How an atheist can find "spiritual" inspiration

A few days ago I was talking with somebody about finding "spiritual" uplift without believing in God or any other supernatural entity.

I put that word, spiritual, in quotation marks because I no longer consider that there's some sort of other-worldly spirit or soul. Not in me. Not in anybody else. Not in the cosmos.

Yet I'm still attracted to the notion of spirituality. In a thoroughly secular sense.

Meaning, well... it's all about meaning.

Whatever inspires us to carry on through tough times; whatever propels us forward on our life journey when we're not sure if we can take another step; whatever makes us willing to sacrifice for a cause greater than our self; that is what I talking about when I speak of spirituality these days. 

It's the eff in ineffable. We recognize it in ourselves because it's at the core of our being. But it's damn tough to describe to someone else, being so intimately related to our wordless sense of purpose. 

When this thing I'm calling spirituality is missing, life seems pointless.

So it's important for everyone, atheists as well as religious believers, to cultivate the seeds of spirituality so we aren't left with barren psychological soil that leaves us feeling dry, despairing, desolate, deserted.

Having experienced both religiosity and atheism at different times in my 68 years, I think believers in God have a somewhat easier time of it when it comes to spiritual uplift. After all, they can simply imagine their chosen divinity smiling down upon them, urging them on to embrace their religious practices with more fervor.

This is what a revival is all about -- being spurred to pursue a divine goal with increased energy and effort. 

So how can an atheist feel the same sort of spiritual uplift? What inspires a secular mind to pursue a godless life with the passion akin to a religious zealot? 

Tough questions, for sure.

I can only speak for myself, since there are more varieties of atheism than religiosity, given that each and every atheist finds meaning in a unique way. All Christians find satisfaction in a belief in Jesus, whereas each atheist seemingly roots their life in something different.

Ah, but there's a common denominator underlying the wild diversity of atheist spirituality: reality. 

By which I mean, really real reality. The reality of this universe, this galaxy, this planet. The physical reality that not only surrounds us, but is us. The reality we live and breathe every moment from our first breath to our last expiration. 

It is here that I find spiritual inspiration. 

When I deeply commit to embracing reality as it is, or at least as best I can understand it, that is when I feel the same kind of spiritual uplift that used to enervate me when I was a religious believer.  In both cases -- secular and religious -- I felt a strong drive to expand my capacity to grasp reality.

However, I now realize that in my true believing days I was driven toward an imaginary supernatural reality, not anything demonstrably genuine. My feeling of inspiration was real; the godly goal I was pursuing was false. 

So, yes, it is indeed possible for atheists to find spiritual inspiration. The source of that inspiration isn't difficult to find. It isn't far away. In fact, there is no distance between the inspired person and what inspires. 

Reality.

It is both what we seek and what is seeking. Pretty damn simple. And wonderfully inspiring.  

 

Comments

[777]

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""Tough questions, for sure.""

No at all

It's very clear in Buddhism : Compassion , named LOVE = named Compassion without agenda

That solves everything
Almost no better planet around for generating that
Most other stuff is Dogma

With exception of your own hormonic ( chakra generated) goose bumps experiences and serendipities

777

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[Spencer Tepper]

Hi Brian!

Beatiful post.
For several years I had friends among a small town community of pentecostal Christians in Wisconsin. All Republicans, BTW. Yet, very tolerant, loving and supportive of this devout Satsangi.

Not a one of the more mature members claimed "I Know Jesus is Lord!". They claimed "I believe Jesus is Lord...". They were actually highly critical of any of their own members, usually younger members, who occasionally ventured beyond that.

What I learned was that faith was much more important to them than knowledge. Knowledge was always tied to pride. No one could actually know God. It was not possible. One could only believe in God.

Faith tied to humility, submission, and acceptance of life's limited role, willingness to work together with thankfulness. If we are flawed, anything good that happens to us is a gift. And that gift is a treasure, a source of joy. Faith had a higher moral value to them than experience or knowledge. Even more important than fact. Facts are temporary truths. Faith in God was higher to them.

No matter what tragedy befell them, they were in God's hands and had a duty to God to keep on keeping in.

The entire senior members of that church held their stated belief that they didn't actually know God existed, but not knowing, chose to take the risk to believe whole heartedly, as the highest reflection of grit and character.

If you believed in God, being an ignorant and fallible human being, God would take care of you, God would watch over you, God would help you learn. But being a sinner, flawed, you would never actually "know" the whole story.

The creation, as you so eloquently write, has its own evidence. But we, limited human beings, can only know a part of it. But we can have faith that whatever genetics, time and chance placed us here, did so in some pattern that means we have a place here, and a direction. We can find harmony putting ourselves aside in the pursuit of a higher purpose.

Perhaps that purpose is an ideal, or simply achievement. Whatever it is, so long as we devote ourselves to it, we make of ourselves the best that is possible. And we can find peace in that work. And that ethic will change us, transform us.

We don't know everything. There is more to learn, more to discover. And we will have choices to make, ethical choices, We can have great faith in that journey. Opportunities to live in a way that makes us happy with our choices.

Another close friend of mine, an American business executive raised in Communist China, holds that whether God exists or not is neither practical nor useful. But devotion to the purpose of being helpful is everything . If we are not prodictive and successful, what is the use of our lives? She works day and night driven by this ethic. And when she is in the middle of an intensely difficult and challenging project, her eyes are lit with joy and happiness. She is in her destiny. And she knows it.

[vinny]

Greatest inspiration should be eternal companionship with loved one. If anyone really loves someone , the energy takes the form of that human being as demonstrated in David Lane's Chandian Effect.Even if the person whom we are loving is not spiritually elevated , the divine energy of our own soul will still create his/her image in our consciousness. That concentration of energy will happen if we allow enough energy to accumulate without wasting it in sensual desires. Greater question is , do we really love someone so intensely that we would forgo the exciting desires just to have replica of that person in our consciousness by using our own energy.

[vinny]

Phenomenal world is illusion , Universe is imagination , God is what really exists , each soul is really fractal of God passing through imagination to realize his own divinity : - Iranian Sufi Meher Baba . His book " God Speaks " logically answers every metaphysical question. Why that undivided consciousness of love (Over-soul) individuated into units of consciousness (Souls) ?? Probably to express love because we cannot love ourselves with same intensity as we can love others. Without this deep understanding of prioritizing love over lust , no soul can reach his own reality. No soul can become conscious coworker of divine plan without relinquishing lust & abiding in unconditional love.
Simply replace lust with love & see the magic , even if that love is for oxford dictionary or your pesky pen drive.

[Jen]

Are we wired to believe in a higher power?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z3b6hyc

Neuroscientists have tried to compare the brains of believers and skeptics, and observe what our brains are doing when we pray or meditate. Very little is known in this field, but there are a few clues.
...
The brain is often referred to as a meaning-making machine. As we constantly look for patterns, structures and cause-effect relationships, religion might provide a variety of meaning-making strategies – in particular rituals.

[RS Sceptic]

Dear Juan,

can you really make sense of 777's comments?

if so, please enlighten me:

""Tough questions, for sure.""
No at all
It's very clear in Buddhism : Compassion , named LOVE = named Compassion without agenda

That solves everything
Almost no better planet around for generating that
Most other stuff is Dogma

With exception of your own hormonic ( chakra generated) goose bumps experiences and serendipities
- 777

can you explain?

and how about this one? from "Gurinder SIngh: one is the goal"

Yes Advaita is correct as far as the 3 lowest ( will not say regions here :-)) concerns
By ascese or perfect jnana one can unify with Brahma/Yahweh and dive in It ( the 1/7 time_space_proctor 1/7)

But better wait for next golden yuga again via incarn cause it's do-able then.

Same for 2/7 but that will take some more time
1/7 was only several big bang periods but now you must wait untill 1/7 (astral) evaporates

So ,. . one can together with Brahma/Yaweh seek access in Para Brahm/Jehovih and have hope . . .
Next repeat that 5 times more up to 7/7 5 ( Time_space_consciousnes 5/7 = called Sach Khand )
but there you stumble because the fact that you did it on your Own has its Lucifer effect , a nano-nano _to the power of Zillion -nano gram of proud will jump you completely out of sight

With all this I can reasonably declare that the RSSB method is a great lovely sweet short cut

You just unify by love with somebody who is already in that 7/7 sphere and enjoy !
Arriving at the "top" you will never have an idea of "I did That"

Holy Masters trick the proctors of these "7 Heavens" - they are not even aware that HE has a bunch of lovers in his pocket
BTW : while passing , they throw themselves in the dust for not burning alive

Like Jesus what are the old paraphrased mystic tales from Nanak, Tulsi and Sawan nice
for explaining quantum physics

777

Don't give Up ( Phil Collins ) - it'so sugar sweet !

Posted by: 777 | May 19, 2017 at 06:24 PM

Juan, you can make sense of this?

[Matheikal]

An authentic atheist is a sincere seeker for truth. He is more spiritual than those who believe in god or religion merely for the sake of their delusive solace which is misconstrued as spirituality. I have seen more wicked people in religions and cults (including RSSB which brought me face to face with some of the worst people I've ever met) than in the secular sphere.

[juan]

Dear Sceptic,

You asked – can you really make sense of 777’s comments? If so please enlighten me:

Well, I’m sorry the answer is NO…

IMO, probably, only the blessed souls by Babaji or a real GURMUKH can enlighten you, not me.

[RS Sceptic]

Hi Juan,

When I said "enlighten me" I didn't mean like zap me with the special enlightenment enlightenment waves.

I meant - can you tell me what the heck the dude is saying.

Since you said that the blessed ones understand him.

I assumed (perhaps incorrectly) that you included yourself in that category.

If you are not in that category, then may I ask how do you know the so called blessed ones understand him?

Maybe they don't and maybe nobody understands because he makes no sense.

[vinny]

After obliterating carnal desires of nafs by divine love , the energy which used to flow out through sexual centers will start accumulating & rising upwards through spine , warm sensation will be felt through the spine , when the energy reaches the subtle centers in the head , perception of light /Noor would take place. Secrets of loh-e-mehfooz [hidden destiny of universe ] will be revealed including the time of ones pseudo -death. Death will become illusion for that person because he is baqa [remains ] with primal consciousness .

[juan]

Sceptic,

I am ages away from the category of the blessed.

The blessed one’s can understand or not---I get such a feeling by the behaviour of some satsangis and what I am told that one has to rise above the intellect and one can rise at this position out of love and by the grace of the Master.

Maybe some commentators on this blog can decipher.

[Jen]

juan says... "the category of the blessed" ... "one has to rise above the intellect"...

In other words eccentricity on the border of craziness is being blessed. Its like those wailing women at the Dera, the desperate and the poor who cling to the Master to be saved. The story of some woman running through the streets naked comes to mind. She is out of her mind and she is blessed!

I'm so glad I have woken up to these stories, this brain washing nonsense that I used to believe in.

[777]

""" IMO, probably, only the blessed souls by Babaji or a real GURMUKH can enlighten you, not me. """

Blessed ... sure, no doubt , Gurmukh, . . . no way Haha,

I did only One vow straightly

777

PS
It's just that I Love Him !
I had unbelievable experiences (somme in Comments) and long ago wrote Charan a recommended letter
. . . asked not to answer
" Now I have You, . . . I need God no more "

that was quite stupid but true and honest