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Who
We Are
Spirituality
& Community was founded in late 2003 by Kurt Venables to communicate with
others who share an interest in spirituality and an appreciation for a
diversity of spiritual beliefs.
A New
Age of Light
To us, spirituality is an inner search for happiness and fulfillment,
focused on the Light within. We are concerned with what lies within
the heart. We believe that within everyone lies a pure love that
is known as the Light or simply Love, as well as God, the Lord, and many
other names. We believe that one must open one’s heart to the Light to
attain spiritual fulfillment and that only this brings true happiness
and mental wellness. The Light is the essence of humanity. Ultimately,
we find our way by casting our gaze inward. We will search this inner
world over until we find our home:
We shall not cease
from exploration
And the end of all our
exploring
Will be to arrive where
we started
And know the place for
the first time.
T.S.
Eliot, Little Gidding
We believe that mankind is entering a New Age, an Age of Light.
We see a growing spiritual crisis in the world today. Our culture has
brought us unprecedented material well being, but we seem further away
than ever from true spiritual wholeness. We also perceive an increase
in mental health issues in our society and believe this to be linked to
spiritual detachment. Many wander endlessly in search of the material
gratification that will bring them happiness. Many have lost faith in
traditional religions, while others sincerely believe in traditional religions
but remain unfulfilled spiritually and unhappy. Unfortunately, too many
are so close-minded they refuse to ask what is missing from their lives.
Yet, many hunger for spiritual wholeness and are searching for answers.
We believe that we are entering a new age of enlightenment in which genuine
spiritual progress will be made. We also believe that spiritual
development depends upon a genuine appreciation for a diversity of spiritual
beliefs. An appreciation for diversity of belief provides us with
a fresh view of the beliefs of others, allows us to take from each set
of beliefs that which rings true, and enables us to synthesize a personal
spirituality that makes sense for each of us. When we view the beliefs
of others with our hearts, we see truth shine through. We look with the
highest regard to traditional beliefs and religions for guidance, and
we also look forward. We believe that the past is not the end but
the beginning. We sincerely hope that you will find truth within, and
we wish you only the best on your own personal journey!
The
Four Horsemen and the Quartet of Angels
A Note from the Founder
My kids like to play a game in the kitchen while my wife and I are washing
dishes. If you squeeze the plastic bottle of dishwashing liquid while
it is upright, loads of tiny bubbles come shooting out. I tell the kids
that the bubbles are little angels, and the kids like to try to catch
them. They’re tough to catch; the faster you try to grab one, the faster
it will move around your hand. To catch one, you have to move slowly and
deliberately. Spirituality is kind of like that.
I believe that mental wellness, true happiness, only comes from spiritual
fulfillment and that spiritual wholeness only comes from opening one’s
heart to the Light. I perceive four principal limitations that one need
overcome to allow the love of the Light to completely fill the heart.
These limitations, which I call the Four Horsemen, are: Close-mindedness
and Misplaced Values, Selfishness, Arrogance, and Negativity and Stress.
The first horseman, “know it all” Close-mindedness, is like a gate through
which one must pass in order to make any spiritual progress. One cannot
progress if one refuses to learn. Related problems include self-deception
and misplaced values, such as materialism. The second horseman, Selfishness,
is marked by the almost exclusive concern for oneself at the expense of
others, which leads to alienation of others. This problem includes a general
sense of alienation in our society. The third horseman, Arrogance, is
an obsessive desire to be “better” than others, a desire to think of oneself
as of a higher status than others. A form of self-deception, it functions
as a perverse justification for selfishness. Finally, the fourth horseman,
Negativity, is a problem of poor mental outlook and unrealistic expectations.
Negativity leads to stress, which also arises from unnecessarily adversarial
interactions with others and inadequate coping with the demands of daily
life.
The antithesis, the antidote, to the Four Horsemen is what I call the
Quartet of Angels: Truth, Love, Humility, and Optimism. Spiritual progress
can only come from an open-minded search for truth. A commitment to truth
also includes understanding and focusing on values that truly bring happiness.
The second angel, Love, refers to loving all others without the usual
boundaries, such as loving only one’s family, friends, etc. Love is the
key to spirituality; the Light is pure love. True love brings true happiness.
The third angel, Humility, means understanding that we are all morally
equal, or equally worthy of love. Finally, the fourth angel, Optimism,
refers to a positive outlook on life. As the Light fills the heart, it
sanctifies the ordinary, and one can more easily see the beauty and wonder
in oneself and the world.
By working within to overcome limitations and cultivate the right kind
of feelings, we can become spiritually healthy as individuals. By working
without, in our world, we can help to bring spiritual progress to our
collective culture. I do believe that we are entering a new Age of Light
in which genuine spiritual progress is being made. Disconcertingly, however,
I also see the four principal maladies discussed becoming increasingly
manifest in our society. Those contracting these modern plagues are marked
by hollowness, a lack of true joy. If a person is unhappy at best, it
is not difficult for adversity to push him or her into periods of depression.
While I do accept that genuine hormonal and neurochemical imbalances do
exist, I truly believe that a large portion of the mental health problems
in our society are the result of spiritual discord. If humanity cannot
overcome the problems represented by the Four Horsemen, rather than entering
a new Age of Light, we run the risk of entering a new Age of Spiritual
Apocalypse. I do, however, see strong forces for good in this world, and
we must work diligently to strengthen these forces. Cultivating a spirit
defined by the Quartet of Angels is difficult. Spirituality is a lifelong
process, both for individuals and the human race. Grasping angels is a
tricky business, one achieved only by slow, deliberate progress.
-Kurt Venables (For more on the Four Horsemen
and the Quartet of Angels,
see Spiritual Soup on the Home page)
What
We Do
Spirituality & Community produces a magazine and encompasses an
online community. Both aspects serve as the basis for bringing together
those who share our aspirations and beliefs, to meet each other and exchange
ideas. We provide many opportunities for exploring spirituality
and communicating with others:
Spirituality & Community magazine
Features on the site
Online chats (as interest arises)
The magazine is based on a Reader’s Digest® type model. It is comprised
primarily of reader submitted material. It is the primary mechanism for
a member to both explore spirituality and communicate his or her ideas
to others. If you're a closet writer, you've come to the right place.
Features are also posted on the site. When interest is sufficiently high,
we will hold chats online.
Membership in Spirituality & Community is free and may be withdrawn at
any time. The magazine is also free. Level of participation in any aspect
of Spirituality & Community is strictly voluntary.
Currently, membership is small- We are in growth mode right now. If
you would like to join, please click the Join Us! link.
Who We Are | The
Founder | The Magazine
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© 2003-2007 Spirituality & Community. All
Rights Reserved.
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