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Secular spirituality refers to the adherence to a spiritual ideology without the advocation of a religious framework. Secular spirituality emphasizes the inner peace of the individual rather than a relationship with the divine. Secular spirituality can be understood as the search for meaning outside of a religious institution; in regards to ones relationship with the: self, others, nature and whatever else one considers to be the ultimate. Often, the goal of secular spirituality is living happily and/or to help others.

According to Robert C. Solomon, an American Professor of Philosophy, "spirituality is coextensive with religion and it is not incompatible with or opposed to science or the scientific outlook. Naturalized spirituality is spirituality without any need for the 'other‐worldly.' Spirituality is one of the goals, perhaps the ultimate goal, of philosophy." Cornel W Du Toit suggests secular spirituality is unique in that it adapts so well to modern world views, therefore compatible with other modern beliefs and ways of life, building community through shared experiences of "awe." Peter Van der Veer also argues an important aspect of secular spirituality is its promotion of community, creating solidarity through shared universal truth. This 'universal truth' can be experienced through a secular or non-religious world view, without the need for a concept of 'higher power' or a 'supernatural being.' Some traditionally religious practices have been adapted by secular practitioners under a strictly spiritual understanding, such as yoga and mindfulness meditation.

Instances of secular spirituality are mediated differently, as instances of awe can be encouraged through a diversity of unique environments and situations. In the 21st century, individuals increasingly connect with the secular spiritual through technology. As follows, the connection between contemporary spiritual practices and technology is deepening profoundly.

Definition

Secular spirituality emphasizes humanistic qualities such as love, compassion, patience, forgiveness, responsibility, harmony and a concern for others. Du Toit argues aspects of life and human experience which go beyond a purely materialistic view of the world are spiritual; spirituality does not require belief in a supernatural reality or divine being. Mindfulness and meditation can be practiced in order to cherish, foster, and promote the development of one's empathy and manage more effectively "with solicitude and forgiveness" selfish drivers of behaviour. This can be experienced as beneficial or even necessary for human fulfillment without any supernatural interpretation or explanation. Spirituality in this context may be a matter of nurturing thoughts, emotions, words and actions that are in harmony with a belief that everything in the universe is mutually dependent. Scholar Daniel Dennett suggests spirituality to be connected to "awe and joy and sense of peace and wonder," suggesting "people make a mistake of thinking spirituality... has anything to do with either religious doctrines... or the supernatural," instead claiming spirituality can be and is often entirely secular.

Theorists

Cornel W Du Toit

Cornel W Du Toit is a professor at the University of South Africa, who completed his studies at the Institute for Theology and Missiology. Toit defines “secular spirituality” as a contemporary phenomenon of spirituality experienced separately from structured, institutionalized religion. Toit cites McGrath’s definition of spirituality in his discussion of the secularly spiritual, arguing that spirituality generally concerns: “the quest for a fulfilled and authentic life, involving the bringing together of the ideas distinctive of… [some] religion and the whole experience of living on the basis of and within the scope of that religion.”

Du Toit argues that secular spirituality is unique in that it adapts quickly to popular world-views. Du Toit argues that spirituality experienced in a world of phantoms, magic, gods and demons, in which humans are believed to be at the mercy of forces they cannot control, is different from spirituality as experienced in the current techno-scientific world. Du Toit argues that any realm can evoke an instance of secular spirituality - an “unexplainable” instance of awe", whether through reading a novel, watching a movie or going on a hike.

Secular spirituality is not a new religion, but rather the potential for all experiences to assume a spiritual quality, not limited by a religious or transcendent realm. While industrialism has led to increasing urbanization, creating an individualistic culture of modernism (which according to Toit underpins secularism in the West), Toit argues that secular spirituality is inherently communal. Toit believes that instances of awe-filled emotions may be experienced individually, but they should ultimately contribute to the collective if they are to be considered secular spiritual experiences. Toit argues that “the spiritual experience was never an end in itself...Any spirituality that does not produce service is false.

Peter Van der Veer

Peter Van der Veer defines secular spirituality as being based on the combination emphasis on group national and political identities through secularization and the desire for a unifying spiritual belief. For Van der Veer, secular spirituality arose in communities through the simultaneous rise of secularism and spirituality in the nineteenth century. He identifies spirituality, the secular, and religion as three interacting but independent concepts. For Van der Veer the combination of the spiritual and the secular allows a bridge of discursive traditions in a global-historical context that preserves transnational identities. This global difference develops from the uneven integration of spirituality into secular society on the levels of social, market and political integration. 

Secular spirituality is not bound to tradition and is able to identify with the ideas of nineteenth century secularity. It does not reject the ideas of liberalism, socialism or since but reaction allows these movements to form groups searching for a spiritual universal truth.

Technology and Secular Spirituality

Online Spirituality

Religions and religious movements have a strong online presence, which are often sorted into two categories: "religion-online" and "online-religion." As coined by Christopher Helland, "religion-online" is understood as "importing traditional forms of religion online," while "online-religion" is uniquely secularly spiritual, in that it "[creates] new forms of networked spiritual interactions," promoting discussions of ritual and 'awe'-filled moments within a secular, online community. Because of the Internet's ability to "cross social and cultural borders," argues Helland, it has been capable of creating a "non-threatening environment" that is ideal for anonymous users to engage in "spiritual searching." Online spiritual discussion outside of the aegis of any particular religious movement is often thought to have began with and have been most influenced by "Communitree," a "California-based online social networking system." The "Origins" board on Communitree promoted "open-ended forms of religious discussion," resulting in an unofficial “set of religious and quasi-religious beliefs and practices that is not accepted, recognized or controlled by official religious groups." Scholars often associate Communitree with personal religiosity and individualized spirituality, as this entirely secular platform allowed for conversation to occur without a "set doctrine, code of ethics or group of religious professionals to regulate belief and practices." Outside of Communitree, the Internet contains countless forums, websites, and messaging systems. These platforms allow for information regarding spiritual ideas to be accessed, and connections to be made between those who are offering or seeking spiritual advice.

Techno-Spirituality

A defining feature of secular spirituality is that instances of secular spirituality can occur in any realm. In the present techno-scientific age, instances of secular spirituality are increasingly mediated through technology. For many religious people, technology can be seen as an alienating force, “the encapsulation of human rationality” that offers a means of competing with religion and spirituality as opposed to mediating/facilitating it. As follows, the spiritual dimension assigned to technology represents a recent shift in the dicussion. According to Newman (1997:110-111) “technology’s very success is contributing to the realization of ideals such as freedom, knowledge, happiness, and peace." This may lead people to believe that "technology is a proper successor to religion,” but this is certainly not the case, as general levels of religiosity in the West have barely declined since the Enlightenment period. As follows, the current “attribution of spiritual meaning to the digital realm” represents a remarkable change in how spirituality has traditionally been mediated. Secular spirituality is a phenomenon that recognizes the link between technology and spirituality, as opposed to viewing technology as in competition with spirituality.

Yoga

The popularity of the 'yoga' in the West is integrally linked to secularization. This secularization began in India in the 1930s, when yoga teachers began to look for ways to make yoga accessible to the general public. As such, yoga began to move from the realm of religion to the realm of secularity, promoting Yoga as a non-Hindu practice both within the West and East. Yoga has undeniably Hindu roots, first mentioned in the Katha Upanisad. Despite these roots, yoga has been secularized, and often referred to as being “ancient Indian,” “Eastern,” or “Sanskritic,” rather than as Hindu due to a desire to avoid any religious connotations. Modern Western yoga is thought to "not require adoption of religious beliefs or dogma," despite Hindu origins. In the West, yoga has been "modernized, medicalized, and transformed into a system of physical culture." This system of physical culture has transformed yoga "into an individualized spirituality of the self," creating an activity that is very popular within secular societies, drawing off portrayals of yoga as "mystical, experiential and individualistic." Western yoga students cite health, fitness, and stress reduction as reasons for yogic practice, rather than traditional Hindu motivations and goals such as enlightenment. However, many practice in order to reach "contemplative states of consciousness and spirituality," a goal that falls within the realm of secular spirituality. In a study of Ashram residents, researchers found residents were more likely to respond they had an “experience of oneness" during or after a yoga class and felt more "in touch with Divine or spiritual” after a class than control groups, leaving researchers to believe yoga practice enhances transformational processes, including spiritual states.

Meditation

While meditation is traditionally considered a component of Buddhism, mindfulness meditation has become a way to exercise secular spirituality, particularly in the West. Meditation is considered a "spiritual alternative" to conventional values and goals, such as those found in traditional Western religions. Mindfulness-based stress reduction, while traditionally linked to the Buddhist understanding of Samadhi, has become medicalized in the secular aim of reducing illness, rather than the traditional Buddhist goal of liberation from the suffering that occurs in worldly experiences. As such, this medicalized, secularized version of spiritual meditation has been allowed into secular institutions within Western society, such as hospitals and schools. Research done at Bowling Green State University has shown that mindfulness practitioners who identify as spiritual, as opposed to non-spiritual, benefit more fully from mindfulness practice, more significantly decreasing their anxiety, increasing the positivity of their moods and increasing their ability to tolerate pain. The Dalai Lama has suggested exportation of meditation as a "human practice," rather than strictly religious. As such, the secular nature of meditation "for the goal of universal human benefit" is emphasized, allowing for secular, spiritual but non-religious participation. An additional human benefit occurring as a result of meditative practice is a sense of community between practitioners. While meditation is entirely individual, it also relies on and creates social connection, building community through shared spirituality despite secular contexts.

Education and Secular Spirituality

Marisa Crawford points to the importance of including secular spirituality in the Canadian Curriculum. Crawford argues that the push for a secular public education system in Canada deprives students of the opportunity to explore life’s “ultimate questions of heart and soul.” Crawford believes that there is a way to integrate spirituality into the secular sphere, without indoctrinating, but rather allowing students to investigate how individuals and cultures have addressed spiritual concerns and issues. Crawford argues that the deflection of students’ inner questions about religion or spirituality is commonplace and contributes to misunderstandings and ignorance about religion and spirituality.

According to Crawford, knowledge about religion and spirituality is essential for understanding and living in a pluralistic society. While textbooks include explanations of the rituals and practices that certain religious groups practice, textbooks rarely discuss religion’s role in shaping human thought and action. In British Columbia, the School Acts states that public schools must be conducted on “strictly secular and non-sectarian principles,” thereby alienating young people to “questions that both enliven and vex the human spirit.”

Lois Sweet argues that “public schools must begin to examine ways to include the spiritual dimension of human existence in a non-indoctrinating way,” through teaching worldviews that are sensitive to religious differences and emphasize the features of religion and spirituality that overlap. Sweet points to the fact that the requirement for secularism in Canadian public schools simply signals the need for “educational decisions and policies, whatever their motivation, to respect the multiplicity of religious and moral views that are held by families in the school community,” not ignore their discussion.

According to a UNESCO report on education: “It is thus education’s noble task to encourage each and every one, acting in accordance with their traditions and convictions and paying full respect to pluralism, to lift their minds and spirits to the plane of the universal and, in some measure, to transcend themselves.” According to Crawford, excluding religion from the curriculum, endorses a passive hostility towards all religious point of view. According to Thomas Groome, nurturing a sacramental Cosmology – an awareness that each aspect of life manifests visible signs of invisible grace, educators can promote an attitude of gratitude to and reverence for the world. Through doing so, Groome argues that educators can encourage students to “bring light to the thousands of wonders and transcendent signals in the ordinary things of life ...contemplating the world with a gaze of faith that encourages seeking meaning and celebrating instances of Awe.”

Through integrating a sacramental cosmology into the Canadian Public Education system, Groome argues that students will be provided more opportunities to understand and appreciate the web of humanity – including love, friendship, exploring the intricate and consistent designs and patterns of science... leading to contemplative wonder that is rooted in compassionate and loving relationships that embrace meaningful knowing.” Crawford argues that the curriculum will have to avoid promoting one particular religious or areligious point of view. The curriculum would have to introduce students to a diversity of worldviews and spiritual options “allowing them critical access to alternative traditions so that informed insight and wisdom may flourish through the development of spiritual literacy.”

Chicano Spirituality

Chicano spirituality formed as a shared ideology in the context of the Chicano struggle for an independent political ethnic identity. Chicano spirituality is used by the community to identify themselves with a unified and shared origin myth regarding their historical territory. The territory of Aztlan that comes into existence with the Chicano myth claims a place between the United States and Mexican borders. It is an imagined nation of Aztec-ethnicity that they Chicano use to form a transnational community identity to interface with politics. The connection to an Aztec ethnic identity solidifies the claims of the Chicano to a separate ethnic identity as a political entity in Mexican law. Similarly the invention of Aztlan as a territory in disputed territory allows the Chicano to claim a historic connection to the Southern United States.