First, on Atheist Spirituality

Can spirituality be atheist?

Yes, of course it can, when you consider non-theistic religions and spiritual philosophies such as Buddhism. But for the sake of the argument, we need to generalise:

atheist = no transcendental or supernatural beliefs.

Squeezed for seeds, what an examined life and a spiritual one have in common is their search for meaning. Meaning itself, abstractedly, may be pictured as spirit.

What is common to sensitive spirits may then be the need for connecting with place, people, and something beyond the material. For people like me, this does not include a deity. Though it might, if I ever was convinced of it.

As an Australian, I am deeply in awe of the spiritual philosophies of the peoples who co-lived with this land (Oz) way before me. In many ways, I envy the sense of connection with land and country that traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island cultures have developed in our indigenous folk. Surely, I too grieve for the disconnect many generations have felt with land, spirit and culture, due to a very violent history of colonisation.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have a deep, reciprocal relationship with the land, based on respect, responsibility, and reciprocity. They understand themselves as part of the land and its ecosystems, rather than separate from it. This connection is expressed through cultural practices, ceremonies, and rituals that honour and maintain their relationship with Country. They view the land as sacred and imbued with spiritual significance. It is not merely a physical environment but a spiritual entity that sustains life, connects people to their ancestors, and provides a sense of belonging and identity.

If I were ever to believe in a spiritual consciousness, I am sure this property would extend to all living things: other animals, plants, and things that may be alive in ways we don’t yet understand.

But even without metaphysical notions, I crave — and many have found — a connection with the land that goes beyond need and utility and finds real, deep meaning. Beauty, introspection (seeing myself as part of nature and not ‘in’ it), and life.

Aboriginal art is a beautiful place to explore in order to gain insight into such beautiful connections.

Contemplation

Contemplation is my personal version of a life examined, and possibly my version of religious, metaphysical, spiritual experience. And I've always been inclined to dwelling and contemplating, but lately, after a very bad year for my mental health, I have decided to take more practical steps.

Surely, any atheist spirituality would have to focus on inner experience and connections with things outside of ourselves. For many,  this may mean a deeper engagement with nature, art, and philosophy as a way to explore existence and meaning. Now, this may even include a 'spiritual' search, even if we predict not finding answers, or settling on the materiality of the world.

There is also morality. This is often bettered by a negation of religious traditions, and does not need spirituality, but carries, I think, a sense of spirit. After all, taking God away, our sense of ethics and moralities is subjective, or objective in the sense of instinctive, but never static. It is social, often empathetic, and in relation to its context in history. Atheist spirituality, if possible in its nature, demonstrates that the quest for meaning and transcendence can exist outside the framework of belief in a higher power.

When in 2020 I approached yoga, it was mostly to fix my posture and give me something to do.

It changed me, if not forever, for a long time, and for the better.

The idea is that meditation and yoga can cultivate mindfulness and self-awareness, helping individuals become more attuned to their thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations.

This heightened awareness can lead to greater clarity, insight, and self-understanding, irrespective of religious beliefs. After all, meditation and yoga have deep philosophical roots that extend beyond religious boundaries. Atheists may engage in these practices as a form of philosophical exploration, seeking insights into the nature of reality, consciousness, and the self.

Mindfulness, being in the moment, can truly be life-changing.

Yoga, mindfulness ( e.g. body scan), and a technique known as Tapping or EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) have the added capacity of connecting you to your body, and therefore to yourself, and your self.

You are dropping in, into your own life, in an exact and pure moment. Time itself may even slow down…

Tapping may often be confused for things that it isn't, being proposed as an all-in-one cure for mental health and physical ailments, and at times as a key to 'manifestation'. Let's not even go there. But, but… I would lie to you if I said it wasn't helpful.

It has helped me ride many a panic attack in the past years, especially during a very intense period when anxiety and panic were so severe that I needed to be hospitalised. It's perhaps one of those things one must try before discounting it, or before regarding it as a panacea. It's a tool like many others.

Maybe all that spirit is is the body experiencing itself.

Who knows?

Breathing is something else I am learning about with yoga and meditation. Well, breathing better, or, in some specific ways.

There are heaps of benefits of breathing with intention. Breathwork can activate the body's relaxation response, reducing levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Techniques like deep breathing, rhythmic breathing, or alternate nostril breathing can calm the nervous system and promote a sense of calmness. Also, conscious breathing practices enhance oxygenation to the brain, increasing mental clarity, focus, and cognitive function. It is also a renowned tool to help manage stress, anxiety, and at times, depression (among other things).

But, also as a fuel to the psychological and physical responses of the body to breathwork, I like to visualise breathing as something almost ethereal. Do I personally believe it was imparted on us through the breath of some God or gods? No. But I like to think of it - visualise it - as a life force moving through me, healing me, when possible.

Connection

Another approach to a spiritless spirituality may be the following of traditions and rituals. Like with meditation, yoga, and chants, I believe you don't need to "believe" to practice certain rituals and traditions. Many, in fact, hold various social and psychological benefits…even some religious ones.

To keep it strictly scientific (actually speculative) and objective (completely anecdotal and personal), I can say that I'm finally finding a balance between being a non-believer but culturally… catholic.

Here, I feel like I should clarify a couple of points. Usually, Italian Catholicism is not a fundamental religion…more a general belief and set of rituals and traditions. And, no, I do not believe in any part of the bible or anything Don Franco and Suor Maria Rosaria have taught me in ten years of Sunday school.

Maybe a Catholic background is not ideal, much better to be born into more Zen traditions; but rituals, traditions, and ceremonies play a crucial role in nurturing community spirit. These shared practices create a sense of continuity, identity, and belonging, reinforcing the bonds between community members and strengthening their connection to a shared history and heritage.

This is not to say that all traditions are good or must be kept or that new, secular traditions cannot be created.

Connection, as shown by traditions such as many Indigenous ones all around the globe as well as psychological sciences, deepens our sense of self and is crucial for wellbeing. Be it to the whole universe, to your land, or to your loved ones and others.

Maybe the dead know, their eyes widening at last,

Seeing the high beams of a million galaxies flick on

At twilight. Hearing the engines flare, the horns

Not letting up, the frenzy of being. I want to be

One notch below bedlam, like a radio without a dial.

Wide open, so everything floods in at once.

And sealed tight, so nothing escapes. Not even time,

Which should curl in on itself and loop around like smoke.

So that I might be sitting now beside my father

As he raises a lit match to the bowl of his pipe

For the first time in the winter of 1959.

- Tracy K. Smith [Read the whole poem here]

The ultimate connection may be exemplified in the sense of 'being one with'.

Being one with people, in particular, it's a difficult concept to grasp, because it's complicated. Let's say we could feel as ONE with one another…do we want to? Do I want to feel as one with killers, child abusers, financial lizards, and so on?

And what does feeling as one mean?

Because, let's be honest: feeling connected to a wider sense of humanity, ok. To my community, ok. But… feeling that I lose my 'self' into others…no thank you.

And yet, metaphorically, we will be one. In death. All into a nothingness, all together…never to be one-alone.

While we are here, though, we can do our best to foster a sense of social identity, be it with another person or a huge effing community. But we mustn't forget to find the first eternal one in our own bodies and minds.

Eternal, nirvana-esque, when we consider that we are all and always in 'now', until we simply won't be. That's the spirit. Recognising our small magnificence. The body, so imperceptible in the universe, yet a conscious internal landscape. A country of its own.

It goes without saying that atheists or non-religious people do not have to seek spirituality. This is more of a personal journey of exploration, and a sense of need that is arising in myself. Maybe there's something there, maybe there isn't, and I'll find that what I am searching for (and have hopefully found) has nothing to do with any sense of 'spirit'.

But I learned that many concepts are really made-up and shared notions that can evolve or have different meanings for different people. So, for now, OM.