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(Number 304)
Answer to a question about SPIRITUALITY
Greetings,
In the next few postings, I am going to try and address a few topics
that always come up in regards to Paganism, with subjects ranging
from spiritualism, monotheism vs patheism in a general sense, then
move onto Wicca and its real history and perhaps a look back at pagan
history in general. I also have some ideas on magick and the various
systems and "models" of magick together with other viewpoints I hope
will be of interest to everyone.
SPIRITUALITY
This subject is often coming up in conversations that I have with
members and the term "spirituality" is often bantered around rather
broadly and expanded upon into areas not actually classified as
spiritual, so I thought I'd try and take this time to whittle this
broad banter down a little into a better perspective, (as best as I
can with such a subject anyway).
In order to facilitate clearer communication in such an area that, as
I've just said, very often becomes very "fuzzy" because of
specialized or unclear definitions, let us try to actually define the
term `Spirituality' and the sense of its real meaning and use in this
posting. Please remember that it is only one persons view, (and you
might well disagree, but that is what chat groups are about yah?).
However, I will try to properly define this word and subject, as best
as I can.
The term "spirituality" (as used here) is reserved for `situations
that involve personal experiences of unique dimensions of reality
that give one's life and general existence a numinous quality'. You
might have to re-read that again, but I think it succinctly sums the
actual term up, at least as best as vocalizing such a nebulous
subject allows anyway.
Jung, (and you know how much I like Jung) actually used the
term "numinous" for the description of experiences that feel sacred,
holy, or out of the ordinary, (in the sense of a special feeling of
ultimate meaning or reality). Therefore, spirituality characterizes
individual relationship to the universe and does not necessarily
require a formal structure, collective ritual, or mediation by a
priest or other external authority figure. Good so far! (I hope)
Religion on the other hand, is a form of `organized group activity'
that may or may not be conducive to (or even supportive of) `true'
spirituality, depending on the degree to which it provides a context
for personal discovery and experience of the numinous dimensions of
reality. While at the root of most great religions are the direct
visionary revelations of their founders, such as prophets, seers, and
saints – but sadly over time in many (most) instances religions have
lost their connection with this vital core.
Experiences and mental states involving `personal encounters with the
numinous dimensions of consciousness' are of two different types.
Included in the first are, experiences of the "immanent divine", or
perceptions of divine intelligence expressing itself in the world of
everyday reality? All of creation - people, animals, plants, and
inanimate objects - seems to be permeated by the same cosmic essence
and divine light.
A person in this state suddenly sees that everything in the universe
is a manifestation and expression of the same cosmic energy and that
separation and boundaries are illusory. In theology, this is called
Monism. This is also the core experience of the "all is illusion"
claim in some belief systems.
Experiences in the second category do not necessarily represent a
different perception of what is already known but reveal a rich
spectrum of dimensions of reality that `are ordinarily hidden from
human awareness' and are not available in the everyday
consciousness. These might well be referred to as experiences of
the "transcendent divine". A typical example would be a vision of
a/the (as you like) God as a radiant source of light of supernatural
beauty, or a sense of personal fusion and identity with a God
perceived in this way. Visions of various archetypal beings, such as
deities, demons, ancient powers, legendary Gods, and spirit guides,
also belong in this category. Other experiences do not involve
merely individual superhuman or otherword entities but entire
mythological realms, such as heavens, hells, and purgatories, and/or
various sceneries and landscapes unlike anything known on earth.
This seems to be the nature of many reports of Native
American "Shamanic Journeyings" for example.
What interest to those studying practical magick are the practical
consequences of personal encounters with spiritual realities. For
the people who have had them, the existence of the immanent and
transcendent divine is not a matter of unfounded belief, but a fact
based on direct experience - much as our attitude toward the material
reality of our everyday life is based on first-hand sensory
perceptions. In contrast, a mere `belief' is an `opinion' about the
nature of reality `based on specific forms of indoctrination', or
the `reading of religious literature' and therefore, lacks direct
experiential validation. Yet once again, we are brought up against
the very difficult problems of integrating personal realities with
consensual reality, or at least, in integrating them closely enough
so that they can be discussed in a meaningful manner.
One of the practical consequences of these spiritual experiences is
permanent physiological change in the one experiencing them. There
is usually also a set of `perceptual changes', as well, as (often) an
ability to experience more of these episodes and not always with full
control over when they will occur. In other words, the whole mind-
body-spirit linkage takes on new dimensions and depth, and can become
very difficult to understand and manage! To be sure, "no one" has an
experience of this type and remains the same person they were before.
A common physiological change that I feel results from these types of
experiences is a change in the individual's general state of health.
Allergies and allergic type reactions are a typical area of change.
Someone who had few allergies may find that they suddenly react
strongly to a number of substances that did not bother them
previously, and conversely, (more often in fact) the reverse also
happens. Of course this deviation from the core subject is open to
discussion.
The perceptual changes that happen can also be very confusing and
might not be logically grasped 'initially - if at all'. People seem
to experience a whole new "tone" and new levels of meaning to their
everyday perceptions. There is often an increase in the sensitivity
in their sight, hearing, smell, taste, and tactile senses, as well as
what one person described as a new "depth" to the sensations, i.e.
they felt as if all of their senses had previously been muffled or
distorted, and now those distortions were suddenly removed. Don't
forget that I'm not just speaking of paganism here, but in such
insights from any 'awakening'.
Another common phenomenon that results from direct experience of the
numinous is that `further experiences become more likely',
and "shifts" in consciousness become facilitated. Some people, who
do not have a good background in self-analysis and "taking charge" of
their lives, find that it is very easy to lose control and quickly
become unable to deal with the everyday world. Even those who are
actively seeking and working hard to achieve personal growth and are
used to dealing with their innermost thoughts and psychological
functioning's find these experiences causing a lot of hard work!
This sort of thing has to be "realized" from within, felt deeply
rather than merely read - as I'm 'always' harping on about. It is a
wonderful "inner journey", (or microcosm). Spirituality, as in
anything deeply mystical, the meaning cannot be simply communicated
intellectually; it has to work through an analogous process within
the individual; a stream of symbols, images and deep experiences,
rather than a mere explanation or repetitious dogma.
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