Blue Ladders (NFS)
There are many pathways to inner peace.
Spiritual? You Kidding?
I never considered myself to be a spiritual person, yet friends say I am. The word itself bothers me. Spiritual brings forth images of ghosts and angels flying in spook shows. Part of the problem is that I used to live next to Spiritualists whose home was shrouded in mystery. They held weekly seances to call forth the dead behind covered windows. I was also affected by a twenty-year-old client I counseled. The young man wouldn’t acknowledge he was an alcoholic, though drinking was damaging his life. Though he agreed to go to a detox clinic, he never admitted to the problem. A year later, I received a call at home saying he didn’t do it. Having no idea what he was referring to, I asked him to explain. A year earlier, two women died when he crashed into their auto while driving intoxicated. Unable to live with the guilt, he sought out a medium who, after contacting the spirits of the dead women, said it wasn’t his fault. I was stymied about how to respond.
The demand for spiritual guidance soars when people are fearful and when that fear is coupled with uncertainty. A surprising number of people, one in five Americans according to a 2017 Pew research study, have consulted fortune tellers. Consultations with mediums often resemble armchair counseling, with thoughts reflected back to clients through a mystical lens. With more than a quarter of U.S. adults thinking of themselves as spiritual but not religious, more people seek comfort through paranormal sessions.
A boom in psychic readings began with COVID-19 when mediums were forced to conduct their meetings by phone or computer. Ulema Hormaeche, a Los Angeles tarot reader, says that the pandemic and the last election “upended people’s lives and sapped their optimism.” The cost to visit a psychic can be steep, varying between $100-$150 for an hour’s session. I know of a Miami psychic who charges $ 4.49 a minute and another fully booked woman in California who collects $1,000 to read your Akashic Record.
Thomas Rabeyron, a psychology and psychopathology professor at the University of Lorraine in France, labels psychics as barometers of social anxiety. He considers them dangerous fraudsters looking to trick vulnerable clients out of money. There are good reasons to doubt readings based on an endlessly interpretable mystical realm. “Throughout history, whenever there has been some sort of upheaval or some sort of collective anxiety in society, interest in psychics has shot up,” writes York University Professor of Psychology James Alcock. People find it hard to deal with uncertainty. They don’t trust scientists, physicians, and elected officials hesitant to speak authoritatively. Lacking control over the environment fosters anxiety about the future, so people seek out spurious sources for reassurance.
Spirituality, unlike spiritualism, embraces the deepest values and meanings by which people live. I feel at my best when I am in tune with my inner psyche, my actions, and my perception of the universe. Believing I’m connected to something bigger than myself, I am at one with humanity. To experience this feeling, I have to be in the zone. It is the moment when the world falls away and all that exists in myself and my thoughts.
There are many paths to spirituality, all requiring commitment. Basketball players, musicians, dancers, and fine artists strive through their respective fields to get there. Athletes who are physically and mentally fit get in the zone when they are about to tune out the static that keeps them from acting in the moment. Sufi Dervishes clear their minds with a whirling meditation. When I watched them spin in Turkey, it took about ten minutes to tune out the audience and become immersed in their practice.
The zone is a moment of relaxation and peace. Free from anxiety, it allows you to see the larger picture. It is a religious experience for some, a psychic one for others, and a rational explanation for the scientifically minded. For thousands of years, people of every faith meditated to get relief from the inner turmoil controlling their lives. They do so with the hope of expanding the time they spend worry-free. The moment may start with a flash of realization. With practice, it can spread until calmness takes over both body and mind. A feeling of wholeness and connection with the universe reduces stress, lowers blood pressure, and slows heart rate.
My path includes meditating, painting, writing, and walking solo through the woods. Those are moments when I am entirely focused on the here and now. One of my neighbors gets in the zone when she cooks, another when gardening, and yet another through prayer. Whatever you choose, your mental and physical health must be attended to first.
Our country is going through a difficult time with no magical cure in sight. People are angry, frustrated, and at wit’s end as to what to do to survive global warming, increasing crime, the influx of millions of migrants, and thousands of homeless vagrants. Working on these problems starts by clearing your mind. If you don’t have a calm center, you can’t help others.
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References:
Macdonald, F. (2021) What, if Anything, Can Psychics Tell Us About All of This? New York Times. retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/15/style/did-you-predict-this.html#:~:text
Lipka, M. & Gecewicz C. (2017)More Americans now say they’re spiritual but not religious.Pew Research Center. retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2017/09/06/more-americans-now-say-theyre-spiritual-but-not-religious/