Ken Johnson continues: Even the concept of spirituality is marked - TopicsExpress

Ken Johnson continues: Even the concept of spirituality is marked by the sense of community. Whether through the influence of Christian monasticism or through involvement with various Eastern religions, many of us have been trained to believe that “retreat from the world” is the apex of the spiritual path. The monastery in the clouds, the cave on the top of a mountain.... There is a perception that such a refuge would be a far better thing than involvement in the murky world down below. In Mayan society, such notions of spirituality do not apply. The “spiritual guide” is just that—a guide. To be a guide, one must have people who seek guidance. The spiritual guide is a fully engaged member of the tinamit, with a spouse, children, and everything else that creates a sense of belonging. A shaman or Daykeeper is never a recluse, meditating alone at the far edge of town. That would be considered anti-social behavior rather than spirituality. A shaman is one who can counsel and advise others on the path of spiritual harmony because she or he also strives to live such a path, one that is thoroughly entwined with the community at large—the Maya would probably say “interwoven” rather than “entwined,” since many of their metaphors come from the art of weaving. We, in our psychological and spiritual isolation, often experience a passion for traditional cultures. We may not know why we have the longing to be part of a different or “exotic” world—we only know that the longing is there. Most such cultures function, as the Maya do, on a principle of inclusiveness where the whole is greater than its parts and where all the members of the community share a common bond and a sense of belonging. Is this, perhaps, what we are really searching for in our endless quests?