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As the political and media world are gripped with the issue of immigration and resurgent nationalism, it is ever more important that a clear spiritual vision is set out that offers a constructive way forward for humanity.
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The Catholic Church did its level best to destroy not only every last Cathar but every last trace of them and very nearly succeeded. The whole machinery of Church and state – military, administrative, legal and religious – was employed to crush the ‘heresy’ that at one time seemed likely to undermine the power of Catholicism in southern France. Even so, it took over a hundred years to supress Catharism and a few their writings still survived. It is these that give voice to the movement that so terrified the Catholic establishment.
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Leaders of nations are supposed to work for everyone’s good. At the bare minimum they should strive for political and economic stability and justice for all. Some may drive reform or promote social revolution. Others may be peacemakers. But what about forging a spiritual path for their people? Should leadership encompass a spiritual element? How would it benefit a political environment?
Our story begins with a small intuitive thought to read a freebie magazine that usually ended up going straight into the recycling bin. An article “The history of St Margaret, The Queen of Scotland” caught my eye, with an exhibition celebrating the 775th anniversary of her being made a saint, held at a nearby church named after her.
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I first met Rābiʼa of Basra – as I then knew her – in a monastery of all places. Her story was nestling on a shelf in their library. It was a short biography by Sister Mary Paul, called Loving God for Himself Alone: An Appreciation of the Prayers of a Muslim Mystic Rabi’ah of Basra. As I was interested in discovering more about Islam, it intrigued me, especially because it concerned the life of a woman mystic, which is relatively uncommon in the Abrahamic religions.
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Spirituality, unlike religion, cannot be easily classified. By its very nature, it has no fixed doctrine. It is both universal, coming from a source of spiritual light that fills the entire cosmos; and it is personal, as each one of us gives it a unique flavour. Yet we can also see people drawn to expressions of spirituality that share much in common.
As we awaken our spirituality, we may be buzzing with questions, full of mixed emotions, unsure which direction to go in. How can we develop our spirituality with all its gifts and challenges in ways that are as surefooted and true to ourselves as they can be?
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I am sitting in a circle with about a dozen others in a room. I notice none of us have distinct faces but rather visors like the helmets on space suits. There was someone seated at some distance on a golden throne. Although we appeared to be an anonymous group, each one of us had an individual contribution to make. We had a particular energy, like the cord of a harp or a lyre. These were being plucked like a musical instrument. In a way I did not understand - or need to understand – it was part of a kind of cosmic orchestra that guided the evolution of the universe.
Stereotypically politics is seen as 'dirty' and spirituality as 'pure'. For some, they seem to inhabit separate worlds. Yet for spirituality to have a tangible impact on our society and politics to be constructive, they both need each other.
The Cathars were probably the most serious threat to the Catholic Church's hold over people's faith during the Middle Ages. Their spiritual movement stretched from the Languedoc region of southern France, across Italy and eastwards to their original homeland, Bulgaria, where they were known as Bogomils.
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'Love' has been a much used, if not over used, word over the centuries and at times we can wonder if it has been drained of much of its meaningful content. Here we explore three ways in which it has a real meaning, based on the experiences of our contributors.
I have always loved trees. The gnarled trunk of an oak, the quirky baobab, the aristocratic redwood, the thorny resilience of an acacia. I love the smell of the forest, the fullness of its silence. Except that it isn’t silent. It’s not even still. Beneath my feet, the trees are “talking” to each other via interlinked roots, their fine hairs integrated into a complex fungal network that permeates the entire environment. These interlaced pathways allow the trees to share nutrients, alert each other to danger, and even help those who fall prey to disease