"We are not human beings having a spiritual experience ... We are spiritual beings having a human experience." - Teilhard de Chardin
We think of spiritual experiences as novel adventures - moments relegated only to those who we deem worthy...ministers, monks, spiritual leaders! But if we are all spiritual beings then why do we not accept that even an ordinary individual walking through life's basic struggles could have profound and extraordinary spiritual experiences? By spiritual experiences I mean a religious or mystical experience where one has a subjective encounter with the divine. Dr. William James, a 19th century Psychologist and Philosopher, said that a spiritual experience was deemed such an experience for the affect it had on the individual, there are no quantifying elements. If it affects you in a spiritual way...then it's a spiritual experience!
In my culture and faith - spiritual experiences are looked at as unique. These moments are accepted only if one is educated, credentialed most often in the field of religion or if one is practicing as a leader in a spiritual field that is "socially" acceptable. New Age movements are not widely accepted in my limited world. Which means psychics are definitely out - deemed as an antiquated superstition! A street man having a life altering transformation, after talking to Jesus, has his experience judged as having a logical or rational explanation, "oh, he was just desperate and decided to rely on his faith." On those rare occasions where ones subjective experience is accepted - that person is held to strict scrutinizing tenants by the mass of humanity. Why would God or the Divine or a Higher Power touch an ordinary persons life?
It is widely agreed that Spiritual Leaders...Buddha, Jesus, Mohammed, Mother Theresa, Gandhi, etc. were radicals. Different than the ordinary person around them...not adhering to societal norms or morays, giving their life for what they believed in...a God of their understanding. A Divine Being that lead them to do extraordinary things to help others in the face of adversity. What makes it acceptable for them to have direct knowledge of God and not us ordinary folk?
The answer for me is that we all can and do have spiritual experiences. Personally that's why I meditate. There are mitigating factors that compelled me to begin daily meditative practice, such as; inability to stay in the moment, racing thoughts, physical discomfort, emotional angst. But the true reason I began my meditative journey was to awaken inside. All of my life I have followed religious tenants to one degree or another. I have tried to walk a spiritual path and have more often than not gotten lost chasing butterflies. Meditation is about uncovering truths that lie buried deep within us - each of us! We do gain clarity and focus. There are many physical and mental benefits proven by modern science. There's one thing that no one can validate but the individual having the experience and that is your subjective spiritual experience(s)! There comes a point in meditation where even the ordinary practitioner has to accept that absorption with the divine is not only possible it's even a likely probability! And whether you can articulate it or not, ( Zen teaching suggest that one can't put the experience into words!), it's your experience and has the potential to change your life for more than one moment! Meditation has the potential to alter your life whether you are a religious leader, a spiritual teacher or an ordinary individual - SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES are available to us all!
