In my seminary days, I took a class called “Mysticism and Activism.” The course posed a fundamental question that I suspect you have asked yourself from time to time (I sure have!): “What does spirituality have to do with activism?” Another question I asked myself throughout the course was, “Does all activism involve some sort of political action, or are there other kinds of activism?” What I discovered in my “Mysticism and Activism” class—and in my years of activism since then—is that spirituality is essential to sustainable forms of activism, and some of the most effective forms of activism look much more like spiritual practice than a protest in Pack Square Park. 

Let’s be clear: the No Kings: Vote Early rally this Saturday (the 17th in MLK Park) is an excellent and necessary form of activism that realizes our UU covenant to practice Justice in real and effective ways. This kind of justice making is essential, and I suspect you would agree with me on that. The message I want to send here in this Weekly Message is that there is another kind of activism we might need to also practice: the spiritual kind. 

One of my greatest concerns about our current cultural, political, and economic landscape is that there are powerful forces at work to make us all very confused about what is right, good, and healthy. Obfuscation, false narratives, and lies have become a normal dimension of our lives. The No Kings: Vote Early rally on Saturday is a crucial counter-cultural event that resists the obfuscation, false narratives, and lies propagated by the forces aligned with our current political administration. What might seem less obvious is that organizations like Indivisible (and UU Asheville!) are devoted as much to political activism as they are to less familiar spiritual forms of activism. 

I hate to say this, but it’s true: given that confusion has become an effective weapon deployed by our current administration, we would be wise to level up our spiritual activism. Our spiritual tools help us to maintain a solid sense of what is right, good, and healthy. Our spiritual tools give us access to our Core of Integrity, a powerful connection to our inherent divine guidance for wellness. When the external powers that shape our lives deploy confusion, we can respond with inner clarity. We become mystical activists when we align with our Core of Integrity, get clear on what’s really real, and respond from an inner landscape of personal power. My own Core of Integrity resists obfuscation, false narratives, and lies. So, when it’s time for me to act decisively in alignment with the shared UU values I covenant to uphold, I can see through the persuasive illusions the machinery of confusion is pumping out. The current cultural, political, and economic leadership may want us to worship Mammon, White Privilege, and King U.S.A, but with mystical activism we can perceive these perverse figures for what they really are: false gods. 

In times like these, our spiritual practice is vital. Mystical activism, when aligned with politically motivated practices, promotes the sort of collective liberation we are called as UUs to carry out. Through our mystical activism, we promote our own wellbeing, along with the health and wellbeing of All Our Relations.  

– Dr. Matt

Dr. Matt Farris Haelan is the new Director of Faith Formation and Justice at UU Asheville. He, his wife Leanne, and their two cats, Poe and Whitman, live in West Asheville.