As the U.S. enters a charged political season, I want to share my thoughts on the interface of politics and spirituality.
What if politics was one of the most important opportunities for putting your spirituality into practice?
I know, I know. Many people on a spiritual path contend that even paying attention to politics will lower your consciousness rather than uplift it. And granted, it can be a combative business for anyone who wants to champion an elevated, inspirational, and peaceful world. We’ve all seen and perhaps even experienced how politics can rupture relationships and break down families.
Yet, politics at its root level is simply how we make collective decisions about our future. It’s where the messy complexities of our collective consciousness get played out.
The question is, can we be a healing, unifying, and uplifting voice in the process?
How can we remain above the fray while staying true to our values, championing our vision, and advocating for a better future?
Doing so requires us to apply the wisdom we’ve cultivated in our transformational practices in how we engage.
Politics is messy. And complex. And frustrating. Which is part of why it’s an ideal arena for spiritual practice — because we have to work with all the reactive, traumatized, and fearful parts of the psyche, which can get played out in political dynamics.
Politics requires that lofty long-term visions address all the contentious daily realities required to make things happen. It also means engaging people who might view us with disdain and distrust.
A spirituality that avoids politics altogether is not fundamentally different than a spirituality that tries to bypass, avoid, or transcend what’s in the shadow. True spirituality is about engagement, not escapism.
Spirituality is about elevating our consciousness and expressing our soul’s truth while fully participating in the difficult aspects of human incarnation.
The collective future of billions of beings is decided in the crucible of politics. Given that authentic spirituality means caring about all our fellow beings on this amazing planet, we have to show up.
So if you can accept that politics is an important and even necessary domain to put your spirituality into practice, here are some simple recommendations for how to do so.
First, engage with politics for the good of all beings. The vast majority of those affected by political decisions don’t have the opportunity to participate. If you care for all beings and act as their representative, you are contributing to our collective evolution.
Second, elevate the conversation. Tell the higher truth and always treat human beings with dignity and respect, even if they choose not to reciprocate or act with integrity. People will remember your example.
Third, fully support the candidates who best embody your values and express your principles. Character matters, and it’s more important to elect politicians who embody more conscious values than those with whom we agree on every policy. If you respect them as people, back them as politicians.
Fourth, engage with elected officials after the elections. They need your voice and advocacy between elections once they’re doing the jobs we elected them to do. Participating in democracy should be balanced between elections (the future) and governance (the now), and too often people forget the latter, which is where many of the most important decisions are made.
Fifth, vote for the next four generations instead of just the next four years. The pressures of short-term self-interest must be outweighed by the resolve to do right by future generations that will be impacted downstream. Be the champion of our descendents.
Sixth, see the clashing of political visions as part of a messy alchemy that, in the very long game, leads to more wisdom as we integrate more perspectives and synthesize more intelligence. While it can be disturbing and distressing in the moment, the clash of visions can lead to a real evolution of understanding. This perspective reduces the tendency to see contentious conflict as only toxic and destructive, and instead recognizes that a certain amount of clashing is what leads to the upleveling in the long haul.
Seventh, vote. And make sure that everyone you know is aware that you believe voting is a sacred duty of all citizens.
While these seven recommendations are not comprehensive, it’s a short list to guide us over the coming months, a time in which the future of our world will be decided by consequential elections around the world.
I view democracy as a divine gift to humanity, yet it can only fulfill its highest function when it’s infused with wisdom.
It’s up to us to bring more wisdom to the process and move the political conversation forward in order to birth the world that our hearts know is possible.
