Formation before
Transformation ?
Reflections on 2nd
Half of Life Spiritual Journey
Part 1 - Setting the Scene
St Paul Damascus
There seems to be a ‘fashion’ for the
recurring theme of ‘Transformation’. This has recently become more noticeable
in many of the ‘ologies’ of academia. i.e. psychology, sociology,
theology etc. The inference , and emphasis, can often seem to be that focusing
on formation is not necessary and that there is a magic ‘trick’ or ‘pill’ that
we can take to become transformed. Moreover, that there is something that can
happen to cause a ‘quantum leap’ or a new paradigm. Now doubtlessly, these are
possibilities but quantum leaps and new paradigms are relatively rare.
Nonetheless, ‘transformation’ is the new buzzword and the new Nirvana. This
emphasis can create difficulties for many. It hooks into the modern day urge
for a quick fix or instantaneous results and instant gratification. In
addition, deep and transforming change may best be both negotiated and
maintained if based on some firm foundations and formation.
In Christianity, my own Faith Tradition,
this growing surge towards transformation is becoming more and more prevalent.
These reflections are written in the Christian Season of Lent, which is based
on the experience of Jesus (the Christ) and his 40 days in the wilderness
before beginning his Ministry. Traditionally, and arguably the majority
opinion, most Christians consider Lent to be a time for ‘giving up things’.
This can be a great error and is based on a very negative view of the Mystery,
we call God, and fails to emphasise that the true purpose of our life is to
grow in awareness of our unity with the Indwelling Presence of the Mystery. The
word Lent comes from the word Lengthening and is a season based
on the life of Jesus the Christ and his ‘wilderness experience’. What occurred
for Jesus ( who for Christians is the Christ) was a period of aloneness which
led to a ‘lengthening’ or ‘stretching’ of his awareness of his real self and
his real purpose and union with the Mystery he referred to as ‘Abba’ ( Father).
So perhaps Lent is a time for us all to be
‘stretched and particularly in relation to our understanding of our essential
self and our spiritual awareness and practice. Incidentally, it could be
helpful for Christians to both remember and reflect on the traditional
Christian belief Jesus was, and is , the Christ the Anointed One. This ‘Christ’
is the Cosmic Christ who existed before time began. In addition , Christians
perhaps could benefit by reminding themselves that Christ is not a surname for
Jesus.
As previously outlined, Lent is a Season for
stretching us at all levels of our holistic being. It can play its part in our
journey towards spiritual maturity. This is a journey that requires us to grow
in awareness of self and our unity with the Mystery and as we grow we and thus
become transformed. The reality is that for the majority of us transformation
is a slow, gradual and growing awareness of self, be that at the psychological
and/or spiritual levels. This short Blog aims to tease out some reflections and
proposes that before we can be ‘transformed’ we might best aim our sights and
reflections on our formation.
There are many areas that both modern
psychology and spirituality can find agreement. It is a generally accepted
agreement in psychology, that we are more than our simple view of ourselves.
Our psyche possesses depth and breath and very often our perceived view of the
self is distorted and, to some degree, false. The latter can be caused by the
circumstances of upbringing, culture , environment etc. In Humanistic
Psychology this is often referred to as the ‘Self Concept’ and our task is to
find the Core or Real Self. In short, the task we face is to grow in awareness
of the Real Self and to recognise the inherent distortions and falsities of the
Self Concept. In other branches of Psychology and in Indian Spiritual
Traditions, this is often referred to as the search for and breaking down of
the False Ego.
So our lifelong journey is a growth is
awareness that moves us from the Ego towards our ability to transcend the Ego
and thus realise both our inter-dependency with others and the Cosmos and the
non-duality of creation. This is not an easy task. However, it is an essential
part of genuine growth. Although the task can seem daunting, thankfully we have
access to the guidance and teachings of the Mystics of all Traditions. These
emphasise our need to be open to the Mystery of Creation and to the ambivalence
of the Spirit. In other words, there are very often no definitive answers to the
most important and crucial questions and we need to develop the gift of ‘not
knowing’. Many people refer to this as Faith.
An error we can make is to both think and
believe that there can be a sudden flash of light that reveals all!. Perhaps,
for Christians, this may be based on St Paul
Now this is not only simplistic but can
mistakenly put pressure on many to become instantly transformed and be ‘born
again’ The reality and context of Paul’s transformation is often missed. Paul
first had a solid ‘formation’. He was a pupil of a renowned Jewish Rabbi. He
was steeped in the Law and the Prophets – the Jewish Scriptures. In short, Paul
had a firm foundation and formation in his culture, tradition and spirituality.
What occurred on the road to Damascus
Gautama , called the Buddha , was born in a
country steeped in and blessed with a rich spiritual tradition. He too was well
grounded and formed and was doubtlessly well acquainted with the spiritual
riches of his time. However, having tried both ends of the spectrum – sheer
wealth and luxury and poverty and deprivation, he sat under a Boddhi Tree and
achieved enlightenment. Whatever happened is unsure. However, it led to a great
change in him and to his many years of teaching about the Four Noble Truths , in
which he too spoke about enlightenment.
Both examples speak of a deep and growing
awareness or enlightenment that led to remarkable ability to both discern the
Real from the Unreal ( in modern terms the False Ego from the Real Self), to
avoid being Dualistic and to grow in
wisdom, discernment and love.
This opening set of reflections has focused
on the potential pitfalls of ‘instant
transformation’ and suggest that
a failure to build on a firm foundation can lead to either a disaster or
at best a quick falling away ( See the Parable of the Sower – in the teachings
of Jesus the Christ.
Part 2 of these reflections will begin to
explore our transformation as part of our spiritual journey into Self-
Discovery.
No comments:
Post a Comment