We interpret SPIRITUAL AWAKENING differently depending on prior beliefs

Let’s begin with a bit of psychology: We all interpret situations differently depending on our identity and prior beliefs. Our memory also becomes distorted over time, in a way that is colored by our beliefs and our identity.

Now, let’s take the spiritual awakening that is happening on the planet. Many, regardless of faith, are going through it. Even some atheists are going through it, but unless they realize that they are wrong in their atheism, they will not even begin to understand what is happening to them.

My point is that something very strange is happening on our planet. Something spiritual in nature. Something that is often referred to as a global spiritual awakening, where individuals wake up to who they really are and the truth about reality. Those that are going through this know that it’s true. It’s not “maybe it’s happening, maybe it’s not, we’ll see”. This is most definitely happening, even if no one seems to have the whole picture. 

Since the awakening, what ever it is, is spiritual in nature, it makes sense that we interpret it through our prior spiritual beliefs. There is nothing wrong with this. On the contrary, it would be strange if what is happening now has nothing whatsoever to do with our current beliefs about religion and spirituality. Or that what is happening now is going to erase all of religious history up until now.

I myself make no secret of my belief that Christianity, and especially the person of Jesus, has a special role to fill in what is happening now. But I’m also trying to stay open to what other beliefs can tell me about this. And considering what role the church has played throughout history, I’m not going to just go ahead and put 100% faith into biblical interpretation based on church doctrine. But when it comes to Jesus, I believe something like this: No matter what it means that Jesus is the son of God, or that Jesus is both fully God and fully human, Jesus shows the nature of God embodied in one single person. Jesus was what God would have been like if God was human. And humans were made in the image of God.

Our realities are shaped by our subjective experiences and our beliefs about them. Our beliefs are shaped by our identities. Depending on who we believe ourselves to be, what we believe about the world, what we value and so on, we will accept some information and perspectives while rejecting others. Then comes the passage of time. We forget certain things because we don’t think about them, while we reinforce (and distort) others by ruminating over them and discussing them with other, often likeminded, people. 

I believe that an important conclusion to be drawn from this, is that it’s time that we start talking to each other. We have this distorted view and perception. This is self-evident once we see the conditions that we live under clearly enough. And we might not be able to understand what is going on as long as we stick to talking about it with likeminded people. And we all know that something happens, when people come together and discuss things without the ego-based need to be right. Something that becomes fertile soil for important insights.

Photo by Renè Müller on Unsplash