I want to sex up spirituality

Even though “spirituality” is charged with all sorts of preconceptions (maybe they are only my own) for lack of a better word I will use that term. I will not use it as in religion or occult beliefs or esotericism. To me, spirituality is training in self-transformation in order to liberate oneself and realize what some may call divinity or enlightenment but – to include those who struggle with the piety and solemnity of spiritually charged words – what one also may call the sublime, ultimate potential.

True, this implies hard work. And doubtlessly it is not mass-appealing to face one’s fear, pain and anger in order to overcome. On the contrary, we turn away in boredom, indifference and repugnance, not comprehending that unwanted problems are the very source material for our own growth.

But how to reach out, bring across that shit can be turned into manure, so to speak, and that through this process our brilliant, pure nature can be brought about?

The preacher in me would like to preach: Namely that today more than ever we need to be reminded from our self-induced narcosis of numbing our pain, sorrows and shortcomings with work, sex, food, consumer goods, drugs, alcohol, tv, social media, and other entertaining distractions.
 However, I see, too, that every proselytizing is precisely the reason why religion somehow vegetates in our Western world.

“Now, more than ever, the world needs inspiration. The world needs people with a pioneering spirit who […] are stepping forward to transform the world”, said the chief marketing officer of an ad campaign for denims. In order to regain a winning brand image she and her people didn’t shy away to pair fashion with spirituality: they linked their pants to an inspirational, spiritual poem by a renowned American writer – surfing the spirit of time.

Why not flip the concept, I thought, and drape spirituality in fashionable, attractive apparel.

According to the broadly accepted idea of spirituality sexiness is on the far end of what is likely to be associated with it. But rather than seeing things as black and white, good and bad or right and wrong, the merging of dualities would not only redeem spirituality from its stereotypes and bring down people’s aversions and preconceptions but would alsofree ourselves from the spiritual guilt and shame traps and help us explore an integrating, non-dual, wholly spiritual ideal.

In order to raise the awareness of a beggar who is oblivious of the fact that they have a grain of gold it is eventually necessary to point it out to them. However, the matter of delivery is quite delicate as curiosity and unresponsiveness, trust and distrust and belief and disbelief are fine-spun with the same thread. Alienating the beggar might result in the same as burying their grain of gold for good.
 It is therefore crucial to enkindle an appetite and to create the space where they can freely explore and find on their own an individual approach to spiritual experience.

After all, when we long to be deeply moved or touched what we long for is nothing but the spiritual experience in its core.
 We are reminded of something that we may have refused out of fear, or denied ourselves with poor excuses but that we are called to in order to release ourselves from the fetters of our constrained lives and live up to what we truly are.