In the World and Of the World

When I initially committed myself to a life of ministry, I struggled a great deal with the inconsistencies I found between my daily life and who or how I wanted to be. I felt as if there was an enormous chasm between my self-imposed ideas about what and who a minister was supposed to be, and who and how I was in the world at that time. My initial response was to tighten the reins upon myself and do everything I could to avoid those aspects of myself that didn’t fit the model. However, this eventually led to a great deal of guilt, self-loathing, and disappointment. As I entered seminary and began to delve more deeply into the theological aspects of my spirituality, I began to focus more and more on finding ways to take what I was learning and apply it to the questions and concerns of everyday living. My efforts in this area helped me to change my perspective and find ways to begin bridging what I felt to be an impassable chasm between my spirituality and my daily living. Since those early days, I have been a steadfast advocate for the development of practical spirituality. It makes no difference what kind of fantastic concepts you learn or how many varied states of higher consciousness you have reached— unless you can find concrete ways to apply the knowledge and experience you’ve acquired to the task of daily living. I am convinced that this should be the focus of our efforts as long as we have the privilege of embodied consciousness. If we are unable to find ways of applying to our daily lives the things we learn or experience, these insights should be set aside or temporarily disregarded. Life is for living, and if the things we experience and learn cannot help us to do so more fully, they hold very little positive value. 

At the most fundamental level, our spirituality should support, sustain, and undergird our lives. It should not only enhance the living experience but help us to navigate the inevitable storms and difficulties of life in ways that promote further growth and enrich our overall life experience. It should give us hope, create resiliency, encourage balance, promote psychological integration and create a general sense of wholeness and well-being. Any beliefs or practices that do not do so should be set aside or discarded. Far too many of us are holding on to aspects of religious dogma or spiritual practices that create far more problems in our lives than they solve. We must abandon those pathogenic ways of being in favor of those which are more salugenic. But I must also caution against disregarding certain ideas just because we dislike or do not want to hear them. Some things I put away because I was simply just not ready for them; I was not at a level of psycho-spiritual development that would allow me to appreciate or integrate them into my life at that time. However, Spirit has a way of bringing us back to retrieve them as we become more able to receive them. But this requires that we be open to the possibility of re-examining the lessons as they are brought back into our experiences. A healthy spirituality should also provide us with opportunities to stretch beyond our comfort zones and adopt changes that may be difficult to master but will ultimately prove to be in our best interests.

I contend that the fruits of such a spiritual life are intended not only for us but for the world. We are embodied souls, and our path back to spirit is not outside our bodies but within them. The path is not out of or to, but through. As we embrace sensual perception by going inward, we also notice that our inner depth becomes more easily reflected in the world around us. As within, so without. As we make progress on the path, we must share what we have gained for the benefit of those who have not yet reached our position. A truly robust spirituality should compel us to share with others both individually and collectively. It inspires us to co-create with Spirit in ways that benefit us individually and as a human family. To do so, we must be both active in the world and of the world. We exist not as separate entities but as part of a large and tightly woven tapestry. We know this to be true because our inner being confirms it. A rich and vibrant personal spirituality whispers it to us every day. It should fill you with compassion and provide you with opportunities to serve others. The light shining within cannot be covered. True light draws others and gives us the courage to stand up and out for them. It provides us with the courage needed to live out our values and offer our insights to those who will listen. 

There is no such thing as private spirituality or personal piety. Each of us proclaims our ultimate values through the things we do and say—consciously or unconsciously. All you must do is take a brief examination of the kind and quality of manifestations you are bringing forth at any given moment. What you find will reflect your ultimate values. There is no separation. False dichotomies such as personal and private or church and state only erect false barriers that lack substance and power; they only provide a false sense of security. We speak, act, write, vote, and live out our ultimate values through every thought and deed. The issues of our hearts are pouring forth in every single moment. As within – so without. This notion of interconnection serves an integral role in the process of co-creation. As created co-creators, we do so with the divine and with one another. Therefore, we have a responsibility to do so as consciously as we are able. Those of us who are farther along the path of conscious creation must hold space for those who have not yet reached our position. Whether we like it or even choose to acknowledge it, our destinies intertwine with those of every species on the planet and every member of the human family. We are engaged in a massive process of co-creative evolution. 

Far too many spiritual teachers and religious traditions are advocating for a retreat from the world. In my opinion, some have become so heavenly oriented that they are no longer any earthly good. This perspective supports a spirituality that is completely ungrounded and undermines the realities of human embodiment. Some teachers advocate not becoming too involved with the world’s problems or politics and even refuse to discuss their position on various issues to maintain the illusion of neutrality. Some of these teachers and traditions will encourage prayer for the world or divine intervention regarding specific issues – but have turned away from any forms of concrete action. Prayer is an essential and extremely powerful spiritual tool. It is one of—if not the—most important tools we have, but it should not be a substitute for taking prayerfully guided action. It is the first and most important response, but it is just the beginning. The very fact that you feel moved to concern regarding an issue is an important indicator that spirit is leading you toward tangible action. Such action should find birth from time spent in prayer and contemplation regarding the concern. As persons of Spirit, we must always strive to balance prayer and contemplation with spirit-led action. Spirit-inspired action helps to assure that our responses are not knee-jerk reactions based on heightened emotions or the desire for revenge. Instead, we are guided by calm, deliberate, planned actions which are concerned for the best interests of all and not just one particular person or group. 

The use of planned action means we must not only be in the world, but of the world. It is the experience of embodiment which our souls came here to grow and evolve within. Rather than retreat and run, our response should be one of full and total immersion within the world and all that our experiences here can teach us. After all, we are spiritual beings having a human experience. How can we possibly savor the experience if we stick our heads in the sand or run from it? Life is lived now and all our experiences—whether beautiful, grotesque, or mundane—become fuel for the growth of our souls. Our senses, our bodies, and the experiences we have here are essential to the process of spiritual growth and the achievement of heightened levels of aesthetic embodiment. There can be nothing less than total immersion. As we progress further along the path of spiritual evolution, we not only have a responsibility to help uplift our fellow souls but to help uplift all life forms within the biosphere. However, this is not a fear-based attempt to control others based on fundamentalist doctrines and dogma, but rather a compassionate and authentic desire to serve other beings based on our sense of connection to all that is. This response should stem from our own soul’s desire and an ever-deepening sense of compassion for all life. 

As we immerse ourselves in the world, we become more attuned with it. This attunement increases our capacity for deeper aesthetic experience and deeper levels of spiritual embodiment as our souls become more fully integrated with our minds and bodies. The world, humankind and all its problems should be of a part of this attunement. It inspires us to continually find ways we can creatively contribute to the alleviation of suffering and the establishment of equitable relations for all beings. This kind of spirituality leaves no place for extended seclusion from society nor purposefully ignoring the suffering we encounter within it. As Dr. Martin Luther King reminds us, “Human progress never rolls in on the wheels of inevitability; it comes through the tireless efforts of men willing to be co-workers with God…We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that time is always ripe to do right.”  Noel Leo Erskine, King Among the Theologians (Cleveland, Ohio: Pilgrim Press, 1994), 133

The reactions of horror, dismay, and shock we experience as we examine the more grotesque aspects of human life provide us with a much-needed sense of contrast to the love, peace, and light we encounter in other life experiences. The very fact that we even notice this contrast is a glaring indicator that we are called upon by spirit to take steps toward alleviating it. 

When we do so, we become co-creators with Spirit in an ongoing process of inner and outer evolution. To apply co-creation in the metaphysical context, we could equate King’s statements about “co-working with God” with the concept of conscious creation spoken of by many spiritual channels and teachers. The horror and dismay we feel when witnessing acts of sexism, classism, racism, fear, and other forms of hatred are in clear contrast to the sense of transcendence, mutuality, and interrelatedness we experience when in tune with Spirit. A truly connected and authentic spirituality does not lead us to ignore or retreat from these realities – but instead helps us to realize that our individual fulfillment is connected to, and dependent upon the transformational resolution of these contrasts. Our task then is to work as conscious co-creators with Spirit in the transformation of the world’s “isms” and inequities so that all of life may become one just as the divine is one. 

We truly are our brother’s and sister’s keepers. Each of us is caught up within an inescapable web of interdependence and mutuality that encompasses all of humankind—past, present, and future. We owe a debt of gratitude to those who have come before us. Our current place in history requires that we actively participate in the co-creative evolution of all beings in the biosphere. To ensure that our living is not in vain, we must strive to leave a positive legacy for the souls who will inherit this reality in the distant future. Just as it is with our bodies and spirits, each of us is inexplicably intertwined with the other. We bear within us the capacity to mutually affect and be affected. What harms one inevitably harms all. We may not always readily feel the effects of this harm, but rest assured that it touches and corrodes us nonetheless. “Whatever one is or possesses, one owes to many others who have preceded him…each of us lives eternally in the red.” A truly rich and life-affirming spirituality brings this truth to our realization and continues to whisper it as we prayerfully engage in the work of conscious co-creation. By helping others, we also help ourselves. To come to such a realization and take no action as a result of it is to miss the mark completely 

Prayer and contemplation are just the beginning. We must strive to become contemplatives in action. The world needs your voice. The world needs you to share your insights and perspective. The world needs your creative, spiritually inspired contributions. Active contemplatives strive to be in the world and of the world by immersing themselves fully in it. They do this by embracing their embodiment and drawing from its deep inner wells as they go about the process of daily living. Action for the sake of action often results in a great deal of activity that is often misdirected and ineffective. Inspired actions are co-creative. I say this because these actions come from emotion but are not driven by them; rather, they spring from an inner depth that tempers the tendency toward knee-jerk reactions brought about by the power of overwhelming emotions. Because inspired action comes from conscious co-creation, it does more than speak out against what is perceived to be problematic or inequitable. Inspired actions also push toward the manifestation of creative problem-solving strategies which push toward resolutions. These are the features that characterize responses birthed from contemplative action. Kenneth L. Smith and Ira G. Zepp. Jr., Search for the Beloved Community: The Thinking of Martin Luther King, Jr. (Valley Forge, Pennsylvania: Judson Press, 1998), 131.

Contemplative actions are very much akin to the concept of praxis. Praxis involves an ongoing process of action, reflection, and action. Contemplative action begins with prayer and contemplation; moves to spiritually inspired co-creative action followed by a period of reflection and integration; and then back into prayerful contemplation to continue the cycle. Contemplative action is aesthetic because it is both experiential and perceptive. It begins with suprasensuous experience as the catalyst for sensual experience, which is then perceived and apprehended through reflection and integration. Contemplative action is also a circular process with mechanisms for revision and refinement embedded within it. Let’s examine this in context: Tyrone is listening to the news and becomes quite concerned about an issue he is informed about while listening. He recognizes his concern as a point of contrast between the incident and his ultimate values, and how his negative feelings have arisen. He begins to pray and meditate upon the issue as part of his ongoing spiritual practice. As he prays about the issue and what—if any—action he should take at this time. Tyrone is then guided to engage in spiritually inspired action. As he prayerfully engages in action, he receives confirmation that he is on the right path and continues. Afterward, he begins to prayerfully reflect upon his actions and how his experience has impacted both himself and others. He perceives the need for further steps and apprehends ways he can adjust, improve, or change. All of this becomes integrated into his perceptual experience as he once again begins the process of prayer and contemplation that will lead toward his next inspired action. Tyrone has now engaged in the practice of contemplative action. 

The practice of contemplative action is very much akin to the conceptualization of yoga as being a practice because deeper levels of discovery and refinement are ever-possible in both. Because the body changes, yogis know that so too must the actions and subtleties of movement in each session. The ability to notice and work in and with the body to discover and accommodate these changes reinforces this conceptualization of yoga as a practice and helps to keep each encounter fresh and new. The same concept applies to contemplative action; it is an ongoing, ever-deepening, and expanding practice that is open to continual refinement and discovery. As prayer and contemplation deepen our capacity to embody more spiritual light, the physical contexts and circumstances in which we attempt to employ contemplative action are always fresh and new as well. A moment of opportunity missed is never repeated, but Spirit does continuously provide us with opportunities to refine and apply our practice among the various persons and circumstances we encounter within the context of daily life. The ideal of contemplative action as a perpetual practice encourages openness, receptivity, and humility. 

There is a very real and drastically needed place for global thinking, spiritual reflection, and inspired, spirit-led, co-creative action in the world today. Those who have not yet consciously stepped onto the path need our perspective, input, and action now more than ever. We have reached an evolutionary turning point that we cannot ignore. We cannot merely pray it away. We can’t afford the luxury of ignoring it either. There is too much at stake for the encouragement of emotionally charged, fear-based reactions. Digging in and attempting to control or force others to adopt rigid dogmas and antiquated worldviews will only exacerbate situations that are already on the verge of becoming volatile. The solutions and growth we seek are not attainable through the exercise of unilateral power. We need spirit-led, inspired, informed, engaged, innovative, and committed action that is relational and effective. We need spiritually attuned leaders who are committed to being both in the world and of the world. We need contemplatives in action.

TAKE ACTION: To seek deeper faith, artistic insight, and more meaningful prayer life, pick up a copy of Damon Powell’s book entitled “When We Pray: 8 Meditations on the Aesthetics of Prayer and the Spiritual Life” and “When We Pray VII.”