Spirituality

                      by Dr. Mark Pitstick

Numerous spirituality teachers from all cultures support the existence of an afterlife and our eternal soul natures.  Native or indigenous cultures had well developed and quite sensible cosmologies.  Missionaries from orthodox religions considered them pagan savages and tried to convert them, frequently with disastrous results.  Perhaps more people are ready to respect and understand sacred wisdom of other cultures. 

For example, shamanism is an ancient aspect of indigenous tribal spirituality.  Throughout history, shamans have existed on every continent.  Anthropologist Michael Harner, Ph.D., in The Way of the Shaman, states, “Shamans—whom we in the ‘civilized’ world have called ‘medicine men’ and ‘witch doctors’—are the keepers of a remarkable body of ancient techniques . . . A shaman is a man or woman who enters an altered state of consciousness—at will—to contact and utilize an ordinarily hidden reality in order to acquire knowledge, power, and to help other persons.” 

Numerous validated shamanic events occur in the anthropological literature.  Empirical cases that emphasize experience are also common.

Native American spirituality has contributed mightily to collective wisdom sources.  Some of their language is enjoying more common usage, for example, ‘Great Spirit’ and ‘changing words’, which I prefer over ‘God’ and ‘dying’.  Tribal elders can now share ancient wisdom with all people and provide another perspective that is beautifully aligned with the perennial philosophy.  My friend Rainbow Eagle of the Okla-Choctaw tribe has learned from elders and shares their teachings in his classes and A Walk in the Woods and other books. 

One example of the simple but profound spiritual wisdom is evident in the words of Black Elk, a shaman of the Oglala Sioux, who in his later years often crawled on all fours to play with toddlers.  “We have much in common,” he said.  “They have just come from the Great Mysterious and I am about to return to it.”  Before Europeans influences, Native Americans had no word for the concept of fear.  They completely trusted Spirit as they traveled through eternity and experienced life’s changes. 

One benefit of spirituality versus religion is that the former is usually not so weighed down by doctrines and rituals.  Many spirituality sources are connected to the rhythms of the earth and thus flow like the changes of seasons and other cycles.  Spirituality is more fluid and dynamic, important qualities when dealing with the richness and myriad facets of the soul.   

Huston Smith, Ph.D., discusses the concretization process in religious institutions that tends to freeze, dilute, or distort the truth: “Lincoln Steffens has a fable of a man who climbed to the top of a mountain and, standing on tiptoe, seized hold of the Truth.  Satan, suspecting mischief from this upstart, had directed one of his underlings to tail him; but when the demon reported with alarm the man’s success—that he had seized hold of the Truth—Satan was unperturbed.  ‘Don’t worry,’ he yawned.  ‘I’ll tempt him to institutionalize it.’” 

Smith notes that religious institutions are the product of imperfect people and, as such, consist of vices as well as virtues.  He recommends sifting religious institutions for their truths that reflect their value as the world’s wisdom traditions.

I am not criticizing organized religions, but it’s a historical fact that significant change and blending in them has occurred over time.  As such, I encourage people to trust their inner voices and evaluate other sources of spiritual wisdom.  We can then perhaps benefit even more from the strengths of established religions.