There is more wisdom in your body [and spirit] than in your deepest philosophy! - Friedrich Nietzsche
As the modern spiritual-Christian Leader Neale Donald Walsch observes,
"Health is an announcement of agreement between your body, mind and spirit. Honor your body, keep it in good shape. When you are not healthy, look to see which parts of you disagree. Your body will demonstrate the truth to you. Notice what it is showing you, listen to what it is saying."
Healing is the return of the memory of wholeness. Healing, health, whole and holy all mean inclusiveness. Body, mind, spirit, environment, relationships, social interactions are all one wholeness, and you're a part of that one wholeness.
Deepak Chopra
The Body-Mind-Spirit Paradigm-Model
As a theoretical model or paradigm, the Body-Mind-Spirit Model is, without question, a very natural, common-sense, and easily grasped model of the human “being!” It is not surprisingly, then, that the Body-Mind-Spirit Paradigm appeared very early in human history in the some of the earliest human societies and most 'primitive' or traditional cultures. For instance, Native American cultures such as the Tukudika culture, and the Hawaiian Ho’omana religious beliefs had a body-mind-spirt spiritual-hierarchy for human beings remarkably similar to the Body-Mind-Spirit hierarchy of Pythagoras.
Furthermore, the body-mind-spirit paradigm is also found in the Christian Bible as well: “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Also, in Hebrews the Bible states, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
Modern medical science has recently revitalized the idea of body-mind-spirt. Dr. Sood, a Mayo Clinic doctor who heads up “Integrative” medicine for the Mayo clinic highlights the role of spirituality in health and a person’s sense of well-being. Dr. Koenig, from Duke University heads up a similar medical research group at Duke University. Dr. Koenig has done a substantial amount of meticulous research conducted according to rigorous scientific standards into the role of spirituality in health and well-being. (i. e. effects of spirituality on blood pressure, etc.) There is also Dr. Paul Wong, an existential-positive psychologist and well-known author, who also focuses on spirituality in its wider sense of meaning, purpose, creativity, and meaning creation.
Also, numerous spiritual, mystic, as well as Christian leaders now advocate the body mind-spirit paradigm in their approach to health – and spirituality. For instance, Neale Donald Walsch, a contemporary Christian leader, states unequivocally that “Health is an announcement of agreement between your body, mind and spirit. Honor your body, keep it in good shape. When you are not healthy, look to see which parts of you disagree. Your body will demonstrate the truth to you. Notice what it is showing you, listen to what it is saying.”
The Idea-symbols or Archetypes of “spirit” date back tens of thousands of years in Human History.
Genetic Religiosity and Unconscious Spiritual Experiences:
As the psychiatrist McGilChrist as well as the social psychologist Kay Deux, , have pointed out the “rigid adherence” to – the complete scientific fixation with - the Materialist Methodology of quantification and laboratory experiments resulted in some very important aspects of the human consciousness and human behaviors being overlooked and ignored. Two extremely important aspects of human consciousness – group related instincts and spirituality - were ignored. The extreme emotions connected with group related instincts were bypassed simply because it is not possible to get genocides into a laboratory setting. Of course, “spirit” cannot be quantified either. The result was that “officially the social sciences and the science of psychology generally view spiritual and religious beliefs as “superstitious nonsense. The question of spiritual and religious beliefs is complicated by the issue of the “supernatural aspect of spiritual and religious beliefs.”
The end result is that spiritual and religious beliefs are not taken seriously in most academic circles. That is in stark contrast to the historical reality of religious and spiritual beliefs. Historically religious beliefs clearly have been an incredibly powerful force in human consciousness. There would be no question that after tens of thousands of years the forces would be intrinsic and embedded in the unconscious of the human mind and the collective unconscious as well. It is utter foolishness to think these forces – especially being unresolved would just go way and disappear if they are ignored – as social science has largely been doing up to now. Ironically, in human history – which the science of psychology totally ignored – there are tons and tons of facts and evidence that, though one cannot prove spiritual and religious beliefs due to the supernatural issue, unquestionably would prove beyond any doubt that the “existence” of spiritual and religious beliefs is very real and an extremely salient scientific truth.
What social scientist as well as ordinary people should keep in mind is that genetic research from numerous studies reveal that some traits of religiosity are without question 'genetic.' Tim Spector, in the article, What Twins Reveal About The Science Of Faith (Popular Science, August 8, 2013) states, “They [the researchers] estimated the hereditability of spirituality to be around 40 to 50 percent.
Some research by psychologists supports that proposition as well. For instance, Fraser Watts, the religious scholar points out that in one study-survey of spiritual experiences revealed that of the people who reported spiritual experiences 24% of them were atheists. That fact is also consistent with recent research by Bargh and others which demonstrates that unconscious processes are a substantial source for processing of information, perceptions, as well as motivations.
Furthermore, that is consistent with Jung’s theory that “spirit” is an autonomous unconscious spiritual process with some independence of operation similar to “conscience” which can over-ride the ego at times. That is also consistent with my personal experience with some spiritual-psychic experiences.
So, the point is that the idea-symbols from our past and prehistoric history, perhaps dating back beyond the prehistoric humans would likely be present – and “active” at certain times and in certain circumstances.
The Tukudika Native Americans, or Sheepeater Shoshone
Surprisingly, in researching Native American Spirituality, I found that several cultures had a ‘spiritual hierarchy with multiple levels for the spirit or soul. The Tukudika tribal religion had a spiritual-hierarchy for a human being's “spirit” remarkably similar to the Body-Mind-Spirit hierarchy of Pythagoras.
Background
The Tukudika (which, in their language, translates as “eaters of big game or white meat”) Native American tribe, or the Sheepeater Shoshone, as they were called because much of their diet were bighorn sheep, were a sub-group of the Shoshone Indians. Shoshone were also known as buffalo hunters, rabbit eaters, fish eaters and the Shoshone also lived on fish, nuts, berries, the root of the camas flower, bitterroot, as well as other miscellaneous edible plants. The mountain dwelling marmots, similar in size to the prairie dog, sometimes called whistle dogs, or whistle pigs (because of their shrill whistle-call they made) were a delicacy to the Tukudika Indians. The Sheep Eater natives were known to steer and herd bighorn sheep into ‘corrals’ created by constructing fences in order to easily kill them.
When ‘western civilization’ first encountered the Tukudika tribe, the tribe were the only native peoples to live in the Yellowstone region year-round. The Tukudika were expert bow makers and craftsmen and had an excellent reputation as bow makers. Their bows were highly sought in trade. They took bighorn sheep horns and heated them in order to laminate pieces of horn into compound bows. He describes how the bows were probably compound bows since according to myth and legend an obsidian-tipped arrow shot from one of the bows was said to have the ability to pass entirely through a buffalo. They lived in teepees, called wickiups, and they had domesticated some wolves and bred “wolf dogs” - who are now extinct. Sadly, and tragically, the white man brought his diseases with him - like small pox – which decimated Native Americans throughout the Americas. Most of the Tukudika tribes were later pushed by the white men into the rugged and mountainous areas of Wyoming, Utah, and Idaho. Sheep brought by the white men also had diseases that were passed along to the wild bighorn sheep as well – making for a secondary disaster.
The Tukudika "Body-Mind-Spirit" Archetype-Model Hierarchy
The Tukudika tribal religion had a spiritual-hierarchy for a human being remarkably similar to the Body-Mind-Spirit hierarchy of Pythagoras. The ‘body-soul’ or ‘body-spirit’ of a person was called “mugua.” The “suap-spirit” is intimately connected to the “breath” of a person, and could best be understood as embodying conscious thought, or the mind. The true “spirit” is the “navushieip-spirit” or soul which could leave the body in dreams or during spiritual trances. Finally, the Sheep Eater Shoshone believed a guardian spirit watched over a person and is connected with the navushieip-spirit of the person. So, again, the theme of Body-Mind-Soul appears in culture, probably due to its somewhat natural way of comprehending the human being and body. Any Tukudika who successfully completed a “spiritual quest” would, of course, possess a spiritual power which would make him a puhagan - a medicine man or shaman —who could use his spirit-power to become a powerful warrior, or, alternatively, to cure the sick.
In the spirit-world, the Tukudika believed in a supreme Ta Apo, or ‘Our Father,’ linked closely to the sun – probably similar to the Sioux or Ojibwe ‘Great Spirit concept. Lightning and thunder were produced by powerful spirits. In their world-view the “Sky People, who were powerful spirits in animals and the world were above the “Ground People.” Below them were the “Water People,” some of whom were a variety of pandzoavits, the ghostlike creatures of water ghosts. It is noteworthy that in Tukudika folklore, similar to the tales told by Homer in the Iliad of the god Apollo, who shot ‘plague-arrows’ at the Greek Achaeans to inflict sickness and disease on them, the Sheep Eaters believed that evil spirits shot invisible arrows at people that caused illness and disease.
In early Native American tribes and culture the Tukudika were not the only tribe to embrace the body-mind-spirit paradigm. The Lakota Sioux of the Plains Indian cultures of North America, also, distinguish between a physical soul, woniya, a cognitive soul, nagi, and a divine spiritual soul, nagila. And the Innuit (Eskimo), who traditionally lived as hunters in the circumpolar regions of North America and Greenland, also proclaim that we have three souls-a breath soul that we receive at birth, anerneq, a name soul that is given to us after birth, ateq, and an immortal, spiritual soul, tarneq, that is the true essence of who and what we are. Also, the Polynesian Ho’omana religion of Hawaii also recognizes three different types or levels of “spirit,” which would be roughly equivalent to the body-mind-spirit hierarchy of the ancient Greek philosopher Pythagoras.
The Hawaiian Ho’omana religion and the Body-Mind-Spirit Paradiagm
Though many native Hawaiian “kahunas” (elders, authorities) feel there is - properly speaking - no true word for the Hawaiian religion, some understand Hawaiian religion as “ho'omana.” Putting the prefix ho'o in front of the word mana changes the meaning from a noun into a verb, which would mean 'to empower' or 'to place in authority.' The Ho’omana religion actually recognizes three different types or levels of “spirit,” which would be roughly equivalent to the Body-Mind-Spirit hierarchy of Pythagoras. The unihipilior spirit, or lower soul, equates with the ‘physical body,’ the uhane spirit can be understood as the ‘mind,’ while the 'aumakua soul would be the higher soul or ‘spirit.’ The word, 'aumakua, could perhaps be best translated as "utterly trustworthy ancestral spirit." It should be noted that, in Polynesian culture, as well as most other primitive societal belief systems, human beings had “souls” and folklore about the ghosts of deceased men or “spirits” and apparitions were frequently heard tales.
The Polynesian-Hawaiian religion was a dualistic religion in which for every force in nature there was a competing counterpart. While a person could achieve mana through righteousness (pono = right acts), a person could also obtain mana through war and violence. In their religion, Ku, the god of war and rulers, was balanced by Lono, the god of peace and fertility. Hawaii was unique in the Polynesian culture in the worship of gods. One author noted that Hawaii was a very rich island or territory and that wealth created a reason or justification for fighting – which might explain its unique characteristic of a religion with gods and goddesses. Again, it is important to note that the ‘moral’ justification of “violence” in obtaining mana through political aggression is contained within the Hawaiian religious ideology which structured society. The religious beliefs were a “model of and a model for!” Religious beliefs provide structure for societies and groups. It would seem peoples sometimes tended to adapt their religions and religious beliefs to their social and political environment and situation. It would seem reasonable that the density or number of people in a group would produce a ‘measurable’ or ‘observable’ effect on social-political-religious beliefs.
Background: Polynesian Culture and Mana:
The concept of “spirit-Life-Force” appears nearly universal throughout the world in early social cultures, I feel it might be helpful to compare Native American Cultures to the Polynesian culture.
In anthropologist literature, the Polynesian concept of “mana” has been studied and written about, it would be a useful concept to talk about. Mana, in Austronesian languages and Polynesian culture, conveys a sense and meaning of "power", "effectiveness", and "prestige," and is generally understood to have a spiritual or supernatural context of. The word, “mana” appears to be thousands of years old. Some scholars believe the word originally referred to “forces in nature” such as thunderstorms or lightening. In primitive times, all forces in nature would have all the appearances of being supernatural, since there were, back then, no scientific or “natural” explanations for the forces of nature. So, it is believed by some that the ancient word “mana,” though originally referring to forces of nature came to be associated with the “supernatural” and “Spirit.” In his iconic 1891 book, The Melanesians: Studies in their Anthropology and Folk-Lore, the Christian missionary Robert Henry Codrington highlighted the concept of mana in Polynesian culture. From his extensive travels and discussions with natives, he described mana as force or power in the world and nature which is spiritual or supernatural and “distinct” form physical reality. A characteristic of mana is that it seemed to exist independently and distinct from any source or Being.
Mana is impersonal and sacred. One ‘has’ or possesses mana, which confers upon the person an influence, authority, or ability to perform. Famously, the Hawaiian native warriors killed Captain Cook, and then, the Hawaiian natives refused to return the bones of Captain Cook to his crew because the bones contained his mana. It should be noted that the quality of mana is not limited to individuals. Peoples, organizations, and even physical locations as well as inanimate objects may also possess mana. In Māori culture, for instance, mana tangata consists of authority derived from ancestors (genealogy), while mana huaanga consists of authority achieved through gift giving which creates reciprocal obligations. The focus of these two types of mana is on personal prestige and political power. It is important to consider that this conception of mana in Maori creates a justification for certain types of ‘political’ behavior such as gift giving, and as such the religious ideology of mana provides a social structure. As Clifford Geertz observed, ideologies are “a model of, and a model for!” Religious beliefs provide structure for society and groups.
New Age Medicine and New Age Spirituality
Dr. Koenig - Setting the Stage
Dr. Harold G. Koenig, a medical researcher from Duke University, in his article Maintaining Health and Well-Being by Putting Faith into Action During the COVID-19 Pandemic, observes that, medically, without question, that there are "adverse effects on immune functioning that fear, anxiety, and psychological distress cause (Glaser and Kiecolt-Glaser 2005; Coughlin 2012)." Koenig's argument is that by coupling or connecting with the largely unconscious spiritual emotions of the positive aspects of religious beliefs, a person's health will improve. In light of genetic research which shows that some traits of religiosity are inherited and research by Unconscious psychologists like Bargh which shows that the unconscious is the work horse of the human mind, then Koenig's arguments would appear to have a solid basis.
Dr. Koenig states that "Positive emotions, though, have the exact opposite effect on the immune system as do fear and anxiety. Among Christians, these positive emotions are known as the “fruit of the spirit” (love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control; Galatians 5:22–23). Indeed, the first of these is known to cast out fear (1 John 4:18).
Similarly, the Islamic faith gives believers the hope that perfect happiness, peace, tranquility, security and freedom from fear will be present in Paradise, and those who do good deeds and have faith are guaranteed to have a good life here and an everlasting life in Paradise (Qur’an 2:82; 16:97). For Jews, Tehillim (Psalm) 32:11 instructs believers to “Be glad in HaShem, and rejoice, ye righteous; and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart,” while Tehillim 91:2–3 promises protection for those who take refuge in G-d during epidemics: “I will say of HaShem, who is my refuge and my fortress, my G-d, in whom I trust, that He will deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence [widespread infection].”
In Buddhism, the central characteristic of a Buddhist saint (bodhisattva) is acting compassionate toward others. The promised reward is peace and tranquility, as the doer of good deeds is assured joy and bliss both now and also in the hereafter (Dhammapada 16, 28). In fact, randomized controlled trials show that practice of the 7th step on the Eightfold Path, mindfulness, decreases stress levels (Hazlett-Stevens et al. 2019). Mindfulness meditation may also be adapted for Christian elders to reduce stress and anxiety (Ford and Garzon 2017), and similar effects may be achieved by Centering Prayer, which is very much like mindfulness (Blanton 2011). In Hinduism, the Bhagavad Gita emphasizes that fixing one’s mind on the Supreme God provides happiness and peace here and now (5:21;18:65). Research has shown that Hindu-based meditation reduces anxiety and increases positive emotions (Pandya 2019), as does Hindu-based yoga practices (Bonura 2011).
The benefits to the immune system of positive emotions, including those generated by sacred scriptures and activities like those above, are backed by a large and growing volume of objective scientific research (Pressman and Black 2012; Wilson et al. 2017; Brown et al. 2020).........A large and growing volume of research now documents the benefits of religious faith on immune functioning and vulnerability to infection, viral infection in particular."
Dr. Koenig, a medical doctor, who is a prolific writer and authority on the pros and cons of religiosity and spirituality. Dr. Koenig applies stringent scientific methodology in his research, and cites evidence both good and bad in his articles. Much of medical evidence and studies produce some contradictory and difficult to interpret evidence. Dr. Harold Koenig, of Duke University Medical Center summarizes the content of the article Religion and Medicine IV: Religion, Physical Health, and Clinical Implications (INT’L. J. PSYCHIATRY IN MEDICINE, Vol. 31(3) 321-336, 2001): "This review focuses on pain and disability, cardiovascular disease, immune and neuroendocrine function, susceptibility to infection, cancer, and overall mortality."
The results he reviewed reflected, in general, some trends of positive correlations for blood pressure, mortality, and heart disease. Koenig conclude: "There is little doubt that religion may in certain circumstances have adverse effects on health—particularly if beliefs are used to justify negative health behaviors or religious practices are substituted for traditional medical care. While more research and better designed studies are needed, the vast majority of research completed to date indicates that religious beliefs and practices are associated with better mental and physical health." Dr. Koenig goes on to say: "One thing is certain, however. Many of our patients are religious, use religious beliefs to cope with the stress of medical and psychiatric illness, and often have unmet religious or spiritual needs when they become physically or mentally ill. It would be sad indeed if clinicians ignored what might be a readily available, inexpensive, and powerful resource of comfort and healing." One thing Dr. Koenig did not do is separate between religion and spirituality. Most psychologists today, now differentiate between religion and spirituality. (J Relig Health. 2020 May 14 : 1–10)
Mindfulness and Spirituality
It is interesting that in recent times, besides many mystic and Christian leaders such as Neale Walsch embracing the body, mind-spirit paradigm – and mindfulness, as model for health, many modern medical doctors such as Dr. Koenig and Dr. Sood, are returning to the body-mind-spirit concept. Theresa Malin, in her article, Building Kind Resilience, states that "Dr. Sood is Director of Research in the Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.....Dr. Sood has developed an innovative approach toward stress management and resiliency by incorporating concepts from neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, and spirituality." Dr. Sood's research at the Mayo clinic in 2008 with the first randomized clinical trials on the effects of mindfulness techniques to reduce stress, which combined with his focus on neuroscience, spirituality, psychology and philosophy led him to develop an innovative and unique approach and techniques to overcome stress and build resilience.
In explaining his mindfulness, Dr. Sood said that "Our thoughts, if left unchecked, will veer toward searching for potential threats and faultfinding, a natural tendency groomed by generations of our ancestors having to worry about protecting themselves." That is, it takes conscious effort to cultivate positive attitudes and habits. One of the lessons Dr. Sood tries to teach is to "live from the heart" - which can translate to expressing gratitude to others, being attentive and kind to your wife, or even being kind to people in cars that cut you off, to (July 13, 2018 news.mayocliniclabs.com/2018/07/13/building-kind-resilience/)
Neale Walsch, the Christian spiritual leader, who emphasizes that "health" needs to be understood in terms of body-mind-spirit. Walsch also emphasizes Mindfulness and Mediation as very helpful tools for coping in a fast paced, high stress world. For instance Walsch says about meditation and mindfulness that "Stopping Meditation means just that. It means we stop whatever we are doing for just a moment and pay attention to something about it. We dissect it in that moment, and then look closely at one of its individual pieces. This is a little bit different from Walking Meditation, in that it does not take a half hour or more, as Walking Meditation can take. In Walking Meditation we deliberately take a walk for the deliberate purpose of deliberately focusing on a deliberate experience. In Stopping Meditation we do not use nearly as much time, but we can accomplish the same thing." (Stopping Meditation spiritlibrary.com/neale-donald-walsch/stopping-meditation)
Existential and Positive Psychologists have done substantial research into the role of spirituality in physical health and a sense of well-being. An ultra-brief summary of spirituality research comes from Pargamount’s and Mahoney’s article in the Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology: “Generally, involvement in the search for the sacred is associated with beneficial outcomes. People who pray and meditate more often, attend church more frequently, experience a greater sense of connectedness with the sacred, draw more on various spiritual methods of coping to deal with problems, and see the world through a scared lens experience better health and well-being (see Koenig, McCullough, & Larson, 2001; Pargamount, 1997; Pargamount and Mahoney, 2005). (p.615 Handbook of Positive Psychology)
Dr. Paul Wong, is a positive-existential psychologist who bases much of his writing and beliefs on the theory and psychology of Viktor Frankl. The central concept of Frankl's Theory of Human Consciousness that the human “Will to meaning” is the primary drive of the human being and that it is vital and pivotal one way or the other in all the diverse and various processes of the human mind - that a person's unique understanding of the Meaning of life is the primary force that shapes their way of looking at the world. Paul Wong, observes that “Frankl considers meaning seeking as stemming from one’s spiritual nature. According to Frankl, meaning, compassion and other positive psychological resources [goal orientation, ideas and ideals, creativity, imagination, faith, love] belong to the spiritual dimension.” (p.156 Batth anthology)
Noting that “suffering” is an issue that originates early in Christian beliefs being a pivotal issue in the Garden of Eden, Karen Armstrong, a religious scholar, highlights the fact that “suffering” is a pivotal question in spiritual and religious beliefs. Dr. Paul Wong focuses on the question of suffering which Frankl did grapple with – which explains the focus on “endurance” “Ultimate meaning necessarily exceeds and surpasses the finite intellectual capacities of man... What is demanded of man is not, as some existential philosophers teach, to endure the meaninglessness of life, but rather to bear his incapacity to grasp its unconditional meaningfulness in rational terms. Logos is deeper than logic.”
Dr Paul Wong, echoing Dr. Amit Sood beliefs, states that finding balance, peace, and harmony takes some serious conscious efforts to achieve. In his article, How to Find Inner Peace & Life Balance in Times of Crisis, Dr Wong succinctly summaries the forces at work in the mind and the world. Dr. Wong states that: At the heart of inner peace is one’s ability to (a) maintain an optimal balance between opposing forces in any context, (b) live in harmony with the self, others, nature and the supernatural through attunement (Wong, 2014), (c) achieve genuineness or authenticity so that one’s values, thoughts, words, and deeds are congruent with each other, in spite of the pressure of fear and temptations, and (d) develop the ability to tolerate and embrace uncertainty, disconfirmation of expectancies, ambivalent emotions and cognitive dissonance. All of these traits are predicated on living in a hostile world full of suffering and evil. ( by Paul Wong | posted Jun 18, 2020 | Positive Psychology, Writing http://www.drpaulwong.com/the-concluding-chapter-how-to-find-inner-peace-life-balance-in-times-of-crisis/)
Besides, numerous medical doctors, psychologists, spiritual and mystics, some Christian leaders such as Neale Walsch have focused on the implications of spirituality of health. Neale Walsch created Humanity's Team which Walsch envisions as a spiritual movement for the purpose of communicating and conveying his New Spirituality beliefs, especially the idea that "we" are all one with God, one with nature and life, in a collective consciousness and unity as a global state of being. That would be parallel to the Tibetan Buddhist idea of Interbeing - except Interbeing is a form of emptiness in Buddhist thought. Walsch states unequivocally that “Health is an announcement of agreement between your body, mind and spirit. Honor your body, keep it in good shape. When you are not healthy, look to see which parts of you disagree. Your body will demonstrate the truth to you. Notice what it is showing you, listen to what it is saying.”
Genesis: Spirit as Life-Force Intrinsic to People and Nature
It is important I believe to briefly review the prevalence of the Archetype of "Spirit" as Life-Force to grasp the idea that the symbol would also be "prevalent" within the Human Mind and Unconscious and the Collective Unconscious. Also that those unconscious archetypes would not be readily "visible" or apparent to the conscious mind. John Bargh, a researcher into the Unconscious observes that there is a consensus among researchers from neuroscience, behavioral psychology, as well as cognitive psychology that 1) the Unconscious is the work horse of the human mind 2) that a large portion of the processing in the unconscious are to a great degree beyond the awareness of "knowledge" of the conscious mind. "Truths" - again - my personal experience bears out in spades and then some.
Without question, There are some intrinsic dilemmas and paradoxes inherent within the structure of the human mind. Frankl highlights one dilemma of the human mind in the built in conflict in understanding reality and the "Truth" between the "self and others." Frankl states unequivocally that - in the end- the world "demands" from a person "What the meaning of life is." Yet, As Dr. Paul Wong emphasizes, Frankl also states unequivocally that "self-transcendence" depends entirely on understanding the purpose of life in terms of Others - and specifically in terms of "helping" others. As most psychologists acknowledge now, "meaning" in one sense or another is "socially derived." So, Frankl's Paradox, then, is that how can an person - an individual - be an individual if all of the meaning the individual gets comes through others? In a real world sense, as Kenneth Gergen pointed out people, in general, derive much of their identity through groups that they belong to. That is, for instance the vast majority of Americans would identify themselves as Americans in one way or another.
Similarly, in Genesis, God creates man in His image, and since human intelligence has no comparison with an intelligence that "creates" the universe, then "spirit" would seem to be the most relevant "resemblance" to the image of God. In every religion human beings have spirit in one way or another. Yet, also every religion has a Transcendental Spirit [God] as well. In John, Christ states that "God is Spirit." Also, John quotes Christ as talking about "the [Holy Spirit] within." In Luke Christ states that the "Kingdom of God" is within a person {presumably spirit} Yet God created spirit, and if spirt is within a human, then the question is where does the spirit within begin and "connect" with the Spirit that is God?
The original concept of spirit as "life force" both as illustrated by the Bible, but also as demonstrated almost universally in cultures throughout the world! Genesis 1:2 states, "The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then there is Genesis 2:7: 'God breathed life into man' As the Baptist 'theologian,' Dr. Claude Mariottini emphasizes, the idea of the Spirit of God in Genesis 1:2 centers on "the word, "ruah" which is translated as “spirit,” but the idea behind the word is human vitality." After tens of thousands of years of religious and spiritual beliefs, it would seem an inescapable conclusion that the human mind has a fair amount of 'inherited' unconscious spiritual processes. Since the most ancient and apparently universal concept of spirit was "Spirit as Life-Force" the only possible conclusion would seem to be that, in terms of Jungian psychology, there must be an unconscious symbolic archetype of spirit as life-force within the human mind.
Native American Religious Beliefs: “Spirit as Life-Force” Intrinsic to Life and Nature
Brief Overview: “Spirit Life-Force” - a nearly universal belief among Native American Cultures
Among Native American cultures, there appears to have been a nearly universal acceptance of the concept of “spirit-life-force” intrinsic to the world, nature and people, pervasive in the Native American culture. For instance, the Sioux embraced the concept of wakd or mahopa; the Algonquin, the idea of manitowi; the the Shoshone used the word pukunt. Across the Iroquois tribes, the concept was referred to variously as orenna or karenna by the Mohawk, Cayuga, and Oneida, urente by the Tuscarora, and iarenda or orenda by the Huron.
Orenda (or orenna) is an Iroquois name for a spiritual power intrinsic to people and the world. The world and nature were viewed as an eternal struggle of one orenda against others. The role of orenda was viewed in ways similar to the Judeo-Christian tradition (as well as Islamic) in which the Holy spirit was the source and force for prophecy, divination, miracles, blessing, prayer, and worship. Contrary to the Judeo-Christian tradition, orenda was not a collective power and had no anthropomorphic representation, and was distinct from the concept of ghosts, soul, life, and mind. “Storm gods” were prevalent in nearly all primitive and ancient religions including every continent. For instance, in Indo-European cultures alone, the storm or thunder gods were frequently the chief or King of the other gods. There was Indra in Hinduism, Zeus in Greek mythology, and Perun in ancient Slavic religion. Orenda was the considered by the Iroquois to be the source of the power of storms. The Iroquois believed that orenda was manifested through song and prayer, not only by people, and especially shamans, but animals such as birds, as well. A hunter, when successful was said to possess a strong orenda which assisted him in hunting game. Shamans were believed to possess a strong, powerful and great orenda.
Though “spirit-life-force’ was a pervasive concept in most Native American cultures, each ‘tribe’ had unique practices. Sioux Nation religious beliefs centered on the Wakan Tanka, or Great Spirit, which reflected the “Great Mystery” (Einstein his personal driving force was to understand the “mystery” of life and the universe) within which sacred beings interacted and worked. Though ordinarily translated as “Great Spirit, Wankan Tankan, by the Lakota, was probably closer to the idea of the “divine” or the “sacred.” The Sioux were one of the few Native American tribes with the two unique rituals, the Sun Dance and the Ghost Dance.
The Algonquin Native Americans used the word manitou to express the idea of a the “spirit-life-force” intrinsic to people and the world. Manitou was “omnipresent” and manifested itself through animals, people, nature, the world, as well as events. When the world was created, Aasha Monetoo, or the Great Spirit, bestowed land to the peoples [Native American], and int their tradition, particularly to the Shawnee. Similar to the Iroquois, who also had a “bad spirit”, the Algonquin religion, while believing that Aashaa monetoo is "good spirit", also had the concept of otshee monetoo which is the "bad spirit".
The Genesis of Spirit: The Archetype - Idea-Symbol of Spirit as Life Force
Symbol - Archetype & Unconscious Spiritual Process
As Jung observed, early humans most likely made the connection between 'breathing" and the absence of the indefinable, intangible, mystic, or spiritual, characteristic and reality of life. Several social scientists argue that the consciousness of "death" was a major reason for the development of spiritual and religious beliefs. The myth and legend of Gilgamesh, in the mythology of mythology of ancient Mesopotamia centers to a great degree on the obsession and fear of death of Gilgamesh a figure of Sumerian folklore dating back to the Third Dynasty of Ur (c. 2112-2002 B.C.) Of course the ancient Egyptians built massive pyramids to their culture which revolved to a great degree around death. Jung's argument that early humans connected "the lack of breathing, death, and Life as a Force and Spirit" is supported by linguistic studies which show that in many languages throughout the world, the roots for the word "Spirit" are in the word "breath." So, it would appear readily apparent that early humans did make the connection.
Since the first known burial goods discovered by archaeologists date back 100,000 years to the Skuhl caves in Israel, where a boar's mandible was left on a grave, showing a cognitive recognition of the existence of "life" as a reality, the idea-symbol or archetype of "Spirit as Life-Force" may date back to 100,000 years ago. Genetically speaking, it would seem likely that idea-symbol and archetype originated even earlier. There is some archaeological evidence uncovered that grave goods were included in burials by Neanderthals. earlier. Historically and archaeologically the archetype of "spirit as life-force" appeared long before the 'gods' or historically "Spirit," ultimately, as Transcendent God.
In Jungian psychology, the collective unconscious, in general was the accumulation of innate or genetically acquired traits or dispositions which is expressed through 'archetypes.' Archetypes are shared-universal idea-symbols, thought-forms, model- images or scripts that shape and influence a person's worldview, as well as feelings and action. It would seem significant that many scholar express archetypes in terms of "energy," perhaps signifying that the essential nature of "spirit" is, in truth, energy and "life-force!" Donald Kalsched observes that "Archetypal energy is rooted deep in the unconscious and it is ‘archaic’, primitive, and also ‘typical’. Archetypal energies and affects are not easily assimilated by the conscious mind. They can be luminous or dark, angelic or demonic, but because they exist in raw, unmediated form they tend to be over-powering." Nancy Furlotti echoes that statement when she says, " Affect emerges from archetypes, which are the a priori ordering principles of nature, the world, and the psyche. When an archetype is activated, energy is put in motion that does not adhere to the laws of causality, or time and space." (Tracing a Red Thread: Synchronicity and Jung’s Red Book:(2010), Psychological Perspectives, 53:4, 455-478)
A Very Basic Concept of Spirituality:
A Synthesis-Consensus of Frankl, Jung, James, and Durkheim
First, it is readily apparent that when you look to history you can see how the spiritual beliefs in animal spirits obviously played a pivotal role in shaping totemic societies, and it would clearly stand to reason that the spiritual beliefs in animal spirts created meaning and shaped the meaning structure of totemic societies. And after tens of thousands of years of spiritual and religious beliefs in which those beliefs have been significant and at times pivotal in shaping society, social structure and "Meaning Structures", it would very safe to say some spiritual symbolism is incorporated in the unconscious or collective unconscious and in some way integrated into human consciousness in some form or fashion.
In William James’ classic 1902 work, The Variety of Religious Experience, William James states unequivocally that spiritual and religious experiences create a “sense of reality!” It is a self-evident fact and truth. When you look at the experiences that William James cites, then it is easy to see that spiritual experiences do indeed shape and influence spiritual and religious beliefs – something modern social sciences largely ignore and bypass. The Synthesis-Consensus of Viktor Frankl, Carl Jung, William James, and Emile Durkheim is that "Spirit" [spiritual processes] create meaning and a sense of reality (truth). It is probably expressed by Carl Jung when he said "Spirt gives meaning to [his] life!"
Why is this important? J Gillies and R Neimeyer focus on “meaning structures” (p.53), and begin their article with, “Constructivist theories recently have begun to inform understanding of grief, emphasizing the role of meaning making in adaptation to bereavement.” (p.31) Richards (2001) emphasizes that in his study, “68 out of 125 participants spoke of spiritual phenomena in their experiences.” "Commonly the bereaved experience missing, longing, and yearning for the deceased; intrusive thoughts, memories, and images of the deceased; intense emotional episodes of sadness, crying, loneliness, and fear; decreased energy and activity; loss of pleasure; social withdrawal and isolation; and feelings of meaninglessness and hopelessness" So, the conclusion would be that a pivotal purpose or function of spirituality and spiritual experiences would be meaning creation or Meaning reconstruction.
In light of the fact that human beings have had spiritual beliefs - and spiritual experiences for tens of thousands of years it would be inevitable that some unconscious symbolism and unconscious processes associated with spirit or spiritual symbolism. Tim Spector, in the article, What Twins Reveal About The Science Of Faith (Popular Science, August 8, 2013) states, “They [the researchers] estimated the heritability of spirituality to be around 40 to 50 percent, which is quite high considering how tricky it is to measure." There are a number of other studies which show that some traits of religiosity - as well as some traits of personality - are inherited! Many have heard of Carl Jung's theory of a Collective Unconscious which could be generally understood as the genetically inherited predispositions through millions of years of evolution. Of course, the human mind turns on symbols, and symbolism which in terms spiritual and mythologies Jung referred to as archetypes. A social psychologist mentioned to me that he believes there is likely some truth to Jung's theory. he mentioned infants have an innate fear of snakes.
So, people grieving for loved ones, which involves pain and suffering tap into unconscious spiritual processes to help them cope and to go through the process of meaning reconstruction as Gilles and Neimeyer say. That is, in this sense, spirt and spirituality is more of an unconscious resource that people, depending on their personality and genetic disposition can tap into as resources for creativity, meaning creation, and as Christ says in Luke "guidance" as well! Historically, especially in light of religious mythologies, spirituality is clearly one of the most creative and imaginative processes in human consciousness. Those are precisely the processes one needs in the "meaning reconstruction" processes in grieving - or depression, or recovering addicts, or whatever challenge a person happens to be facing.
Commentary.
I write about spirituality form deep personal beliefs inspired by some spiritual experiences, one of which though long ago was very profound detailed, as well as notarized. As Linda observes, “My spiritual practices GOT ME TO HERE!” She goes on to say, “There are many paths, many teachings and many teachers.... seek and you will find the right One For You...” Many people find inspiration in spirituality as well as ideals and goals born of spiritual beliefs. In my writing – from personal experience as well as intensive research – I lay out many of the basic processes, drives, needs, and underlying causes in spirituality and spiritual beliefs. Every person engages spirituality depending on personality, genetic predispositions, upbringing, and so on.
Genetic research has definitely demonstrated that some traits of religiosity are inherited. In light of tens of thousands of years of spiritual beliefs (which generally are separate and distinct from religious beliefs) it would seem an inescapable conclusion that there would be numerous emotionally energized symbols and symbolism in the Unconscious that some people - depending on personality, genetic predisposition, etc., could tap into with positive results. I would argue that atheists have essentially the same spiritual symbols and symbolism in their unconscious processes as well. I am the perfect proof of that. At age 29, without having any prior written experiences and only a quasi-remembered verbal experiences, I produced a full page written (and notarized) stream of consciousness which turned out to be very detailed as well as very spiritual.
I spend countless hours developing ideas, writing, and communicating about the complex workings of spiritual beliefs and spirituality. While I don’t claim to have The Answer, from personal experiences and research I can give others tools by which can, hopefully, allow them to get the answers they need and want. If this work and writing has helped to understand and cope with the difficulties in life, please consider helping to sustain conditions by which I can continue to concentrate on this work, writing and communication - possibly with a one-time or loyal donation. I am retired on fixed income and Your support would make all the difference.
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References and Footnotes
John Bargh, PhD:
http://bargh.socialpsychology.org/
Dr. Harold Koenig:
https://spiritualityandhealth.duke.edu/index.php/harold-g-koenig-m-d
Dr. Harold Koenig: https://medicine.duke.edu/faculty/harold-g-koenig-m-d
Dr. Paul Wong:
http://www.drpaulwong.com/
Dr. Paul Wong: https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/paul-wong-biography/
Carl Jung:
https://www.biography.com/people/carl-jung-9359134
Carl Jung: https://www.psychologistworld.com/cognitive/carl-jung-analytical-psychology
Dr Amit Sood Mindfulness:
https://www.mindfulleader.org/amit-sood
Dr. Harold Koenig Director, Center for Spirituality,
Theology and Health: https://spiritualityandhealth.duke.edu/index.php/harold-g-koenig-m-d
Dr. Koenig on what spirituality can do for you: https://www.beliefnet.com/wellness/health/2006/05/what-religion-can-do-for-your-health.aspx
Keith Karren – Body, Mind, Spirit:
http://pgrpdf.abhappybooks.com/mind-body-health-keith-j-karren-ph-d-pdf-5716009.pdf
Nietzsche biography:
https://www.biography.com/people/friedrich-nietzsche-9423452
Iroquois:
http://www.ushistory.org/us/1d.asp