I have avoided discussing any of my spiritual beliefs at length in a public setting, and don’t even divulge much in more private settings. I think one of the main reasons for this is that I can’t really do so without getting into epistemology, which is not a light topic to dive into and can jeopardize the very essence of the beliefs themselves: as tools for mystical experiences.

After listening to a presentation a couple weeks ago at the Unitarian Universalist fellowship I attend in Longview, I became very interested in the concept of mysticism. I realized my attachment to finding credible explanations for spirituality distracted me with concepts about the nature of reality or the attributes of God, when what I really seek is simply the experience of the Divine, without borders. I think this is what mysticism is at its core.

With that in mind, any spiritual beliefs I adopt have the sole purpose of creating a substrate upon which mystical experiences can become a natural outgrowth. The point is not to explain the experiences or use them to explain the world. However, if installing some beliefs allows these experiences to be more readily accessed, I am passionately in favor of that, both for myself and those around me.

The following are the guardrails I think can ensure spiritual beliefs accomplish this purpose, without becoming tools to judge other people.

1. Subordinate to scientific consensus – For me, this is the bare minimum of middle way with regards to curiosity and conviction. I want to stay infinitely curious about understanding how the universe behaves, while also forming deep convictions about my place and role within it. The ultimate goal is to arrive at an integrative understanding of spirituality from the realm of science.
2. Untethered from a particular historical or scientific claim – What comes to mind most prominently for me in this regard is the claim of Jesus’ bodily resurrection. When I was a Christian, all of my mystical experiences and related beliefs were wrapped up in this claim, and all of them got shattered when I lost my conviction in the veracity of this claim. What a waste! I could have saved myself half a decade of spiritual emptiness if I had allowed my experiences to be valuable for their own sake.
3. Divorced from objective moral judgments – Mystical experiences are the very definition of something that is NOT objective truth. I believe subjective truth is every bit as valuable as objective truth when it comes to our personal lives. However, to the degree that morality can be viewed as objective, it can only be done by using objective or logical metrics – like science and ethical theories.
4. Above argumentation – This is the last item on the list, because I reserve the right and even responsibility to do so at times when others don’t abide by the first three principles. If others disregard science because of their religious beliefs, I will challenge that. If others say their religious beliefs are the only truth because of some historical event, I will question that to learn more. If others use their spiritual beliefs to justify an action or a policy I believe to be unjust, I will challenge their framework. However, apart from these exceptions, I seek only to understand in a meaningful way the beliefs of others in order to validate them on their spiritual journey. I expect the same in return.

Now, if you have spiritual beliefs that follow all of the above, but there is no experiential basis that drives them, the whole enterprise is worthless. The POINT is the experience of the divine, however we understand that. From that experience, there will undoubtedly arise questions of a scientific nature that demand to be explored or simply a desire to more fully understand the science we know. The experiences will probably be heavily inspired by our historical and philosophical understandings of the world. They will also be a major input for what we believe to be moral in our personal lives.

If I had to limit myself to one quality that would guarantee a responsible approach to spirituality, it would be humility – the recognition that while the experience of the divine is real (perhaps the most real thing there is), any attempt to explain or ground it will necessarily be lacking. As the Dao De Jing so eloquently states:

“The mere fact of discussing Tao makes it not Tao.”

This doesn’t mean it’s wrong to try, just that any description will always be far from the real thing.

I think my approach to spiritual beliefs might be similar to the model advocated for by the late Stephen Jay Gould of non-overlapping magisteria, or NOMA. However, without more thorough research, I wouldn’t make a hard claim to that effect. I think figuring out how to navigate the relationship between spirituality and science might be the most difficult middle path to walk.

So, how can we talk about our spiritual experiences and beliefs honestly and authentically without descending into dogmatism. I actually think it is a lot simpler than one might think. It involves describing felt experiences instead of stating perceived facts. How? Insert “I feel like” at the beginning of any description of your mystical sensations or metaphysical conclusions.

NOT: “The Holy Spirit filled me with wisdom and understanding.”
Instead: “I felt like the Holy Spirit filled me with wisdom and understanding.”

NOT: “Healing energy flowed from my body to theirs.”
Instead: “I felt like healing energy flowed from my body to theirs.”

NOT: “Our physical bodies will die, but the eternal conscious mindstream will continue on.”
Instead: “I feel like our physical bodies will die, but the eternal conscious mindstream will continue on.”

Dropping the word ‘like’ might be warranted if describing a particularly potent experience or important belief. However, this should be done sparingly and with caution. I think it entirely possible and desirable for people with widely differing spiritual beliefs to nonetheless be able to learn from and validate each other. It requires a big dollop of humility, which can be difficult to develop, but is more than worth it in the end.

Namaste.