Thumotic Living, Part 4: Acorn-like

Thumotic living is not about "following your heart."

When  we live from our thumos and fulfill the life-affirming desires of our heart, we follow no one. We follow no thing, including our heart. Rather we manifest in our actions the life-affirming desires of our heart.

It's a  natural process. No exhortations like "Become who you are!" are needed. We do not have to try to become who we are. 

When we live from our thumos, just as an acorn naturally becomes the unique oak tree it is meant to become, so we naturally become the unique human being we are meant to become.

Thumotic Living, Part 3: Amorality

If a morality is a set of rational concepts about what is right and wrong, thumotic living is amoral. Not immoral. Amoral.

It's amoral because when we live from our spirit and heart, complying with our own or some else's rational concepts about right and wrong are irrelevant. 

What matters is fulfilling the life-affirming desires of our heart.

Thumotic Living, Part 2: Natural

Thumotic living is natural. It's living in accord with how we were born to live.

We're born to live from our thumos, our spirit, our heart. We're born to fulfill the life-affirming desires of our heart.

When our parents and others nurture and support us in becoming who we are naturally meant to become, they affirm our life and we live naturally from our spirit. We naturally become who we are meant to become.

Only when our parents and others "educate" us to comply, conform, and live according to someone else's ways do we later have to unlearn unnatural, life-denying ways. Only then do we have to learn later in life how to live from our spirit, fulfill the life-affirming ways of our heart, and become who we are naturally meant to become. 

It is never too late to unlearn life-denying ways, fulfill the life-affirming desires of our heart, and become who we are meant to become. 

Thumotic Living, Part 1: From Our Spirit

My next two or three posts will be about thumotic living. Here's part one:

Thumotic living is living from our thumos, our spirit, that which makes us alive.

Since we experience  our thumos in our chest, it is associated with our heart. Thumotic living is also living from our heart.

We can feel when we're living from our thumos. Sometimes we feel warmth in our chest, our heart. Sometimes the warmth blazes into a heated flame of passion. Whether it's warmth or flame it compels us to speak and act before we think.

Thumotic living is living not according to the dictates of a divine or human authority figure. It's not living according to a religion, philosophy, or moral code. It's not living according to reason, rationality, or logic. It's not concerned with conforming with current social mores.

Thumotic living is irrational. It's free-spirited living that manifests in our actions the life-affirming desires of our heart.  

Spirit is Natural

In my view, the view I propose for you to adopt if it rings true, the word "spirit" refers to something natural rather than supernatural, metaphysical, religious, or spiritual.

Specifically, "spirit" refers to "that which makes alive."

My understanding of spirit is informed by the Ancient Greek concept of thumos. As such, it is located in the center and heart of our chest. 

It is associated with our lungs and breath. It is also associated with our thymus gland due to the gland's location. 

Our spirit is the agent of our emotions and a specific type of cognition. It is also associated with our heart when heart is used to refer to our emotions, passions, and deepest desires.

As "that which makes alive" we are either spirited and alive or we are not. When we faint, our spirit leaves and returns. When we die our spirit leaves and does not return.

However, our spirit also varies in degrees. It can be high, low, or neutral. It can be introverted or extroverted. It can be expanded or contracted and vary in other ways as well.

Finally, for now, as "that which makes alive" spirit enlivens every living being. Everything that moves is spirited and alive- animals, plants, the ground beneath our feet, the wind, rivers, springs, oceans, the clouds, lightening, Sun, Moon, all the planets and starts- everything.

So, spirit, that which makes alive, unites us all.

I believe it is time for us to reclaim and redefine spirit as something that is natural rather than supernatural, metaphysical, religious, or spiritual. It is time to develop our knowledge of spirit and redefine both "spiritual" and "spirituality" as well. 

How to Know Your Purpose

If you want to know the purpose of your life, I recommend that you look no further than your own spirit.

Set aside some uninterrupted time for yourself. You might find it helpful to have some way to record your thoughts.

Get comfortable. Relax. You might want to place one or both hands over your breast bone and become aware of your heart beat. Let your attention be on the area beneath around your hands on your chest. 

This area has long been associated with our spirit. It has has also been called our heart as in "the heart of the matter" and the core of who we are.  

Relax and breathe. Let your intention be to know the life-affirming desires of your heart and spirit.

Be open. Listen. Listen to what your spirit says when you ask it to speak to you and reveal its life-affirming desires.

If you feel fear, let it come and visit for a bit. And let it pass.

Let  the desires of your heart emerge into your awareness. Feel them.

They show you the purpose of your life. 

Your purpose is to fulfill the life-affirming desires of our heart rather than deny them. 

The life-affirming desires of your heart are yours and yours alone to fulfill.

We need you fulfill them. Please don't let us or yourself down. 

Become who you are meant to become. We need what only you can give.

Make us proud.

I Believe In You

I believe in you. You are alive for a reason. 

There is only one of you. Only you can do you.

Only you can share with the rest of us who you are and what you do.

I believe that  you have a purpose that only you can fulfill...or not.

Only you can become who you are meant to become.

Only you can do what you are alive to do.

We need you to do you to the max.

Let nothing hold you back.

Please, for the love of all, do not let us or yourself down.

If you do not know what you are alive to do,

Attend to the life-affirming desires of your heart.

Fulfill them and you will do what you are alive to do.

Fulfill the life-affirming desires of your heart and

You will become who you are meant to become.

And every being will benefit and be glad you lived.

Today I Choose to Affirm Spirit

Today I choose to affirm spirit, that which makes alive.

I choose to-

Say "Yes!" to life - mine and everyone else's

See every individual thing as a living being- everything is spirited and alive

Delight in the wonder of being alive

Be in awe of being alive

Value and appreciate my own spirit and life as well as everyone else's

See every living being as kin because we're all spirited and alive. We're family.

Love and care for every living being with whom I relate. Love is my default way of relating to myself and others.

Protect and nurture my life and that of others.

Take life reluctantly and only when necessary- to sustain my own life and those for whom I am responsible

Take life, when necessary, compassionately, swiftly, and with as little pain as possible

Be grateful to those who give their life that I may live

Fully enjoy the pleasures of living

Rise up to face the challenges of living my life rather than cower from them

Not hinder others living their lives as they choose- except when they unecessarily harm others

Be creative, productive, and add value to the lives of others in ways that only I can do

Honor mothers and fathers of all living beings

Honor those who live long lives

Care for the sick, injured, and dying

Remember with gratitude those whose spirits now spirit me

Protect and nurture the young, especially my own children if I have them

Be happy to be alive 

 

 

 

Be Mindful of Spirit

Anything that changes is animated. 

Anything that is animated is alive. 

Anything that is alive is spirited.

The agent of change, animation, and life is spirit.

To be mindful of change, animation, and life is to be mindful of spirit.

Pay attention not to the present moment but to the flow of change. Be mindful of spirit.

Take delight in your own spirit and that of others.

Be amazed that we are alive and that what animates one animates all. 

May we never take it for granted.

May we affirm the spirit in all.

 

Everything is Spiritual

Whatever moves is animated. Whatever is animated is alive. Whatever moves is alive.

Since spirit is "that which makes alive", whatever moves is spirited.

Whatever moves is spiritual because it is of, about, or related to spirit.

Since everything moves, everything is spiritual.

Since everything is spiritual, how should we live?

Taking Your Health for Granted?

Many of us take our health for granted. As long as we have it, we ignore it.

We only attend to it when it's broken. 

Broken? Wait. Machines break. 

We're not machines.

Right?

We're spirited. We're alive. Taking our health for granted is taking our life for granted.

That's not something to take for granted.

That's not something to attend to only when it's threatened.

That's something to cherish above all else, protect, sustain, and strengthen.

Our life, our spirit, is too valuable to take for granted. 

Affirm life...Start with your own.

Professional Care of Spirit, Part 3

Having clear definitions of spirit, care of spirit, and the role of the spiritual care professional makes it possible to discuss the attitude, skills, and knowledge needed by a spiritual care professional. A spiritual care professional must be-

Passionate about understanding and caring for one's own spirit and that of others.

Skillful in establishing rapport and a therapeutic presence, active listening, observing the spirit, assessing conditions of spirit, setting goals of care, implementing interventions that help the spirit, evaluating and revising interventions, documenting the care, and collaborating with other healthcare professionals.

Knowledgeable about the history of the concept of spirit, especially the Ancient Greek concept of thumos, the nature of spirit, anatomy of the spirit, activities of the spirit, various conditions of the spirit, how not to harm the spirit, effective interventions that are helpful for the spirit, evaluating the outcomes of interventions, and how the interventions of physical and mental health can affect the spirit.

With these basic competencies a spiritual care professional can begin practicing sound, basic spiritual care.

Professional Care of Spirit, Part 2

Defining "Spirit" and "Care of Spirit"

Unfortunately, we have no general consensus on the definitions of spirit, spiritual, or spirituality.  Consequently, we also have no general consensus on what "care of spirit" is.  

This problem is illustrated in the article "Spirituality Unplugged" by Unruh and Versnel published in the Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 69:5-19, 2002. The article presented the authors' comprehensive literature review which found 92 different definitions of spirituality. Imagine the state of physical and mental health care if we had no general consensus on the definitions of body and mind.

I propose that we define "spirit" as "that which makes alive."  There are several good reasons for defining spirit this way. 

First, it has deep roots in Western civilization. It goes back at least as far as Homer and his frequent use of the word thumos. Thumos was translated into Latin by the word "spiritus" from which we get our word "spirit."

Secondly, defining spirit as "that which makes alive" clarifies what "care of spirit" is and what a healthcare professional caring for spirit actually does. "Care of spirit" is "helping with the health and well-being of spirit." A healthcare professional who provides care of spirit, provides therapeutic care for that which makes us alive. 

Thirdly, clarifying care of spirit clarifies what it means in healthcare to care for the whole person- body, mind, and spirit. We have a general consensus on what it means to care for a person's body and mind. With this definition of spirit it is possible to have a general consensus on what it means to care for a person's spirit.

Fourthly, this definition removes care of spirit from a religious context and puts it in a human context. Understanding the human spirit in a human context makes it possible to develop a science of spirit and a therapeutic care of spirit informed by that science. I propose the word "thumology" to refer to the scientific study of spirit. And the word "thumotherapy" to refer to the therapeutic care of spirit.

Finally, defining care of spirit as "helping with the health and well-being of spirit" distinguishes it from "care of souls" which is traditionally what clergy and chaplains provide. 

Professional Care of Spirit, Part 1

Professional Care of Body, Mind, and Social Health

In modern Western civilization  we have explicitly identified groups of highly trained professionals devoted to helping us with our physical, mental, and social health. Medical doctors, nurses, and others help us with our physical health. Mental and behavioral health professionals help us with our mental health. And social workers help us with our social well-being.

No Professional Care of Spirit

However, we have no explicitly identified group of highly trained professionals who help us with the health and well-being of our spirits. This is a serious problem. How can we provide high quality bio-psycho-social-spiritual care that is person centered, when we have no highly trained health care professionals who care for our spirits? 

What about Clergy and Chaplains?

Some might say that clergy or, more specifically chaplains, are highly trained professionals who help us with our spirits. I disagree.

Clergy and chaplains help us primarily with religious matters or, more generally, matters of faith. That is what they are trained to do. They are experts is in the religion they were ordained to serve. They might have additional training to help with existential concerns, but that is at best secondary in their training.

 

To help us with our religious, spiritual, and existential issues is just that: to help us with our religious, spiritual, and existential issues. That is why we accept (or decline) clergy and chaplain visits. However, such help does not necessarily help us with the health of our spirit. It depends on how we define spirit.

NOTE: In Part 2 I will discuss my proposed definitions of spirit and care of spirit.

Thumotic Spirituality: Some Characteristics

Thumotic Spirituality-

Focuses on spirit, understood as "that which makes alive"

Is experientially rather than faith based

Provides a conceptual framework for individual and group creativity

Nurtures love of spirit in all living beings

Inspires a sense of wonder in that we and others are alive rather than not

Engages us in the process of better understanding and caring for the spirits of all the living 

Encourages us to live our lives fully and not interfere with others living theirs

Supports the health and wellness of spirit and thereby of the whole being

Connects humans with all other living beings

Addresses ecological problems

Is an alternative to Western and Eastern religions and spiritualities that deny the value of life and seek to escape from it

Affirms and celebrates life

Getting Started in Thumotic Spirituality

Practice being mindful of spirit. Focus on yourself and all others as spirited beings, beings who are alive rather than not.

Practice curiosity. Be curious about the spirit that enlivens all the living.

Allow for a sense of wonder that we all are spirited and alive rather than not.

Choose spirit; choose life, all life.

Be engaged in living. Consciously join with all the living in living life fully.

Enjoy yourself and all others being spirited and becoming who you are meant to become.

Celebrate spirit. Create your own ways to celebrate being alive.

Thumotics: The Basic Lexicon

Thumology is to the spirit what psychology is to the mind and physiology is to the body.

Thumotherapy is to the spirit what psychotherapy is to the mind and physical therapy is to the body.

Thumotic spirituality is a collection of theories and practices related to the spirit. It is informed by both thumology and thumotherapy but not limited to these.

Thumotics comprises thumology, thumotherapy, and thumotic spirituality.

No Ancestors, No Self; Know Ancestors, Know Self

Continuations of Our Ancestors

In body, mind and spirit we are continuations of our ancestors. The blood of our ancestors flows in our veins. Their DNA makes our DNA. Their bodies show in ours. Much of what we learned from our parents, our parents learned from their parents who learned from their parents and so on back into the forgotten past. Their spirits spirit us. The condition of their spirits condition ours. We are the culmination of our ancestors. Because of our ancestors we are here.

Favoring of Religious, National, and Economic-Entertainment Icons

For too long we have neglected our ancestors. Instead of remembering, valuing, honoring, telling their stories, and singing their songs we have worshipped religious, national, and economic-entertainment icons.

Such worship denies and devalues our own lives. Since most of us do not rise to the level of religious, national, or economic-entertainment idols, we're less. We live less valued, less valuable lives- or so we might be led to believe.

We are tempted to feel ashamed for either not doing the work or not having the luck our idols had. Either way we fall short of the glory of our idols and have to settle for being mere consumers of their success. At best we live vicariously through them.

Revaluing Our Ancestors and Ourselves

However, when we opt out of icon adoration and choose instead to remember, honor, tell the stories, and sing the songs of our ancestors, we affirm and value not only their lives but ours as well. We see humanity more clearly. We see ourselves more clearly. We know where we came from. We're aware of the characteristics of our ancestors that manifest and live on in us. 

We see how we all have important roles to play. Everyone contributes in creating the world in which we live. Everyone is valuable and valued.

The better we know our ancestors, the better we know ourselves.