3 8 S p i r i t ua l i t y S t u d i e s 8 - 1 S p r i n g 2 0 2 2 ditions and world religions, outlined the three stages of this metanoia or integral transformative process (Brown 2007, 34), which appear throughout all sapiential traditions: All true spiritual progress involves three stages, which are not successfully experienced and left behind, but rather each in turn is realized and then integrated within the next stage, so that ultimately they become one in the individual who attains the ultimate goal. Different terms may be used for these stages, but essentially they constitute purification, perfection or expansion, and union. Across the diverse religious and spiritual traditions of the world, these transformative stages are present in distinct forms: “Despite the many differences of technique and approach in various paths of spiritual realization, there is in every process of realization the three grand stages of purification, expansion, and union. Something in man must die, something must expand, and only then the essence of man is able to achieve that union.” (Nasr 1989, 330). If transpersonal union with Ultimate Reality or the Absolute is the final goal of all spiritual disciplines, then it is necessary that the impure not be rejoined with what is pure. For this reason, a process of purification is needed. The necessity for a core transformation that can release us from addictive tendencies was noted by Thomas à Kempis (1905, 10) (c. 1380–1471): The man who is not yet wholly dead to self, is soon tempted, and is overcome in small and trifling matters. It is hard for him who is weak in spirit, and still in part carnal and inclined to the pleasures of sense, to withdraw himself altogether from earthly desires. And therefore, when he withdraweth himself from these, he is often sad, and easily angered too if any oppose his will. What secular psychology often overlooks is that individuals tend to be confused about the meaning of their lives and do not know what they need or what is best for them. This, in large part, due to the emergence of modernism and the secular worldview that has attempted to replace sacred epistemologies with profane culture. Perennial psychology, in contrast, directly tackles this confusion. For example, this predicament is clearly acknowledged in the Islamic tradition: “It may be that you hate a thing though it be good for you, and it may be that you love a thing though it be evil for you. God knows, and you know not.” (Qurʼān 2:216). It is by traveling the spiritual path that we can obtain divine guidance, as Abba Poemen (c. 340–450) observed: “Vigilance, self-knowledge and discernment; these are the guides of the soul” (Sayings of the Desert Fathers 1975, 145). At the same time, every human being is responsible for their own actions: “No soul does evil, save against itself, and none shall bear the burden of another” (Qurʼān 6:164). Ultimately, it is we who must bear the cost of our wrongdoings: “And whoever commits a sin, commits it only against his own soul” (Qurʼān 4:111). As the saints and sages of all traditions attest, there is no addiction or trauma that cannot be healed and from which we cannot move beyond. We were, after all, born whole and complete, and it is this understanding that brings a sense of context that is very much needed. In the words of St. Francis de Sales (1567–1622): “Do not lose your inward peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset” (1871, 228). According to the perennial psychology, it is the way in which things are perceived that either supports our recovery and spiritual health or disturbs the equilibrium of the human psyche, rather than events in themselves. The Stoic philosopher Epictetus (c. 50–c. 130) observed: “It is not possible that that which is by nature free should be disturbed or thwarted by anything but itself. But it is a man’s own judgements [note: thoughts] that disturb him” (1956, 131). We recall that “God burdens a soul only to its capacity” (Qurʼān 2:286), and, likewise, “God…will not suffer you… above that ye are able… to bear” (1 Corinthians 10:13). According to the perennial psychology as informed by the Islamic tradition, “God alters not what is in a people until they alter what is in themselves” (Qurʼān 13:11) and, according to a prophetic saying, “for every disease there is a cure.” Commitment to a spiritual tradition has been regarded as one of the most effective means of protecting and ensuring resilience and mental health. Although hardships occur, even traumatic events, it is through religion that one can receive steadfast support to gain perspective and persevere. The need has been observed in Twelve-Step Programs for those struggling with addiction to associate with others to ensure recovery: “Practical experience shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics” (Anonymous 2001, 89). Whether we are struggling with our addictions or mental health, we require supportive relationships to help us in our recovery process and to maintain and enhance our psychological well-being. We need one another, as no one is saved alone: “We are members of one another” (Ephesians 4:25).
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