Emotions Energize Idea-Symbols & "Spirit as Life-Force" is a core Archetype
William James, the Father of American Psychology, in his classic work first published in 1902, “The Varieties of Religious Experience,” which is an analysis of peoples spiritual and religious experiences, concludes that spiritual and religious experiences create a “sense of reality.” In his chapter titled “The Reality of the Unseen,” James emphasizes that the emotional energy and power associated with “abstractions”- or symbols - is critical in shaping and creating in the human mind a sense of reality. It is not only the ideas of pure Reason as Kant styled them, that have this power of making us vitally feel presences that we are impotent articulately to describe. All sorts of higher abstractions bring with them the same kind of impalpable appeal….As time, space, and the ether soak through all things so [we feel] do abstract and essential goodness, beauty, strength, significance, justice, soak through all things good, strong significant, and just” (p. 48) William James states unequivocally,
“This absolute determinability of our mind by abstractions is one of the cardinal facts in our human constitution. Polarizing and magnetizing us as they do, we turn towards them and from them, we seek them, hold them, hate them, bless them, just as if they were so many concrete beings. And beings they are, beings as real in the realm which they inhabit as the changing things of sense are in realm of space. When talking about the abstractions involved in imagination William James observed, In talking about symbolism in the realm of imagination, that [they] “determine our vital attitude as decisively as the vital attitude of lovers is determined by the habitual sense, by which each is haunted, of the other being in the world.” It is telling that James used the passionate attachment almost unbreakable bonds of lovers to communicate the energy and vitality of emotionally charged “abstractions, idea-symbols or archetypes.
Carl Jung and William James had remarkably similar concepts, ideas and theories.
Like William James, Carl Jung believed that emotions were the driving force which energized and motivated ideas, beliefs, and ultimately behavior. In fact, the contemporary psychologist, Eric Klinger states unequivocally that a “primary function of several emotions is to direct attention to concern-related stimuli.
(p.42) Furthermore, Jung also believed that symbols [or abstractions] are “inarticulate” in James terminology or “inaccessible to consciousness” in Jungian terms.
As Jung states, “an idea must evoke a response from the emotions, I meant an unconscious readiness which, because of its affective nature, springs from deeper levels that are quite inaccessible to consciousness.
Thus, our conscious reason can never destroy the roots of nervous symptoms; for these emotional processes are needed, which even have the power to influence the sympathetic nervous system. We could equally well say that when the wider consciousness sees fit, a compelling idea is put before the ego-consciousness as an unconditional command. Anyone who is conscious of his guiding principle knows with what indisputable authority it rules his life.” CV 588 642
Perhaps even more succinctly, Jung states that “A symbol remains a perpetual challenge to our thoughts and feelings. That probably explains why a symbolic work is so stimulating, why it grips us so intensely, but also why it seldom affords us a purely aesthetic enjoyment. A work that is manifestly not symbolic appeals much more to our aesthetic sensibility because it is complete in itself and fulfils its purpose.” CV 588 119
Lastly it is significant that Carl Jung highlights the characteristic of symbols as being beyond ordinary cognitive processes, as well as seeming to imply and infer that symbols have an intrinsic synthesis function "transcending" rational analysis. Carl Jung states, "So long as the spirit can be named and formulated as an intelligible principle or a clear idea, it will certainly not be felt as an independent being. But when the idea or principle involved is inscrutable, when its intentions are obscure in origin and in aim and yet enforce themselves, then the spirit is necessarily felt as an independent being, as a kind of higher consciousness, and its inscrutable, superior nature can no longer be expressed in the concepts of human reason. Our powers of expression then have recourse to other means; they create a symbol."
Maria Van Franz, a student-confederate of Carl Jung does an excellent job describing the 'reality' of emotional symbols and archetypes. Von Franz states that “If we bear this fact in mind we shall perhaps understand more easily how shattered the author of Aurora [Consurgens] must have been when Wisdom suddenly appeared to him in personal form. Doubtless he did not know before how real an archetypal figure like Wisdom is, and he had taken her merely as an abstract idea. For an intellectual it is a shattering experience when he discovers that what he was seeking ‘from the beginning of his birth’ is not just an idea, but is psychically real in a far deeper sense and can come upon him like a thunderclap. What I mean by ‘psychically real’ is expressed by the author when he says that Wisdom is ‘most true nature.’ He is saying that she is not merely an intellectual concept but is devastatingly real, actual, and palpably present..” That is, symbols and archetypes, though technically not quantifiable and beyond the strict confines of materialist thinking, are in fact very vibrant, vital, and formidable forces in human consciousness - and could - and should - be understood and described as virtual energy and force.
The Unconscious & The Collective Unconscious
John Bargh, a psychologist who does research into the unconscious, sates: "There are a multitude of behavioral impulses generated at any given time derived from our evolved motives and preferences, cultural norms and values, past experiences in similar situations, and from what other people are currently doing in that same situation. These impulses have afforded us unconsciously operating motives, preferences and associated approach and avoidance behavioral tendencies, as well as mimicry and other behavior priming effects triggered by the mere perception of others’ behavior." (John A. Bargh and Ezequiel Perspctives On Psychological Science Volume 3—Number 1 73)
Modern research into the unconscious confirm the ideas and concepts of William James regarding the unconscious. William James stated: "Your whole subconscious life, your impulses, your faiths, your needs, your divinations, have prepared the premises, of which your consciousness now feels the weight of the result; and something in you absolutely KNOWS that that result must be truer than nay logic-chopping rationalistic talk, however clever, that may contradict it." Modern research reinforces William James observation.
I should say a brief word about the Jung's Collective Unconscious. Carl Jung describes the Collective Unconscious in these terms: "These contents are not acquired during the individual’s lifetime but are products of innate forms and instincts. Although the child possesses no inborn ideas, it nevertheless has a highly developed brain which functions in a quite definite way. This brain is inherited from its ancestors; it is the deposit of the psychic functioning of the whole human race. The child therefore brings with it an organ ready to function in the same way as it has functioned throughout human history. In the brain the instincts are preformed, and so are the primordial images which have always been the basis of man’s thinking—the whole treasure-house of mythological motifs. It is, of course, not easy to prove the existence of the collective unconscious in a normal person, but occasionally mythological ideas are represented in his dreams."
Conclusions
Clearly emotions are vital to spiritual and religious beliefs, as well as social and political beliefs. Scholars from Aristotle, to Clifford Geertz, Carl Jung, William James, the philosopher Solomon, the contemporary psychologist Eric Klinger have emphasized the pivotal role and function of emotions. In mainstream psychology there is a materialist bias with the obsessive emphasis on quantifiable and measurable characteristics. I should note that, Kay Deaux, the social psychologist, laments that social psychology to a large degree sidelines emotions, primarily due to the subjective nature of emotions generally outside laboratory experiments, emotions are still very real and powerful forces in group dynamics and group related behavior. While mainstream psychology and social psychology has not fully come to grips with emotions, It is clear that from historical and anecdotal information as in William James The Varieties of Religious Experience, it is clear that emotions energize symbols and symbolism (and thus also to a large extent ideologies as well) and to understand spiritual and religious beliefs one needs to grasp that critical fact. For that reason and others, visualizing an conceptualizing life and reality in terms of "energy" or "force" would seem not only reasonable, but perhaps more realistic than other theories such as behavioral psychology.
Approach: Function Versus Supernatural
The problem with 'God' or the supernatural' is that you cannot bring the ultimate physical reality of 'God' onto earth and say, "Here is God!" So, as Jung pointed out the only real 'God' in 'human terms' is the 'God' that is intrinsic to human consciousness, spiritual and psychological, and the 'God' works through consciousness. It is important to note that Freud argued that the only "true" scientific approach to religious beliefs would be a "functional approach" That is, since the supernatural is beyond measurement, then one can only evaluate religious beliefs as they are expressed and displayed in society and culture. However, as the physicist Brian Josephson, who won the Nobel prize for his work of quantum tunneling, observed when he stated, “With religion, focusing on the factuality [of the supernatural] or otherwise of religious belief similarly misses the point: the significant questions in this context relate to the functions and fruitfulness of religious beliefs." He goes on to say that “Dawkins criticizes religion on the grounds of apparent conflicts between religious beliefs and scientifically established facts.”
Shamanism, Animal Spirits, and Emotional Attachment
Karen Armstrong, the religious scholar states that, generally, it is now widely believed that shamanism emerged in the paleolithic age. Shamanism involved a belief in animal spirits, as well as a more generalized belief in a spirit-force prevalent throughout nature , people, and the world. Shamans were generally believed to be intermediaries between the physical world and the spiritual world, who would, typically, enter into a trance during a ritual, and practice divination, and perhaps more importantly healing.
The belief in animal spirits included a belief that human beings not only had spiritual connections with other human beings but also had connections and spiritual bonds with other animals. those beliefs led to the creation of totemic societies such as the Australian Aborigines and Native American totemic societies. In Australian Aborigine culture, society was organized into 'clans' each with heir sacred totemic animal for which their were strict prohibitions on eating that particular animal. A common beliefs was that a human being could gain strengths and powers from the animal spirit such as wisdom, courage, craftiness, and so on.
Beliefs in Animal Spirits - A Vital Necessity, Not Superstitious Nonsense
What psychologists, in my research, seem to have overlooked is the very critical fact, that I am emphasizing here that as Carl Jung, William James and Eric Klinger all point out is that it is only via the vehicle of emotions that attachments are made and importance or significance assigned. In the case of beliefs in animal spirits, it would be an absolute necessity for human survival in the hunter-gatherer stage to form an attachment and a drive to understand and successfully interact with animals. In that sense, the belief in animal spirits which engaged the processes involved in imagination (which Einstein argued is better then knowledge)was not only healthy but both vital and absolutely necessary. Of course, this neither proves nor disproves the physical reality of animal spirits.
It is important to realize there is a huge chasm between spiritual and religious beliefs. As history clearly demonstrates, "groups" and "ideologies" are directly connected to very powerful emotions connected with group related instincts which are responsible for at least 11 genocides and many acts of atrocities since WWI - besides being the source of the powerful emotions connected with patriotism which is so readily visible in everyday life. The critical point is that neuroscientists have identified 360 distinct regions of the brain. And the regions of the brain involved in group related instincts would be completely different from the regions involved in the drive of compassion.
The bottom line is that while religious leaders can get really stupid, especially in today's world, the spiritual beliefs, for example involved in the beliefs in animal spirits, can at times be not only vital but absolutely necessary for human life and consciousness. Lastly I would mention that religious people don't have a monopoly on stupidity. A very salient historical fact is that political and ethnic groups and organizations can get equally stupid as well - i.e. Stalin, Hitler, and so on. The bottom is that, for science to portray "All spiritual beliefs" as "superstitious nonsense would simply be unscientific and untrue.
A Brief Word About Perspective
Only too often, academics as well as religious people tend to think in terms of absolutes. In my view when politicians and religious leaders start to talk in terms of absolutes, you know you are in trouble. In academia, some "rationalists" and "materialists" often take a rigid and inflexible position that if something isn't a purely rational and logical statement then it isn't nay good. However, the reason that sciences, such as the science of psychology is divided into different and various schools of thought is because the human brain, on its own, is only capable of gasping and understanding a very limited amount of information in the exclusive form of rational statements and arguments. Currently there is no human being on the planet capable of 'digesting' and understanding in its entirety all 40 to 50 schools of thought in psychology, not to mention the subdivisions into specialties. So, even rationalists and materialist do actually, in reality, employ other functions of the mind such as intuition to be able to function in the world in spite of their rhetoric. In fact over a century ago, Tolstoy mad exactly that observation when he stated that a person could not be expected to know and understand all the sciences and humanities in order to have and understand the meaning of [his or her] life.
Ironically, the brains of materialists are in the "Default Mode Network" of brain functions, a great deal of the time. The default mode network (DMN) is a network of interacting brain regions that is active when a person is not actively focused on a specific task. Furthermore, I can't help but mention that the Default Mode Network is associated with "Theory of Mind" processes believed to be a source of anthropomorphism and animism since that process is responsible for assessing situations and people (and at times things), and assigning them attributes and motives to others.
"Spirit" as "Life-Force"
“Spirit as Life-Force,” as an idea-symbol or archetype, evidently appears to have been a nearly universal factor in early human societies and ‘primitive’ or traditional tribes, was, in general, pervasive among all the diverse cultures of the world and on every continent. Carl Jung, who explored the characteristic of "spirit as life-force" observed: “The connection between spirit and life is one of those problems involving factors of such complexity that we have to be on our guard lest we ourselves get caught in the net of words in which we seek to ensnare these great enigmas. The problem must have begun in the grey dawn of time, when someone made the bewildering discovery that the living breath which left the body of the dying man in the last death-rattle meant more than just air in motion.”
From the nearly universal connection between the word "spirit" having linguistic roots in the word for "breath" throughout the ancient and early cultures of the world on every continent, it is evident that Carl Jung' s assessment of the origins of the idea-symbol "spirit" was right on target. This linguistic connection is consistent in the Hebrew, Arabic, Aramaic, Chinese and Japanese, Hindu, ancient Germanic, Scandinavian, Baltic, Slavic, ancient Egyptian, as well as Native American and many other culture,
Archetypes, Genetics, and the Collective Unconscious
Carl Jung argues that the unconscious of the human mind is embedded with genetically accumulated information and genetic idea-symbols or archetypes. Several genetic studies of the religiosity have definitely demonstrated that some traits of religiosity are inherited and genetic. On the issue of the heriditability of religious beliefs, 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, which is quite high considering how tricky it is to measure." Now, the earliest archaeological evidence of burial goods which would clearly demonstrate a recognition of death and the spirit-life-force-absence connection was in the Skuhl cave in Israel which was dated to 100,000 years ago. However the connection between the absence of life force and breath almost definitely would have occurred long before that.
The Essence of "Spirit"
“Spirit, to me, is literally everything. Spirit is the universe beyond our very small, limited existence as human in a physical world. This encompasses the view, too, of Spirit being a creative force. It is THE creative force, since it is everything! So, when we as humans, create or connect or dream or heal...we tap into Spirit!” That eloquent and profound statement by Angel, a good friend, perhaps better described as a companion in Rumi's sense of the word, is in truth, also, an excellent description of "The Force" an idea taken from the iconic Star Wars' movies. In fact, Angel's description could perhaps be viewed even as a better description of the force, than the description given by Star Wars Jedi Knight Obi Wan Kenobi. In the Star Wars movie, Episode IV: A New Hope, the Jedi Master, Obi Wan Kenobi explains the reality of "The Force" to Luke, describing the "Force as "an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us, penetrates us, and binds the galaxy together." From a quick overview of spiritual and metaphysical literature it would appear that envisioning "reality" - or the "truth beyond the self"- as "Spirit," "Energy," or as the "Force" would not only appear to be quite natural, it would also appear to be a widespread - an almost "universal" - way of looking at the world throughout much or most of human culture. Spirit and spirituality are essential to survival and a prerequisite for healthy life. As Buddha observed, “Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.” And many view "spirit" as Angel so eloquently expressed as ""The creative force, since it is everything!"
Carl Jung observes that "A symbol does not define or explain; it points beyond itself to a meaning that is darkly divined yet still beyond our grasp, and cannot be adequately expressed in the familiar words of our language!" (my italics) Without question, 'we' need a symbols - some kind of symbolic structure - of the reality, the truth, which is beyond the self in one way or the other! As Stefan Schindler, observed in his article about Nietzsche that, "Thus, Nietzsche argues, humans are neurologically and conceptually.... spontaneously symbolic. Without this spontaneous, bio-psychic functioning, there would be no sense of world, and no sense of self to experience the world."
A Synthesis-Consensus of Viktor Frankl, Carl Jung, Emile Durkheim, and William James
I should present an ultra-brief view of what could be considered the function of religious beliefs. Paul Wong is an extremely well know and reputable psychologist and author. When I approached him with a brief summary of my “New Approach,” he was kind enough to observe that “Your approach is new in the sense of a broad-minded integrative approach, breaking down the artificial traditional divide between science and religious, or scientific psychology versus humanistic or psychoanalytic psychology.” He went on to suggest that a title of “A New Integrative Approach" would be appropriate."
I should first note that much of my writing would seem to answer the "call" of many of the youths of the younger generation who, according to the 2018 extensive Barna study of the younger generation’s beliefs about religion and spirituality, ask "What makes religious beliefs and spirituality "relevant?" In a nutshell, the argument that the New Integrative Approach makes is that, as Durkheim emphasized, religious and spiritual beliefs create meaning and Meaning Structures. As Emile Durkheim, a founding father of sociology, stated unequivocally: “Today we understand that law, morality, and scientific thought itself are born from religion, have long been confused with it, and remain imbued with its spirit.” (p62 el) More relevant to this discussion.observed, religious and spiritual beliefs not only created morality, values and norms, but perhaps more importantly created social ideals, such as Compassion, Truth, Justice, Equality, as well as Morality and Righteousness. These social ideals are pivotal principles and tenets, not only of every major religion, but also became values and norms embedded in society and social structure.
There is a rather remarkable consensus among the psychologists, William James, Carl Jung, and Viktor Frankl that "spirit" and spiritual processes create meaning and a sense of reality. Carl Jung, a psychoanalyst and contemporary of Sigmund Freud, observed that "Spirit gives meaning to his [man's] life" (CW8:643) William James emphasizes in his classic work, originally published in 1902, The Varieties of Religious Experiences that "They [spiritual experiences] determine our vital attitude as decisively as the vital attitude of lovers is determined by the habitual sense,..… (P.47) William James goes on to say that religious experiences and spiritual experiences create and generate a “sense of reality” (p.48) In the anthology, Meaning in Positive and Existential Psychology (2014), edited by Batthyany and Russo-Netzer, Paul Wong, the prominent positive-existential psychologist, observes: “Frankl considers meaning seeking as stemming from one’s spiritual nature.” (p.156) The argument that “Spirit” or spiritual processes create meaning, of course, dovetails into Durkheim's argument that religious and spiritual beliefs create norms and social ideals, and, in fact, society as well.
Carl Jung and The Meaning of Human Existence in the Cosmos
Spiritual and religious leaders not only emphasize that the vital importance and nature of the "Truth" but frequently highlight the fact that the the "Truth" or "Objective Reality" is only too often easily confused with worldly illusion. As the famous Sufi, Rumi, observed, "The Truth is yourself, but not your mere bodily self. Your real self is higher than 'you' and 'me.' This visible 'you' which you fancy to be yourself Is limited in place, the real 'you' is not limited. Why, O pearl, linger you trembling in your shell? Esteem not yourself mere sugar-cane, but real sugar. This outward 'you' is foreign to your real 'you;' Cling to your real self, quit this dual self." Stephan Schindler observes how Nietzsche, in a way which parallels what Rumi said about the difference between the visible and limited versus the "real" self, viewed the modern, or "real" world as illusion and 'deception.' Schindler states that "Most people, Nietzsche thinks, live in mauvaise foi – Sartre’s term for “self -deception.” For Nietzsche, modern Western culture, despite its progress and achievements, is marked by collective denial and delusion." (p.4) All consciousness is limited by the subjective nature of its being, as well as its susceptibility to manipulation and distortion by worldly desires, tempting ideas, and, at times, outright 'lies.' That would seem especially true in this day and age of "fake news," fads, crazes, and the glitz and glitter of Hollywood celebrities. For instance, Taylor Swift, alone, has 119.6 million instagram followers.
The concept of worldly illusion is a pivotal concept not only in Buddhism, but Hinduism as well. Of course the significance of illusion is found in Christian literature and theology, as well.Thomas Merton (1915 – 1968), an American Trappist monk, theologian, mystic, and author, distinguished between the false self and the true self. In New Seeds of Contemplation (New Directions Paperbook: 1972), states, "Thus I use up my life in the desire for pleasures and the thirst for experiences, for power, honor, knowledge, and love, to clothe the false self and construct its nothingness into something objectively real. (p. 34-35) Merton's view stemmed from an interpretation from Colossians 3:2-3 in the gospels which says: 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. Long before that, the early Christian mystic, St. Gregory of Nyssa (335 – 395)observed that accepting and embracing (worldly) "ideas" or ideologies is, in effect, to fashion and worship "idols." So, Truth and Reality are not only vital but the "right" and proper "Truth" is a prerequisite for 'salvation,' as it were. Though the word "Balance" is often talked about by spiritual and religious leaders, from personal experience and in context of what is written here, it is very clear to me that "Balance" is critical and vital for a healthy intellectual-spiritual life!
Before delving into spirituality and spiritual experiences, I would briefly highlight that only too often "spirituality" tend to be linearly and rigidly equated to "transcendental spiritual experiences" or a "transcendental Spirit or Being" as a category. Spiritual processes and spirituality are only rarely connected with the 'creation' and understanding of "reality" in the human mind. However, even a brief overview of spiritual experiences reveals a wide variety and diversity in spirituality and spiritual experiences, and spirituality, quite frankly, can be a many splendor-ed multifaceted diamond or jewel. Spirituality and spiritual experiences can vary from all the wide variety of "religious spirituality and spiritual experiences," to the spirituality of civic and social activists such as Martin Luther King Jr, Tolstoy, or Gandhi , which necessarily involves the activists' commitment to ideals, drive, dedication, and purpose of civic activists, as well as mystic spirituality or the “mind cure” spirituality and religions highlighted by William James in his classic work, The Varieties of Religious Experiences (1902), not to mention the multitude of other types and varieties of spirituality. Every person has their own unique fingerprint, and every individual most certainly has their own personal way of looking at things - a unique intellectual and spiritual finger-print.
Spirituality and Spiritual Experiences
A
recent review of survey-studies of spiritual experiences by the prominent existential and positive psychologists
Park and Paloutzian in their 700 plus page comprehensive Handbook of Religion
and Spirituality, reveal that spiritual experiences are much more common than ordinarily thought. Park and Paloutzian state that “numerous” survey-studies show that,
depending on the questions, somewhere between one-third and one-half of the
people surveyed have some sort of “spiritual-psychic” experiences. Fraser
Watts, a religious scholar does state that most people do not talk about their spiritual
experiences due to the fear of getting an emotional adverse negative reaction. I have met and talked with [perhaps upward of a couple dozen people who have had personal transcendental spiritual experiences, and with only one exception all were adamant about having anonymity. In their review, Park and Paloutzian state unequivocally
that these survey-studies do definitely demonstrate a “normalcy” for spiritual experiences – that spiritual experiences are OK! Of course this is contrary to the well established "norm" of "mainstream psychology" with its very distinct "materialist bias," that spirituality, especially transcendental spirituality is “superstitious nonsense” - or, even worse, in some circles, such as the bulk of psychiatric professionals (who in my experience have frequently proven to be very biased in their views and prejudiced generally against spirituality), even worse - 'transcendental spiritual experiences are mental illness.' That being said, "spirit" is prevalent in Jungian psychology, as well as incorporated in logotherapy (psychoanalysis based on Frankl), as well as a major theme in much of existential and positive psychology, as well as the recent emergence of transpersonal psychology.
Science has shown that ‘religiosity,’ as well as some personality traits, are inherited and genetic. Since human beings have believed in spirit and spirituality for tens of thousands of years, dating back at least to the Paleolithic age according to the religious scholar Karen Armstrong and other scientists, it would appear very probable, if not a sure thing, biologically as well as physically, that the human mind would possess a fair number of [unconscious] processes associated, if not directly connected with the abstraction or conceptualization of spirit or spirituality. Any way one 'looks' at it, it would om;u stand to reason that to properly understand spirit and spirituality with the most appropriate perspective, one would need to look at the roots and origins of spirit and spirituality in human history.Fraser Watts, a religious scholar, notes that in one survey, 24% of the people surveyed who reported having experiences were atheists. That would seem to support my argument that [unconscious] spiritual processes are “factory installed” software, as one neuroscientist stated. As I brought up earlier, spirituality is an incredibly diverse aspect of human consciousness and human creativity. For instance, without question, spirituality would seem to be definitely associated with the unconscious processes engaged in and expressing imagination, as well as, in the processes of creative and artistic traits and abilities.
Spiritual Processes and Art
Since the dawn of humanity, even in the incredibly beautiful prehistoric cave paintings of now extinct animals of their world and the paintings and carvings of what clearly appear to be "shamans" of a shaman religion, in the French and Spanish caves dating back twenty or thirty thousand years ago, it is crystal clear that the imaginative and creative processes were deeply engaged in artistic endeavors intimately linked with religious and spiritual beliefs and processes. AsAbraham Joshua Heschel (1907 – 1972),the Jewish theologian observed, “What would art have been without the religious sense of mystery and sovereignty, and how dreary would have been religion without the heroic venture of the artist to embody the mysterious in visible forms, to bring his vision out of the darkness of the heart, and to fill the immense absence of the Deity with the light of human genius.”(p. 118)
In the article, Art And Religion, author, O. Buchkov stated that art and religion are historically intimately intertwined, saying, "Historically most religious traditions—from aboriginal cultures to world religions—used the arts. At the same time, historically most of what we now call “art” were religious objects or depicted religious themes." The 'primitive' - traditional religion were, in fact humanities first attempts at describing - and defining "reality and truth' so the artistic and creative traits must be connected at the hip to abstractions about "spirit" and spirituality. Even Pablo Picasso, an atheist, was known to introduce some subtle and hidden religious symbolism in his paintings. Buchkov observes that, "Specifically, both natural and artistic beauty is capable of evoking what is called the sense of transcendence, or the presence of some deeper (divine) principles in the world." As Thomas Merton unequivocally stated: "Art is not an end in itself. It introduces the soul into a higher spiritual order, which it expresses and in some sense explains."
Keeping in mind the reality and truth of a human being's sense of wonder, awe, mystery, imagination, as well as "creativity" provides some needed perspective and context for William James statement that “Divinity lies all about us, and culture is too hide bound to even suspect the fact.” (What Makes a Life Significant, p. 650,) I must say that my wife, Kathi, has pretty much the same exact viewpoint and perspective as William James. She says, quite often, that if you look around you and see the miracle of nature and creation, that is all the proof you need of God!" (personally I feel I must say that I find Kathi much more convincing than William James).
The only thing I would say to atheists or agnostics or people into ‘psychic’ would be, it would seem undeniable that 'you' do most likely have unconscious processes that are associated, if not directly connected to, the abstraction, idea, or archetype of "spirit" and spirituality. So, in a very pragmatic sense, if the unconscious processes are actually "factory installed software already in your brain, you might as well use them. As many people have said to me before, spirituality does not necessarily and automatically invoke the concept of 'God.'As Carl Jung astutely observed, "A man living in a de-spiritualized world where reality is measured purely materially, can easily fall a victim to his own archaic instincts “the destruction of the God-image is followed by the annulment of the human personality“ (CW 9 II 1950, 109, 123). And with the rise of "materialism " in "mainstream psychology" the extensive CDC study showed a dramatic rise of roughly 25% in suicide rates in the U.S. since 1999!
Of course, in talking with people many people reject religion because - which seems especially true, at the moment - religions can get pretty stupid - so they tell me that means spirituality is no good either. However, the [unconscious] spiritual processes are separate from religious-ideological group related instincts. In that there are some "Christians" who are obviously over-committed emotionally as well as spiritually to Trump, a President who has obvious Racist views, some of whom view Trump, literally, as some kind of "Messenger of God" (i.e Johnson [found on the internet], or as in the "singing prophet" who a couple of charismatics have told me about), it is readily apparent that the group related emotions, as in patriotism, connected with group related ideological instincts have obviously over-ridden some of the unconscious spiritual processes connected with love, compassion, and harmony. Neuroscience has discovered 360 distinct regions of the brain and the unconscious spiritual processes connected to compassion, creativity, and imagination - for example - are completely and entirely separate and disconnected from religious-ideological unconscious processes.
Spiritual Processes are Pivotal in Understanding Reality
As Emile Durkheim, a founding father of sociology pointed out, religious beliefs created social ideals such as compassion (or justice, or righteousness) which is, unquestionably, a pivotal and vital concept in every major religion. Emile Durkheim, a founding father of sociology, in his 1912 book, The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, states that "Today we understand that law, morality, and scientific thought itself are born from religion, have long been confused with it, and remain imbued with its spirit.” (p62 el) Many scholars have focused on “morality” though the creation of social ideals is more compatible with the theory, advocated by the “Greats” such as William James, Viktor Frankl, Carl Jung, as well as Emile Durkheim, that “spirit and spiritual processes create meaning and a “sense of reality!” In William James, The Varieties of Religious Experiences (1902), William James analyzes religious and spiritual experiences and points out the rather self-evident fact that the spiritual experiences obviously influence and affect peoples’ beliefs, worldview, and create a “sense of reality.”
If you take that idea one step further, one can see that spiritual processes are pivotal processes in creating the “reality” for people – a reality which, for better or worse, had facilitated in many ways the functioning and ability of people to cope with an imposing and extremely complex universe. As Gautama Buddha unequivocally stated, “We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world.” That is, Consciousness creates “Reality” - and the world! Max Planck, the physicist who pioneered quantum mechanics and a Nobel Prize winner stated that, “I regard consciousness as fundamental. I regard matter as derivative from consciousness. We cannot get behind consciousness. Everything that we talk about, everything that we regard as existing, postulates consciousness.”
R C Henry, a renowned professor of physics and astronomy, in a 2005 essay concludes, "A fundamental conclusion of the new physics also acknowledges that the observer creates the reality. As observers, we are personally involved with the creation of our own reality. Physicists are being forced to admit that the universe is a “mental” construction." Eugene Wigner, a theoretical physicist and mathematician, stated unequivocally stated that “It was not possible to formulate the laws of quantum mechanics in a fully consistent way without reference to consciousness.” In a sense, since the most essential characteristic of human consciousness would be “intelligence” it would stand to reason that viewing the universe and the world as embodying intelligence would only be natural (and healthy).
May the Force - or Spirit - Be with You!
Hinduism, historically, has explored early in the history of civilization the metaphysical reality and truth of the All. In Hinduism, God (Brahman) is pure and undivided consciousness, yet from a certain perceptual perspective, God is “nothingness.” In Shakti-Hinduism, creation arises from the union of Purusha (Pure Self) with matter or energy (Prakriti). That is, Pure Self enters into matter and gives birth to the myriad energies (which then lead to the formation of the ‘false self’). Shakti” represents the primordial cosmic energy which is the dynamic force that permeates the entire universe. As the Sufi, Rumi, observed, “The lamps are different, but the Light is the same. One matter, one energy, one Light, one Light-mind, endlessly emanating all things.” Perhaps it was the the Hindu concept of energy pervading the fabric of the universe and life could have been one of the sources and origins for the idea of the “Force” in the Star Wars movies. Obi-Wan Kenobi, a Jedi knight in the Star Wars movies, describes the Force as "an energy field created by all living things." This is, of course, reminiscent ofWilliam James statement that “Divinity lies all about us."
On a parallel plane - or perhaps even a parallel dimension, as it were - the iconic physicist, Max Planck argues that, “All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force... We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent Mind. This Mind is the matrix of all matter.” Carl Jung echoed that observation when he stated that “Since
psyche and matter are contained in one and the same world, and moreover are in
continuous contact with one another and ultimately rest on irrepresentable,
transcendental factors, it is not only possible but fairly probable, even, that
psyche and matter are two different aspects of one and the same thing........ Matter and spirit both appear in the psychic realm as distinctive
qualities of conscious contents. The ultimate nature of both is transcendental,
that is, irrepresentable, since the psyche and its contents are the only
reality which is given to us without a medium. (The Structure and the Dynamics of the
Psyche, P. 215-216, Par. 418-420)
Mind, Logos, And Holy Spirit
Paul Tillich states unequivocally that "Religion is Mind!" - which is, of course, mirror reflection of Buddha's statement, "We are what we think!" The concept of Logos, which the Gospel of John identifies as that through which all things are created and made divine in a worldly fashion with Jesus Christ as the Incarnate Logos, is explained by Tillich, for all practical purposes, as an essence pervading reality and giving truth to reality. In A History of Christian Thought, Tillich first states that there is "truth" and the "truth can be "grasped" by a person. That is, "You must "grasp" them structure of reality. But in order to reach the object [to be grasped], there must be a fundamental belongingness of the subject to the object....that subject and object are not absolutely separated....There is an eternal unity between [subject and object.]" (p. 440) That is, within consciousness, there must be a unity between objective reality and subjective reality, which perhaps, could best be grasped in the context of Baumeister's concept of "sharedness" - that he believed to be a minimal prerequisite for any functional society (or consciousness). From a certain point of view, this unity or sharedness could be viewed as a "transcendental unity-reality" - transcending the subjective-objective discordant dialogue - the endless dance of self with the "beyond!"
In the article, Beyond the Shadow and the Disguise: Thomas Merton's Embrace of Logos, Paul M . Pearson observes that, ""Going beyond the shadow and the disguise" was, I believe, central to the direction of Merton's life, even prior to his conversion to Catholicism and his entry to monastic life. "Beyond the shadow and the disguise" Merton was drawn to the logos, to that word of God uttered at the beginning of creation, that hovered over the water and created, and that is within each and every one of us; that "spark within the soul" as Meister Eckhart would call it, that sustains us in being and, despite our waywardness, always remains there ready to be kindled into flame." The bottom line is that the concept of Logos would clearly indicate that people do grasp reality with the help of the mind's spiritual processes." Of course, the concept of the Logos are consistent with the argument and theory advanced by Carl Jung, Viktor Frankl, William James, as well as Emile Durkheim that, "Spiritual processes [spirit] creates meaning and generates a "sense of reality." In that sense, then, Logos would be "meaning-creation" - or even just "creation" - with , meaning-creation being the "flame" that Pearson refers to.
Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, an early Christian mystic, believed to have lived in the late 5th to early 6th century, got his name because he 'assumed' the name of the Greek man named "Dionysius" found in the writings of St. Paul in the Gospels. Dionysius firmly believed that God is far beyond human comprehension, as did St. Gregory of Nyssa. Dionysius in describing 'deification' - or logos - stated that it "… consists of being as much as possible like and in union with God. The common goal of every hierarchy consists of the continuous love of God and of things divine, a love which is sacredly worked out in an inspired and unique way..... It consists of a knowledge of beings as they really are. It consists of both the seeing and the understanding of sacred truth. It consists of an inspired participation in the one-like perfection and in the one itself, as far as possible. It consists of a feast upon that sacred vision which nourishes the intellect and which divinizes everything rising up to it. (trans. Luibheid and Rorem 1987: 198)As Jung observed, “The ancients called the saving word the Logos, an expression of divine reason.”That is, as I understand it, the "Word" (made flesh) - or logos - is an awareness, an understanding, and a 'knowledge' of the "divine" that pervades and permeates the All, and which is achieved through a spiritual union with the divine (God and Christ) through love - which "divinizes" the intellect, understanding, and knowledge. A "divinized" intellect, as Dionysius expresses it, would appear remarkably similar to the idea of "The Force," or Max Planck's cosmic intelligence or "Mind [that] is the matrix of all matter," as well as the "energy-force" in Hinduism.
Of course, the idea and concept of Spirit and the Holy Spirit in Christianity, Judaism (Ruach Hakodesh), and Islam (Ruh al Qudus) remarkably mirrors the “Force” or the idea of energy and a divine force permeating life and the universe. In John, Christ directly connects the Logos with spirit, especially in Christ's statement that "Spirit is Truth" (John 5:6) - which would seem to be a pretty all-inclusive statement. This coincides with how many people view Spirit. My sense of Spirit, from my limited personal transcendental spiritual experiences, is that my experiences generate a feeling of "connectivity" - actually, an "intimate" connectivity or even a sense of belongingness - as well as an energized awareness of "Transcendent Spirit or awareness of a “truth” beyond my own limited self, and "primitive consciousness" as Einstein so bluntly stated. Einstein, like St. Gregory of Nyssa, and Dionysius, believed that the All - or absolute Truth - is simply far beyond the abilities of human comprehension to grasp it.Balance & Spirituality-Emotions Connection
Many people have difficulty understanding or grasping spirituality and spiritual experiences. As Jung observed there are differences in personalities between "thinking" and "feeling" types. Christopher F. J. Ross, in his article, Jungian Typology And Religion: Perspective from North America, observes that: "Francis and Louden (2000), using a mysticism scale based on James’ formulations, found feeling and intuitive types more open to mystical experience than the other types. A larger study replicated the association with feeling (Francis, 2002). The thinking function’s attention to separation, difference, and critique makes it harder for thinking types to experience mystical states that involve ego-suspension." Peoples' minds are wired differently. James E. Kennedy and H. Kanthamani, in the article, An Exploratory Study of the Effects of Paranormal and Spiritual Experiences on Peoples' Lives and Well-Being, observe that women tend to be more receptive to spiritual-psychic experiences and spirituality than men. An article I saw also stated that women balance activity between left and right hemispheres pf the brain much more than men. It crossed my mind that it could be a possibility that some significant spiritual processes could be located in the right hemisphere of the brain. Yet according to the review of surveys and studies of spiritual experiences by Park and Paloutzian, somewhere between one third to one half of the people surveyed so report having spiritual experiences of one sort or another. Spiritual-psychic experiences happen to just about every kind of personality for some reason or another. Fraser Watts observed that on one study 24% of the people reporting spiritual experiences were atheists and most likely the "thinking" type of personality.
Some people, o have encountered do, at times, appear to lack a proper perspective when it comes to spirituality. Only too often, spirituality is inflexibly and rigidly equated psychologically with transcendental spiritual-psychic experiences - something that began, historically, I believe when 'science emerged as a powerful social and political force and, of course science equated the concept and idea of a "supernatural God" as "superstitious nonsense" - a view which became prevalent and accepted in much of society and appears, for all practical purposes, to have - to a large degree - generalized to All Spirituality. However, as Einstein points out, spirituality can begin with simple awareness. A profound observation of Albert Einstein is that, "[O]ur perceptions of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty, which only in their most primitive forms are accessible to our minds---it is this knowledge and this emotion that constitute true religiosity!" ( The World As I See It (included in Living Philosophies (1931)) This profound observation by Albert Einstein illustrates how deeply spirituality and spiritual emotions are embedded in human consciousness as well as the Collective Unconscious.
Toko-pa Turner, a Canadian author, an author, poet, and teacher, in her book named, oddly enough, Belonging, writes about the "great belonging" - the need to "belong to that something "greater" which gives our lives meaning." (p.15) As the Sufi, Yunus Emre observed, "I am the drop that contains the ocean." In early human history, beginning with the shamanism that dates back to the paleolithic age, it would appear readily apparent that spiritual experiences, spirituality, and religious beliefs played a pivotal role in creating the “reality” - that ultimate "great belonging" or Force - for early humans. It would necessarily stand to reason that spiritual processes are highly significant and even pivotal, in creating meaning - and reality - in human consciousness. Perhaps with the prehistoric cave painters dating back tens of thousands of years in France stated, “The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science."
It would seem readily apparent and even self-evident that "Balance" would be of necessity a prerequisite for well-being, health, and even sanity! I must confess, from personal experience, it seems balance is frequently easier to talk about than to "do!" Both Aristotle and St. Augustine conclude that feeling the right emotions, in the right way, at the right time is the best expression of humanness. William James and Carl Jung observe that while spiritual processes create meaning and a sense of reality, some powerful transcendental spiritual-psychic experiences can also put some individuals over the top, as it were - or even over the edge. Fraser Watts notes that one survey showed an number of individuals who had spiritual-psychic experiences found them upsetting or even disturbing, though they all seemed to recover fairly quickly. From personal experience I can say that spiritual experiences can be quite challenging. Back in 1981 I had a very detailed (and notarized) transcendental precognitive spiritual experience which was very emotional and quite a challenge since being entirely consciously atheist and non believer at a time presented a truly shocking reality. You could say I am living proof that Jung was right: "Spirit is an autonomous unconscious process" with an ability to exert a 'superior' influence over the 'self!'
The experience to me, as an individual or person from my perspective, it was as if "my brain" was screaming at me, the self: "What the heck is going on?" "What is This experience? - there is nothing like in the memory banks or experience." "Exactly what do you expect me to do with this experience?" - "I have no where to put this 'unknown' experience, no way to organize the experience in my meaning structure." My mind must have looked at the experience from every angle you could possibly think of - and - to be quite honest, from some points of view you most probably could not possibly imagine. It look me a couple of decades before I truly sorted everything out. Only after years did I come to the conclusion that that particular experience was an "expression of the Holy Spirit", in part due to the exceptional and rather unprecedented detail in it, but also of the spiritual and religious symbolism in the content of the stream of consciousness. Recently, I would briefly mention (so you don't think I am blowing smoke) that I have had a couple of other people agree that that particular transcendental spiritual experience is, indeed an expression of the Holy Spirit - an Anglican priest, a Catholic woman, and a couple other Christian acquaintances.
As the Sufi, Idries Shah so wisely observed, "Enlightenment must come little by little-otherwise it would overwhelm." Some people don't have that option. In fact, I must say, that if I ever do get the opportunity to have a word with God, I would most likely would suggest that when he gives people awesome and very powerful spiritual experiences, he may want to think about sending along an instruction manual with the transcendental spiritual experience to make things easier. Of course, that might actually be the entire purpose after all - to make one think and question.
William James, Carl Jung, Clifford Geertz all highlight the fact that emotions are very salient and evident in some aspects of spirituality and religious beliefs. And, clearly, in spiritual experiences and religious beliefs, "Balance" is a definite "necessity" and not a frivolous luxury - something ignored by many Christian leaders, to be quite honest. That being said the flip-side of the coin is that as the prominent psychologist, Eric Klinger states, that, “Goal striving cannot happen without systems for relating to the world outside.” (P34 quest.) That is to say, motives are motives “for” something and are largely driven by needs, desires, and emotions. These emotions-motivations are not created in a vacuum, and furthermore, motives and goal-striving would necessarily involve a “system” or a structure. So, in some way, emotions, then, must be pivotal in ‘organizing reality!” That is, emotions, which are also closely associated with spiritual processes, spiritual experiences and often religious beliefs, must in some way help people “relate” and “connect” with the “outside world.” So, there are two sides to the coin.
May the Force - and the Spirit - Be with You!
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My writing and ideas are born of passion, which is inspired and driven by a few personal spiritual experiences. Many people find inspiration and creativity in spirituality. Each person engages spirituality depending on a variety of factors such as personality, genetic predispositions, upbringing, and so on.
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References and Footnotes
Albert Einstein comprehensive website: http://alberteinsteinsite.com/
Albert Einstein Biography: https://www.biography.com/people/albert-einstein-9285408
John Bargh, PhD:
http://bargh.socialpsychology.org/
http://www.psych.nyu.edu/bargh/index.html
Viktor Frankl:
http://www.viktor-frankl.com/
Dr. Paul Wong: http://www.drpaulwong.com/
Carl Jung: https://www.psychologistworld.com/cognitive/carl-jung-analytical-psychology
Emile Durkheim: http://durkheim.uchicago.edu/
William James: https://www.biography.com/people/william-james-9352726
St. Augustine:
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/augustine
St. Gregory of Nyssa (Franciscan):
https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-gregory-of-nyssa/
St. Gregory of Nyssa (wikiorg): https://orthodoxwiki.org/Gregory_of_Nyssa
Nietzsche biography:
https://www.biography.com/people/friedrich-nietzsche-9423452
Abraham Joshua Heschel: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/abraham-joshua-heschel-a-prophets-prophet/