Experiential Spirituality and Contemporary Gnosis

Many of us into metaphysics are frequently calledMany people have attempted to compare traditional
upon by our "non-New Age" friends andreligion and metaphysics, often pitting one against the
acquaintances to explain ourselves and ourother, as if the two of them were mutually exclusive or
metaphysical orientation to them. "What isantithetical. Interestingly, however, religion based on
metaphysics" "What is the 'New Age?'" "What do youtheism is, by definition, a part of metaphysics, as any
believe in?" "What makes your spirituality different?"concept of a deity in traditional Western religion is
As those of us hard-core metaphysical types know,outside the purview of our three-dimensional reality.
you can't really say that there is any one set of beliefsWhich leads us to another interesting hallmark of
that all "New Agers" are into. (As a matter of fact, thecontemporary metaphysics and the "New Age:" the
term "New Age" or "New Ager" is somewhatspirituality is experiential.
distasteful to many into metaphysics.) The New AgeAnd some of the causative factors involved with this
"movement" is a widely diversified conglomerate ofexperiencing of spirituality are somewhat
subsets of ideas and explorations - so truly diversifiedunderstandable.
that one could hardly ascribe the term "movement" toMany have theorized that the current interest in
it, as this term connotes a cohesive, unifiedspirituality and metaphysics may in part be viewed as
organization. One person into crystals and spirit guides,a reaction against the Age of Reason and the
for example, may not be into UFO abductionperceived pursuant overemphasis on the strictly
phenomena. And those into paganism or magick maymaterial and empirical - that there is a longing for the
not necessarily break bread together well with thosetranscendently spiritual, instead of feeling bogged down
into angels or Christed energy.in a strict immersion in the physical. I. e., after a couple
So, what is it that links those of us into metaphysicsof centuries of emphasis on the empirically provable
and the New Age together? What are the commonand concrete, there is a longingfor the spiritual as an
threads?antidote.
First of all, let's look at the terms themselves, so thatJust as the Age of Reason spawned a golden age
we may gain some insight into what we are identifyingfor science and intellect, Western religions became
ourselves with.more oriented toward beliefs and religious practices
"Metaphysics" is a term derived from the Greek:that grew out of and drew upon the left brain - i. e., in
"meta" is a prefix meaning beyond or greater than andreligious beliefs and practices, we stayed in our heads.
"physics" refers to that which is physical (or at leastAt the same time, Western religions have traditionally
what we as a culture understand at the present timeencouraged adherents to cede control to the church
to be our physical reality). Thus, we can thank Greekand its authority, rather than encouraging believers to
for our term metaphysics - the realm of that whichtake individual responsibility for their own spirituality. This
transcends physical reality.approach worked for centuries until the advent of
The term "New Age," on the other hand, does notmore public education and the resultant higher
have such a lengthy history or tradition. Ostensiblyeducation of the populace. Education leads to
coined during the 60's (1960's, not the 19th or any otherempowerment.
century prior to this one), the term "New Age" referredSmall wonder, then, that New Agers and those into
to the new astrological age we Earthlings were on themetaphysics want to experience their spirituality, so
cusp of entering: the Age of Aquarius. (We had beenthat they may feel it, rather than simply think it, and that
in the Age of Pisces, we were told, for about 2000they want to have some control over their practice or
years.)manifestation of it, rather than strictly going through an
On the face of it, it might appear that metaphysics andexternal intermediary. This shift to a feeling of control
the New Age might not have anything intrinsically inover one's expression of spirituality also reflects the
common. However, one common link would appear totrend towards personal responsibility, as well as
be that of spirituality. For example, little would seem topersonal empowerment.
light up the eyes of those into metaphysics more thanExperiential spirituality may be expressed in various
a discussion of those things spiritual. What transcendsways: some learn to meditate to tap into the divine;
our so-called physical reality more than spirit?some are sensitized to the divine in nature and animals;
With regard to the New Age, one hallmark of thesome become healers or receive healing work; some
transition from the Piscean to the Aquarian Age is theseek to tap into the divine and receive guidance; etc.
anticipated shift in consciousness, whether it is definedThe list goes on and on….
as a vibrational frequency shift precipitated by ourExperiential spirituality shifts spirituality from something
approach to and entrance into the Photon Belt or is"out there," impersonal, and external, to an
defined as an awakening and concurrent "raising ofinternalization of the divine. Aside from this making
awareness" brought about by astrological influencesmore people mystics because they transcend the
and energies. Consciousness is also the stuff thatphysical in their spiritual explorations, it also represents
dreams - and matters spiritual - are made of.a democritization of the spiritual, whereby we take
Thus, one link between metaphysics and the Newcontrol of our spirituality, get out of being exclusively in
Age "movement" would appear to be spirituality andour heads and move into our hearts (and hopefully
consciousness - those topics deemed insubstantial andthen move towards linking our hearts and our minds),
ephemeral, at least to the minds of those moreand take personal responsibility for understanding our
pragmatic, empirical, and skeptical among us.personal beliefs and acting accordingly. (Another
The above may represent somewhat of aninteresting reflection of the trend in our world toward
oversimplification, but we may be hard-pressed to finddemocracy….)
a New Ager or someone into metaphysics whoIt is through experiential spirituality that we truly come
wasn't basically pursuing some facet of spirituality,to know what we believe and what we resonate with.
consciousness, or energy (a basic building block ofIt is a knowing akin to gnosis, where what we
reality and that which may be affected byexperience becomes a knowing that is a true knowing
consciousness and spirituality).- because we've been there. Which is quite different
And this emphasis on spirituality and consciousnessfrom believing in ism's , creeds, and tenets we've been
reflects an acknowledgment that we are, in essence,told by external agents or authorities are true, but that
spiritual beings - and beings of pure energy, aswe haven't truly experienced.
consciousness is a form of energy - even though weSo, "what is metaphysics?" "What are you into?" The
are "in the body." As Wayne Dyer says, "We arenext time someone asks us where we're coming from
spiritual beings having a human experience." Or, aswith our "metaphysical stuff," maybe the notion of
Deepak Chopra says, our bodies are contained withinexperiential spirituality and real gnosis may be some
our consciousness, not our consciousness containedgrist for our mill in grinding out our answer.
within our bodies.First published in the March 1996 issue of "Innerchange.