This was the title of a recent discussion at St. Jame’s Piccadilly between Revd. Lucy Winkett and Malcolm Stern, Founder of Alternatives. Lucy talked of her own very uplifting ‘spiritual’ experiences within Christianity while acknowledging that a lot of religion is ‘bad’. Millions of people, at least in the West describe themselves as Spiritual but not Religious. There was no clear definition of ‘spirituality’ but at the end a woman behind me spoke of sensing the rush of wind taking a persons ‘spirit’ after death. So some of us clearly believed in other dimensions beyond an experience of joy etc.
The hypocrisy of all religions was mentioned, and for me the hierarchical nature of the structures and thinking is deeply problematic. But the celebrity culture of the New Age is kind of hierarchical too. It set me thinking about the ‘good’ aspects of religions and how these could be used in an egalitarian Equalia based religion.
1.Structure is important, but it doesn’t have to be vertical shaped. Perhaps we all need to be contained and have boundaries and ‘rules’ that everyone co-creates and can change. Anarchists from the Spanish Civil war to the Occupy movement have been exploring these complexities within anti-hierarchical ideals. Banning alcohol has been a massive issue in some alternative communities, with passionate arguments on both sides. And only yesterday my supervision group wondered why such a student centred, accepting teacher as me suggested we didn’t swear in our sessions! A long discussion ensued about containment versus domination.
2. Regular practices seem to be important too, even if they are really simple like noticing the breath and/or repeating a name like E-qua-li-a. People can choose their own rather than have them ‘enforced’ but might need support and encouragement.
3. Community also feels vital. Gatherings and feasts are as old as humanity and can be held around natural seasons and moon times etc. Nature and our bodies can be our sacred books and our own intuition and deepest core holds all (or at least most of) the wisdom we need.
The list is endless but I tried to capture the central idea of spirit and structure in my painting of the Spirit of Pan (above). I wanted to express both the music and ecstasy of the steel pan and the wildness of the god Pan in one picture. There are straight lines and boxes around and through the energy and flow of spirit. Hope you like it.
Oh, and of course ‘good’ and ‘bad’ are rather dubious binary opposites and not words I personally use too often!
If you want to comment, could you click on the heading.Thanks.
Jocelyn Chaplin 
I started by rubbing my hands before typing this because I am in a good mood and I don’t care if only 2 people I know of may read this ,but indeed all the better because much more than that and I always feel there are gonna be detractors and didactors among them and instead of a rising appreciative loving world it is very refractive place at times;indeed lately more often than delighting One .But why talk of dissapointments ,and yet why not since it’s the fingers and a split second before an impression or thought which creates space for the action.
So here’s a little allegory but true story.
In my youth my next door neighbour but one peer person in age used to tell us he was Gonna be the next Einstein so naturally i used to get him to do my math and physics homework ,but otherwise my cousin and I, used to openly and in our spare moments mock his aspirations and after we entered academia he and we were separated and we lost touch .Lo and behold some 20 years later there’s a photo of him on a tandem bicycle with his daughter, who was the youngest entrant to the honours maths at Oxford and her Dad her tutor had personally conducted her education .Tears later my cousin who was doing a sabbatical year at Oxford (from jeruslem (where he was professor of Drama) )found in his laundrette a notice saying that everyone was welcome to use the facilities excepting Harry Lobel(yes our wanna be Einstein), who was barred . Later he met up wit him and daughter in Jerusalem and it turned out that by now she was anxious to get away from his Svengalian like clutches and did eventually and is happily (who knows? ), married . If only I had been more trusting some of the skill might have rubbed off me .Still I did demand Equality of regard and if that’s the Game then SELF REGARD TOO
Personally i like to refer to myself as like joseph in the bible who reaches right up to second in the land and then to the general population – The saviour of their lives and prosperity and thus king . still all this is just hope and that mast has served me well and why I still look younger than my terrestrial age to most commenting remarks .
Just because I am verbose at times I am also silent a great deal these days.
anyw ay I nearly forgot the punch line .Harry told me and i never forgot that
PARALLEL LINE MEET AT INFINITY
Oh yes and am planning an app on site rainbow radio that will enable 2 way dialogues (as a first step in expansion
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Binary opposites – ‘black & white’ in Sufi spirituality symbolises not polar opposites but equalisation, the seeker and the one who is sought, as day follows night. This is Equalia.
As Jocelyn points out: “Nature and our bodies can be our sacred books and our own intuition …”
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Dear Jocelyn I find this an interesting question. As an atheist but with a significantly spiritual side to my ‘soul’ I find organised religion quite destructive. Although art, music & architecture move me in a spiritual way the destructiveness of religion I find difficult. All the violence & the sexist etc. Gods etc. This obviously needs expanding on. But this is my immediate emotional response to your question. This is why I find Buddhist meditation great & want to learn more about Emilia. Let me know what u think. Cordelia
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I do agree about organised religion which is why I am developing Equalia as a new spirituality. I will write more about her/it in my next blog. As you know I love Buddhist meditation but in some settings there isn’t enough appreciation of the ‘other dimensions’…the divine rhythm of life etc. Jocelyn.
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We, as humans engage in behaviours belonging to the lower animal self (in Sufi language- Nafs i.e. the Ego). It is our own greed of money and power that makes us destructive to our own kind and to ourselves; it is not the fault of money, politics, religion but ourselves who (mis)interpret these gifts.
A good example of one of these gifts, Buddhism. It may have been hijacked by extremists in Burma, India and Sri Lanka, but, as we all know, this has very little to do with meditation (Buddhism) yet, at the drop of a hat, we may consider all manner of subversive behaviour in other religions as being intrinsic to that spiritual path when in fact it is a (mis)interpretation as all scripture be it Buddhist or Hindu or any other canonical text is open to abuse.
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