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FINDING
YOUR OWN TRUE MYTH: What I Learned
from Joseph Campbell: The
Myth
of the
Great Secret
III
GAY
SPIRITUALITY:
The Role of Gay Identity in the Transformation of Human Consciousness
GAY PERSPECTIVE:
Things Our Homosexuality Tells Us about the Nature of God and the
Universe
SECRET MATTER, a sci-fi novel with
wonderful "aliens" with an
Afterword by Mark Jordan
GETTING
LIFE IN PERSPECTIVE:
A
Fantastical Gay Romance set in two different time periods
THE FOURTH QUILL, a
novel about attitudinal healing and the problem of evil
TWO SPIRITS: A Story of Life with
the
Navajo, a collaboration with Walter L. Williams
CHARMED
LIVES: Spinning Straw into
Gold: GaySpirit in Storytelling, a collaboration with
Steve Berman and some 30 other writers
THE MYTH OF THE GREAT
SECRET:
An
Appreciation of Joseph Campbell
IN SEARCH OF GOD IN THE
SEXUAL UNDERWORLD: A Mystical Journey
FINDING
GOD IN THE SEXUAL UNDERWORLD: The Journey Expanded
Unpublished manuscripts
About ordering
Books on
Gay Spirituality:
White
Crane Gay Spirituality Series
Articles
and Excerpts:
Review of
Samuel
Avery's The
Dimensional Structure of Consciousness
Funny
Coincidence: "Aliens Settle in San Francisco"
About Liberty Books, the
Lesbian/Gay Bookstore for Austin, 1986-1996
The Simple Answer to the Gay Marriage Debate
A
Bifurcation of Gay Spirituality
Why gay people should NOT Marry
The Scriptural Basis for
Same Sex Marriage
Toby and Kip Get Married
Wedding Cake Liberation
Gay Marriage in Texas
What's ironic
Shame on the American People
The "highest form of love"
Gay
Consciousness
Why homosexuality is a sin
The cause of homosexuality
The
origins of homophobia
Advice to
Future Gay
Historians
Q&A
about Jungian ideas in gay consciousness
What
is homosexuality?
What
is Gay Spirituality?
My three
messages
What is Gay Perspective?
What
Jesus said about Gay
Rights
Queering
religion
Common
Experiences Unique to Gay
Men
Is there a "uniquely gay
perspective"?
The
purpose of homosexuality
Interview on the Nature of
Homosexuality
What the Bible Says about
Homosexuality
Mesosexual
Ideal for Straight Men
Varieties
of Gay Spirituality
Waves
of Gay Liberation Activity
The Gay Succession
Wouldn’t You Like to Be Uranian?
The Reincarnation of
Edward Carpenter
Queer
men, myths and Reincarnation
Was I (or you) at
Stonewall?
Why Gay Spirituality: Spirituality
as Artistic Medium
Easton Mountain Retreat Center
Andrew Harvey &
Spiritual Activism
The Mysticism of
Andrew Harvey
The
upsidedown book on MSNBC
Enlightenment
"It's
Always About You"
The myth of the Bodhisattva
Avalokitesvara
Joseph
Campbell's description of
Avalokiteshvara
The Nature of
Suffering and The Four Quills
You're
Not A Wave
Joseph Campbell Talks
about Aging
Toby's Experience of
Zen
What is Enlightenment?
What is reincarnation?
What happens at Death?
How many lifetimes in an
ego?
Emptiness & Religious Ideas
Experiencing experiencing experiencing
Going into the Light
Meditations for a Funeral
Meditation Practice
The way to get to heaven
Buddha's father was right
What Anatman means
Advice to Travelers to India
& Nepal
The Danda Nata
& goddess Kalika
A Funny Story:
The Rug Salesmen of Istanbul
Nate Berkus is a bodhisattva
John Boswell was Immanuel Kant
Cutting
edge realization
The Myth of the
Wanderer
Change: Source of
Suffering & of Bliss
World Navel
What the Vows Really
Mean
Manifesting
from the Subtle Realms
The Three-layer
Cake
& the Multiverse
The
est Training and Personal Intention
Effective
Dreaming in Ursula LeGuin's The Lathe of Heaven
Drawing a Long Straw:
Ketamine at the Mann Ranch
Alan Watts &
Multiple Solipsism
How I Learned Chakra Meditation
Je ne Regrette Rien
Gay
Spirituality
Curious
Bodies
What
Toby Johnson Believes
The
Joseph Campbell Connection
The
Mann Ranch (& Rich Gabrielson)
Campbell
& The Pre/Trans Fallacy
The
Two Loves
The
Nature of Religion
What's true about
Religion
Being
Gay is a Blessing
Drawing Long Straws
Freedom
of Religion
The
Gay Agenda
Gay
Saintliness
Gay
Spiritual Functions
The subtle workings of the spirit
in gay men's lives.
The Sinfulness of
Homosexuality
Proposal
for a study of gay nondualism
Priestly Sexuality
Having a Church to
Leave
Harold Cole on Beauty
Marian Doctrines:
Immaculate Conception & Assumption
Not lashed to the
prayer-post
Monastic or Chaste
Homosexuality
The Monastic Schedule: a whimsy
Is It Time to Grow
Up? Confronting
the Aging Process
Notes on Licking
(July, 1984)
Redeem Orlando
Gay Consciousness changing
the
world by Shokti LoveStar
Alexander Renault
interviews Toby
Johnson
Mystical Vision
"The
Evolution of Gay Identity"
"St. John of the
Cross & the Dark Night of
the Soul."
Avalokiteshvara
at the Baths
Eckhart's Eye
Let Me
Tell You a Secret
Religious
Articulations of the
Secret
The
Collective Unconscious
Driving as
Spiritual Practice
Meditation
Historicity
as Myth
Pilgrimage
No
Stealing
Next
Step in Evolution
The
New Myth
The Moulting of the Holy Ghost
Gaia
is a Bodhisattva
Sex with God
Merging Religion and Sex
Revolution
Through
Consciousness Change: GSV 2019
God as Metaphor
More Metaphors for God
A non-personal
metaphor God
Jesus and the Wedding Feast
Tonglen in the Radisson Varanasi
The Closet of Horrors
The Hero's
Journey
The
Hero's Journey as archetype -- GSV 2016
The Gay Hero Journey
(shortened)
You're
On Your Own
Superheroes
Seeing
Differently
Teenage
Prostitution and the Nature of Evil
Allah
Hu: "God is present here"
Adam
and Steve
The Life is
in the Blood
Gay retirement and the "freelance
monastery"
Seeing with
Different Eyes
Facing
the Edge: AIDS as an occasion for spiritual wisdom
What
are you looking for in a gay science fiction novel?
A Different Take on Leathersex
Seeing
Pornography Differently
The Vision
The
mystical experience at the Servites' Castle in Riverside
A Most Remarkable
Synchronicity in
Riverside
The
Great Dance according to C.S.Lewis
The Techniques Of The
World Saviors
Part 1: Brer Rabbit and the
Tar-Baby
Part 2: The
Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara
Part 3: Jesus
and the Resurrection
Part 4: A
Course in Miracles
The
Secret of the Clear Light
Understanding
the Clear Light
Mobius
Strip
Finding
Your
Tiger Face
How Gay Souls Get Reincarnated
Joseph
Campbell, the Hero's Journey, and the modern Gay Hero-- a five part
presentation on YouTube
About Alien Abduction
In
honor of Sir Arthur C Clarke
Karellen was a homosexual
The
D.A.F.O.D.I.L. Alliance
Intersections
with the movie When We Rise
More
about Gay Mental Health
Psych
Tech Training
Toby
at the California Institute
The
Rainbow Flag
Ideas for gay
mythic stories
My first Peace March
People
Kip and Toby,
Activists
Toby's
friend and nicknamesake Toby Marotta.
Harry
Hay, Founder of the gay movement
About Hay and The New Myth
About
Karl
Heinrich Ulrichs, the first
man to really "come out"
About Michael Talbot, gay mystic
About Fr. Bernard Lynch
About Richard Baltzell
About Guy Mannheimer
About David Weyrauch
About
Dennis Paddie
About Ask the Fire
About
Arthur Evans
About
Christopher Larkin
About Mark Thompson
About Sterling Houston
About Michael Stevens
The Alamo Business
Council
Our friend Tom Nash
Our friend Cliff Douglas
Second March on
Washington
The
Gay
Spirituality Summit in May 2004 and the "Statement
of Spirituality"
Book
Reviews
Be Done on Earth by Howard
E. Cook
Pay Me What I'm Worth by
Souldancer
The Way Out by Christopher
L Nutter
The Gay Disciple by John Henson
Art That Dares by Kittredge Cherry
Coming Out, Coming Home by Kennth
A. Burr
Extinguishing
the Light by B. Alan Bourgeois
Over Coffee: A conversation
For Gay
Partnership & Conservative Faith by D.a. Thompson
Dark Knowledge
by
Kenneth Low
Janet Planet by
Eleanor
Lerman
The
Kairos by Paul E. Hartman
Wrestling
with Jesus by D.K.Maylor
Kali Rising by Rudolph
Ballentine
The
Missing Myth by Gilles Herrada
The
Secret of the Second Coming by Howard E. Cook
The Scar Letters: A
Novel
by Richard Alther
The
Future is Queer by Labonte & Schimel
Missing Mary
by Charlene Spretnak
Gay
Spirituality 101 by Joe Perez
Cut Hand: A
Nineteeth Century Love Story on the American Frontier by Mark Wildyr
Radiomen
by Eleanor Lerman
Nights
at
Rizzoli by Felice Picano
The Key
to Unlocking the Closet Door by Chelsea Griffo
The Door
of the Heart by Diana Finfrock Farrar
Occam’s
Razor by David Duncan
Grace
and
Demion by Mel White
Gay Men and The New Way Forward by Raymond L.
Rigoglioso
The
Dimensional Stucture of Consciousness by Samuel Avery
The
Manly Pursuit of Desire and Love by Perry Brass
Love
Together: Longtime Male Couples on Healthy Intimacy and Communication
by Tim Clausen
War
Between Materialism and Spiritual by Jean-Michel Bitar
The
Serpent's Gift: Gnostic Reflections on the Study of Religion by
Jeffrey J. Kripal
Esalen:
America and the Religion of No Religion by Jeffrey J. Kripal
The
Invitation to Love by
Darren Pierre
Brain,
Consciousness, and God: A Lonerganian Integration by Daniel A
Helminiak
A
Walk with Four Spiritual Guides by Andrew Harvey
Can
Christians Be Saved? by Stephenson & Rhodes
The
Lost Secrets of the Ancient Mystery Schools by Stephenson &
Rhodes
Keys to
Spiritual
Being: Energy Meditation and Synchronization Exercises by Adrian
Ravarour
In
Walt We
Trust by John Marsh
Solomon's
Tantric Song by Rollan McCleary
A
Special Illumination by Rollan McCleary
Aelred's
Sin
by Lawrence Scott
Fruit
Basket
by Payam Ghassemlou
Internal
Landscapes by John Ollom
Princes
& Pumpkins by David Hatfield Sparks
Yes by Brad
Boney
Blood
of the Goddess by William Schindler
Roads of Excess,
Palaces of
Wisdom by Jeffrey Kripal
Evolving
Dharma by Jay Michaelson
Jesus
in Salome's Lot by Brett W. Gillette
The
Man Who Loved Birds by Fenton Johnson
The
Vatican Murders by Lucien Gregoire
"Sex Camp"
by
Brian McNaught
Out
& About with Brewer & Berg
Episode
One: Searching for a New Mythology
The
Soul Beneath the Skin by David Nimmons
Out
on
Holy Ground by Donald Boisvert
The
Revotutionary Psychology of Gay-Centeredness by Mitch Walker
Out There
by Perry Brass
The Crucifixion of Hyacinth by Geoff Puterbaugh
The
Silence of Sodom by Mark D Jordan
It's
Never About What It's About by Krandall Kraus and Paul Borja
ReCreations,
edited by Catherine Lake
Gospel: A
Novel
by WIlton Barnhard
Keeping
Faith: A Skeptic’s Journey by Fenton Johnson
Dating
the Greek Gods by Brad Gooch
Telling
Truths in Church by Mark D. Jordan
The
Substance of God by Perry Brass
The
Tomcat Chronicles by Jack Nichols
10
Smart
Things Gay Men Can Do to Improve Their Lives by Joe Kort
Jesus and the Shamanic Tradition of Same Sex Love
by Will Roscoe
The
Third Appearance by Walter Starcke
The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight by Thom Hartmann
Surviving
and Thriving After a Life-Threatening Diagnosis by Bev Hall
Men,
Homosexuality, and the Gods by Ronald Long
An Interview
with Ron Long
Queering Creole Spiritual Traditons by Randy
Conner & David Sparks
An Interview with
Randy Conner
Pain,
Sex
and Time by Gerald Heard
Sex
and the Sacred by Daniel Helminiak
Blessing
Same-Sex Unions by Mark Jordan
Rising Up
by
Joe Perez
Soulfully
Gay
by Joe Perez
That
Undeniable Longing by Mark Tedesco
Vintage: A
Ghost
Story by
Steve Berman
Wisdom
for the Soul by Larry Chang
MM4M a DVD
by Bruce Grether
Double
Cross
by David Ranan
The
Transcended Christian by Daniel Helminiak
Jesus
in Love by Kittredge Cherry
In
the Eye of the Storm by Gene Robinson
The
Starry Dynamo by Sven Davisson
Life
in
Paradox by Fr Paul Murray
Spirituality for Our Global Community by Daniel
Helminiak
Gay & Healthy in a Sick Society by Robert A.
Minor
Coming Out: Irish Gay Experiences by Glen O'Brien
Queering
Christ
by Robert Goss
Skipping
Towards Gomorrah by Dan Savage
The
Flesh of the Word by Richard A Rosato
Catland by
David Garrett Izzo
Tantra
for Gay Men by Bruce Anderson
Yoga
&
the Path of the Urban Mystic by Darren Main
Simple
Grace
by Malcolm Boyd
Seventy
Times Seven by Salvatore Sapienza
What
Does "Queer" Mean Anyway? by Chris Bartlett
Critique of Patriarchal Reasoning by Arthur Evans
Gift
of
the Soul by Dale Colclasure & David Jensen
Legend of the Raibow Warriors by Steven McFadden
The
Liar's
Prayer by Gregory Flood
Lovely
are the Messengers by Daniel Plasman
The Human Core of Spirituality by Daniel Helminiak
3001:
The Final Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
Religion and the Human Sciences by Daniel Helminiak
Only
the
Good Parts by Daniel Curzon
Four
Short
Reviews of Books with a Message
Life
Interrupted by Michael Parise
Confessions of a Murdered Pope by Lucien Gregoire
The
Stargazer's Embassy by Eleanor Lerman
Conscious
Living, Conscious Aging by Ron Pevny
Footprints Through the Desert by Joshua Kauffman
True
Religion by J.L. Weinberg
The Mediterranean Universe by John Newmeyer
Everything
is God by Jay Michaelson
Reflection
by Dennis Merritt
Everywhere
Home by Fenton Johnson
Hard Lesson by James
Gaston
God
vs Gay?
by Jay Michaelson
The
Gate
of Tears: Sadness and the Spiritual Path by Jay Michaelson
Roxie
&
Fred by Richard Alther
Not
the Son He Expected by Tim Clausen
The
9 Realities of Stardust by Bruce P. Grether
The
Afterlife Revolution by Anne & Whitley Strieber
AIDS
Shaman:
Queer Spirit Awakening by Shokti Lovestar
Facing the Truth of Your Life by Merle Yost
The
Super Natural by Whitley Strieber & Jeffrey J Kripal
Secret
Body by
Jeffrey J Kripal
In
Hitler's
House by Jonathan Lane
Walking on Glory by Edward Swift
The
Paradox
of Porn by Don Shewey
Is Heaven for Real? by Lucien Gregoire
In
Search of Lost Lives by Michael Goddart
Queer
Magic by Tomas Prower
God
in Your Body by Jay Michaelson
Science
Whispering Spirit by Gary Preuss
Friends
of Dorothy by Dee Michel
New by
Whitley Strieber
Developing Supersensible Perception by Shelli
Renee Joye
Sage
Sapien by Johnson Chong
Tarot
of the Future by Arthur Rosengarten
Brothers
Across Time by Brad Boney
Impresario
of Castro Street by Marc Huestis
Deathless
by Andrew Ramer
The
Pagan Heart of the West, Vol 1 by
Randy P. Conner
Practical
Tantra by William Schindler
The Flip
by Jeffrey J. Kripal
A New World
by Whitley Strieber
Bernhard
& LightWing by Damien Rowse
The
Mountains of Paris by David Oates
Trust
Truth by Trudie Barreras
How to be an Excellent Human Being by Bill Meacham
The
Deviant's War by Eric Cervini
What
Is the Grass by Mark Doty
Sex
with God by Suzanne DeWitt Hall
The Sum of All the Pieces by Paul Bradford
All the Time in the World by J. Lee Graham
Scissors,
Paper, Rock by Fenton Johnson
Toby
Johnson's
Books on Gay Men's Spiritualities:
Gay Perspective
Things Our
[Homo]sexuality
Tells Us
about the
Nature of God and
the Universe
Gay
Perspective is available as an audiobook narrated
by Matthew Whitfield. Click
here
Gay Spirituality
Gay Identity
and
the Transformation
of
Human Consciousness
Gay
Spirituality is now
available as an audiobook, beautifully narrated by John Sipple. Click here
Charmed
Lives: Gay Spirit in Storytelling
edited by
Toby Johnson
& Steve Berman
Secret
Matter
Lammy Award Winner
for Gay
Science Fiction
updated
Getting Life in
Perspective
A Fantastical
Romance
Getting
Life in Perspective is available as an
audiobook narrated by Alex Beckham. Click
here
The Fourth Quill
originally
published
as
PLAGUE
The Fourth Quill
is
available
as an audiobook, narrated by Jimmie
Moreland. Click here
Two Spirits: A Story of
Life
with the Navajo
with Walter L.
Williams
 Two
Spirits is available as an
audiobook narrated by Arthur Raymond. Click
here
Finding
Your Own True Myth: What I Learned from Joseph
Campbell
The
Myth
of the
Great Secret III
In Search of God in the Sexual Underworld
Finding
God In The Sexual Underworld: The Journey
Expanded
2020 Revised Version
The Myth of the Great
Secret: An Appreciation of Joseph Campbell.
This
was the second edition of this book.
Toby
Johnson's
titles are
available in other ebook formats from Smashwords.
|
Toby
Johnson followed Bob Barzan as editor/publisher of White Crane in 1997.
Bo Young followed Johnson in 2003, and remains editor of White Crane as
it exists now as Gay Wisdom website and the White Crane daily eblast of
personalities in gay history. The following is a conversation between
Bob and Bo about the origins of White Crane.
The White Crane website is gaywisdom.org
Now more than 30
years ago, Bob Barzan invited a few friends to his San Francisco
apartment to have the occasional tea, and talk about their spiritual
lives. Out of this grew White Crane Journal.
The idea for the journal came early; while living in Nashville,
1987-88, Barzan looked around for some publication about gay
spirituality and found nothing, and thought someone had to do
something. He turned out to be that someone and sent the first one out
to friends. We are all the richer today for his creative spirit, so
while I think I know him fairly well…as well as two people living on
opposite coasts can know one another…it was a surprise when we spoke
recently and he dropped into the conversation that he was an atheist.
 Bo
Young: This issue is about “Doubt.” And I’m not sure how I should put
this…it gave me pause…when not too long ago, you allowed that you were
an atheist. Or as you put it “a non-deist.” At first I thought it might
have had something to do with having edited this journal, but you said
no.
Barzan: I am not sure that atheism goes with doubt. Atheists don't
doubt, and atheists include Buddhists and Taoist and all the other
non-theistic religions. They are not doubters.
Young: Granted. I agree and take your point about atheism and doubt not
being necessarily related. I didn't imagine they were really, though I
suspect doubt had to have occurred at some point to reach a
non-theistic place. And on the other hand, maybe we're trying to CAUSE
some doubt.
Barzan: Cause some doubt? I love it!! Great idea.
Young: So was your comment about atheism sarcasm?
Barzan: No, I was not being sarcastic. I am non-theistic, a-theistic,
there are no gods or goddesses except as metaphors. I have been such
for about twenty plus years, so I was an atheist when I started White
Crane, though not as refined in my articulation of it.
Young: Metaphors for what? And how has this view refined for you?
Barzan: Often when people try to understand something that is not
understandable they personify the situation and create gods, goddesses,
and other supernatural being like angels, spirits, and devils to help
them grasp the mystery. These beings help them understand creation,
love, evil, pain, sickness, and death, among other things. For some,
god can be the personification of forgiveness or judgment or
compassion. This is not necessarily an unhealthy way of living, but
there are traps. Where we get into trouble is when we believe that our
projections are real, that our personifications are beings separate
from our own minds and that these projections communicate with us.
Actually we are just communicating with ourselves, telling ourselves
what we want to hear. And too often what we hear are unhealthy
teachings on how to live in the world. Too often our gods personify and
validate compulsive behaviors of all kinds, hate, bigotry, exclusion,
and injustice or tell us lies about love, sickness, death, or other
aspects of life.
There is also a problem with people using religious teachings including
images of god that are two thousand years old. For some reason many
people believe that our ancient ancestors knew more about spirituality
than people know today. There is no evidence for this belief at all, in
fact there is a great deal of evidence that the ancient beliefs were at
best superstitious and often unhealthy. We know that our ancestors had
little understanding of the ways the world works. They held irrational
and harmful beliefs about medical care, biology, sex, geography, and
astronomy. We easily dismiss these aspects of their worldviews but
accept their teachings on spirituality. The fact of the matter is,
however, they were just as misguided and wrong in their beliefs about
religion, ethics, and spiritual experiences as they were about anything
else.
Young: In some cultures, gods and goddesses embody many of the
weaknesses of human nature. Greece and India come to mind. Can you give
some examples of gods that personify lies about love or sickness or
death?
Barzan: The gods that most Christians, Jews, and Moslems create.
Young: Now now…let’s try to be nice here. Can you be more specific?
Barzan: Perhaps it would help if I give you examples of the lies people tell themselves through the gods they create.
- We are the chosen people.
- Gays are evil.
- Infidels must be destroyed.
- Marriage is only for men and women.
- Women are inferior to men.
- Sex is evil.
- Sex is only for making babies.
- Our god is the true and only god.
- God answers our prayers.
- Your sickness is a punishment for sin.
- The wicked will be punished.
- We will be rewarded in the next life.
- Women should not be educated.
- The world was created in six days.
- It's a sin to eat (fill in the blank).
- Spare the rod and spoil the child.
- Never touch women, especially if she is menstruating.
- Is that enough?
Young: I guess you're right...no need to be nice when you're not
playing with nice people, huh? You certainly don't need to convince me.
There does seem to be a leitmotif through the list...aside from the
magical god stuff, there does seem to be a rather heavy interest—and a
negative one, to be sure—on women and sex.
Barzan: I think it has been that way, at least in the monotheistic
religions, right from the beginning. I think the two are related, women
and sex that is. It would appear that the gods are as interested in sex
and women as straight men are, and the gods are in need of controlling
sex and women in a way that is very similar to the way straight men
want and expect to control them. Since it was straight men who gave us
these gods, I guess we really can't be surprised. We really need to get
beyond god-ness.
Young: How do you get "beyond god-ness"?
Barzan: I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but very similar to how we
got over the Easter bunny, tooth fairies, Santa Claus, and the belief
that our parents are all-powerful and all-knowing. It is part of the
process of growing up, part of maturing, and it can be difficult
because it challenges our worldview. Realizing our gods are projections
is a beginning. Then it is important to continue to ask questions about
our personal beliefs and understandings, and not accept pat or
irrational answers.
God-ness has helped us understand great mysteries, but it is a limiting
concept or notion. In fact, I think that god-ness is now a hindrance to
personal and community development. It prevents us from using the full
force of our intelligence and creativity in solving the ethical,
political, social, and environmental crisis facing us today.
Non-theistic worldviews are not something new. Buddhism, some types of
Taoism, and many native religions are non theistic, but I think we need
a non-theistic worldview for the 21st century.
Young: You mentioned earlier that this non-theistic philosophy hasn't
really changed since the days when you first established White Crane
but that you've just become more articulate. What do you mean by that
and what would you say to White Crane readers today that you didn't or
couldn't say then?
Barzan: There has been a change since I first started White Crane in
1989, but it isn’t as if I’ve been silent since then. White Crane
readers and others have had many opportunities to read my writings over
the years. Among the issues I can never repeat often enough however, is
the importance of discernment. This has become clearer over the last 16
years, and a much more important issue then non-theistic worldviews. It
is discernment that guides our spirituality. Without discernment we can
never know if we are living a healthy or unhealthy spirituality.
Another is that spirituality is our whole way of being in the world
including how we make and spend our money, how we treat other people,
including our fellow drivers on the road, how we sex with ourselves and
others, and every other aspect of our lives.
Young: We're certainly in agreement on what spirituality is. And it's
why we can discuss anything from food and knitting to the newest
pronouncement from the Vatican or Dharamsala.
Barzan: That has always been part of White Crane, you have made it more explicit, and I am glad for that.
Young: After my own search and discernment, I couldn't tell you one
school of thought that made much spiritual sense to me. There's just so
much ego and personal power that comes into play in almost every
setting I've seen. I keep coming back to the Radical Faeries as a
neo-religion, spiritual movement. Even Buddhism I find a little
off-putting. I've seen so many people who are devoted Buddhists, who
meditate "religiously" and at the same time, some of those same people
are detached to the point that they are out of touch with their
feelings, their embodiment. I just can't believe that's preferable.
Barzan: This is why discernment is so important. A healthy spirituality
or way of being in the world is more than meditation, more then ritual,
and more than a profound sense of connection to the universe. It is
easy to get carried away by the altered states of consciousness, by
wanting to be holy, or to have unusual experiences, but it is vital to
actually be and do. When I am doing counseling with someone who says to
me that he or she has had a profound religious experience of some kind,
I say to them, “That’s great, now tell me how is it helping you be a
more compassionate person, a more loving person, a more forgiving
person, and give me some concrete examples.”
Young: I think the argument is that religion is the only thing that
civilizes human beings, that constrains them to be "good" or "moral." I
don't think either of us is arguing for moral relativism.
Barzan: Oh dear, if this were true we would really be in trouble. This
must be the argument from someone with a vested interest in religions
and who is interested in controlling people. The fact of the matter is
that religion has inspired both good and evil, and I think we have
reached a point where the trend is more evil than good. There are other
reasons, not religious, for treating people well, for creating art, for
sharing resources, and the other goods that religion is often credited
with. Recent research by Greg Paul at Creighton University in Omaha
published in the current issue of the Journal of Religion and Society,
shows that the more religious a community is, the more that community
suffers from murder, infant mortality, teen pregnancy, abortion, and
sexually transmitted diseases. Other studies show the more religious a
group is the higher their divorce rates and rates of teen sex.
It is commonly accepted that anything done in the name of religion is
good and beneficial, and that personal beliefs are sacred and beyond
critique by anyone. This way of thinking, of course, is dangerous. All
human experiences have been used to foster both healthy and unhealthy
ways of living. It was religion that inspired the inquisition, the
suppression of women, the attacks of September 11, 2001, and that is
inspiring the renewed attack on gay people from the Vatican and others.
It is vital that we not blindly accept the irrational, dangerous, and
caustic religious beliefs of other people, no matter who they are.
Religion deserves no special privileges; it is not beyond criticism. I
believe in the right that anyone has to his or her own personal
beliefs, but the line is drawn when those beliefs lead to actions that
are dangerous to themselves or others. When someone comes up to
me with what I think is a bizarre religious belief, I ask them what
evidence they have for such a belief. I think we have to be less afraid
of challenging ourselves and challenging others.
Many people hide their bigotry, hate, and lack of compassion behind
their religious beliefs. They have the right to do that, but I will not
hesitate to call them bigots and their beliefs bigotry. One of the
things that bothers me is when people call themselves conservatives
when what they really are, are bigots. I was talking to a man once who
said his parents are against same sex marriage because they are
conservative. I corrected him, pointing out that to believe you have a
right that other people don’t is to be a bigot, and that his parents
sound like they are bigots. He looked at me in a shocked silence for a
moment, and then agreed. His parents are indeed bigots.
Young: But if we move beyond theism and mythology, what is the context in which "spirituality" exists?
Barzan: That is exactly the point: it exists in every context. I
like to think we are rescuing spirituality from its exclusive claim by
religions. Religion is only one tiny aspect of spirituality.
To broaden the general context, I would go beyond criticism of
irrational religious beliefs and the demand for intellectual honesty. I
think we can create a context where open dialogue is fostered and
people welcome the open exchange of ideas. Personally I enjoy having my
ideas and perceptions challenged. To have this happen is a true
blessing. I would also like to see more use of our cross-cultural
intelligence and creativity in exploring issues of ethics, mystical
experiences, and community. I don’t think there has been enough
scientific study of joy, compassion, love, or forgiveness. The
scientific study of altered states of consciousness and how they relate
to daily living is only just begun. The works of Lawrence Leshan
(author of How to Meditate) and more recently Andrew Newberg (author of Why God Won’t Go Away) are breaking new ground. I think the future of spirituality is very exciting.
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