Poverty of Spirit

Poverty of Spirit

Do you remember those moments when you were most in touch with your own spirit? It might have happened anytime: while you were looking into the eyes of a loved one, watching a beautiful sunset, facing danger, even just washing the dishes. Suddenly, you were filled with peace and energy. Life was full of deep meaning. You were, for awhile , fully alive.

Chances are that when you were very young, you lived in the fullness of spirit most of the time…If you are an adult, chances are that nowadays these experiences are rare enough to be memorable. What happened to you? Somehow your heart was broken, or you became insecure, or your self-esteem was shattered, or you were smitten by fear or anger. These terrible events, whatever they were, wounded your spirit.

If you recognise this and admit it to yourself, then you are exceptionally honest. Most of us start lying to ourselves as soon the spirit starts to suffer. We lie to ourselves about our spiritual wounds because they hurt so much. Physical and mental pain cannot compare to the pain of losing the thing that makes life worth living. This pain is unbearable, so we cover it with anything we can, such as work, food, power, possessions, sex, romance, religion, or alcohol and drugs. The high we get from these things feeds the lie that we are okay and masks our spiritual pain. We further bolster the lie by lavishing attention on our bodies and minds.

We have all the luxuries of food, shelter, medical care, and recreation, and we can receive every conceivable form of education and therapy. But amid this affluence, no one confronts the appalling, dangerous poverty of spirit. It takes hold as we move toward adulthood. A leading cause if middle-class teenage death in the United States is suicide. Adults are not as direct as children – we choose more complicated forms of suicide. Cancer, heart disease, and drug addiction are minor concerns compared to the problem of spiritual illness. This is all the more true since these symptoms, and most others, are usually disguised forms of spiritual pain.

Technological advances in medicine have not reduced human suffering. On the contrary, wealth and technology have impoverished our spiritual life. We desperately, urgently, need medicine for the spirit, and this kind of medicine does not depend on anything money can buy…

Plant Spirit Medicine

Eliot Cowan