Spiritual transformation and not just spiritual growth
I want to differentiate between two things: (I) reflecting and changing our patterns of actions and (II) spiritually transforming ourselves
the first one, we may call self-improvement • it is clearly important to reflect & reduce the patterns that harm others • this also applies to social systems and will be an always ongoing process • but the effort of self-improvement does not necessarily lead to the emergence of love
that what needs to be transformed is not our patterns, it is you ~ Shai Tubali (2019)
“spiritual transformation on the other hand is not about the what, it is about the who” (Tubali 2019) • who are we really? • our collective ability to walk toward systems that heal our social-ecological systems seems to arise out of the transformation of our separate ego-identities into a body of consciousness knowing that we are everyone together” (Santen 2023 C-10)
Especially the realization that I am connected to everyone brings about the values of care, cooperation, and consent. How would I not value the needs and boundaries of other living beings and try to work with them if I truly understood that we are all part of the same big organism? Would the brain kill the stomach in greed for more oxygen?
References
Writings from
Santen, L. (2023). How can we transform ourselves? (Spirituality & Ecological Justice). Final Paper for Environmental Justice Class (MESH). 🔮 MESH-EJ-THESIS https://leonsanten.info/contemplatingChangeForEJ.html
Insight from
Tubali, S. (2019, December). The Difference Between Self-Improvement & Spiritual Transforma- tion. Insight Timer. https://insighttimer.com/
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