Spectrum of Spirit: A Digital Sanctuary for Spiritual Discourse and Community

Unconditional. The unconditional love of god has been something I have been taught about god since I could remember. However, I took some time to look for any messaging of the unconditional aspect of god, and didn’t find anything in my NIV translation. I believe unconditional love was a doctrine formed years after the coalition of the books of the Bible. I say this to say I am not sure how vital it is to believe in god’s “unconditional love” for you to identify as a Christian, as I do not think it’s a part of the Nicene or Apostles Creed. I don’t have any issues with the idea of unconditional love, however I believe the term could be misappropriated to unique situations and deflecting an authoritative divine figure over the troubles someone feels.

Unconditional. Unconditional Acceptance. I think unconditional acceptance is a similar concept to unconditional love. However, I think unconditional love may have enough history tied to it. I believe it may be time for something new stepping into the new year. Imagine if we lived in a world where everyone felt seen for who they are, not seen for what sinful life they came from and who they hope to be in Jesus Christ. Imagine if we lived in a world where everyone felt heard for their expression, not heard only if they were speaking in tongues or had a word from the spirit. Imagine if we lived in a world where everyone felt accepted, not only for their confession of Jesus Christ as Lord, or if they baptized themselves in front of a congregation. I imagine if these events happened, where religious judgment is removed, lives would be transformed both internally, as our personality and strengths continue to impact our identity, and externally, as we would grow in a shared understanding and expression of the spirit in all of us.

Unconditional. Unconditional Harmony. I believe unconditional acceptance could lead to an unfamiliar unconditional harmony as one wrestles with their own spiritual journey as well as others. I believe this unique unconditional harmony could relieve tensions between different cultures who cannot agree on certain beliefs. I believe this unusual unconditional harmony could inspire new forms of communicating the internal and external conflicts present all around us through artistic expression.

The Power of Peace

Radical surprisingly has a lot of definitions. The one I am most familiar with is the third definition, “very different from the usual or traditional: extreme”¹. With my current understanding, I have grown up hearing about the radical love god and Jesus have for the church. Looking back, I believe these teachings were great to hear in my youth, to help me learn the tradition and what is usually understood among the Christian demographic I grew up in. I believe radical love could be the first step towards something bigger, something that is easier to imagine being real. “Love isn’t real, but with my imagination, I can make anything real” – Lil Uzi Vert². I’m not saying this quote is true, but I do agree with Lil Uzi Vert’s experience and respect his opinion. Furthermore, I would like to imagine radical acceptance can be real, where people are accepted outside of what is traditionally acceptable. I would like to imagine a world where every emotion, experience, and expression is accepted beyond the extreme, not to dictate others, but to question one’s own reality.

Stay Spiritual dropped a reaction video from Swami Tadatmananda³. After watching a section of the video, Justin pauses the video to comment on the auspicious timing of Swami’s video⁴. Justin recently received some disheartening news in his personal life and as he’s watching this there are some points of the video that stand out to him⁵. Justin notices the idea that awareness puts one in a state where the person is above the intensity of the situation⁶. Justin compares this awareness to the awareness one has in a video game⁷. Justin relates the situation to how someone might be really invested emotionally into a video game to a point of frustration when they are struggling to beat the game⁸. Justin recalls what he’s heard of this moment of frustration and they realize it’s just a video game⁹. James even remembers hearing of people moving on from the frustration point, by putting in cheat codes to make the game easier¹⁰. James makes an interesting point, he believes once the game becomes easy there is a detachment from the game¹¹. James goes further stating he thinks when there is this detachment, this removal of intensity of the situation, it can make someone aloof or create an ennui in the situation¹². James continues stating people seem to choose things to be intense about and to care about¹³. James also comments how he seems to feel a physical response when he tries to mentally detach from the situation¹⁴. James says it’s hard to fully detach from the “emotional charge” of the situation, where he feels a sort of leftover “hum” from the previous circumstances¹⁵.

Justin really carries this first section, talking about experiences and emotions he has heard of and how they play a part of Swami Tadatmananda’s teaching. Justin shares what he’s heard as people try to have a joyful videogame experience. In Justin’s scenario, the individual playing the game had both positive and negative emotions. Justin’s scenario could be impacted by the judgement the player feels as he feels like he’s not good enough to reach mastery of the game. I believe if the person is able to remove some of the intensity to the video game, the aloof feeling that follows could be a sign of the power of detachment. The ennui or boredom feeling that comes from cheat codes or walkthroughs allows one to accept the shared experience of humanity and the power of peace through help.

Detachment from Peace

Later on in the video, James interjects right before they listen to Swami Tatamananda’s hymn¹⁶. James asks Justin if he wants to add any comments before the move forward¹⁷. Justin declines, but James finds it interesting that the western teachers seem to take the god aspect out of certain practices and go straight to the point¹⁸. On the contrary, James finds Tatamananda very well spoken in his message of nondual awakening¹⁹. James questions whether you have to have all the eastern understanding of the gods to convey this type of teaching²⁰? James points out there are western teachers who have taught awakening practices without going as deep into ancient scriptures²¹. James reveals he gets frustrated when other teachers inform their audience on awakening, cosmic consciousness, and understanding without explaining how they know their way is the way²². James feels like the way he’s heard awakening described is life is about achieving this awakening and until you get there you will suffer²³. Justin counters, asking James how does one know if they are president or if they are cool²⁴? James asks a follow up if one should just wait for others to tell them they are awakened before they accept they are awakened²⁵. James thinks this for of external confirmation could irritate people because people self proclaim they are enlightened and others confront them on their claim²⁶.

James and Justin discuss how certain teachers let go of certain details to tell a story about spirituality and their own spiritual experience to communicate their own message. Though I do think it could be harmful to omit details from a spiritual journey, I do think it could be beneficial for their audience to let go of certain details that don’t apply to them. I believe if an individual could find what resonates with their current spiritual state and apply that to their experience could cultivate a new awakening in their life. I believe the different practices suggested by teachers that encourage cosmic consciousness revolve around themes of letting go and stepping into newness. I believe removing yourself from previous instructors’ tenets of mindfulness and meditation could be what you need to dissuade judgement you’ve placed on yourself. I believe cutting judgement out, detaching yourself from a peace previously desired, could lead to an original unconditional acceptance for your spiritual journey.

Steps Toward Peace

After watching the hymn, James expresses how epic the hymn Swami Tatamananda plays reminds him of Pink Floyd’s music²⁷. James was also reminded of radio channels and if someone has thought of putting different religious songs on one radio channel and cycling through them²⁸. James would suggest this radio channel to try to be as accepting and open minded about different faiths as possible²⁹. James thinks his thought experiment is interesting and Justin replies suggesting that they are doing a form of this radio concept on their own channel³⁰. Justin is not sure about the radio business and thinks they would really have to know what they are doing³¹.

I believe listening is one of the most powerful advances we can make in restoring connection, both with ourselves and with others. I believe the more we listen, especially to other perspectives, the further we could cultivate our spirituality. I believe it’s important not just to listen, but to listen intentionally, to listen with compassion, to listen with acceptance, even if what is shared is different from your experience. I would suggest maybe even recording what resonates from you in your sharing, maybe through journaling or even just sitting still with yourself. I believe some of the biggest steps you can take to a new understanding of peace, a peace that is beyond humans own understanding, is by not taking steps at all. I believe sitting with yourself, writing down what you sense, and listening to what comes up, could lead to a fresh acceptance of your spiritual journey and finding unexpected harmony and agreement with your steps.

Call to Peace

Pursue unconditional oneness. Step in acceptance. Today could be the day. Whether unlocking past traumas. Or offering reconciliation with your inner self. Accept all the world has to offer, both the seen and unseen. Harmonize with yourself. Spot the power in others. Detach from former ideas. Contribute your own steps towards peace. The world needs your light³².

Bibliography

1. “Definition of RADICAL,” Merriam-Webster: America’s Most Trusted Dictionary, last modified November 24, 2023, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/radical. ↩︎
2. Lil Uzi Vert, “Red Moon,” Spotify, last modified December 27, 2023, https://open.spotify.com/album/1Qps54HR7OJ8GJsmoRl6ob?highlight=spotify:track:6odqveUIgvpWWvtANLcZpH. ↩︎
3. Stay Spiritual, “तथास्तु ऐसा ही हो | Unconditional Acceptance | Swami Tadatmananda Reaction Video | TATHASTU so be it,” YouTube, December 31, 2024, accessed January 1, 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1_8cjn0HmQ&t=461s. ↩︎
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32. “Journal: Keep Shining. The World Needs Your Light.: Rachel Eilene Journals: 9781726899680: Amazon.com: Books,” Amazon.com. Spend Less. Smile More, accessed January 3, 2025, https://www.amazon.com/Journal-Shining-World-Needs-Light/dp/1726899683. ↩︎