Reasoned Spirituality Framework

Christians are promised salvation through acceptance of Christ as their savior. In Islam, submission to the will of Allah earns the Muslim a place in paradise. To what ends do we practice Reasoned Spirituality? In Reasoned Spirituality we strive to achieve two ends: to understand (for ourselves) the fundamental questions of life; and to achieve our maximum human potential.

Reasoned Spirituality recommends walking both of these paths to arrive at understanding: the path of knowledge and the path of experience. Either path in isolation has limited potential to carry us through life effectively. Knowledge comes from intellectual rigor and sharing our ideas with others. Experience develops informed intuition and enhances our ability to empathize and connect with others. If we can learn to achieve a balance, knowledge and experience provide a solid foundation upon which we can achieve our goal of rebirth through purposeful self-creation.

DIRECTED FLOW^TM: C-R-E-A-T-E you

"Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Through our minds and disciplined action, we can (in a sense) direct the flow of nature in our lives. We direct the flow of energy, at six key intersections, to achieve our maximum potential. We remember these intersections by the acronym C-R-E-A-T-E, which stands for: Connect; Reason and Reflect; Educate Yourself; Adapt and Act; Teach; and Exemplify.

CONNECT

We strive to relate to the inner self, to family and friends, to community and country, to humanity, and to Nature's Flow. As a spiritual freethinker develops the ability to relate across these enlarging focus areas, that person will experience growth in emotional maturity, empathy, compassion, and charity. Spirituality is a way of opening up the inner path we follow to give meaning to our lives; it t is the experience of connecting to the universe, to the flow of nature, and to other beings. This feeling of oneness is how we "transcend" the self. To connect we must realize that we are, fundamentally, inseparable and living components of the universe. All members of humanity are interconnected and are, ultimately, indivisible from the universe. Each of us is a unique and special part of something far greater than ourselves. Meditation and contemplation are common tools we use to expand our awareness and mindfulness so that we can better open up and connect to the universe around us.

REASON & REFLECT

Reason is the power of the mind to think, understand, and form judgments through logic. But a spiritual freethinker also realizes that not all of life's questions can be answered through reason alone, thus the spiritual freethinker also employs intuition and experience. Spiritual freethinkers grasp the nature of the universe and accept nature on its own terms. We understand that the opposites governing this existence are immutable. Life is defined by opposites: joy and sorrow, love and fear, night and day, hot and cold, birth and death. We use reason and reflection to minimize the ego, to become independent, humble, and impartial. Detachment from ego permits honest analysis of our decisions or actions. We avoid expending our energy on things beyond our control. We will find a daily journal to be a very good tool to help us with reflection.

EDUCATE YOURSELF

Knowledge comes from facts, information, and skills acquired through experience and education. Although all knowledge is important, we focus primarily in three areas: humanity's wisdom traditions, laws of nature, and human nature. Wisdom traditions refer to all, not just the revealed, religions and spiritual pathways that human beings follow. The "Laws of Nature" refer to the phenomena that control the action and interaction of all matter and energy in the universe. Human nature is the concept that there is a set of inherent distinguishing characteristics (ways of thinking, feeling and acting) shared by all human beings. Study is another way we can mature in other dimensions of Reasoned Spirituality.

ADAPT & ACT

The Taoist often uses bamboo to represent the virtues of flexibility and adaptability. In the face of violent storms, bamboo yields to the powerful winds, bending and swaying in sync with the gusting airstream. Bamboo survives while other, seemingly stronger, trees are snapped and broken. Bamboo's pliability symbolizes strength in apparent weakness. Our minds should flow where Reflective Reason leads, and should never be dogmatic or inflexible. However, when we conclude that our actions are right, we remain firm, yielding only as much as necessary to survive the storm without being broken by it.

All the knowledge in the world is useless if we do not act upon it. Humanity is the source of much of the suffering in our world. To overcome this we must understand the promise and power of human potential collectively and individually. Thus, we should remain sensibly and consistently optimistic about the possibilities for the future. We must be willing to act. We must choose right over wrong. We must remain true to our core beliefs, our inner light, and live authentically and in harmony with human nature.

TEACH

We must seek to teach those who are interested about Reasoned Spirituality and its benefits. Teaching others not only helps the beauty and practicality of our beliefs to spread, but also challenges us to reflect and understand so that we may convey our beliefs accurately. Some say the best way to learn something is to teach it. Our tool for doing this is our Center and Community where we have blogs, videos, podcasts, and books. Teaching can be one-on-one or in a group.

EXEMPLIFY

We look to examples in every aspect of life: personal heroes; spiritual guides; and, great leaders. Even more important than those examples is the one you set. Gandhi once said: ""Be the change you want to see in the world." When you have connected, reasoned & reflected, educated yourself, adapted & acted, and taught, you are ready. Perfection is the enemy of good enough. The time to set an example is now!