2 8 S p i r i t ua l i t y S t u d i e s 2 - 2 Fa l l 2 0 1 6 4.3 Spiritual Communication: Finding the Life Force It is nearly impossible to quantify the changes in my life having done this experiment. I gained new friends, made new connections, “broke the ice” for new relationships, and learned a great deal about what was going on in the lives of former students or friends. The depth of many of my relationships changed; a former student came to my home to visit for hours one Saturday, an acquaintance became a close friend, a student who never before felt acknowledged became much more participatory and talkative. These kinds of changes in my life cannot be measured. Rather, I can report that I feel more whole. I made myself vulnerable (Brown 2012), my life and circumstances changed, and so too have those of many of the people in my life. Hochheimer (2010) suggests that the Life Force is a manifestation of spiritual energy in a variety of ways. Most obviously, the Life Force is found in the body (keeping one alive). However, the Life Force is also equally as important when perceived within ourselves through prayer, deep contemplation, ritual dance, and so on. Hochheimer argues that the Life Force is much like the “music between the notes” (Goodall 1996) – it is attention to and recognition of the inherent connections between and amongst individuals. I believe that acknowledgement is a medium through which the Life Force is very much apparent and recognizable. When writing a letter or expression of acknowledgement, I am recognizing the goodness, humanity, talent, or truth in another human. When someone reads and feels the acknowledgement, he or she feels honoured, seen, and accepted for who he or she is. Kabat-Zinn (2013) describes this as “being seen”. Hanh (2012) calls this recognition and acceptance “interbeing”. Acknowledgement recognizes one for being who he or she is, and encourages us to see others in the way they are, not how we desire them to be (or not be). Acknowledgement is particularly important to finding and celebrating spirituality because humans are a meaning- making species. The primary means by which we create and understand meaning is through communication. Putting pen to paper, sending a message, making a phone call, or even making direct eye contact are all means of communication. Mediated communication is not perfect – it is “used by imperfect beings utilizing imperfect lenses in order to produce incomplete and provisional meanings” (Hochheimer 2010, 225). However, human efforts to close the gap between feeling incomplete and feeling whole are at the heart of the human experience. I suggest that a most meaningful way to express what lies “in-between” us is via acknowledgement. The ability to express and receive meaning to us and about us contributes to one feeling honoured and whole. Spiritual communication via acknowledgement is also demonstrated via Buber’s (1937/1970) “I-Thou” relationship. Further to suggesting that the “I-Thou” relationship is more reverent and divine than the separateness inherent in the “I-It” relationship, Buber suggests that there are three spheres of relationships within the “I-Thou” dialogue. He explains that we exchange language with fellow humans, transmit below language with nature, and receive above language with spirit. While dialogue with spirit is arguably the most difficult to comprehend, I suggest that it is quite attainable in the practice of acknowledgement. Examples of spiritual communication, according to Buber, include artistic inspiration, deep thinking, or intense study. In this way, one engages in spiritual communication by means of transcending a current state (i.e., “what is” via creative action in order to tap into the eternal or divine). In this case, writing an acknowledgement is an act of “I-Thou” communication in which the writer directly channels the divine in order to give meaning and love to another. So, too, is reading/receiving an acknowledgement: being receptive to a positive message is receiving a message from the divine and channeled through another. This spiritual address, or spiritual communication, is manifested very clearly via acknowledgement. 4.4 Gratitude and Acknowledgement as Spiritual Communication I am very glad that, as a child, I was taught to write thankyou notes to family members and friends when they gave me a gift or did something special for me. Expressions of gratitude are an important form of politeness and such expressions are meaningful and well placed. While the traditional handwritten thank-you note is good manners, a great deal of literature has recently been published on gratitude and its potential to transform. For example, Kralik (2011) spent over a year writing thank-you notes and reported a remarkable shift in his relationships and life circumstances. Similarly, Hailey Bartholomew (2013), in an attempt to help herself through a depression, sought to photograph one item or event per day which made her grateful; her photo essay is published in conjunction with her husband and demonstrates a remarkable transformation toward happiness. Gratitude has its roots in acknowledgement, though I suggest that it is arguably a less sophisticated human expression. Consider, for example, acknowledgement of a gift – perhaps for graduation, marriage, or another milestone. One
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