Modern
science is objective analysis, while spirituality is subjective and
intuitive understanding.
Science can be measured.
Religion, not so much. Religion is based on faith while science is
based on logic. That is why the two are often not compatible. But both
are seeking to answer some
of the same questions.
Since all societies, after all, seem to have religions of some sort it must have a social purpose. While the theology based forms are only a few thousand years old and
characteristic of post-agricultural societies, the
shamanic forms apparently date back for thousands if not millions of years.
But religion presents a particular puzzle, since it
often involves
extremely costly behaviors, such as altruism and, at times, even
self-sacrifice. So we should also look beyond the individual to the
survival of the group, and they could generate cohesive social bonds to
form primary groups.
Family structure is the invisible set of functional demands that
organizes the ways in which family members interact. Family
structures of some kind are found in every society.
The family is a unique social system with its own structure and
patterns of communication. These patterns are determined by many
factors, including the parents' beliefs and values, the personalities
of all family members, and the influence of the extended
multigenerational family (grandparents, aunts, and uncles).
The traditional family structure is conceptualized as the
configuration of family which is organized according to roles, rules,
power, and hierarchies. As the core institution of society, the
family affects all other aspects of society. This is especially true
of politics. Political leanings are notably influenced by both family
structure and family values. Intermarriage
between groups, tribes, or clans was often political or strategic and
resulted in reciprocal obligations.
Family
structures are different depending on the tribe. It
is probably generally true that in hunter-gather societies men
generally hunted, while women
generally gathered. In
regions where they ate mostly plant materials they
were more likely to be
matriarchal, while others
were patriarchal if they ate
mostly meat. A Matriarchal
family structure describes a household where the mother is the
authoritative figure. A Patriarchal family structure describes a
household where the father is the authoritative figure.
Animism
is an
ancient philosophy that views everything in Nature as having an
indwelling spirit/soul, including the plants, rocks, waters, winds,
fires, animals, humans, and other life forms. Animism is the
foundation of shamanism and has been considered the earliest form of
human religion on planet Earth.
Nature spirits are believed to be various types of beings or spirits
which inhabit Nature. The belief in their existence was almost
universal in the ancient era of religions which embodied animist
religion. An intimate relationship with the environment is apparently
built into the human psyche. Historically, nature, mountains, rivers,
trees, the sun, the moon have always been honored in ancient
cultures.
Cultures around the
world recognize the existence of spirit beings that come in many
forms. People in much of the world recognize and have reverence for
an abundance of spirits, seen and unseen beings
with a direct tie to nature.
Together, they are thought to
maintain our world’s balance by guarding it and harmonizing with
each other. They can do that as spirits or as attachments on natural
living things. They usually live where nature is untouched by humans.
This could mean in the deep forests, secluded rivers, volcanic areas,
and mountain tops. They could also be among plants, trees, beaches,
deserts, or wide and open spaces.
Some spitits are thought to have originated from the belief that
ethereal elements are the building blocks of nature. This then
progressed into elementals being defined by the gentiles as unknown
but powerful forces that affected men and the surroundings.
The belief is that there are a number of spirits who mostly live in
nature including animals, water, and the earth. Ancestral Spirits—the
spirits of dead ancestors often played an important part in
traditional religion. The core of shamanism is the belief in, and
acknowledgment of, spirits and the spirit world. A shaman is a person
who has become "a master of spirits, at least of a group of
spirits."
Before
there was science or religion a master of spirits was consulted for
help with illness and all sorts of problems which didn't have
practical solutions. The shaman
uses his powers to render the spirits' activities ineffective or
favorable by appropriate words and ceremonies. The shaman
does this by communicating with spirits at will, often through
induced ecstasy or even possession by a spirit that imparts to him
intense mental states, superhuman strength or infused knowledge.
In
many groups the shaman outranked the war chief, marking the beginning
of the church domination of the state. The shaman sometimes
functioned as a priest and even as
a priest-king. The benefits and privileges of a kingdom are only
accessible to citizens having
the favor of the king.
Some would say that science is predicated on the assumption of
materialism which is neither provable nor scientific. Materialism is
a form of philosophical monism which holds matter to be the
fundamental substance in nature, and all things, including mental
states and consciousness, are results of material interactions.
The
problem is that science has delivered power into the hands of the
greedy and faith has
delivered power into the
hands of hierocratic
authorities. Which
leaves the rest of us out in the cold of oppression. And we are quite
literally sick of it—and so is the planet!
A lot of us are just looking for somebody to blame so we can absolve
ourselves from any part we have played in it. We have been grounded in
the superficial values of materialism. We have become so conditioned
that many don't even trust intuition,
much less have any sort of intimacy with nature. The pandemic is only a
distraction from the larger issue of our earth crisis.
Even if all religions were wrong, that doesn't prove that does or does not exist. We are in the wilderness. It is not a question of returning or getting
back to the way it was. There is no re acquainting to do. It's about
learning how to be and acknowledging that the way it was is wrong.Growing up means stripping away our pretenses.
Who will we choose to become? In times of catastrophe, the collective consciousness
is going from one state to another. It is a kind of initiation. In the
face of chaos the religious domain and the factual domain are being
brought together.
The good news is
that neuroscience is telling us that we can literally rewire our brains
which can go a long way toward becoming healthier and happier.
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