One of the core gifts of Blue is spirituality so I’m going to talk a lot about it. But different people mean different things when they use that word. I love Brene Brown’s definition:
Spirituality is recognizing and celebrating that we are all inextricably connected to one another by a power greater than all of us, and that our connection to that power and to one another is grounded in love and belonging. Practicing spirituality brings a sense of perspective, meaning and purpose to our lives
This definition does not require you to believe in any dogma or creed. It doesn’t even require that you believe in “God”. This might not be your definition but it lets you know what I mean by it.
Most people when they hear the word “spirituality” think only of the established religions; Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, etc. That is too limiting. Please consider that these religions are historical artifacts. They inspired so many people for so many generations because they absolutely touch on an important truth. And they still do. But they are also wrapped up in the limitations of Blue. Rational Orange is not online yet so they have lots of myths to explain the world. And Christianity in particular quite often has an angry Red God that needs to be appeased. We don’t need to hold on to that part. But please consider that all religions reflect a universal truth — humans are inherently spiritual. That is, we all can from time to time touch the infinite.
This is a hard topic for many. Please know that I spent much of my early life as a staunch atheist. My Orange science mind just would not accept the myths and wishful stories of Blue. And so many have been spiritually abused. Threatening an impressionable child by telling them that they and those they love will face eternal torment is abusive. It just is. There is a lot of pain here. But just like with all the other stages there is an enormous gift that Blue brings. It is time to reclaim it.
My focus in this section is to talk to those who are deeply skeptical of spirit or at the very least don’t see the value of Blue. I am going to make the rational case for spirituality. If you are already strong in Spirit, great, just cheer me along. But know that your turn is coming in the Orange section where I’m going to make the spiritual case for rationality. For some reason people seem to think that you can only be or the other. It has been my life journey to fully welcome both into my life. I will always be rational to my core, but now spirit guides me as well.
Fully embracing both does not seem to be wide spread yet. I had to figure it out all by myself. Again if you are curious I write about all of this here. I wrote that essay in my 40’s and I was kind of proud of myself, until later on I read Ken Wilber who is much more eloquent about why rationality and spirituality are absolutely not in conflict. I would recommend you read him, but I recognize that might be a bit much for most people. For a philosopher he is eminently approachable and he talks about real, useful things. His thinking has electrified many intellectuals. But still not that many people want to wade through multiple, dense philosophy books. This section is my attempt at taking this on in a hopefully more approachable way.
Note that I will never ask you to forsake rationality. Reason will always have an honored place. It is so necessary. But reason is not the sum total of all Truth. There are incredibly important truths that lie beyond it. Any parent holding their newborn gets this.
Each stage requires its own book (or better yet multiple books) to even begin to explore. This stage will be no exception. But if I can get you just maybe even a little bit to see how beautiful Blue is that will be enough for now.