We encourage the journey of awakening to universal spirituality, discovering a deeper meaning in the Christian message and the love connecting us all.
We have produced some resources for this which look at some new approaches to the traditional belief. They are now available by clicking on Starting on a Universal Path
What is Universal Spirituality?
A good question! There is an emerging view in these global days that says that no single religion has got the whole truth, but all of them have parts of the truth. Underlying all faiths is an underground stream of spiritual wisdom amassed over the ages by humanity, which has crystallised in certain cultures and context into specific religions, yet has also lost something in the solidifying process. The more we try to define doctrine and dogma, the more we exclude and enter into dualistic ways of thinking, creating divisions and barriers – those who are in and those who are out, those who have it right and those who have got it wrong. Yet this underlying stream is still there, which we could call universal spirituality.
Christianity has always had an exclusivity to it which says that belief in Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven. But once we start picking that apart, we see that it does not stand up. Who was Jesus and was he different from the Christ? What is heaven if Jesus said it is within us? Where, what and who is God? The more we look at the teachings of Jesus and the other spiritual greats, the more we see this universal underlying wisdom coming through. There are recurring themes in all of the world’s religions and philosophies that continue to say:
- There is a Divine Reality underneath and inherent in the world of things which holds everything in being,
- There is in the human soul a natural capacity for, similarity to, and longing for this Divine Reality, and
- The final goal of existence is awakening to union with this Divine Reality.
The path towards this union is described in various ways in the bible. Human nature is a complex thing, but it is often talked of in two ways – the lower self and the higher self, or the self-centred desire nature and the selfless, more compassionate nature. Or the ego-mind and the Christ-mind. St Paul talks of moving from flesh to Spirit, or being clothed in Christ, or transforming the mind, making the same distinction. It is all about transformation from a poorer state to a better state, which is the essential meaning of salvation. If we look at the bible, we find the message of transformation expressed in many different ways. It is about:
- Moving from darkness to light
- Receiving true sight
- Being born again
- Liberation for captives
- Freedom from bondage
- Healing from our infirmities
- Moving from death to life
- Moving from emptiness to fullness
- Transforming the mind
- Being remade in the image of Christ, putting on the mind of Christ
So we are to be transformed, saved, rescued, by the renewing of our minds, when we move up to a different level of consciousness, from flesh to Spirit, from self-centredness to God-centredness, from ego to soul. The movement is into love, into more compassion, goodwill and loving understanding, vital qualities for our world today. This is a universal teaching, not just confined to Christianity.
Hence, CANA is developing resources on the theme of “Awakening to Universal Spirituality – Evolving with Christianity.” We hope you will join us on the path.
“Christianity can only become the living truth for successive generations if thinkers constantly arise within it who, in the spirit of Jesus, make belief in him capable of intellectual apprehension in the thought-forms of the world-view proper to their time.” Albert Schweitzer
“Behold the turtle. He only makes progress when he sticks his neck out.” James Bryant Conant
Core Group Views
For an article in Summer 2018 newsletter, the CANA Core Group was asked to write what the term Universal Spirituality meant to them. They all had different ideas on this somewhat nebulous term and decided to try to capture the essence of it succinctly – resulting a variety of viewpoints as you might expect! Here they are:
Universal Spirituality and Religions
Understanding depends on words. I define spirituality as a personal relationship with God. Many words can be used about God. The importance of “God” to Jesus, Christianity and Judaism are the fundamental injunctions: “You shall Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind and with all your strength,” and “Love your neighbour as yourself.” I accept God as a mystery from before creation. I do not believe that Buddha did not believe in God. He did teach not to argue about God because doing so wastes time and leads to misunderstanding. My thoughts on Universal Spirituality have developed over many years. Working in interfaith relations for almost thirty years I have become more certain of the need for a spirituality which is universal. I hope I have a spirituality that relates to all people, creation and all that is. This stemmed from my conviction that there can only be one “God” (Ultimacy). That persona which is God, humans have attempted to describe with many words. Often we and they have been in error with our attempts, or mistaken because we have not been sufficiently developed in our understanding. Although “God” is a mystery, we should attempt to help others understand what our vision of “God” is. Equally we must listen and attempt to understand others. I do not accept that anyone’s scripture is infallible and literally correct. That includes Christian Scripture. At the time that Islam came about with revelations to Mohammed, I do not believe that he had a proper understanding of the message of Jesus, because many of those espousing Christianity had not understood it adequately. With our differences we need an effort to comprehend what is in other’s faith that has some equivalence in ours. Christians have multiple forms of Christianity, not only between denominations but within them. Some have failed to help their members to develop a mature Spirituality. Without change and maturity many become clones of others’ thoughts rather than guided by a spiritual relationship with God. I believe Jesus wanted that.
David Storey
Universal Spirituality
I think universal spirituality is simply another name for what Jesus was trying to teach. Consider some of his words as recorded by the gospel writers
This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. (John 15:12)
In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets. (Matt 7:12)
Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. (Matt 10:39) – i.e. transcend the lower self-life to find the higher self-life
If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. (Matt 16:24). Note: ‘follow me’, not ‘worship me’. We are to become like him by transcending the lower self and doing as he did.
And if you include the gospel of Thomas, it spells out the transformative path of a universal spirituality:
Yeshua says, “If you are searching, you must not stop until you find. When you find, however, you will become troubled. Your confusion will give way to wonder. In wonder you will reign over all things. Your sovereignty will be your rest.” (Thomas 2, trans. Lynn Baumann)
This is describing the expansion and evolution of consciousness which is the hallmark of a universal spirituality and is found within all good spiritual paths. It is what Jesus was trying to convey. The Church went down the line of salvation by faith. Jesus was teaching salvation by transformation of the heart and mind, a universal path.
Don MacGregor
Universal Spirituality
Three words and phrases come to mind when I think about Universal Spirituality – syncretism, pick and mix, and heart.
Syncretism: some fear that Universal Spirituality means that differences and valuable traditions will disappear, leading to a confusing amalgamation. Others see their disappearance as a good thing, believing they inevitably lead to discord.
Pick and Mix: another concern is that people will pick and choose from a smorgasbord of different offerings and never experience the depth dimensions which are accessed through commitment to a particular path and community of practice.
Mirabai Starr (http://mirabaistarr.com) and others point to the possibility of experiencing depth and transformation through an interspiritual path and interfaith work shows that discord is not inevitable. My own path has been immeasurably enriched by learning from other faiths and sharing in spiritual practices from a variety of traditions.
Heart: Various religious paths recognise the power of the heart and recent scientific discoveries are showing its importance as a centre of knowing, with its own field of influence and intelligence. (eg HeartMath Institute). Through the field of the heart that we can connect with all. Herein resides the power to turn enemies into friends and live as best we can ‘do unto others as you would be done by’.
Universal Spirituality can be a shaper of shared values which can unite through our heart connection – an empowering force and the wellspring of ‘a world which works for everyone’ where flourishing for all is our reality and includes our rainbow colours.
Heather-Jane Ozanne
Where is the cutting edge of spirituality today?
I find the term Universal Spirituality quite difficult to grasp intellectually – it feels a bit nebulous – but it seems to be seeping into my consciousness in different ways. Over the last few months I have been pondering on the question ‘where is the cutting edge of spirituality today’. Attending a communion service after a few weeks’ absence due to illness brought the realisation that most of what happens in church consists of the reiteration of stories about something that happened two thousand years ago.
Why so great a preoccupation with the past and where are the relevant stories and insights for today? Sadly I don’t often find them in church. And if God is the Ground of our Being, the ground of everyone’s Being – perhaps even Being itself – then it is ludicrous to imagine that his spirit, which Christians call the Holy Spirit, should be contained within one institution, one belief system.
Early disciples of Jesus called themselves ‘Followers of the Way’; perhaps this Way is leading us in a new direction towards a society in which we can openly discuss different pathways, different concepts of who or what God is, and learn from each other, before it is too late and we have finally trashed our beautiful planet. The wind bloweth where it listeth: perhaps the wind of the spirit is blowing in the direction of acceptance, tolerance, openness. I hope so.
Judy Hanmer
ONENESS
There are several ways we can come to understand and embrace a new idea and often we need to experience all of them before we can fully comprehend.
The reality of the Oneness underpinning all creation came to me first through a spontaneous inner experience in which I saw with both outer and inner eyes the one loving, beneficent energy flowing through the shrubs, insects and every leaf in our garden. It was an overwhelming moment, an experience of love that one can never forget.
After years of searching for confirmation of what I had seen the Indian insights into the cosmic dance of Shiva came the closest, followed by the reality of interconnectedness perceived by Celtic mystics; but still science was stuck in its fragmented certainties. Now today the scientists are evidencing how we live in a ‘cosmic hologram’ and that ‘consciousness is not something that we have but what we and the whole world are’.
So it is time to know that matter and spirit are two sides of the same reality. Spirit manifests itself through matter, matter is enlivened through spirit. Our work is to generate the synergy between the two and to value both the unity and diversity for offering harmony through difference. A more universal spirituality will then emerge with oneness at its core. Our task now is to embody this oneness within ourselves and to bring its realisation into the everyday.
Janice Dolley
The Elephant and the Blind men
Once upon a time, there lived six blind men in a village. One day the villagers told them, “Hey, there is an elephant in the village today.” They had no idea what an elephant was. They decided, “Even though we would not be able to see it, let us go and feel it anyway.” All of them went where the elephant was. Every one of them touched the elephant.
“Hey, the elephant is a pillar,” said the first man who touched his leg.
“Oh, no! it is like a rope,” said the second man who touched the tail.
“Oh, no! it is like a thick branch of a tree,” said the third man who touched the trunk of the elephant.
“It is like a big hand fan” said the fourth man who touched the ear of the elephant.
“It is like a huge wall,” said the fifth man who touched the belly of the elephant.
“It is like a solid pipe,” said the sixth man who touched the tusk of the elephant.
They began to argue about the elephant and every one of them insisted that he was right. It looked like they were getting agitated. A wise man was passing by and he saw this. He stopped and asked them: “What is the matter?” They said: “We cannot agree to what the elephant is like.” Each one of them told what he thought the elephant was like. The wise man calmly explained to them, “All of you are right. The reason every one of you is telling it differently because each one of you touched the different part of the elephant. So, actually the elephant has all those features which you all said.”
“Oh!” everyone said. There was no more fight. They felt happy that they were all right.
Martin Paine
Universal Spirituality
For me, ‘universal spirituality’ describes the universal nature of the Spirit of God, and our response to this. There is an abundance of different religions and spiritual paths. Many now recognise that there is only one God behind them all. But the differences and divisions still weigh large despite any rapprochement. And these different groups are usually the source of our religious identity. We are divided.
I sense that God/Source/Spirit is birthing something now that was hinted at before but not fully revealed. We now know that space is not empty but is filled with vibrations and forces. All things that we see as physical are clusters of vibrations. These are held by, created by and formed out of a cosmic universal field. And this field is best described as mind/consciousness/intelligence which some might call God. The universe is not random, there is an underlying purpose. All is interconnected and all is part of this universal consciousness.
As well as new awareness in science, there are many reports from people who have had powerful Near Death Experiences. Love was experienced as the basis of everything, there and here, a powerful, unconditional love that is the essence of the cosmos.
This is not a new reality, but it is a new realisation for many of us. Up until now, knowledge of God has usually been mediated through religious groups that have all been exclusive even while proclaiming a single God. I believe that now is the time for us to witness the universality and inclusivity of Spirit/Consciousness/Deity.
Jane Upchurch
Spirituality dives deep into any and every particularity. It explores each nook and cranny finding nourishment, gifts from our ancestors, like the honey found in a pyramid, still good after its entombment of three thousand years. And from each particularity, it reaches out to others with a laugh and a smile, saying, “Hey, are you here, too? Let’s play!”
Gillian Paschkes-Bell
ONENESS THROUGH DIVERSITY
“You can’t really love universals. It is hard to love concepts, forces or ideas”. Richard Rohr
The term ‘universal spirituality’ is somewhat meaningless to me; it most certainly doesn’t ‘turn me on’. However, I respect others’ views and many of the words used, such as: ‘one God, many Faiths’, nourishment, gifts from our ancestors, another name for what Jesus was trying to teach, syncretism, ‘pick and mix’, Heart, acceptance, tolerance, openness, the elephant and the blind men who see the same animal differently, one loving beneficent energy, spontaneous inner experience, a collective ‘waking up’, a universal power to love – love not needing words. So thank you fellow core group members for helping my understanding of the term Universal Spirituality!
To me, the great diversity that God has created – not only through each one of us, but throughout the entire world and universe, material and spiritual – is so awesome and full of wonder and mystery that I don’t want it lost in a somewhat hazy mass of ‘Oneness’….. In the end, we are indeed all One in Christ, our Creator. But in the meantime, am I allowed to revel in our diversity?
For me, Oneness includes vital elements: the physical, the psychological, the spiritual and the scientific. I can only rejoice with gratitude and Love to be alive at this time in such an amazing universe, with all the beauty and challenges.
Denise Moll