’s Divine Comedy. Thanks to a brilliant teacher and guide, Mark Vernon, author of the book, “Dante’s Divine Comedy: A Guide for the Spiritual Journey,” the treasure of Dante’s masterpiece has become accessible to me for the first time (I highly encourage you to check out Vernon’s book and/or his YouTube Channel). In the Divine Comedy, Dante used the classical Christian “3-Fold Way” of purgation (Inferno), illumination (Purgatorio), and union(Paradiso) to illuminate the spiritual journey.

For this essay series on the topic of spiritual activism, I will use the modern terms healing, maturation, and transformation in place of these traditional terms. In addition, I would like to emphasize that this 3-Fold Way stage model of the spiritual journey is one of multiple models that attempt to provide a conceptual framework for spiritual life. In addition, as cautioned by various spiritual teachers I have read (e.g., Thomas Keating, Richard Rohr), these stages are not neatly linear but more interwoven and “spirally” like a strand of DNA and make up an ineffable adventure of a lifetime. In addition, it is also important to note that if one engages the body, mind, and emotions along with intentional practices (e.g., self-observation, meditation, prayer, fasting, etc.) to heal, mature, and transform spiritually, the process can be deepened and accelerated (see Ken Wilber’s Integral Theory writings or my blog essays on Wilber’s work).

Interestingly, I recently heard a teaching by American psychologist, mystic, author, and former monk, James Finley stating that we humans like to jump to transformation and the mystical and avoid healing and the ordinary because the latter are painful, but we cannot. He further added that we need to understand that God is in the healing and ordinary as much as the transformative and mystical.

Reflection on these topics and the need to prepare for the mini-course I agreed to offer on this topic, inspired me to commit to creating a series of essays on being and becoming a spiritual activist. These two decisions were heavily influenced by over 20 years of activism and my longtime study of religious and non-religious systems of self-transformation to include but not limited to Contemplative Christianity, Buddhism, the 12-Steps, Integral Theory (Ken Wilber), and the Fourth Way.

Before I move into discussing the healing stage of the spiritual journey, I would like to offer my working definition of the concept of spiritual activism. By spiritual activism, I am referring to intentional reforming words and actions for greater harmony, justice, or the common good, inspired by a growing understanding (and possibly direct experience) of the ultimate unity or oneness of all life coupled with an intensifying love for others, life, and the Source (i.e., God, Ground of Being, Allah, Divine Light, Eternal Love, etc.) fostered and deepened, in part, by regular spiritual practices. I will return to the topic of spiritual practices and disciplines in a future essay.

So, where to begin the healing phase of this spiritual journey? As American Buddhist nun, Pema Chodron, teaches, “you start where you are” which for most of us is in a state that spiritual teachers often call “lostness” or simply being “asleep.” Of course, we usually do not know we are spiritually asleep until something happens (e.g., COVID, a divorce, employment loss, a terminal diagnosis, a death of a loved one, etc.), and our world falls apart or our life reaches a point of unmanageability due to an addiction to drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling, etc. While these are extremely difficult life circumstances, these periods can propel us into a spiritual awakening by shaking and shattering our world (internal and external) to allow the light of a new perspective in and to ignite a spark of hope for a new way of living.

To be continued.