What I Believe: The Thumotics Manifesto, Part 9

I propose the following definition of spirituality: Spirituality is a body of thoughts and practices related to spirit. From the perspective of this definition, there is not one spirituality but rather many spiritualities. For example, there are Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Theosophical, Neopagan, and many other spiritualities. Each religion has its own body of thoughts and practices related to spirit.

 

Furthermore, from the perspective of my proposed definition of spirituality, most of what is called spirituality today is not spirituality. It is more accurately called "personal religion." It has little if anything to do with spirit as that which animates, and is usually a personal collection of beliefs and practices culled from different religious and other metaphysical traditions. While some personal religions, like established corporate religions, might have spiritualities, they are not themselves spiritualities.

What I Believe: The Thumotics Manifesto, Part 8

I Believe in a Spirit-Focused Spirituality 

We live at a time of great confusion and creativity with regard to both religion and spirituality. Our confusion and creativity are expressed in the increased numbers of people who either change from one established corporate religion to another, or leave them altogether, joining the ranks of those who identify as "none" or "spiritual but not religious."

We see the confusion and creativity in the vast diversity of what is often called "spirituality." Not only is there no general consensus on what the word "spirituality" means, but also much that passes as spirituality has little if anything to do with spirit as “that which makes alive”. Much that passes as spirituality is often an individual's personal collection of various religious and/or metaphysical beliefs and practices culled from different Western and Eastern religions. 

What I Believe: The Thumotics Manifesto, Part 7

Just as the therapeutic care of our body and mind is based on science, I believe in basing the therapeutic care of spirit on science rather than religious and metaphysical beliefs. I am not saying that we should completely ignore or reject religious and metaphysical beliefs. I am saying that when we investigate them. we do well to do so from a critical perspective in which we test their validity with established scientific methods.

I call on those with expertise and interest in counseling, therapeutic care, and healing to join with me in establishing and developing the new therapeutic care of spirit, thumotherapy. Join with me in becoming the first thumotherapists, exploring the vast frontier of the spirit and its injuries, illnesses, and therapies.

What I Believe: The Thumotics Manifesto, Part 6

I Believe in Caring for Spirit

Since we know and understand so little about spirit, we have yet to develop ways of taking good care of our own and other's spirits. While we do already speak of wounded and broken spirits, we have yet to recognize what could be a broad spectrum of injuries and illnesses of spirit.

We have therapies for physical injuries and illnesses based on experience and scientific research. We also have therapies for mental illnesses based on experience and scientific research. I believe it is time to develop therapies for injuries and illnesses of the spirit. I name the therapeutic care of spirit thumotherapy.

What I Believe: The Thumotics Manifesto, Part 5

The opposite of attending to spirit is ignoring it. Attending to spirit leads to knowledge and understanding of spirit. Ignoring spirit leads to ignorance and neglect. Knowing spirit makes many benefits possible. Ignoring makes possible much harm.

Since I believe in knowing spirit, I believe in establishing the science of spirit. Many sciences  attend to aspects of the physical world and the bodies of living beings.  Much of this knowledge informs our practice of medicine. We also have a science of the human mind, psychology.  Much of this knowledge informs our practice of psychotherapy. I believe it is time for the science of not just the human spirit, but the spirit of all living beings. I call this new science thumology.

I call on those with scientific expertise and interest in spirit to join with me in establishing and developing the new science of spirit, thumology. There is much exciting work to do and room for many in this wonderful adventure. 

What I Believe: The Thumotics Manifesto, Part 4

I Believe in Knowing Spirit

That we humans and all living beings are spirited moves me to wide-eyed, open-minded wonder. What a profound mystery! Is it not an awe-inspiring mystery that we exist and live here and now, rather than not? 

How can we prevent ourselves from exploring this great mystery of being alive? Our natural sense of wonder compels us to look more closely at this in order to know more about it and understand it better. What is it that makes us alive? What is spirit? What can we know and understand about it?

Some say that space is the final frontier of exploration. Others say it is the oceans. I add to the list of vast frontiers to explore spirit. When we attend to and explore spirit, we attend to and explore the mystery of life itself.

I call out for daring explorers of spirit, and name those who would pioneer the frontier of the spirit thumonauts. We thumonauts lead the way in attending to and exploring spirit.

What I Believe: The Thumotics Manifesto, Part 3

For the Ancient Greeks, thumos was not limited to humans. Thumos animated  goddesses, gods and other spiritual beings. It animated animals and plants, especially trees. It animated mountains, valleys, and caves; rivers and springs; the four winds and every living being 

Thumos was often translated into Latin by the word "spiritus", from which we get the word "spirit." It is the Ancient Greek understanding of thumos that informs what I mean by spirit. Spirit is that which animates and makes alive.

I believe in and deeply value spirit. It animates all living beings. I call on others who believe in and deeply value spirit to join with me in promoting the importance of spirit. It is essential to life. It is life. 

I believe that as we promote the importance of spirit, we will make this world a better place for all living beings.