From the beginning of the Spiritual Naturalist Society in 2012, our concept has been to go beyond talking about naturalistic spiritual practice, and do it. We have provided many tools and thoughts on this over these 14 years, but the Council has been talking recently about how we would like to do more. We have also been talking about how we can continue the effort to develop Spiritual Naturalism.

While we publish articles and papers to educate and develop our philosophy, SNS is not mainly an academic body. We seek to be a practicing spiritual community. Of course, this is always easier for smaller, local groups. And we are always working on ways to support such groups by helping them connect with others in their area, and providing event and topic materials and ideas.

But given that Spiritual Naturalists are a rarity and scattered around the world. An online spiritual community allows for connections and experiences that might otherwise be impossible for a great number of us. So, it behooves our organization to think of ways to be of greater service – to help foster genuine fellowship and meaningful spiritual practices by example.

To that end, I recently began thinking about what this could look like…

 

How I Began

I decided not to worry about our current volunteer or time resources. And just thought to myself – as a wish list – what a suite of experiential, transformative rituals and practices hosted by our community might look like.

I started by looking at this question from two different perspectives:

• What kinds of activities can practically be carried out over remote video chat, such that they could still elicit a moving or enlightening experience?
• What would the aim of these rituals and practices be? What kinds of effects are we seeking to have by joining in them together?

 

Practical Activities

At first glance, the options available to us over video chat might seem very limited. Even some on our Council expressed past experience sitting in front of a computer screen as being lackluster and difficult to ‘get into’ or feel something from.

On the other hand, most of us have at times been extremely moved by things we see on a screen. Films, shows, music, etc. often come to us now on our computer screens. And these were not in live communication, sharing our experiences and feelings with others. A Buddhist temple I attended held their meditations and talks over screen when COVID struck a few years ago, and I was surprised by some of the experiences I had in these.

Perhaps one of the keys is in sharing and getting to know one another. Perhaps other keys include involvement of many senses and good planning. Structure can also be a part of ritual experience – and all three of these can work together.

For example, I recently went on a road trip with my wife and the kids. We had a small game that was designed specifically for road trips. It amounted to cards which asked us to share our thoughts on various questions, or presented some small tasks or challenges we could do sitting in a car. Now, these were by no means anything like a spiritual practice or ritual. But what they did do is create a structure within which we could share company with one another. If this had been done with a car full of strangers, it would be a great way to get to know one another. Some element of this, I thought, could be instructive in exploring what kinds of activities would work in online ritual.

Once I opened my mind and began searching for specific ideas, I was intruiqued by some of the ‘little games’ that might make up a nice online event…

 

Examples of structured activities that could be a part of online ritual or communal spiritual practice include:

• The Toast Circle
  Everyone has a drink. The moderator passes the virtual “talking horn” from person to person (nobody interrupts). Each round has a theme:
  -Something you’re grateful for
  -Someone you admire
  -A lesson you learned this month
  -A promise to yourself
  -A hope for humanity
  .
• Shared Wonder
  Instead of discussing ideas, spend five minutes simply looking together at something awe-inspiring. Examples: Webb telescope images, earth from orbit, time-lapse forests, whale songs, deep sea creatures, ancient ruins, fractal zooms, etc. Afterward everyone answers only one question: “What struck you?”
  .
• Gratitude Chain
  One person thanks another member for something. That member then thanks someone else. Eventually everyone has both given and received gratitude (this might be something where the group members would need to have spent some time together first).
  .
• Story Relay
  One person begins a story with two sentences, the next adds two, etc. Continue around the group. There might be a theme beforehand?
  .
• The Question Bowl
  Everyone anonymously submits one deep question beforehand. Examples: What gives you hope lately? What’s something you’ve changed your mind about? When have you felt most alive? The questions are randomly drawn and anonymous.
  .
• Collective Music
  One person DJs. Everyone listens simultaneously in silence. At the end everyone shares one sentence.
  .
• Digital Campfire
  Instead of conversation, one person tells a true story. All listen with no interruptions or debate. Afterward everyone says what part resonated (not sure how many would be comfortable with this one).
  .
• Collaborative Artwork
  Shared whiteboard. Each participant adds one tiny element. By the end the community has created something together.
  .
• Nature Window
  Everyone spends ten minutes outdoors beforehand. They return with one leaf, one rock, one sound recording, one photo. Everyone shares their “offering.”
  .
• The Memory Ritual
  Someone shares an old photo, article, or event we all experienced. Others remember with them together and share feelings of the experience.
  .
• Game Night
  Everyone plays a cooperative game (perhaps needing a certain online tool/app/etc).
  .
• The Curiosity Round
  Each person answers, “What rabbit hole have you fallen into lately?” One minute each. People discover unexpected shared interests.
  .
• Skill Gift
  One member teaches something in five minutes (tying knots, bread baking, astronomy, memory tricks, philosophy, watercolor, etc). Knowledge becomes a gift to the community.
  .
• Digital Potlatch
  Everyone brings something useful. Could be: book recommendation, software, artwork, spreadsheet, AI prompt, recipe, contact introduction, etc. The meeting revolves around giving rather than receiving.
  .
• Wonder Lottery
  Randomly assign members beforehand to find: one fascinating scientific discovery, one beautiful photograph, one inspiring quote, one historical curiosity. A festival of discoveries.
  .
• Digital Pilgrimage
  Everyone visits the same virtual location. Examples: Google Earth, museum, ancient temple, Mars panorama, underwater reef. Guide everyone through it. Discuss afterward.
  .

I didn’t end up making use of all of these, but wanted to share them to inspire brainstorming. With some of these concepts in mind, let’s shift to the second perspective on this question…

 

The Purpose of Ritual & Spiritual Practice

In designing or selecting elements of one’s own practice, it is important to understand the function and purpose of them; and no less important for designing our events here.

Spiritual Practices and ritual are meant to have a transformative effect on us over time. But what kinds of effects? Like all such lists, there are a multitude of ways one can categorize or characterize them. It always feels arbitrary when we start to organize these thoughts into a structure of some kind. But unless we actually pass that moment where we put pen to paper, we will never make any progress.

So, after some consideration, I landed on eight general espects ritual is meant to cultivate within us…

• AWE: Wonder, joy, reverence, a sense of the sacred.
• WISDOM: Learning, understanding, perspective, virtue, mindfulness.
• COMPASSION: Empathy, loving-kindness, forgiveness, generosity.
• INTENTION: Discipline, commitments, goals, oaths.
• CONNECTION: Community, mentorship, fellowship, celebration.
• APPRECIATION: Gratitude, reflection, presence, respect for elders/ancestors.
• TRANSFORMATION: Rites of passage, initiation, cycle of life, growth.
• EQUANIMITY: Peace, life balance, digital hygiene, flourishing/eudaimonia.

 

With these purposes in mind, I started to develop a list of events that might cover various among them and this would help me to be sure that all of them were addressed by some events in the collection. As you can see from the graphic at the end of this article, I have created a little icon so you can see what aspects each event would be designed to inspire or elicit.

 

Bringing It All Together

Now I began to look rituals and events from many various current traditions and historical cultures, asking if they also met our needs and functions as naturalists. I looked at the themes of them, and how those seemed to match up to the eight aspects.

Meanwhile, I started the process of combining form and function. I took the various practical activities mentioned earlier, I started to figure out which kinds of events they seemed well suited to. Could they be designed so as to actually elicit the feelings, perceptions, and responses for which the ritual or practice is meant?

Aside from the content of the events, and their associated purposes, it is also crucial that rituals be ‘wrapped’ in with poetry, metaphore, and what I call sacred tongue (or what Christian naturalist Rev. Michael Dowd called night language).

To this end, I selected some titles for the events which have a history to them and a feel that is set apart from mundane experience (sacred literally means ‘set apart’). Most often, I chose ancient Greek terms, both due to the inspirations of the events themselves, and a general connection to a lineage of thought in Western civilization. A few other places I chose Sanskrit, when Eastern influences seemed more relevant. I tried to avoid overly specific titles in active modern use by just one or a few particular religions or philosophies. The more ritualized and (frankly unusual) the form of the event, the more I leaned into a less familiar title. Meanwhile, fairly standard types of events have standard names (“Study Group” for example).

The fact that many of these titles is unfamiliar is a feature – not a bug. Meaning that a certain level of unfamiliarity helps to raise mystique while divorcing an activity from too much connotation and cultural baggage.

I don’t know how successful I was, but here I present what I came up with…

 

Regular Rituals or Events:

• Meditation (secular meditation group)
  This is our current regular online meditation event.
  .
• Discussion Group (topical discussions)
  This group discusses various topics – often taking influence from a recent article published by SNS.
  .
• Monthly Satsang (ritual, reading, dialog)
  This is a more ritualized framing around a meditation, with various readings. It is followed by a contemplative dialogue.

 

Occasional Rituals:

• Study Group (Spiritual Naturalist book club)
  This would be a book club held twice-monthly, in January and February each year (or, perhaps January thru April, to be determined). It would focus on a book (or two books if we do 4 months and they are shorter). Reading a section between each session, we would discuss the book within each video chat session (perhaps also puntuated by email discussion in between). The books would either be about SN or of interest to SN’s.
  .
• Theoria (Experience & reflection group)
  This would be a ritual held twice a year – once in April and once in October (or, if we have the capacity, quarterly by adding January and July). It would focus on the transformative role of pure experience. The events would vary, but could include such things as: sharing our experiences after nature bathing just prior to the session, a shared wonder event such as listening to a piece of music or a video, a trance or visioning exercise during rhythmic drumming, and so on. There would be some sharing of experience after but generally not a big focus on intelectualizing or discussion.
  .
• Mysteria (New member initiation ceremony)
  Held twice a year – once in May and once in November (or, if we have the capacity, quarterly by adding February and August). After a welcome invocation, we would have some readings on the mission and vision of SNS as a spiritual community. All those who joined since the previous Mysteria would be officially welcomed and initiated into the community. There would be an intention setting by the officiant (what we hope to offer the member) and statements from the members regarding their hopes and intentions as a member. Then we would conclude with the mysteries (an experiential moment for the new members to share, not announced beforehand or outside the ceremony).

 

The four seasonal celebrations:

• Anthesteria (Spring equinox celebration)
  Held annually in March, this would be a fellowship with some readings that focus on renewal and new beginnings. Then, we would meditate on those readings in relation to our own lives in the coming year, during a nice piece of upbeat (perhaps trancelike) music. After, we will go around the table to share what came to mind. We would also share what’s new in our lives and set our intentions for the coming year.
  .
• Symposium (Summer solstice event)
  Held annually in June, this would be a talk given by an invited speaker on a topic of interest, followed by a moderated Q&A. Coming on or near World Humanist Day and inspired by such, the event would follow a fairly academic structure.
  .
• Thesmophoria (Autumn equinox celebration)
  Held annually in September, this is a fellowship focusing on rememberance, focusing on those lost or things past, closed chapters, etc. After a welcome invocation (intention setting for the event), participants can talk about this past year. Then there will be a moment of silence as we all reflect, during solemn, contemplative music. Finally, the ‘planting of seeds’ – each participant sharing their intentions for the coming year.
  .
• Agape Meet (Winter solstice celebration)
  Held annually in December, this time of fellowship focusing on gratitude and generosity, is meant to warm us in the coldest/darkest part of the year. After a welcome invocation, we will all share a drink together (of whatever participants wish). In a ‘toast circle’ we will each share: someone we admire, something you’re thankful for, lessons learned, and promises to ourselves. Then a brief loving-kindness meditation before a pre-selected charitable cause is brought up, which participants can support if they feel so moved and able.
  .

 

Conclusion

Most of this does not currently exist as a part of our regular schedule. It will take more volunteers to help us with such things, and more interested participants to support such a schedule. But I thought it was important to share the kinds of things we are thinking about here. And if any of this seems exciting or interesting to you, I invite you to help me make it a reality! If anything, just hearing your interest in being a participant (and in which of these exactly) would be a help. Event hosts, moderators, and celebrants are all welcome.

Until then, we can at least begin humbly. The first two events listed above have already been happening for some time. And in August I will be beginning the Monthly Satsang – an entirely new kind of event for us. I hope you will join me August 19^th at 7pm Central.

If you are a member of the Society (join link here), we can add you to our SNS Members Email Group, where the join links will be sent out.

Thanks for your feedback on these ideas!

 

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Learn about Membership in the Spiritual Naturalist Society

The Spiritual Naturalist Society works to spread awareness of spiritual naturalism as a way of life, develop its thought and practice, and help bring together like-minded practitioners in fellowship.

SNS strives to include diverse voices within the spectrum of naturalistic spirituality. Authors will vary in their opinions, terms, and outlook. The views of no single author therefore necessarily reflect those of all Spiritual Naturalists or of SNS.

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