The interactions between spirituality and culture are complex and intricate. They are so complex that many people make the mistake of unifying the two, or making spirituality a component of culture, so that an individual who changed his spiritual understanding would necessarily be alienated from his culture. In fact, the two act independently. This may seem obvious to people living in the diversity of the United States, but is not so clear in more homogeneous societies. In America, though, the diversity only serves to make the dynamics involved more complicated, and the interaction ends up affecting the nation in unpredictable ways, most evident in the political sphere. Understanding how the relationship between spirituality and culture can function can help those who feel stress or confusion when their chosen path and culture seem to clash. At times, of course, these clashes are inevitable. There is no reason, however, that they should lead to the abandonment of a certain path or a retreat away from the troublesome culture. Seeing the situation with some perspective aids the wanderer in his navigations with minimal stress.
To provide this perspective and some insight into the dynamics that are active around us everyday, this book will first discuss a few of the major themes history has revolved around which still affect this young nation music, the manner in which tradition is passed down, the structure of society, and the struggle between the new and the old. These themes have been a part of human understanding for all of recorded history, and can therefore be used as tools to organize newer developments. Then, we will turn to the history of alternative spirituality in the United States. By alternative spirituality I mean the form of spiritual understanding that dominates the culture and society. This would be Protestant Christianity in America, though since this category includes many denominations, Catholicism is also very influential. Nevertheless, the fact that this country has only had one Catholic President as of this writing John F. Kennedy is more than enough to show how dominant Protestantism is. The United States is an ideal choice for examination, since it has had heavy immigration so that the culture would presumably have to deal with a great deal of new ideas and it enshrined the freedom of religion in its founding document. The fact that American culture is spreading across the world, causing both rational and irrational concern, is also an important matter for consideration.
Having a definite eye on modern issues and the way spirituality and culture interact today, it is clear that the most important matter to examine is the impact of consumerism. Since the 1920s, the culture of the United States has been rightfully called a consumer culture, with the staple activities of the population centered on the consumption of goods and services. This has spread around the world, so that all cities have become consumer centers that people can visit without feeling out of place. How this has come about and what affect it may have is important for each individual to consider, and I have some important observations to contribute.
This is a book of observations, and cannot provide more than suggestions for how to deal with the many phenomena the spiritual seeker will face in modern life. Any prescription would have to take into consideration the context in which an individual lives, and what forces are most active in that context. The most important issue affecting you might not be among the ones described here, but a few of them will be among the most important, and they should give you an idea of what to look for. Again, it is all about perspective. I am presenting some perspectives, not all of them, and certainly not the perspective, but it is still better than none, or the polarized two that television presents when it claims to be unbiased. I will also not be attempting to prove anything which limit me to only one view of the phenomena. This might make the observations difficult to follow, but they have been kept concise, so I hope the reader will bear with me.
The first chapter provides a short example of early cultural interaction through a comparison between the Mahabharata, the chief Indian epic, and the Irish epic, the Tαin Bo Cuailnge. Only a few examples of how the two epics relate to each other are provided, since they are only meant to be a springboard to a discussion of how cultures and spirituality spread. While I am not certain, there is likely a more thorough and scholarly treatment of the relationship between the two epics, since the idea was brought to my attention by a few Celtic Studies professors at Berkeley. Incidentally, any accurate ideas I present are probably thanks to them, and any mistakes I make are all my own.
After this example, we will move onto the first full topic the way music acts as a bridge between spirituality and culture, and how this bridge has been tumultuous in the past century. Music is an essential part of life, and is often considered the most sacred art. This chapter will show how its sanctity has been defended, how it has been made malleable to consumer culture, and how people have tried to restore it to its lofty purpose.
While music is undoubtedly the most powerful way to convey knowledge, traditions are more often passed down either by oral teaching and memorization, or writing and reading. The difference between these two styles of tradition, the major transition from one to the other in Europe, and the implications of written tradition for modern society are discussed. This is important to spiritual seekers, since much of what they learn, particularly if it originates in pre-Christian times, will be part of an oral tradition, making it difficult to learn. Also, ideas passed down by oral tradition are often given less credence in a writing society, leading people to rely too heavily on books when the material is better presented orally.
The structure of society has impacted almost all spiritual paths that originated in the Indo-European world before 1500. Before the modern era, the free people in land from Ireland to India were divided into three groups priests, warriors, and peasants. The spiritual teachings from that time, then, are suited to societies of that sort. The modern era is most acutely defined by the rise of the merchant class, which does not fit into the tripartite order. The effect this has had is, needless to say, severe. Today, an extremely small percentage of the population works to provide spiritual guidance, defense, or food. Most people work either as merchants or producers of specialized goods that merchants can sell, making most spiritual systems incompatible with the dominant culture. This is a problem even those following the dominant form of spirituality face.
Another problem every spiritual seeker will face is the idea of progress. Throughout human history, people have been attracted to the new, to novelty. This has been, in certain periods, counteracted by an entrenchment of the old, which instinctively polarizes itself against the new. For instance, when the Protestant reformation began, the Catholics quickly mounted a counterreformation, which included renewed support for the Jesuits. This dynamic has been acute and powerful in the past century, as a possibly illusory sense of progress challenges the major religions, which respond by becoming more polarized. The duality between the traditional and the modern has been discussed often, but most of the time with a bias toward the modern and contempt for tradition. Many people living today feel like they are being pulled in two directions, and that causes stress.
After these basic elements are examined in their own right, we can turn to the history of alternative spirituality in the United States through the twentieth century to see how they have influenced people up to this point. Starting with a brief discussion of the first amendment right of religious choice, the discussion moves through the start of consumer culture in the 1920s, the counterculture of the 1960s, and the New Age philosophies that have flourished for the past forty years. This quick history will show how many institutions in this nation have affected and been affected by spirituality. In particular, the focus will be on consumerism, and how it has changed the context people have to deal with. After this historical examination, the ideas presented will be unified in the concluding chapters.
These are all tools with which a person can assess his or her own situation, and stresses in life, and take steps to relieve some of the difficulty in pursuing a particular path. Sometimes, simply understanding the situation instead of fighting invisible obstacles can be helpful. More often, though, there needs to be a proactive attempt to balance the forces at work.