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David Spangler’s Spiritual Odyssey
When I contacted David (he lives in this area now) to ascertain biographical details about his life, he told me that two of his other books (Pilgrim in Aquarius and Parent as Mystic, Mystic as Parent) contained the basic information I was seeking. We discussed his impending schedule and set some tentative deadline dates (for me); I ordered the additional books, and went about reading all three. Then, an unplanned, overextending outing dropped me into a relapse of chronic fatigue syndrome that lasted months and months and months. As of this writing (in early February), I’m still not completely out of the woods; but David’s book is even more timely post-September 11, and I feel it is important that he be "introduced" to those who don’t know him that well. (Those who have been following and/or are more aware of him may not — as I didn’t — know many of the cogent details of his life and related growth process.) I first "met" David in the early ’80s (a one-sided affair on my part) at a lecture he gave at Seattle Unity Church preceding a workshop the following weekend at the Chinook Learning Community on Whidbey Island. It was as if I had found myself in the presence of a giant elf (who was also conveying the wisdom of Solomon), and I made a point to catch as many of his announced events after that as I could. David’s history is that he had mystical experiences and regular contact with angels as a child, with his "official" introduction to "the New Age" in 1959 at age 14 via his parents. Even though he found the spiritual components of New Age thought a natural "fit," he did, however, quarrel with the apocalyptic messages being touted at the time. He even declared once, while still a teenager, that he was going to be one who "stopped" the so-called "cleansing" (worldwide death and destruction) being prophesied by a particular speaker. He drifted away from New Age circles for a time after that, going on to graduate from high school and then attending Arizona State University with a major in biochemistry. A turning point came when he was invited by a friend to speak at a large conference on New Age subjects during the spring of 1964. Afterward, he felt a fundamental inner shift and realized he had experienced a "calling"; a year later, he gave up scholarships and formal academic training to move to Los Angeles to become a freelance mystic. "John," an inner-plane being with whom he worked actively for many years, subsequently contacted him. (An extensive discussion of his interaction with this entity is contained in Pilgrim in Aquarius.) Between 1966 and 1970, David was the leader of a study group where he presented, and polished, many of the ideas that now stand as his "basic philosophy." Then, in August 1970, he traveled to Findhorn (in northern Scotland), discovering that the founders had been waiting for him to show up for some three years! He became co-director of the community, and it was here that he met his wife, Julie, in 1971 when she visited her sister and brother-in-law while they were living at Findhorn. In 1973 he and Julie returned to California, primarily because of David’s feelings of isolation relative to the physical location of the community itself. His subsequent teaching and lecturing led to an invitation in 1979 by a professor in the Political Science Department of the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee to jointly design and teach classes as part of the university’s adult education program. They covered the subjects of community, new forms of governance, new paradigms in science, alternative energy, and planetary and cultural transformation in general. During this period, he blended metaphysical concepts with the language of science and the then-emerging transformational paradigms, evolving his unique style of communication (reflective in both his books and his personal appearances) that is at once spiritual, practical, and playful. He stayed in Wisconsin five years, and then moved his family back to the West Coast, living for awhile at the Chinook community while looking for a permanent residence elsewhere around the Puget Sound. Once established in this area, he continued his spate of independent classes and lecturing, as well as teaching one class at Seattle University on "Religion and Technology" and online classes for both the California Institute of Integral Studies and the School of Transpersonal Psychology. He is currently working with The Lorian Association on various kinds of classes to be taught both online and face to face. He also does workshops at Mosswood Hollow in Duvall, and occasionally appears at Stonehouse in Redmond. His recognition of parenting as a definitive spiritual practice began with the birth of his son (while residing in Wisconsin), something that deepened with the arrival of each subsequent child. (He and his wife have four children: John-Michael, Aidan, Kaitlin, and Maryn, who range in age from preschool to teenagers.) His insights in Parent as Mystic, Mystic as Parent are both helpful and a delightful read; I especially enjoyed the chapter entitled "Laps": "If I [David] had to sum up my mystical theology in four words, they would be these: God is a lap." These days, David calls himself a "stay-at-home dad" (he broke off our first conversation so he could make lunch for his daughter), although publicly he is better known by such accolades as philosopher, scholar, teacher, lecturer, and author. He has become a philosopher because of his own inner work; he teaches to share those insights; he writes so he can share with a wider audience than he is able to reach in person. From those endeavors he has acquired "fame," something he wears reluctantly; he views himself as "ordinary people." David sees the "New Age" as an idea, not an event; as something he no longer believes in, but something he practices. A form of that practice is the subject matter of this latest book, Blessing: The Art and the Practice, the dedication to which reads: "This book is dedicated to all who bring blessings into our world. You have never been more needed and important." Though written well prior to publication of the book in June 2001, that statement is as true today as it was when David wrote it. The event that prompted this book occurred in 1965, in turn causing David to look at the process of blessing and, subsequently, to teach continuing classes on how to perform blessings. The book is divided into three sections: the first one speaks to the practical aspects of blessings (how and why they work); the second delineates the kinds of inner work necessary to do them; the third is a series of incremental exercises designed to teach a person how to bless intentionally (or tidy up the process for someone who does this more or less unconsciously). When I read a book for review, I highlight — and earmark — sections I may want to quote. In Blessing, by the time I got through the first sixty pages (out of 338), I had turned down the corners of all but five pages! (At that point, I stopped defacing the book, although I continued highlighting for my own purposes.) The book is so chock full of quotable quotes that to include just one or two "teasers" does disservice both to David and to his writing. He stresses, however — in a myriad of ways — the ordinary, everyday aspect of "real blessings" (his quote), stating at one point, "What is the ordinary, after all, but the extraordinary in familiar clothes?" For anyone utilizing this book to improve the quality or intentionality of giving (and receiving) blessings, I would say, "Don’t quit when you get to the 'exercises'!" The initial few may appear deceptively simple and/or feel like what you did when you first started doing meditative practice; however, these establish a specific base and are necessary for doing later ones effectively. Secondly, David includes additional text that’s germane to particular exercises but does not appear in the earlier sections. I asked David to share his thoughts, insights, and feelings about what’s going on as the result of what happened on September 11 (individually and collectively, both here and abroad). He had this to say: "The events of September 11, 2001 were horrific. Our first impulse in the face of senseless tragedy is to find meaning in what has happened or to explain it away; how we do this depends on our philosophies of life and the way we see the world. For example, many explained what happened by saying that it was America’s karma or the result of misguided political and economic policies. Others called it an attack born from evil, while still others viewed it as a spiritual sacrifice intended to move our world forward on a path of compassion and greater understanding. Most likely, all these — and other explanations as well — contain seeds of truth, with no one perspective offering the "true" and complete meaning. "However, there are times in life when what is needed, at first at least, is not to find explanations or meaning, but just to stand with a compassionate heart in the face of the event. Whatever spiritual meaning or depths may be present in the deaths and destruction of that day may well not reveal themselves to a first glance — or a second — but only in a silence free of opinions and expectations, free of need, and certainly free of fear. Without trying to explain it, we hold it in our hearts; we hold with love those who suffered, those who died, and those who remain. We stand in the presence of the pain with them, asking no more than to be present with love. "To put this in a context of blessing, we stand in our ‘blessing place,’ an inner state of mind in which we are open to the other and open to an unobstructed love. It is not so much that we bless the events of 9/11 as that we hold open an inner space through which love can flow to all concerned and that whatever blessings and spiritual unfoldment may be possible at the heart of this tragedy may unfold in an unimpeded and graceful way." David Spangler is a writer and teacher in the field of spiritual development. The author of numerous books, he teaches a variety of classes and workshops, both online and in person. For further information, contact <lorianeducation@msn.com> or phone Mosswood Hollow at (425) 788-6916. Mirra Lee is a multitalented individual who, among other things, reviews books and writes articles periodically for The New Times. She resides in Seattle and can be reached at (206) 720-0682. |
Late
last spring, prior to the date of its official publication, I
was given David Spangler’s most recent book, Blessing:
The Art and the Practice. As I looked it over, I decided
I wanted to do something more than "just" a review,
because David is (and has been for nearly forty years) a major
force in what’s been called "New Age," "New
Thought," "human potential," and a variety of
other things in those intervening years.