just reflecting

A quote from a book on learning to relax.

“[I]f we believe that we are individuals whose thoughts and actions have repercussions for other people, then morality enthers the equation. None of us is truly happy if those closest to us are not. Our own goodness will be reflected back at us in the happiness of others. The goodness of others will inspire us further. We have a choice. We can opt for self-contained individualism, belief in a world seperated from mind and body, and our own insignificance, which makes us fearful of such a world. Or we can opt for an integrated perspective, the influence of mind and body in perfect balance with the world’s influence. Once we can see the world as our world, not theirs, and our selves as influential agents in the complex interplay of world, self and body, fear starts to drain away. Peace and harmony approach, like shy ceratures to a hand that feeds them” ( George, M. 1998: 12,13).

George, M. (1998). Learn to Relax. Ease tension, conqer stress, free the self. London: Duncan Baird Publishers

During the conference “Gestures: religion qua preformance” of the NWO programme “The Future of the Religious Past” I had very interesting discussions. One question pups up imediatly: Is mystical experience possible without normative contraints, concepts and a concept of otherness (religious experience is in my eyes already intertwined with concepts)?

Here are some humble thoughts

First I Think that the concept of experience is in this question a bit confusing because in most theory experience is already internalised by the worldviews people have. So a better question in my eyes is: Can people have mystical feelings or feelings beyond themselves?

Second I think that this concept of otherness and how it is used has something to do with the processes of individualisation and the subjectivation of the self and how these processes are used in scientific theories. In this time where the focus is mostly on personalised identities it is not strange that one askes how selfconciencesness and identitymaking takes place. The basic assumption in this proces of identitymaking and selfconciencesness is that people has to reflect on themselves, by meeting others or creating otherness. [In] order to become aware of himself as much he must […] become an object to himself, or enter his own experience as an object, and by only by social means - only by taking that attitude of others towards himself- he is able to become an object to himself” (Mead 1959: 226).

Third I am still working on this concept of communitas and the differentation between spontaneous, ideological and normative communitas by Victor Turner. Communitas or proto-structure is “the liberation of human capacities of cognition, affect, volition, creativity, etc., from the normative constraints” (Turner 1982: 44).

“Spontaneous communitas is a direct, immediate and total confrontation of human identities. […] Subjectively there is in it a feeling of endless power, […] a flash of lucid mutual understanding on the existential level, when they feel that all problems, […] could be resolved, whether emotional or cognitive, if only the group which felt (in the first person) as ‘essentially us’ could sustain its intersubjective illumination. […] Individuals who interact with one another in the mode of spontaneous communitas become totally absorbed into a single synchronized fluid event.” (Turner 1982: 47-48)

Spontaneous communitas can transform to normative or ideological communitas but when and how there is really something going on like spontaneous communitas? Is this kind of communitas possible without ritualised acts towards it, without some direction (worldviews, concepts etc.)?

For analysing the Dutch practice I studied, I used the concept of flow. Turner already related this concept with liminality, communitas and the liminoid. But for feelings of flow there has to be according to Csikszentmihalyi some sort of focus or attention.

So: Can people have mystical feelings or feelings beyond themselfs?

I hope by doing more research on new ritualised practices to come closer to an answer.

In his analyses on ritual and ritualised practices Victor Turner made a distinction between the liminal and the liminoid of society, by pinpointing the difference between the meaning and separation of work and leisure/ play in societies. The liminal is part of society, an aspect of social or religious ritual, while the liminoid is a break from society, apart from work settings.

“The solitary artist creates the liminoid phenomena, the collectivity experiences collective liminal symbols” (Turner 1982: 52)
“One works at the liminal, one plays with the liminoid” (Turner 1982: 55).

But what if people in modern societies want to bring work and leisure more together by the means of for example practices from the spiritual circuit? When becomes the liminoid, liminal again during those practices?

Turner, V. (1982). From Ritual to Theatre. The human Seriousness of Play. New York: PAJ Publications.

Voor de Club van Honderd van de educatieve omroep RVU sprak Bram van Splunteren met Willem de Ridder over Spiegelogie en The Secret. Op het eerste gezicht heeft Spiegelogie veel weg van de Secret, beide hebben als uitgangspunt dat je je eigen geluk creeert. Willem de Ridder gaat tijdens het interview in op de verschillen.

De aflevering werd afgelopen maandag 2 juni herhaald.
aflevering

uitgebreide versie van het interview
interview

Understanding the social significance of new spiritual practices with the help of the concept communitas

In an upcoming paper on Spiegelogie and the Fanclubspel, a new spiritual movement in the Netherlands, I want to elaborate more on the social significance of ritual like practices in the spiritual milieu with the help of the concept of communitas. I want to show that communitas as concept can help to analyse spiritual practices and their social significance. On the one hand, practices can be analysed as ritualised acts or even as rite the passage. Subjective lived life’s or life-if forms are learned and practiced and introduced in everyday live of its participants. On the other hand, the anti-structure of communitas can learn us about current social changes and some statements about the social significance of the spiritual milieu. Here are some statements about the social significance of the spiritual milieu:

1. According to Aupers and Houtman the underlying social process of the spiritual supermarket is a sacralisation of the self, with “alternative frames of interpretation, new vocabularies and symbols to interpret […] experiences” (Aupers and Houtman 2006 206, 208). This self spirituality or inner spirituality goes hand in hand with a clear cut dualistic worldview. The real or deeper self is seeing opposed to the ego or socialised self, the same as wellbeing opposed to being, resulting in a demonization of social institutions (Aupers and Houtman 2006: 207, 208).
2. Heelas and Woodhead speak of a subjective turn, “it is a turn away from life lived in terms of external or ‘objective’ roles, duties and obligations, and a turn towards life lived by reference to one’s own subjective experiences (relational as much as individualistic)” (Heelas and Woodhead 2005: 2). The direction that the underlying subjective turn may take as it extends out beyond its autonomous basis can vary between individuated subjectivism and relational subjectivism (Heelas and Woodhead 2005: 96). Findings from the Kendal project suggests that over half associate spirituality with relationality.
“What matters is growing oneself through the experiences of associational activities. Whether it be practitioners, one-to-one or group participants, the important thing is to share, express, care and to go beyond the “the distinct” as that is marked out by life-as roles, rules and conventions. The spiritual dimension is (basically) understood as the dimension at which all life connects, and where the individual realizes her or his true nature in relationship with the ‘whole’ ” (Heelas and Woodhead 2005: 98, 99).

With the help of the three stages of a rite the passage (separation, the liminal period of transition and the phase of incorporation) and the concept communitas the statements above become more transparent. The phase of separation and the phase in-between, the liminal phase where feelings of communitas can arise, are here the most apparent.
“Spontaneous communitas is a direct, immediate and total confrontation of human identities. […] Subjectively there is in it a feeling of endless power, […] a flash of lucid mutual understanding on the existential level, when they feel that all problems, […] could be resolved, whether emotional or cognitive, if only the group which felt (in the first person) as ‘essentially us’ could sustain its intersubjective illumination. […] Individuals who interact with one another in the mode of spontaneous communitas become totally absorbed into a single synchronized fluid event.” (Turner 1982: 47-48)

Tim Olaveson compares in his article Durkheims concept of collective effervescence and Victor Turners’s concept of communitas. By doing so he states according to Durkheim and Turner that ritual like practices have a dialectical relation with social structure. Society has to experience the transformative and re-creative character of the anti-structure to maintain wholeness.
“The experience of communitas is also an necessity for the proper functioning of social structure. Without it, structure can begin to stagnate and die, or become too partisan and individualistic. It must be periodically imbued with the anti-structural values of communitas, and made to serve the common good” (Olaveson 2001: 109).

“Similar to communitas, collective effervescence must exist in dialectical tension with social structure[….]. Collective effervescence increases the intimacy of human relationships, and makes them more human, as apposed to the partisan, self interested nature of material existence that can develop in social structure” (Olaveson 2001: 110).

Research on the Fanclubspel, a new spiritual game in the Netherlands opens up the possibility to understand the relation between individuated subjectivism and relational subjectivism. The use of the concept of communitas and the ritual cycle of segregation, the liminal phase and the phase of incorporation can increase the understanding of spiritual like practices. On the one hand the practitioners of the Fanclubspel want to accomplish there own goals, wishes and find answers for them self’s, from the search of material luck to emotional and spiritual wellness. On the other hand being part of a group, only if it is for the time being, is essential for the Fanclubspel. Meaning and identity come into being in the interplay with others. This interplay in a sacralised and ritualised form is tested, practised and learned during the Fanclubspel. Feelings of communitas are as much important as being authentic. Feelings of wholeness and unity are seen as source for being your self. Without experiencing the connection with everything and the different possibilities people show, one can’t be real subjective.
In the upcoming paper I will state that reintegrating the learned in every day life is an important aspect of the Fanclubspel. One of the learning aspects is to overcome the experienced dualisation between the self, others and society.

Aupers, S. and D. Houtman (2006). “Beyond the spiritual Supermarket. The Social and Public Significance of New Age Spirituality”. In: Journal of Contemporary Religion, vol. 21, p. 201-222.

Olaveson, T. (2001). “Collective Effervescence and Commuitas: Processual Models of Ritual and Societty in Emile Durkheim and Victor Turner”. In: Dialectual Anthropology, vol. 26, p. 89-124.

Heelas P. and L. Woodhead (2005) The Spiritual Revolution, why religion is giving way to spirituality. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.

Turner, V. (1982). From Ritual to Theatre. The human Seriousness of Play. New York: PAJ Publications.

I’ve got finally a reserachproposal comments are welcome

Beyond the subjective narratives and the sacralisation of the self in a Dutch case.

Abstract:
This particular research aims to increase the understanding of the socio-cultural importance and meaning of an individualised looking practice on the Dutch spiritual market. The main focus of this research is the relation between the socio-cultural practices and the spiritual conversion careers of the participants. With qualitative and quantative research on the personal stories of the participants and their socialised practices, this research will give a better understanding of the following question: In which ways represent the practitioners of Spiegelogie their spiritual conversion careers in relation to the experience of their identity and social identities?

Who decides what is spiritualistic or religious experience? The debate on the spiritual milieu is all about experience, but what do we take as a starting point for spiritual experience? The scientific definition, an experience described by the experiencer as spiritual, an experience described as spiritual by someone close to the experiencer or an experience that is not yet labeled as spiritual but can be from the scientific point of view.
In my previous post I quoted Jane Goodall on some mystic experience by chimps. For the English readers, this experiences is about ritual like behaviour near a waterfall. Jane Goodall said that the only thing between this behaviour and religious behaviour was that the chimps can’t share ideas, only facts. So, when becomes an experience a spiritual one?

In een interview met Jane Goodall vraagt Susan Smit: Zouden dieren zich ook bewust zijn van het mystieke?
“Chimpansees hebben geen taal om die spirituele kracht te benoemen, maar ze voelen het ook, daarvan ben ik overtuigd. Diep in het oerwoud van Gombe is een enorme waterval waar de chimpansees bij tijd en wijle naartoe gaan. Dan stampen ze wild door de rivier, gooien ze met stenen en zwaaien ritmisch heen en weer. Na een tijdje gaan ze zitten en kijken ze vol ontzag naar het water, dat altijd maar komt en gaat in een oneindige stroom. Als ze een gesproken taal of gebarentaal hadden gehad om ideeen mee te communiceren in plaats van feiten, dan denk ik dat dit een heuze primitieve dierenreligie zou worden” (p. 27)

Happinez, nr. 1, 2008.

I was reading ‘old work’ about the reflecting charactre of rituals. Some forgotten material that gave me ‘new’ insights (from my own writings?!?).
I try to translate my Dutch thoughts to English. I explore the possibilty of a ritualising proces of reflecting. Stating that during a ritual a new context or reality is created in which people can reflect about themselfs or their social environment. Reflecting is then the potential to create an other context where someone can ask new questions about himself.

For more than two years now I am starting to write about a new spiritual game in the Netherlands. I wrote my thesis about the same subject and want to write more about it. But I am only just starting this, nothing further. Maybe I want to make to many steps at once. Here you can read my thesis:

Een zoektocht naar nieuwe ervaringen, het sociale proces van zingeving, Spiegelogie en het Fanclubspel