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Living Spiritually

Salvador Dali, The Harmony of the Spheres (1978)

Spirituality is the sense of reaching out beyond the self. If each of us is a tree, the spirit is the branches; the soul is the roots.

  • By having a reverence for life, we enter into a spiritual relation with the world By practicing reverence for life we become good, deep, and alive. [attributed to Albert Schweitzer]
  • Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life. [attributed to Ludwig van Beethoven]
  • Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men. [Martin Luther King, Jr.]

Spirituality can be defined in many ways. Broadly: “Spirituality is a multidimensional construct which includes religious, existentialistic, and relational issues and has different layers such as faith as the core, related attitudes and conviction, and subsequent behaviors and practices.” A study on spiritual sensitivity of children frames it as “what is happening both outside and within him or herself, and the further ability to respond accordingly.”

In our model, spirituality consists of three elements:

  • A sense of being connected or related to something greater than the self;
  • A sense of internal integration, or wholeness; and
  • A sense of being intensely alive, as when all things seem new and vibrant.

The first two elements comprise the harmonic component of spirituality: integration within and without. The third element is its strength.

For scientific naturalists, including most Humanists, spirituality does not include a sense of connectedness to a personal god but it can include a sense of transcendental connectedness, i.e., a sense of connectedness with a higher power, such as the universe itself. We need not live with a sense of “cosmic insignificance”. On the contrary, a naturalistic understanding can contribute to a deep sense of awe, wonder, and natural piety, as it did for Einstein (see also here).

Spirituality is a way of looking at things, an attitude, and a way of approaching life. Several models have been developed.

Spirituality branches into meaning and purpose, as mental health and other professionals are discovering. “. . . a core group of medical academics and practitioners (have) launched a movement to reclaim medicine’s spiritual roots, defining spirituality broadly as a search for meaning, purpose, and connectedness.”

“There is a growing presence in the literature about how spirituality is a concern to the wellbeing of human beings.” “Spirituality has been associated with well-being, quality of life, lower levels of depression and anxiety, and lower use of drugs.” “Understanding spirituality is an important aspect for healthcare research and clinical practice.” “Some studies have systematically assessed the effects of spiritual practice (SP) on the brain using combined neuropsychological testing and functional imaging.”

Existential intelligence is a form of connectedness with things that stand at the farthest reaches beyond the self. Existential intelligence, or “spiritual intelligence” is defined as “Sensitivity and capacity to tackle deep questions about human existence, such as the meaning of life, why do we die, and how did we get here”. Howard Gardner, who identified it as one of nine kinds of intelligence, defines it as “the cognitive capacity to raise and ponder ‘big questions’—queries about love, about evil, about life and death— indeed, about the nature and quality of existence.” Non-theistic spiritual intelligence may include “self-reflection and awareness that lead to a deep understanding of one’s own values, beliefs, and purpose in life; ethical and humanistic values that can encompass the ability to live in accordance with one’s values, promote empathy, and contribute positively to society without relying on religious doctrines for guidance; mindfulness and contemplation practices that focus on being present in the moment, cultivating a deep understanding of oneself, and fostering a sense of inner peace; or the connection to nature and humanity, which may involve recognizing and fostering a sense of interconnectedness with the world and fellow human beings.”

Critical existential thinking has been defined as “deducing and creating meaning based upon deep understanding of existence-related questions and the ability to use differing levels of emotion to facilitate problem solving”. It “involves an individual’s ability to use collective values and intuition to understand others and the world around them. People who excel in this intelligence typically are able to see the big picture. Philosophers, theologians and life coaches are among that those Gardner sees as having high existential intelligence.” According to Gardner, the father of multiple intelligences theory: “Cultures devise religious, mystical, or metaphysical systems for dealing with existential issues; and in modern times or in secular settings, aesthetic, philosophical, and scientific works and systems also speak to this ensemble of human needs.”

Scholarship has been generated on existential well-being and spiritual intelligence. “ . . . regression analysis results indicate that critical existential thinking is the first predictor dimension of spiritual intelligence in terms of neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness.” Existential elements of psychological recovery have been proposed. “Physicians’ vulnerability facing life and death has been underestimated.” Researchers have addressed the importance of existential issues among university students, and in information sciences, public health leadership, clinical medicine, rehabilitation settings, nursing (see also here), methadone maintenance treatment, intensive care units, and in-hospital care generally. Existential issues have been studied in relation to martial satisfaction, job satisfaction, job engagement, pregnancy, intergroup helping, attraction to opposite-sex faces, breastfeeding, aggression, risky sexual practices, high-risk behaviors generally, cyber bullying, delusions, addiction, alcohol use disorders, Parkinson’s disease, congenital heart disease, pain medicine, palliative care, caregiving for the elderly, breast cancer survival, chemotherapy patients, care of cancer patients generally, diabetes in adolescents (see also here), post-traumatic stress disorder, adolescent depression, anxiety and stress, despair, depression, and gardening. Photography has been proposed as a means of addressing existential concerns. A debate has arisen about moral bioenhancement. “Existential issues do not necessarily result in existential suffering”.

Full-blown spirituality encompasses more than merely thinking; it is also an experience. It is about being aware of what lies beyond the self, and also of what resides within. It includes an intense sense of aliveness. When all of these are being fully expressed, the distinction we call spirituality has been realized.

Spirituality is one of those words that many atheists love to hate but for a scientific naturalist no less than anyone else, the idea is too important and too widely considered to ignore. As with all similar words and ideas, the flaw is in the interpretation, not in the experience. By identifying its components from a naturalistic perspective, we can better understand and use it.

Real

True Narratives

Book narratives:

Technical and Analytical Readings

Photographs

Documentary and Educational Films

Imaginary

Fictional Narratives

As soon as he was reborn, Scrooge began to live in the spirit. Here is one of his first encounters on the morning of his enlightenment. Now people were no longer annoyances; they were beautiful, delightful people:

He had not gone far, when coming on towards him he beheld the portly gentleman, who had walked into his counting-house the day before, and said, "Scrooge and Marley's, I believe?"  It sent a pang across his heart to think how this old gentleman would look upon him when they met; but he knew what path lay straight before him, and he took it.  "My dear sir," said Scrooge, quickening his pace, and taking the old gentleman by both his hands. "How do you do? I hope you succeeded yesterday. It was very kind of you. A merry Christmas to you, sir!"  "Mr. Scrooge?"  "Yes," said Scrooge. "That is my name, and I fear it may not be pleasant to you. Allow me to ask your pardon. And will you have the goodness"--here Scrooge whispered in his ear.  "Lord bless me!" cried the gentleman, as if his breath were taken away. "My dear Mr. Scrooge, are you serious?"  "If you please," said Scrooge. "Not a farthing less. A great many back-payments are included in it, I assure you. Will you do me that favour?"  "My dear sir," said the other, shaking hands with him. "I don't know what to say to such munifi--"  "Don't say anything, please," retorted Scrooge. "Come and see me. Will you come and see me?"  "I will!" cried the old gentleman. And it was clear he meant to do it.  "Thank'ee," said Scrooge. "I am much obliged to you. I thank you fifty times. Bless you!"  He went to church, and walked about the streets, and watched the people hurrying to and fro, and patted children on the head, and questioned beggars, and looked down into the kitchens of houses, and up to the windows, and found that everything could yield him pleasure. He had never dreamed that any walk--that anything--could give him so much happiness. In the afternoon he turned his steps towards his nephew's house.  [Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol (1843), Stave V: “The End of It”.]

 

On Quasimodo's spiritual contribution to the community:

The presence of this extraordinary being caused, as it were, a breath of life to circulate throughout the entire cathedral. It seemed as though there escaped from him, at least according to the growing superstitions of the crowd, a mysterious emanation which animated all the stones of Notre-Dame, and made the deep bowels of the ancient church to palpitate. It sufficed for people to know that he was there, to make them believe that they beheld the thousand statues of the galleries and the fronts in motion. And the cathedral did indeed seem a docile and obedient creature beneath his hand; it waited on his will to raise its great voice; it was possessed and filled with Quasimodo, as with a familiar spirit. One would have said that he made the immense edifice breathe. He was everywhere about it; in fact, he multiplied himself on all points of the structure. Now one perceived with affright at the very top of one of the towers, a fantastic dwarf climbing, writhing, crawling on all fours, descending outside above the abyss, leaping from projection to projection, and going to ransack the belly of some sculptured gorgon; it was Quasimodo dislodging the crows. Again, in some obscure corner of the church one came in contact with a sort of living chimera, crouching and scowling; it was Quasimodo engaged in thought. Sometimes one caught sight, upon a bell tower, of an enormous head and a bundle of disordered limbs swinging furiously at the end of a rope; it was Quasimodo ringing vespers or the Angelus. Often at night a hideous form was seen wandering along the frail balustrade of carved lacework, which crowns the towers and borders the circumference of the apse; again it was the hunchback of Notre-Dame. Then, said the women of the neighborhood, the whole church took on something fantastic, supernatural, horrible; eyes and mouths were opened, here and there; one heard the dogs, the monsters, and the gargoyles of stone, which keep watch night and day, with outstretched neck and open jaws, around the monstrous cathedral, barking. And, if it was a Christmas Eve, while the great bell, which seemed to emit the death rattle, summoned the faithful to the midnight mass, such an air was spread over the sombre façade that one would have declared that the grand portal was devouring the throng, and that the rose window was watching it. And all this came from Quasimodo. Egypt would have taken him for the god of this temple; the Middle Ages believed him to be its demon: he was in fact its soul. [Victor Hugo, Notre-Dame de Paris, or, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1831), Volume I, Book Fourth, Chapter III, “Immanis Pecoris Custos, Immanior Ipse”.]

Poetry

Poems:

Music: Composers, artists, and major works

In life and in art, classical pianist Maria João Pires has reached out beyond herself. “Since the 1970s, she has devoted herself to reflecting the influence of art in life, community and education, trying to discover new ways of establishing this way of thinking in society. She has searched for new ways which, respecting the development of individuals and cultures, encourage the sharing of ideas.” In her own words: “We have a responsibility to lead our life in the best possible way, to help others and to share this planet with compassion. Music and art are the deepest expressions of our soul and the direct transmission of our universe. I think everyone is born an artist and art should be shared with all people on this planet.” She “brings exquisite refinement, profound emotional depth, and intellectual insight to her playing. Her ability to go beyond the analytical and seek out the spiritual dimension of the music often reveals hidden meanings and unexpected nuances.” “It is hardly surprising that Maria João Pires is frequently called 'a pianist without a trace of narcissism, among the most eloquent master musicians of our time.'” Here is a link to her playlists.

Alice Coltrane was a champion of spirituality in jazz. Her albums include:

Ganavya Prema Muditha follows Coltrane with her album “Daughter of a Temple” (2024) (48’): “. . . Tamil Nadu-raised singer Ganavya offers up cultural fusion of spiritual jazz, Indian traditions and devotional music that is rooted in collaboration and a free-flowing approach." Here is a link to her albums and singles.

Solo music on the Native American flute:

Carl Nielsen, Symphony No. 3, Op. 27, FS 60, CNW 27, “Sinfonia espansiva” (1913) (approx. 35-40’): the music suggests fully participating in the thrilling roller-coaster ride of life. “The Third Symphony is based on a Mahlerian counterpoint between life's joy and its attendant sorrow; one cannot exist without the other.” “According to Robert Simpson, Nielsen’s ‘espansiva’ terminology referred to ‘the outward growth of the mind’s scope and the expansion of life that comes from it.’ Nielsen was attempting to demonstrate the notion that great art, although forged from the private fires that burn inside an artist, seeks to grow beyond its origin and contribute to humanity’s collective experience.” “. . . the impression is of a work that draws big breaths, sings and strides in long paragraphs.” Top recorded performances are conducted by Jensen in 1959, Bernstein in 1965, Blomstedt in 1975, Berglund in 1989, Neeme Järvi in 1991; Gilbert in 2012 ***, Oramo in 2014, Colin Davis in 2014, Storgårds in 2015, and Dausgaard in 2017.

Other compositions:

Albums:

Music: songs and other short pieces

Visual Arts

Film and Stage