Part One: Faith

Chapter One: Elementary My Dear

1.9 Spirit in a Strange Land

Before we had faith in God, or Brahman, or a Higher Power, we had faith in spirit. It was the very first concept, that we know of, that represented a “Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence”. It represented an animating force in nature which was behind all life; compelling it into action. (This “behind the scene” idea was later incorporated into Greek mythology where our life here on earth was seen as poor

imitation, or reflection, of what was really going on beyond the clouds.)

A spiritual crisis is looming today as we are loosing, or have already lost, that sensation of faith that was universal to our forefathers of all beliefs and from everywhere around the globe. It is increasingly difficult for us moderns to conceive just what this Other World of spirit actually is. And how it affects our day to day existence. In ancient times we felt a direct and immediate presence of this Other World and its diverse number of beings - souls, spirits, angels, and demons.

Science’s incredible discoveries about this world and it’s great success in improving living conditions, were achieved through a process of divide and concur, if you will. (I say this world rather than the material world because it remains to be seen whether the Other World might contain matter and physical forces just like ours but cannot be directly perceived or measured from this one or not.) The Scientific process can be imagined as smashing something to bits in order to examine the components of which it is made. This reductionist process, others as well as myself believe, has had profound side-effects on the current social and spiritual climate. With it’s own particular jargon and their implied meanings, reductionism has worked it’s way into our minds (and ‘hearts’) and has affected the collective social consciousness through academia, the media, and even through our religious institutions. Always seeking to categorize and classify; an inherent trait of humankind as we touched on in the last section. The pervasive influence of this process of “division”, I hope to convey, is a major contributing factor to the increasing indifference in interpersonal relationships and the breakdown of social cohesion between groups.

Karen Armstrong put it very succinctly:

One of the reasons why religion seems irrelevant today is that many of us no longer have the sense that we are surrounded by the unseen. Our scientific culture educates us to focus our attention on the physical and material world in front of us. This method of looking at the world has achieved great results. One of its consequences, however, is that we have, as it were, edited out the sense of the "spiritual" or the "holy" which pervades the lives of people in more traditional societies at every level and which was once an essential component of our human experience of the world. In the South Sea Islands, they call this mysterious force mana; others experience it as a presence or spirit; sometimes it has been felt as an impersonal power, like a form of radioactivity or electricity. It was believed to reside in the tribal chief, in plants, rocks or animals. The Latins experienced numina (spirits) in sacred groves; Arabs felt that the landscape was populated by the jinn. Naturally people wanted to get in touch with this reality and make it work for them, but they also simply wanted to admire it. When they personalized the unseen forces and made them gods, associated with the wind, sun, sea and stars but possessing human characteristics, they were expressing their sense of affinity with the unseen and with the world around them.¹

Marriages, perhaps the most sacred of our spiritual and social tenants, fail at an ever increasing rate and is a good example of our lost faith (at least in each other...). Families, partnerships, and even friendships, seem to shorten in duration as if to keep pace with our rapidly changing “space age” lives.  (See also 8.4 Peter Pan Can - Relationships)

This process began long before the 60’s and its “new age” ideas of a utopian liberation through personal individuation. But the 60’s did serve to shatter the constraints of a rigid social system that stifled “outrageous” or “improper” behaviors. Behaviors like putting ourselves first; before another person, before society, before faith. Yet it has become such that in our chaotic modern lives One is easier to analyze and place a clear value on than is Two or more. We find that it is increasingly more acceptable to “walk” if life seems too demanding or if relationships become to burdensome. In this respect we are very far indeed from the “village” that is needed to raise the healthy child into a socialized (read: civilized) adult. We fall out of relationship not only with each other, but with our very environment.

If we are to attempt any beneficial understanding of spirit in modern times, we need to recognize before anything else, the historical significance - intellectually, morally, and ethically - of just what this Other World of spirits and souls has traditionally meant to us.

“...Spiritual used to carry a connotation of psychics and ghosts and séances (oh, my!). But new age “spiritualists” have redefined the word so as to be fresh and optimistic for the ears of current generations. [Actually, upon even further reflection, what is thrown around as “spiritual” with modern Spiritualists such as yourself, is not so much a redefinition as it is a lack of definition at all!] You and your groupies talk about “spirit” with an apparent deep recognition of it’s importance in “personal growth”, yet when pressed for an accounting of what this “spiritual” is that is so important, nobody seems to have any clear definition whatsoever! Just what the hell is it that we are all talking about that is so important yet remains so vague as to mean nothing at all?”²

Many of the most recent “spiritual” movements are not only vague in there definition of the Other World but suggest that it’s not important to understand it in order for it (whatever IT is) to provide benefits in our life. It is so careful not to tread on any toes - a broad spectrum approach refined by Alcoholics Anonymous - that it leaves all descriptions of IT up to the discretion of the individual. Gee, thanks a lot. That helps me feel better - NOT! I am looking for answers, not gushy feely “it’s OK little one” grade school patronizing! And since they will not admit to any one philosophy at the risk of offending, their ideas of How To Live is just as meaningless. How do we express our Faith? What can we DO to make our lives more meaningful? Meditate or pray? Do Yoga or Self-flagellation? All of the above is the indecisive answer of most modern spiritualists (except the latter of course).

Across all cultures and all Faiths, the universal means of attaining connection with the spirit world is through the act of (often ritualized) devotion³.  

Devotion to another person through the ritual of marriage (or any formal “pairing”) and living according to it’s rules of conduct. Devotion to God through the ritual of baptism, becoming a member of the church and living by it’s moral rules of conduct. Devotion to the country or "community" in which we live (patriotism) and living (and dying if necessary) according to it’s governing laws of conduct. This does not mean that, as may have been implied in the last paragraph, that devotion is exclusive. There is absolutely nothing that indicates a combination of devotional methods can not be incorporated in our How To Live philosophy and the actions we perform to carry out that philosophy in our day to day lives. There is however much that suggests that simply going through the motions without an adequate UNDERSTANDING of the history and purpose of such devotions render them useless except as simple mimicry; mere animal behavior. Of course we could use any and all devotional methods available to us. If one has the time to learn and master them all. Most people don’t even have time to understand their inherited religious devotions, let alone practice them, and certainly don’t have time to devote all their productive day to learning every religion of the world and its practices. (Except ‘weirdo's’ like myself who seem to enjoy devoting their lives to just that pursuit...)

A similar and equally old idea that needs to be understood in its historical role is that of worship⁴. 

Almost as soon as we conceived of spirits, we began to worship them. To appeal to their good nature to help us in the more important of life’s activities. And as, with many other of our new skills, we ritualized them so as to maintain continuity between generations, and perhaps to assist in their refinement as time went on. And even as we share the same genes, we are each unique and different, and so I can easily envision arguments erupting as to the best way to perform these essential exercises in worship. Then, as ritual came to be of greater importance in the lives of our ancestors, there became a need for a leader, or leaders, to decide which of all the individual variations on ritual was acceptable worship. The knot between religious practices and a governing body, or bodies, was tied and would last for thousands of years and hundreds of generations. (There were, arguably, tribal or group leaders before spirit worship and its’ rituals arose, but it was the religious leaders, I believe, that ascended the brute will of the tribal leaders and provided us with the first concept of Law as we will examine shortly.)

Now I must confess that at a casual glance it might appear as if I were making preparations to support the creationist, Judeo-Christian point of view by validating the concepts of devotion and worship. It may also appear that I am accusing Science, and it’s reductionism, as being the villain in the process of spiritual de-cohesion. This is not my intention on either count. Both of these social institutions are equally responsible. The institutions of organized religion (or other “houses of worship”) that increasingly fail to inspire the modern intellect, AND the colleges and universities that organize and teach the sciences as and end to a means, have both played a part in the creation of the conflict and indecisiveness in each camp.

It was our Faith in spirit (and the Other World in which these beings reside) that guided us to live by certain codes of conduct, harsh as they may seem now, for thousands of years. Codes that, in the century just past, we have altered or erased altogether. It was our Faith that led certain men to begin piecing together an image of God’s creation. And to use that image to enlighten and lengthen life. It gave us the knowledge to, in this time, build a technological civilization that our predecessors could not have dreamed of (ok, with a few exceptions...). And in our arrogance, that same knowledge, without the wisdom of self restraint, the “proper conduct” if you will, allowed us to poison the earth in the process.

We have been assertive enough to achieve a democratic civilization where freedom reigns. We would be naive to think there will be no equally unforeseen consequences on the mind that in the same way technology has had consequences on the environment. For example the ways we seek to achieve ‘downtime’ when life becomes too stressful. Shutting down a situation with popular dismissive phrases like “whatever” works to separate consciousness from a stressful situation but at the cost of possibly offending or hurting another - only adding more to their stress level. Good Mind management is the basis of both Religion and the Psychological Sciences. Both seem unable to keep pace with the mental environment which is changing and growing every moment.

It would be foolish to suggest that we go backwards; promote another Dark Age. I don’t think Life is ment to work that way. The point here is that if we can be smart enough to change technologies (or invent new technology) that will enable us to reverse the changes we have made to our planet, what can we do to save our sense of spiritual connection with God (read: The Universe)? By recognizing the changing nature of faith in an increasingly complex society, we could, as a species, benefit from taking the matter as seriously as we are now learning to do with our external environment. Or like Global Warming, it could end up with dire consequences to the psyche of humanity that will not be easily corrected if allowed to go too far.

(Global Warming is happening by the way. And according to latest studies published in several journals of science in recent months, the original time estimates were extremely conservative, perhaps to allay any “War of the Worlds” type panic. Its happening VERY FAST; much faster than you were told or would want to allow yourself to believe. If you don’t own a central air conditioning system, you may want to revise your budget to include one, like now...)

We are entitled to freedom and democracy, but need it cost us our souls (insert: if they truly exist)? Indifference and apathy run rampant. Twenty percent of our countrymen, our neighbors, have been, or are currently in, our prison system according to recent statistics (that’s two out of every 10 people!!) You want to talk about actual cost in terms of dollars and cents?! Oy!

I am not trying to paint a portrait of a world in chaos. Any kind of pre-apocalyptic scenario. There are certainly many well adjusted and fulfilled people in our society and in the world at large. But, on the other hand, watching a few reruns of Jerry Springer or other exposé programs, or getting intimate with a larger slice of the “average” citizenry in your neighborhood (excluding Beverly Hills of course) and you will become immediately aware of the need for a more substantive spiritual and/or social philosophy.

By examining the problem of social and spiritual de-cohesion from a historical perspective, we can hopefully begin to visualize some possible solutions. We know about Global Warming from historical trends in climactic changes. But could there be a Global Warming of the Mind (and the Spirit) lurking just around the bend? I believe there is. And concurrent with this development I also feel there is evidence that we are rapidly reaching a next step in the evolution of the human Mind. I have faith that we can come through these evolutionary “birth pangs” triumphant.

It is vital to our understanding of the current influence of the New Age World on Mind and Spirit by reflecting on the past. Perhaps then we can appreciate the strong influence of science’s methodology on the ways our Minds learn to perceive and relate to our modern world in a spiritual way. An obvious example of this would be in psychological “therapies” currently popular in our culture that directly replaced the role of the priests. Psychologists and Therapists now perform the duties once assigned to religion’s representatives (and to a lesser degree by various Kings and Rulers). We need to acknowledge that not all of science’s achievements have lead to a happier, healthier existence, have sometimes hurt, and at worse, done no better than its predecessors.

I do not intent to cast any doubts as to the credibility of spirit, but in order to reflect on the significance of spirit I recall that at the time spirit was first conceived, man was little more than another animal huddling together in caves (according to the science community anyway). It is truly one of the oldest ideas to come out of the human Mind. Aside from purely practical stuff like bows and arrows and spears and cooked meat. (I like to play on this juxtaposition of “higher” and “lower” conceptualizations of early man when I use my “alter” ego on the internet: “[email protected]”) The idea of spirit was probably felt before we even had a word for it. It’s that old. It is synonymous with consciousness, Mind, and the most appropriate axiom of humanities separation from the rest of the animal kingdom, sentience. Many call it spirit-awareness. Yet this presence of spirit and the Other Word, has to many of us in modern times seemed like a stranger indeed.

#1  Karen Armstrong - A History of God; pg 4 /Ballantine Books  [Back to Text]

#2  From a personal letter to a local AIDS support facility which uses a spiritualist approach to “well being maintenance”.  [Back to Text]

#3  devotion:   (Amer. Her. 3rd Ed.) 1. Ardent, often selfless affection and dedication, as to a person. See Synonyms at Love. 2. Religious ardor or zeal; piety. 3. Often devotions a. An act of religious observance or prayer, especially when private. b. Prayers or religious texts: a book of devotions. 4. The act of devoting or the state of being devoted.  [Back to Text]

#4  worship: 1. a. The reverent love and devotion accorded a deity, an idol, or a sacred object. b. The ceremonies, prayers, or other religious forms by which this love is expressed. 2. Ardent devotion; adoration. 3. Often Worship. Chiefly British. Used as a form of address for magistrates, mayors, and certain other dignitaries: Your Worship.    [Back to Text]