Very interesting to read this Jordan. I feel myself walking the same edge the last year and prompted to write a whole damn essay by you.
I found it very striking how powerful that pull came on for you. I had no inkling that you had a church or catholic background. It does seem that the christian code can be waiting under the surface and come back online with force. The most promising form of this being a relation to christ consciousness primarily and then an interrogation of the church and christian lineage. Unfortunately, without direct experience people may feel the call and only seem to find their way back into the hollowed out husk you describe. I think elements of the experience we have had are likely to happen more and more and a lot of people will fell called back to faith. Consequently, they'll be called into direct confrontation with their own religious trauma and what was limiting in the first place. Hopefully there is a creative urge borne out of this yearning and not a mere reversion to what was.
I see a really rich space emerging for a 'christianity-beyond-itself' in dialogue with other very distinct ways of knowing. This has been a very live dialogue for me and one I'm hoping to continue in the 'wrestling with christianity' series of SenseSpace.
PS. Fascinated to hear about your christian shaman friends.
Another great essay! Man!... You're forcing me to think! My son is going through exactly the same experience you just described and started to return to his Catholic roots and reading anything he can about the Catholic faith. Of course, he would like his parents to join in.
I, too, had some mystical experiences, but I am also concerned about the Christian egregore (although
I didn't call it like that). When it comes to Christianity, my natural attraction is towards "contemplative Christianity" where the emphasis is on the "feelings of/in the heart" as opposed to theology, rules and rituals. I don't know if you're familiar with the work (and videos) of father Richard Rohr (a Franciscan friar). He has a way, it seems, to recognize the egregore and to address it in a way that makes sense. Ultimately, there has to be a primal, original, universal, ontological, spiritual reality that is beyond cultural differences and historical time lines. I think all religions try to touch that ultimate reality.
In the end, it is a mystery. Maybe we should just rejoice in "this mystery" and be satisfied with knowing that we will never know. The more I peel the onion, the more mysterious it seems to get.
Rich words, Chris, thanks so much for reading and appreciating <3 Sounds like we're quite similar... yes, I do know of Richard Rohr and have appreciated what I've seen of his work so far -- thanks for another breadcrumb inviting me to dive deeper. Just looked up some quotes of his and enjoyed reading these: https://bookroo.com/quotes/richard-rohr
"Ultimately, there has to be a primal, original, universal, ontological, spiritual reality that is beyond cultural differences and historical time lines" -- I agree with you here
And yes, in my experience loving and appreciating and revering the Great Mystery with no need for final answers is a great way to go : ) it seems that one can enter into a direct relationship with this Great Mystery in which it begins to reveal its nature to itself through the aperture of 'you' or 'me,' yet even as much is revealed (it's infinite, all-embracing, profoundly intelligent, etc), a tremendous inscrutable Mystery always remains
Wonderful article -- and you are closer to the Truth than you know. We Sufis say that every human being worships the God that is the product of their imagination. The true Divine Reality -- Al-Haqq in Islam -- is beyond the ability of the mind or the imagination to grasp. It can only be experienced directly through the mystical path. Salaam and peace from your Muslim brother.
Very interesting to read this Jordan. I feel myself walking the same edge the last year and prompted to write a whole damn essay by you.
I found it very striking how powerful that pull came on for you. I had no inkling that you had a church or catholic background. It does seem that the christian code can be waiting under the surface and come back online with force. The most promising form of this being a relation to christ consciousness primarily and then an interrogation of the church and christian lineage. Unfortunately, without direct experience people may feel the call and only seem to find their way back into the hollowed out husk you describe. I think elements of the experience we have had are likely to happen more and more and a lot of people will fell called back to faith. Consequently, they'll be called into direct confrontation with their own religious trauma and what was limiting in the first place. Hopefully there is a creative urge borne out of this yearning and not a mere reversion to what was.
I see a really rich space emerging for a 'christianity-beyond-itself' in dialogue with other very distinct ways of knowing. This has been a very live dialogue for me and one I'm hoping to continue in the 'wrestling with christianity' series of SenseSpace.
PS. Fascinated to hear about your christian shaman friends.
Rich words brother, thank you for sharing your keen sensing! <3 Look forward to talking more about all this with you soon <3
Another great essay! Man!... You're forcing me to think! My son is going through exactly the same experience you just described and started to return to his Catholic roots and reading anything he can about the Catholic faith. Of course, he would like his parents to join in.
I, too, had some mystical experiences, but I am also concerned about the Christian egregore (although
I didn't call it like that). When it comes to Christianity, my natural attraction is towards "contemplative Christianity" where the emphasis is on the "feelings of/in the heart" as opposed to theology, rules and rituals. I don't know if you're familiar with the work (and videos) of father Richard Rohr (a Franciscan friar). He has a way, it seems, to recognize the egregore and to address it in a way that makes sense. Ultimately, there has to be a primal, original, universal, ontological, spiritual reality that is beyond cultural differences and historical time lines. I think all religions try to touch that ultimate reality.
In the end, it is a mystery. Maybe we should just rejoice in "this mystery" and be satisfied with knowing that we will never know. The more I peel the onion, the more mysterious it seems to get.
Keep peeling the onion Jordan!
Cheers
Rich words, Chris, thanks so much for reading and appreciating <3 Sounds like we're quite similar... yes, I do know of Richard Rohr and have appreciated what I've seen of his work so far -- thanks for another breadcrumb inviting me to dive deeper. Just looked up some quotes of his and enjoyed reading these: https://bookroo.com/quotes/richard-rohr
And some of these: https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/7919.Richard_Rohr
"Ultimately, there has to be a primal, original, universal, ontological, spiritual reality that is beyond cultural differences and historical time lines" -- I agree with you here
And yes, in my experience loving and appreciating and revering the Great Mystery with no need for final answers is a great way to go : ) it seems that one can enter into a direct relationship with this Great Mystery in which it begins to reveal its nature to itself through the aperture of 'you' or 'me,' yet even as much is revealed (it's infinite, all-embracing, profoundly intelligent, etc), a tremendous inscrutable Mystery always remains
Blessings,
Jordan
Wonderful article -- and you are closer to the Truth than you know. We Sufis say that every human being worships the God that is the product of their imagination. The true Divine Reality -- Al-Haqq in Islam -- is beyond the ability of the mind or the imagination to grasp. It can only be experienced directly through the mystical path. Salaam and peace from your Muslim brother.
One Love 🙏🏼❤️🔥