Spiritual Activism- An Introduction

After writing and rewriting this piece, I have realized that this is just the beginning of my musings. There are so many nuances to bring to the surface. This is sure to be a journey, but I believe it is important. Thanks for joining. 

Ever since my time in Berkeley in 2009, I have had a portion of my brain continuously spinning, shifting and sussing out the idea of Spiritual Activism. I bought a book or two by Andrew Harvey. They are sitting on one of my shelves. Since buying them, 7 or 8 year ago.

Dinner with Love Warriors in Berkeley

I have read portions here and there, along with snippets of thoughts and definitions written by others scattered across the internet. But I haven’t ventured any further than that- not in a concrete, academic, intellectual way- no journal articles, no history, no theory.

This was because after graduate school researching ANYTHING sounded excruciating, but more importantly I wanted my definition and understanding of spiritual activism to be mine. Spiritual Activism was something I instinctively understood, something that floated through my essence in shapes and colors and sounds, something that was part of me that only needed time to be put into words. I didn’t want to lose this important piece of me, this piece that guided my decisions, my hopes and my desires. I didn’t want it replaced by someone else’s voice that my brain deemed more respectable, more intelligent, more capable.Here is my voice. My words on paper. And placed with them is the hope that this process makes my beliefs more concrete and allows me to move closer towards embracing my calling, existing as a servant leader, whose well is full and life is abundant.

The bravery and passion of activists have always inspired me. Activists, people who push back against speech, policies, ideas and behaviors that they see as unjust. They recognize they have power and don’t allow others to take it from them. The firmly stand up and say, “No.” All activists have this in common, no matter their cause or beliefs, and this is admirable. Spiritual activism begins to differentiate itself as we dig deeper into understanding the power that activists possesses. An activist in the United States may feel that their power comes from the constitution and its first amendment, from large numbers of unified voices, or from knowledge- education and past experiences. For the Spiritual Activist, these things all enhance and strengthen their power, but the power itself comes simply from being alive and in human form.

A spiritual activist understands that they are spiritual being living in a physical body and that they are composed of more than the matter that can be seen by the human eye. We understand that we exist with a purpose, with talents and gifts that make us unique. We understand that we are connected to an energy larger than ourselves. Some call it God or Divine Energy, Allah, Jesus or even Zeus. I call it Love. Spiritual activists understand that we are unique, important and part of the greatest force ever known- the energy of a loving Universe. It is part of us as much as it is what surrounds us. We know this is true for us, as well as for everyone we meet.

Spiritual activist believe in dark and light, good and bad, wrong and right. We see injustice as the disregard for human life and the power, potential and prestige that each body holds. Spiritual activist do not think in terms of “us” and “them.” We see life. We see how it is affected by darkness: fear, pain, ignorance, and circumstance. We know that these things are able to contort, disfigure and change an individual. We know these elements bury and hold down the true essence of a human being- a being of Love. But we know that with a holistic approach we can begin to dig out and find that being of Love again. We know that healing and reformation are possible, and this is why there is no enemy for a spiritual activist, simply humans who need to heal.

We are not dreamers or overly romantic. We understand that Hitler would have to had a lot of muck shoveled and scraped from his essence, and perhaps it would never be clean. But we understand that the essence of being of Love was there, buried by the darkness he carried. Darkness needs contained where it cannot be healed. In extreme cases like that of Hitler, when an unjust person can not be brought back to a place where they honor and rejoice the essence of every living being, then they should be kept away from the rest of humanity. But because spiritual activists work to have the dignity of all life honored and protected, we can not condone any act of violence towards another.
Spiritual activists are angered and an intolerant of injustice in every form, but we do not fight to destroy it. We work to create spaces in communities and human hearts where justice can thrive and injustice can’t take root.

Illustraion by Leah Pearlman.
Check out more of her amazing work at Dharma Comics

Knowing that we all have unique skills and talents, we do not try to do it all. We understand that there is much building and healing work to be done, and that we are not built to work on every cause. Awareness is essential, and spiritual activists understand that we must pay attention to the work that is being done by our brothers and sister across the globe. Each of us can only touch so many hearts and cross so many miles of land, but with trust, awareness, reflection and connection to a loving Universe we know that our combined efforts will one day restore dignity, power and prestige to every individual.

The Work We Were Made For

Imagine if this was the world we lived in:

You woke up, stretched, looked in the mirror at your crazy bedhead, ran through a mental list of all of the hair products in your cabinet trying to decide what you could possibly do to make yourself presentable, figured it out, and then got ready for work. Your work is a job that you are skilled at and that fits well with your personality and interests. No matter what your job is, you are paid a living wage; what you do in one way or another benefits someone else.

You’re a barista? Great! Without you most of us would definitely fall back to sleep before noon! You’re a garbage man? Wonderful! Without you, our streets would smell and look a-mess, and what’s that? You’re looking into how to convince your supervisors to move further with recycling and compost. Perfect that IS your job! You are after all, a garbage man.Oh, you are a lawyer. That’s fantastic! You find making sense of the laws of the land thrilling and excel in putting together compelling, logical arguments. You help keep things from getting too chaotic and support others in times of stress. Thank you for your service!

What you are paid is based on your needs. A garbage man with a family of four? You make more than the barista who is living alone with her terrier, saving money for a trip to Spain. But she is still able to live comfortably and has enough in her savings to spend on an emergency and keep her travel fund in check. You are a lawyer living in New Hampshire with a husband and 3 kids? You are paid enough to consistently pay your student loans, save up half of a the cost of undergraduate tuition for both of your kids, have a decent emergency fund, and pay to keep your home warm and comfortable during those harsh New England winters. But you certainly are not paid any more that the female school counselor from Kentucky with a wife and two kids, who is taking care of her two elderly parents. Everyone is valued because everyone is important.

This world is beautiful, but having your basic human needs taken care of is not the most exciting part. No. What is really thrilling is that your job allows you to grow, expand and explore! It is perfectly compatible with your true essence and what you are trying to learn in this lifetime. Your job is perfectly fitted to help you understand yourself and to allow you to serve others as they follow their own path. This is what our soul aches for.

Figuring out how to revamp our current economic system in a way that will allow the abundance principle to work freely and support all of us will take some time. But we can all begin to live some version of this dream world here and now. I am not an expert, but I am an invested novice committed to self-knowledge, focusing on intention, and trusting spirit and myself; certain that there is a way to follow a career that syncs with my soul, allowing me to grow as I serve those around me.

I am fortunate to be able to speak directly with Spirit, to receive insight and guidance about who I am and where I am going. Unfortunately, my trust issues often make me a bad listener and cut me off from the reassuring, clarifying, and honest words Spirit sends. I am aware that I lack trust when it comes to my day-to-day planning and processing. I am a work in process.

However as I work on clearing my own path, my love for others and the belief that we exist in a supportive Universe allows me to share messages from Spirit with those who seek to know more about their true selves, their unique path of growth, and the significant contributions only they can make to our world. While I continue to improve on my journey- growing and learning to trust, I am pleased to help others bring light to segments of their path. I know that my work, is in part, sharing this gift of Spirit with those who seek it and are ready to integrate what comes of it. And if you are reading this- you’re ready.