For me, the only worthwhile religion is one that practices kindness and compassion for all living things, and poets throughout the ages have always known this. In "Tintern Abbey", Wordsworth talks specifically about those "little nameless acts of kindness and of love that have no small or trivial influence on the best portion of a good man's life." If that isn't the essence of real religion, it's not worth having.
Indeed. As Tom Robbins once said: “Religion is nothing but institutionalized mysticism. The catch is, mysticism does not lend itself to institutionalization. The moment we attempt to organize mysticism, we destroy its essence. Religion, then, is mysticism in which the mystical has been killed. Or, at least diminished.”
Surely the best human response so far to mysteries, mysticism, the unknown is science.
I believe most of the other ‘techniques’ are definitely what makes us human and also a manifestation of both a societal and individual need for meaning and a species wide unease/fear of the unknown.
1000 years in the future, there will still be a myriad of unsolved or misunderstood mysteries for us to ponder and we probably will have different ways of doing it too. Who knows we may have even worked out what it is all about!
I love this. I find this to be a very complete understanding and yet simple explanation of our experience. I don’t disagree with a single point. The level of enlightenment necessary to connect all of these dots is remarkable and it’s obvious that you are communicating from a place of peace and love. Thank you.
Thank you for your thoughtful writing, Erik. I'm currently re-reading Rodger Kamenetz's wonderful 1994 book, "The Jew in the Lotus," which describes the 1990 journey of a group of rabbis and Jewish thinkers to visit the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala. Because the travelers did not experience any "baggage" with Buddhism and because the Dalai Lama had such an open curiosity about their spiritual culture, they were able to swim in and out of pools of universality and particularity. Jewish history makes it very difficult to completely let go and dive into the ultimate truth of the ocean that carries each of the waves of spiritual traditions. We are always sticking a toe in when, speaking for myself, I am always longing to submerge myself.
How did it hold up for you in the re-read? I’m finding myself more interested in the personalities (some of whom I knew) and less interested in the theological fine points. I’d say the personality of my spirituality has moved more to the Buddhist side. More spacious, less boundaried.
Thank you Erik, for bringing up the Golden Rule...in todays world we need to hear more about it, in the land that is your country we need to hear more about it.
I have been a life-long believer in The Golden Rule.
I recently read something that caused me to question it. What if “the other” does not wish to be treated as I do? Or the other way round?
I experienced this first hand during cancer treatment when some showered me with gifts and attention that I did not want. One of these “givers” was also a cancer survivor. I recognize now that what I gave her during her treatment was space. What she probably wanted was gifts and attention. 🤷🏻♀️
Yes indeed - the Golden Rule is a decent rule if thumb but it rests on the assumption that people want the same things, which is not always true. It's like Kant's categorical imperative (act as though you would want your action to be practiced by everyone) which is a great way to get children not to drop litter but runs into problems when taken to it's logical conclusion.
Ahhh! There is pain in change and growing away from our roots. Thank you for your recognition. It helps.
I recently saw a clip in which a woman said something profound. “Those close to us do not like it when we change because we are killing off the person they love.”
Such thinking helps me to shift my lens to one of understanding and compassion.
I enjoyed your post but for me there’s not much evidence of ‘good’ religions, just endless talk justifying their chosen flavour of interpreting existence. Assigning a universal ’truth’ to it surely is falling into the same anthropomorphism that religious leaders have been doing since the get go, requiring ever more contrived theology to justify it as the target audience becomes more sophisticated.
I enjoyed your post but for me there’s not much evidence of ‘good’ religions, just endless talk justifying their chosen flavour of interpreting existence. Assigning a universal ’truth’ to it surely is falling into the same anthropomorphism that religious leaders have been doing since the get go, requiring ever more contrived theology to justify it as the target audience becomes more sophisticated.
I guess the Golden Rule can be personal, and that seems to be how most think about it. For me Erik's piece made me think of it on a social, civic national level.
A most interesting write - not least because your journey with 'undoing traditional religious mechanisms for shaping young minds' mirrors my own journey in many aspects. (and also I've learnt from one of the comments that Poetic Outlaws = Erik Rittenberry - is that correct?). I'm also a fan of The Gospel of Thomas, and get my driving force for creativity from Logon 70: "If you bring forth that which is within you, it will give you life; if you do not bring forth that which is within you, it will kill you". Great quotes included in your post too.
Erik, I find your essay profound in so many ways. My spiritual journeys have been similar with similar conclusions, but you have expressed those thoughts with great clarity.
There is so much in this article that it serves many re-readings. The personal story each of us lives, if reflected upon intensely, becomes the path, becomes the "heaven", becomes the reward of enlightenment. Please continue these Sunday issues on this subject of spirituality and, often the antonym, religion.
I'm glad I read this article. This is what I have come to think as well. It's nice to know I'm not strange for believing that there is one common theme in all religions. I say I believe in a higher power. Exactly what that means....I don't know. But I believe in something I cannot specifically describe or completely know. And maybe in my life I never will.
As seekers, ever evolving, we come to understand there is no “truth” graspable by the human intellect. We are simply searching, and waiting to arrive Home.
I eagerly wait for when you post your own works on Substack. I was telling my girlfriend just last evening how the guy who runs poetic outlaws is an engaging writer himself. Keep up the good work man...
I agree with a lot of what you've written here Erik, even as someone part of the so-called religious 'system'. G-O-D is inherently mysterious and unknowable and cannot be reduced to a Santa Clause or angry father figure. Most religions reduce God and spirituality to rules and creeds because they are tangible and knowable, which is in some ways understandable from a practical standpoint, even if doing this does ultimately undermine the likelihood of coming into contact with the Divine.
One thought for you to consider in amongst all of this: despite the obvious flaws and drawbacks of most organised religions (noting that broadbrush denouncements don't account for those small groups of people all over the world who approach GOD in the way you describe despite technically being in the category of organised religion), there is an overwhelming benefit which spiritual seekers tend to overlook. The benefit of community, of being alongside your fellow human beings, of having not only a vertical relationship with the Divine but also horizontal relationships with others seeking the same thing or something similar. In many ways human relationships are more difficult and conflict-inherent. But it's been my experience that something precious is lost when I only invest time in my individual pursuit of God and truth. We are created to be a communal collective, not to be lone rangers for a significant amount of time. This isn't about being part of a 'hive-mind', but about mutual love and accountability and encouragement.
Hi Eric and commenters, good job on the article Eric. I have been thinking on these things since my first mystical experience at age 14. What comes to mind at the moment is my own current definition of the divine beloved. We have the word universe so for myself I call it the Verse of Uni and I draw the uni as a wave with a dot at the end to represent wave and particle but also the dot being like a seed, the start and the finish. Everything comes out of the dot and returns to the dot. It represents oneness which can only express itself as oneness hence everything down to the last snowflake is unique in manifestation. Like you mentioned, the mystical path is not about knowledge but about knowingness. At our core we all know. We are all one. Hence the golden rule and ‘what you have done to the least among us you have done to me.’ That is the kingdom within. With knowingness all we need to know is right now. I call that part intuition. That is our compass. That is our faith, to trust that this moment has all that we need in infinite abundance and beauty and that we can know exactly our next step. Simple but not easy. The strait and narrow path.
For me, the only worthwhile religion is one that practices kindness and compassion for all living things, and poets throughout the ages have always known this. In "Tintern Abbey", Wordsworth talks specifically about those "little nameless acts of kindness and of love that have no small or trivial influence on the best portion of a good man's life." If that isn't the essence of real religion, it's not worth having.
I think our error was in turning faith into religion and religion into institutions
Indeed. As Tom Robbins once said: “Religion is nothing but institutionalized mysticism. The catch is, mysticism does not lend itself to institutionalization. The moment we attempt to organize mysticism, we destroy its essence. Religion, then, is mysticism in which the mystical has been killed. Or, at least diminished.”
Surely the best human response so far to mysteries, mysticism, the unknown is science.
I believe most of the other ‘techniques’ are definitely what makes us human and also a manifestation of both a societal and individual need for meaning and a species wide unease/fear of the unknown.
1000 years in the future, there will still be a myriad of unsolved or misunderstood mysteries for us to ponder and we probably will have different ways of doing it too. Who knows we may have even worked out what it is all about!
I love this. I find this to be a very complete understanding and yet simple explanation of our experience. I don’t disagree with a single point. The level of enlightenment necessary to connect all of these dots is remarkable and it’s obvious that you are communicating from a place of peace and love. Thank you.
I appreciate the kind words. Thank you!
Thank you for your thoughtful writing, Erik. I'm currently re-reading Rodger Kamenetz's wonderful 1994 book, "The Jew in the Lotus," which describes the 1990 journey of a group of rabbis and Jewish thinkers to visit the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala. Because the travelers did not experience any "baggage" with Buddhism and because the Dalai Lama had such an open curiosity about their spiritual culture, they were able to swim in and out of pools of universality and particularity. Jewish history makes it very difficult to completely let go and dive into the ultimate truth of the ocean that carries each of the waves of spiritual traditions. We are always sticking a toe in when, speaking for myself, I am always longing to submerge myself.
Synchronicity. Just re-read "The Jew in the Lotus," too. And watched the DVD based on that book. And listened to this:
https://vimeo.com/144637222
How did it hold up for you in the re-read? I’m finding myself more interested in the personalities (some of whom I knew) and less interested in the theological fine points. I’d say the personality of my spirituality has moved more to the Buddhist side. More spacious, less boundaried.
With a title like that, I just have to check it out!
Thank you Erik, for bringing up the Golden Rule...in todays world we need to hear more about it, in the land that is your country we need to hear more about it.
I have been a life-long believer in The Golden Rule.
I recently read something that caused me to question it. What if “the other” does not wish to be treated as I do? Or the other way round?
I experienced this first hand during cancer treatment when some showered me with gifts and attention that I did not want. One of these “givers” was also a cancer survivor. I recognize now that what I gave her during her treatment was space. What she probably wanted was gifts and attention. 🤷🏻♀️
Even the Golden Rule requires communication?
Yes indeed - the Golden Rule is a decent rule if thumb but it rests on the assumption that people want the same things, which is not always true. It's like Kant's categorical imperative (act as though you would want your action to be practiced by everyone) which is a great way to get children not to drop litter but runs into problems when taken to it's logical conclusion.
It sounds like you were more mature than the gift bringers. You were living on a deeper level and in a different reality. They didn’t know you.
Ahhh! There is pain in change and growing away from our roots. Thank you for your recognition. It helps.
I recently saw a clip in which a woman said something profound. “Those close to us do not like it when we change because we are killing off the person they love.”
Such thinking helps me to shift my lens to one of understanding and compassion.
I enjoyed your post but for me there’s not much evidence of ‘good’ religions, just endless talk justifying their chosen flavour of interpreting existence. Assigning a universal ’truth’ to it surely is falling into the same anthropomorphism that religious leaders have been doing since the get go, requiring ever more contrived theology to justify it as the target audience becomes more sophisticated.
I enjoyed your post but for me there’s not much evidence of ‘good’ religions, just endless talk justifying their chosen flavour of interpreting existence. Assigning a universal ’truth’ to it surely is falling into the same anthropomorphism that religious leaders have been doing since the get go, requiring ever more contrived theology to justify it as the target audience becomes more sophisticated.
I guess the Golden Rule can be personal, and that seems to be how most think about it. For me Erik's piece made me think of it on a social, civic national level.
Yes. I understand completely. I wasn’t challenging, only sharing how my belief has broadened. 😊
Excellent essay. You nailed it.
Erik, thank you! This is my kind of church and my kind of Sunday sermon! Bless you! Keep writing. We need you. 🙏❤️
hello mr.millard--great post right--just discovered it--the poetic outlaws. jeanne
Jeanne! Hope things are well and you’re creating those beautiful cards ❤️
A most interesting write - not least because your journey with 'undoing traditional religious mechanisms for shaping young minds' mirrors my own journey in many aspects. (and also I've learnt from one of the comments that Poetic Outlaws = Erik Rittenberry - is that correct?). I'm also a fan of The Gospel of Thomas, and get my driving force for creativity from Logon 70: "If you bring forth that which is within you, it will give you life; if you do not bring forth that which is within you, it will kill you". Great quotes included in your post too.
Erik, I find your essay profound in so many ways. My spiritual journeys have been similar with similar conclusions, but you have expressed those thoughts with great clarity.
I think many of us share Erik's type of spiritual journey, and yes, he expressed it beautifully.
There is so much in this article that it serves many re-readings. The personal story each of us lives, if reflected upon intensely, becomes the path, becomes the "heaven", becomes the reward of enlightenment. Please continue these Sunday issues on this subject of spirituality and, often the antonym, religion.
I'm glad I read this article. This is what I have come to think as well. It's nice to know I'm not strange for believing that there is one common theme in all religions. I say I believe in a higher power. Exactly what that means....I don't know. But I believe in something I cannot specifically describe or completely know. And maybe in my life I never will.
God, according to Jung, is a word for the 'unknowable', so rejoice - you're on the right track.
As seekers, ever evolving, we come to understand there is no “truth” graspable by the human intellect. We are simply searching, and waiting to arrive Home.
You managed to put it all in words. Thank you.
I eagerly wait for when you post your own works on Substack. I was telling my girlfriend just last evening how the guy who runs poetic outlaws is an engaging writer himself. Keep up the good work man...
I agree with a lot of what you've written here Erik, even as someone part of the so-called religious 'system'. G-O-D is inherently mysterious and unknowable and cannot be reduced to a Santa Clause or angry father figure. Most religions reduce God and spirituality to rules and creeds because they are tangible and knowable, which is in some ways understandable from a practical standpoint, even if doing this does ultimately undermine the likelihood of coming into contact with the Divine.
One thought for you to consider in amongst all of this: despite the obvious flaws and drawbacks of most organised religions (noting that broadbrush denouncements don't account for those small groups of people all over the world who approach GOD in the way you describe despite technically being in the category of organised religion), there is an overwhelming benefit which spiritual seekers tend to overlook. The benefit of community, of being alongside your fellow human beings, of having not only a vertical relationship with the Divine but also horizontal relationships with others seeking the same thing or something similar. In many ways human relationships are more difficult and conflict-inherent. But it's been my experience that something precious is lost when I only invest time in my individual pursuit of God and truth. We are created to be a communal collective, not to be lone rangers for a significant amount of time. This isn't about being part of a 'hive-mind', but about mutual love and accountability and encouragement.
Anyway, just some food for thought.
Hi Eric and commenters, good job on the article Eric. I have been thinking on these things since my first mystical experience at age 14. What comes to mind at the moment is my own current definition of the divine beloved. We have the word universe so for myself I call it the Verse of Uni and I draw the uni as a wave with a dot at the end to represent wave and particle but also the dot being like a seed, the start and the finish. Everything comes out of the dot and returns to the dot. It represents oneness which can only express itself as oneness hence everything down to the last snowflake is unique in manifestation. Like you mentioned, the mystical path is not about knowledge but about knowingness. At our core we all know. We are all one. Hence the golden rule and ‘what you have done to the least among us you have done to me.’ That is the kingdom within. With knowingness all we need to know is right now. I call that part intuition. That is our compass. That is our faith, to trust that this moment has all that we need in infinite abundance and beauty and that we can know exactly our next step. Simple but not easy. The strait and narrow path.