Don’t get so Spiritual You’re no Earthly Good!

For many years I worked with a fascinating Native American named Arnold Rice. Arnold conducted Sweat Lodges for me in the native tradition.

For those of you who don’t know, sweat lodges are hot rock rituals. It begins with participants crawling on hands and knees into a small, sacredly constructed teepee until everyone is positioned around a center pit of hot rocks. At that point the narrow tent flaps are shut. Inside it’s dark as midnight. Then water is poured over the rocks. Steam dances into the space and very quickly it gets extremely hot inside. Tribal stories, prayers and songs, all initiated and told by the leader/guide, start to fill the air.

The sense of sacred ritual is palpable.

This process happens three more times where the tent flap opens briefly and more water is poured onto the raging rocks that are each time hotter and hotter. Inside, while the tent gets progressively more sweltering, the prayers get more fervent and the stories ever more profound.

These experiences are confronting and provocative. Such out-of-the-box adventures invariably expand personal limitation, and so it was for me and for my group members. In fact, my initial sweat lodge experience was with the teacher/mentor Dr. Brugh Joy who introduced me to the majority of my most illuminating experiences. I was sure that first grueling sweat lodge time I was going to die.

A part of me did.

Fast forward. It’s many lodge experiences later. Arnold and I are talking about spirituality.  I’m saying how impressed I am with Arnold’s continuing devotion to conducting these lodges...especially for “white people” (very anti-tribal) and including woman. I begin ruminating about what true spirituality is if/when not inclusive. How can we, I wonder, consider ourselves ‘devotees’ of spirit if we so insist on marginalizing whole groups of “other."

That’s when Arnold says something I’ve never forgotten and have quoted many times:

“Just be sure you don’t get so spiritual you’re no earthly good!”

This resonated so deeply with me it’s become one of my mantras. Don’t become so spiritual you’re no earthly good. Indeed. In light of our desperation to believe something guides, guards and holds us, many have lost their humanity way.

This brings up a huge point.

To me, compared to the challenges of being a quality human, being spiritual is easy.

Many use spiritual constructs as an escape valve...a reason and way to stay disconnected from the compassionate moment.

You know these folks - they offer quick, easy platitudes instead of a steady hand and willing heart. Rather than listen, they prosthelytize. Instead of embracing, they override deep feeling concerns with quick spiritual or religious cliches.

All this means, when I say “Spirit” I intend it as true, elegant, well-considered connection with something beyond ego self. I’m not suggesting leaving your humanity behind. Not at all. Actually, our humanity -- when well attended --is the very best part of us.

Humanity is our contribution to life in all its iterations. And if you do believe in a Beloved or Divine or God force, humanity is what we bring to that also. And if you don’t believe in such things, think of Spirit (from the latin spiritus) as meaning "breath" plus soul courage and vigor.

Thus, imagine lending vigorous, courageous breath to your humanity and humanity to your vigorous, courageous breath.

Point is, exploring spirit does not commit you to a ‘category’ or group.

It simply means open your mind and heart to what exists beyond you.