But this shows a fundamental ignorance of what spirituality is (and is not), and whilst a modification of philosophy can be helpful in motivating ourselves to undertake spiritual practice, unless we understand the difference between spiritual philosophy and spiritual practice (and its description), a confusion between the two can be most detrimental to our inner growth. So we need to begin with definitions and descriptions of both.Spiritual philosophies are conceptual road-maps that we use to give our lives meaning and context; spiritual practices are physical or psychological activities that lead us back to oneness or wholeness. In many ways the two oppose each other because philosophies conceptually break-up experience to structure it, whereas spiritual practice works to break-down conceptual structures to open connections and reach wholeness. Too much conceptualisation leads to psychological and physical deterioration — ennui — and the disintegration of society at large; too much wholeness can lead to inactivity and non-creativity (why do or change anything when nothing has meaning and everything is perfect as it is).
Although these two approaches to life oppose each other, we actually need both in a dynamic balance, just at the opposition between antagonist and agonist muscles in our bodies is necessary for movement. The value of a philosophical worldview is that, if we choose the right one, it will not only encourage us to pursue wholeness, but to implement more holistic systems in our lives and in society in general. Meaning is a very powerful motivating factor that can take a species to the stars… or trigger self-annihilation (or both). The value of spiritual practice lies in the connection it establishes, which on a superficial level leads to health and societal harmony, but on a more profound level completely changes our relationship to ourselves, and therefore our relationship to the world at large. Spiritual practice over time will modify our philosophical worldview as we become more accepting, leading us away from strong polarization (a hallmark of spiritual immaturity). So spiritual practice and spiritual philosophy both affect each other, and each tends to bring the other into a more harmonious alignment. Imbalance between them, therefore, is almost invariably when one is lacking.
Today we live in a world that is pathologically fractured by dead philosophies, media-peddled by the corporate sector and military-industrial complex for their own ends. Human beings fractured in this way are easily manipulated and exploited — the old divide and conquer strategy — encouraging us to live disconnected lives that contradict our natural inner rhythms and connectivity. These pathological paradigms were never enforced upon us but are the consequence of the natural progression in the flowering of consciousness — from unconscious unity, to unconscious disunity, to conscious disunity, and finally to conscious unity. [Conscious unity is a complex unity that paradoxically has self-awareness.] So the adoption of paradigms that encourage separation are a necessary step on our journey to ever greater consciousness.
At this moment in history, we are collectively approaching the cusp between conscious disunity and conscious unity, although it is important to realize that this collectivity is an averaging out of individual consciousness, and that there are individuals at all stages of consciousness currently living in this world, and human beings can move through different stages at different times in their lives. But what it means is that it has never been easier for the average person to move towards conscious unity.
There are therefore two very different types of spirituality — unconscious and conscious — both of which can be realized by spiritual practices. The same spiritual practices. The difference is in the consciousness awareness of the individual undertaking them. If someone is at the level of unconscious disunity, spiritual practice will actually take them backwards into unconscious unity. And if someone is at the level of conscious disunity, spiritual practice will take them forwards to conscious unity. (As a general rule, we never go backwards in our level of consciousness — once the apple of knowledge is eaten, we can never return to the unconscious Garden of Eden. But we can go backwards from unconscious disunity to unconscious unity, or from conscious unity to conscious disunity.) (Source: Energy Grid.com)
