Jewish Religious Tradition and Spirituality in a Naturalistic Perspective

Last updated on: August 12, 2021 at 1:21 pm By Spiritual Naturalist Society

(This article is written by guest writer Aron Gamman.) Exploring Judaism through the lens of Spiritual Naturalism brings forth many possibilities. On the one side it challenges Jewish traditions by denying a supernatural agency. But in as much as Judaism has been less “otherworldly” than some of the other major religions, Naturalism and Judaism do have a common ground. Treating Jewish theism as mythology, rather than taking it literally, challenges the heart of what it means to be Jewish to... Read more

Spirituality, A Personal View – Part II

Last updated on: August 12, 2021 at 1:17 pm By Spiritual Naturalist Society

by Thomas Schenk Riding The Bull – No. 6 Spirituality Is Not Religion Spirituality and religion, though related, have important differences. The following is a brief account of this topic as it appeared in an earlier article.(1) In common usage, the words religion and spirituality are often treated as synonyms. Yet many people today say they are drawn to spirituality, but not to religion. For such people, and I am one of them, the words “religion” and “spirituality” refer to... Read more

Hakuin and the Accusation

Last updated on: August 5, 2021 at 1:07 pm By Spiritual Naturalist Society

by Daniel Scharpenburg A zen story: A zen teacher named Hakuin lived in a small hut outside of a village. He had a great reputation and was liked by all. One day a poor young woman in the village became pregnant and lied to her parents. She told them Hakuin was the father. After the baby was born this young woman’s parents took the baby to Hakuin’s hut and said, “you got our daughter pregnant! You must take care of... Read more

Nature Notices Death

Last updated on: August 5, 2021 at 1:04 pm By Spiritual Naturalist Society

by SNS Guest (Article is by guest writer James Jarrett. See bio below.) I wrote the following on May 20, 2020 about two months after the COVID-19 Pandemic reached the US. Now, as the vaccine continues to provide widespread relief from infection, these insights are proving more difficult to attend to. Nevertheless, they still feel just as important. A few weeks ago during our COVID-19 quarantine we found a baby bird dead on the mat outside our back door (photo... Read more

Facing Defeat and Despair with Compassion

Last updated on: July 29, 2021 at 4:34 pm By Spiritual Naturalist Society

by Dennis Oliver (This article is written by Dennis Oliver…) Is it not so, that we in the SNS value rational examination instead of sentimentalised assertions? As a Buddhist naturalist I prize the understanding of mind and emotion symbolised by pointing to our heart when we speak of the mind. Citta (in the early Buddhist suttas) means mind-heart: thought informed by emotions; emotions shaped by well-considered perceptions. This is my attempt to think through some deeply emotional themes in my... Read more

Psychedelics and Spiritual Practice

Last updated on: July 29, 2021 at 4:28 pm By Spiritual Naturalist Society

by DT Strain At the Spiritual Naturalist Society, we write and talk about contemplative spiritual practices of inner transformation. One cannot do that for very long before the topic of psychedelics in spiritual practice comes up. It would be more helpful and complete to think about this more generally, as just part of a larger topic regarding altered states of consciousness. Altered states of consciousness could include psychedelic experiences, but they also include altered states one could achieve in, for example, a chanting... Read more

Can You Be Perfect? Football as an Allegory for Religion and Life

Last updated on: July 22, 2021 at 1:20 pm By Spiritual Naturalist Society

by Jeff Worthy Author’s note: One day as I looked around my Unitarian church congregation on a Sunday morning, I noticed half the group were wearing Seattle Seahawks jerseys, as it was Seahawks gameday. That got me to thinking about the power that football has to inspire. Football isn’t a religion, and can’t hope to compare to one–but it can inspire. What follows is a thought exercise done just for fun. I hope you enjoy it. In the year 1987, a... Read more

Running as a Spiritual Practice

Last updated on: July 22, 2021 at 1:18 pm By Spiritual Naturalist Society

by Eric Steinhart I’ve recently taken up running at the ripe old age of 61. I used to run long-distance when I was young – averaging 30 miles per week from when I was 15 to 30. I stopped because I was worried about the effects it would have when I was older. Now I’m older. I was motivated to run again partly because the pandemic has taken a toll on my body; I’ve gained some weight, and I’m just not... Read more

The Creative Spirit

Last updated on: July 16, 2021 at 8:53 am By Spiritual Naturalist Society

by Jeff Worthy Sometimes the ideas just come to me. They come as specific, stand-alone scenes that I have to write down immediately or I will lose them. They come as I am leafing through a magazine or catalog and come across a photograph of a person and suddenly think “That’s what the character looks like!” They come as visions of entire cities and landscapes, so vivid that I have to pull out a piece... Read more

Stroke of Luck

Last updated on: June 17, 2021 at 2:35 pm By Spiritual Naturalist Society

by Thomas Schenk In a humorous address to a graduating high school class, the writer Bill Bryson said: By the most astounding stroke of luck an infinitesimal portion of all the matter in the universe came together to create you and for the tiniest moment in the great span of eternity you have the incomparable privilege to exists. (*) Bryson suggests to the students that they take a moment to remember this from time to time. Good advice, I would say.... Read more