“The only thing constant in life is change”
François de la Rochefoucauld
Things change, life evolves and spirituality matures. In the beginnings of human existence there arose primitive spirituality – spirituality based on spirits. Without a way to explain the forces of nature which surrounded them, people created spirits as a way to classify, understand and hopefully mitigate the impacts of these forces on their lives.
As humanity and society evolved, primitive spirituality evolved into ancient spirituality, beliefs in gods or god, as the arbiters of men’s lives. This evolution occurred in parallel with the evolution of civilization and the need to organize and control the growing populations and evolving society. The leadership of these societies used religion both as a means to control population and reinforce their own power and privileges. Whether it was priests who supported the kings or vice versa, it was a mutually beneficial relationship – to those in the privileged classes at least.
It seems that we are now entering a third phase of spiritual evolution, which I call modern spirituality. Our understanding of nature and science have advanced far beyond (and in direct contradiction to) the primitive beliefs which underpin most religious teachings. Instead of spirits or gods, priests or kings, modern spirituality proposes that we are responsible for our lives and decisions. Where natural events occur, they have understandable explanations which do not depend on supernatural forces.
