One of the great blessings of hosting the Earth & Spirit NPR Podcast is the chance to have deep conversations with some absolutely amazing leaders in the areas of spiritualty, social justice, and Earth care. I recently had just such a conversation with Matthew Fox (check out the episode here), a wonderfully cantankerous spiritual teacher and prolific author of 39 books.
Among the many topics Matthew and I covered, we spent a lot of time talking about Creation Spirituality, which rests on the assumption that divinity (by many names and understandings) permeates the world and can be experienced through spiritual practice. Creation Spirituality has four main paths: the positive path of awe, gratitude, and joy; the negative path of darkness, doubt, suffering, and letting go; the creative path of birthing beauty in its many forms; and the transformative path of justice-making, compassion, and healing our relationships with other people and the planet.
I find great resonance with these four paths, which also hew closely to the Earth & Spirit Center’s mission commitments to spiritual practice, social justice, and Earth care. Many days, feelings of wonder and gratitude come quite easily to me. Others I feel disconnected, dry, and full of doubt. Still others I feel most spiritually alive not on my meditation cushion but in the hustle-bustle of efforts to create a better and more beautiful world.
Creation Spirituality reminds me that the difficult times don’t have to be obstacles to spiritual practice, but can and should part and parcel of it – and that authentic spirituality absolutely requires active, deep engagement with the messy needs of our beautiful and hurting world. Also, spiritual practice and spiritual experiences vary daily and evolve over time: as the world changes, as our circumstances change, as we change and grow. Set-it-and-forget-it cruise control isn’t really an option for those on a genuine path of spiritual seeking. I hope that the Earth & Spirit Center can support you as you walk the many paths of your spiritual journey.
Take care,
Kyle Kramer, CEO