The masculine aspect of our true self - our spirit or animus, in
Jungian terms, is a solitary, singular reality. This, of course, is how
we in patriarchal societies generally conceive of ourselves. Here, we
think of our identity as an "I." However, this is not the entire story.
Just as we live embedded in a social and ecological web of relations,
so our soul or anima - the feminine aspect of our true self - is
multi-faceted as well. Following James Hillman and others, we might say
that the "God" (spirit) dimension of our identity is mostly
monotheistic, while the "Goddess" (soul) dimension of our identity is
innately polytheistic.
I find this distinction very helpful when
thinking of my own religious identity. When people ask: "What ARE you?"
they are generally thinking in masculine terms of a singular religious
identity. Here, I could answer with the label "Christian Mysticism" or
simply say: "My religious identity is a singular Universal - a Oneness -
that can't be adequately defined," and that would definitely be true.
After all, Gautama Buddha was not a Buddhist; he was simply "Awake."
And Jesus was not a Christian; he was simply "I AM."
These days,
however, I find that the feminine (soul) aspect of my religious identity
has come to the fore. As such, it is much more multi-faceted and
pluralistic than my masculine (spirit) side. This makes sense, since
the post-modern self we all manifest these days is incapable of being
defined in any one way. Like a multi-hued grove of aspen trees, it
contains many different elements. Accordingly, I can define the
soul-aspect of my religious identity in three important ways. First, I
would say that I am "Interspiritual." That is, my filter for looking at
reality tends to be contemplative Christian, but it is interwoven
heavily with elements from Native American spirituality, Buddhist
(especially Vajrayana) theology, and the spirituality of American Nature
writers. In addition, aspects of Hinduism, Sufism, Taoism, mystical
Judaism, transpersonal psychology, Enneagram spirituality and
eco-spirituality are woven into the interspiritual mix as well.
A
second way I can define the soul aspect of my faith is to say that I am
a "None." In other words, I am unable to identify myself with ANY of
the traditional formal religious traditions. Or rather, I resonate with
the best elements of ALL of the faiths, while setting aside the more
rigid, dogmatic elements. Here, I really like the "spiritual, not
religious" label. I find that this aspect of my faith is prevented from
lapsing into superficiality because I practice a regular set of
spiritual disciplines which lend a sense of stability, even though my
theology may go through periodic shifts.
A third way I can define
the soul aspect of my spiritual identity relates to the fact that I
have been developing a new faith over the past three decades which I
call "Wilderness Mysticism." If one has to use a label, this one fits
me perhaps most adequately. Accordingly, I've developed a theology and
set of practices that highlight the Nature-based dimensions of all of
the traditional faiths, and which also goes beyond them in new and as
yet undefined ways. I embrace fully the chief tenet of Process
Theology, which is the fact that even the DIVINE evolves! This is
DEFINITELY true of Wilderness Mysticism!
I find that any of these
four aspects (one masculine and three feminine) might be expressed at
any given time, depending on the person with whom I am interacting and
what their specific needs are. Actually, I LOVE the fact that I am
never completely sure WHICH element will arise at any given time. Here,
the SHAPESHIFTING aspect of spirituality definitely rules!
Photos: Various Aspen groves in the Cameron Pass area, CO, September 14, 2015
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I am available for spiritual direction / mentoring sessions via cell
phone or Skype. The fee for each hour-long session is $65. If you are
interested in inquiring about this, or would like to host a talk or
workshop in your area, please contact me at canyonechoes@gmail.com .
