2 2 S p i r i t ua l i t y S t u d i e s 4 - 2 Fa l l 2 0 1 8 discovery I predict is only a few years off now), my belief will only be a belief. But, that’s not the point. The point of this short little note is not to get into a scientific discussion of the merits of idealism versus materialism, or to hammer down whether it all comes down to material existence or not, the point is to simply say, connection experiences are valid human experiences that are a lot more common, and a lot more significant, a lot more pervasive, and not as well understand as we might at first think. That is all. What you take from these simple statements is up to you. I will say this, however. Despite secular prayers to the contrary, atheism hasn’t taken hold, and it is not because humans are stupid, it is because there’s something there that keeps them interested and engaged. Organized religion is certainly on the decline, but scholars are now talking about the transition to a “new stage” [3] of religious development “a new era of experience-based religion, one whose foundation is an intense, personal experience of sacredness” (Roberts 2014). If that’s true, and I suspect it is, it certainly it behooves us, and by “us” I mean scholars in all disciplines interested in human spirituality, to get our heads around the phenomenon of religion/mystical/connection experience, fast. If we do not then, in an increasingly “connected” world that advances with our without our blessing and understanding, we’re going to seem increasingly confused and out of place. Notes [1] As Inge says (Inge 2005, 9), gnosis is “not merely hearsay and dependence” on the teachings of others. Gnosis is that “which envisages the unseen for itself. For it does not believe on a person, it believes in and into him.” In other words, gnosis is direct mystical experience that you yourself have. [2] See, for example, Eckarshausen (1909), Lomas (2010, 2006), and Wilmhurst (1920). [3] This is in scare quotes because if we are now traversing to an age of connection experiences, we are certainly not traversing to a “new stage”. There are simply too many words in the Sanskrit lexicon dealing with Consciousness, connection, the Fabric, union (yoga), and so on to think for a second that we haven’t been here before. Rather, we are returning to a previous, how shall we say, Vedic stage of human existence, just with a lot more technology and capability. If it is true, and if the unexpected acceleration of climate change is any indication of what’s in store, the next decade or two should prove quite interesting indeed.
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