PEOPLE ARE SEARCHING FOR PERSONAL, PRIVATE FORMS OF SPIRITUALITY
People are searching for personal, private
forms of spirituality...
I know a retired couple in Iowa on a little hobby farm at the edge of a town living what
some would say is a bizarre lifestyle.
What most people in town do not realize about this couple is that they are on the hunt for
energy -- spiritual energy that will make them feel better and allow them greater
productivity.
Several times a week, they can be seen entering a small plot of woods on the edge of their
property. Inside the glen of oaks and maples, they walk to their labyrinth, a large circle
with intricate paths upon which they walk slowly for an hour or more. Occasionally, they
will stop when they feel energy drain from their bodies or when they feel a surge of
healing coming from the earth.
Then they continue on the sacred paths once again, meandering around the circle until they
are filled with a life-giving force.
Some days they walk beyond their labyrinth, deeper into the forest, and enter into their
sweat lodge. They stoke a controlled fire and pile on sage until the smoke billows out the
opening in the top. The sweat lodge heats up quickly, and they remove their clothing a
piece at a time. After a few minutes, their bodies are beginning to resonate with the waves
of heat. In an hour, they might be hallucinating as they meditate on their lives.
If you could speak with them as they emerge from their sweat lodge or return from their
labyrinth, they would tell you they feel better. They would insist that these short, spiritual
exercises give them the energy to attack life and twist it until it gives them light and hope.
They may not describe their spirituality in profound or eloquent terms. It's just something
they do for their own good, and they believe absolutely in its effectiveness. I know this
couple quite well, and I can testify they are sane in every respect and have always been
productive citizens. Are they witches, or just plain crazy? Actually, they are just people
trying to make sense of the passages of life.
All across the United States, people are digging out the spiritual resources of a region
without the help of clergy or gurus. They are searching for energy; at least that's what we
call it. People in China, and increasingly in the United States, call it qi (ch'i) and
describe it as a force that is both unifying and healing. Some people who try to create or
call up qi say they feel a tingling in certain parts of their bodies and that they generally
feel healthier when they have completed qi manipulations.
Where do they feel healthier? Some say new life can be felt inches below their navel.
Others say it is a complete thing, a covering of spirit over the entire body that lasts for
days. Most of the qi manipulations come from China, where Qi Gong or Falun Gong
has become a popular spiritual movement.
Even though some government authorities are threatened by the religion, the practice goes
on, and people claim that Qi Gong gives them an energetic and healthy life. Here in the
United States during the past few years, Qi Gong classes fill up quickly, and people say
the simple body manipulations give them a new sense of purpose and well-being.
All this is happening as traditional religions continue a 40-year downward slide. The
experts say we are in a post-Christian era, when the old mainline religions will have less
influence in people's lives. All over the world, people are walking away from elaborate
sanctuaries and highly educated clergy and finding solace with their own rituals conducted
in a private space.
The result, some say, will be a new religious world where individuals are free to develop
their own faith. Is this post-modernism or simply a childish rejection of the belief systems
our parents tried to pass on? That remains to be seen.
But if your child comes home talking about labyrinths and meditating with a spiritual
director, a Buddhist master or someone from China, don't think it's just a passing fad. It
might be a new and better way of life.
Clark D. Morphew
Posted For 10-14-00
