Subversive Spiritualities

[Clivedurdle]

Been Mooching, one of the courses is "How to Change the World". One of the lecturers, an anthropologist wrote the book which is the title of this thread.

http://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199793853.001.0001/acprof-9780199793853

This book takes as a starting premise the insight that non-humans have agency, which was established predominantly in the field of science studies. It argues that rituals engage not “supernatural beings” but humans with other-than-humans. Other-than-humans are entities characterized by an entanglement of the human and the non-human aspects of the world. The book rejects the label “supernatural beings” since it implies a realm of nature as a pre-given universal reality outside and independent of human observation. These other-than-humans are entities stabilized through iterative ritual enactmen...

This led me to something else..

Since pre-Hispanic times, a co-evolutionary relationship built around management of biocultural resources with the mountain environment in Cusco Valley, Peru, has produced the ayllu mindset. While most studies describe ayllu as a political and socio-economic system, few systematic analyses of the ayllu as an ecological phenomenon exist.

We understand the ayllu as a community of individuals with the same interests and objectives linked through shared norms and principles with respect to humans, animals, rocks, spirits, mountains, lakes, rivers, pastures, food crops, wild life, etc.

The main objective of ayllu is the attainment of well-being or Sumaq Qausay; defined as a positive relationship between humans and their social and natural environments. To this end, great focus is given to achieving equilibrium between one’s natural and social surroundings and to maintaining reciprocity between all “beings”; including the Earth.

This practice has proven pivotal to maintaining high biodiversity and has been described by scholars as the product of common-field agriculture. Attesting to this, the majority of subsistence and agricultural activities in the Cusco Valley are based on diversifying uses and the priorities and values of the communities.

This community focus can best be seen in the several economic collectives that have been established with the objective of conserving and sustainably using biological resources; utilizing such tools as Local Biocultural Databases and audiovisual recordings that store traditional Andean biocultural knowledge, seeds repatriation and conservation and provides benefits for the often marginalised women of the Andes.

http://ourworld.unu.edu/en/the-thriving-biodiversity-of-peru-potato-park

There are similar ideas on Bali and elsewhere. What seems to happen is that if we are mindful about what is going on, we get beautiful effects - we create art in the world. Is religion really an art of how to live with others?

Is religion like language, part of who we are? Is the problem that certain forms are toxic? They put doxy above praxis in an ortho.

 

[Perspicuo]

It's a complex question with a complicated answer.
It's yes and no. It is part of who we are but not a necessary part. First, now we know what is true and what is not. Second we have cultural productions that substitute for many aspects. Now we have science education in formal education centers; psychology and psychotherapy, bars/pubs that give us venues for celebrating life, etc.
Movies give us other functions old religion gave us--that's a noteworthy example.

 

[Clivedurdle]

One of the interesting things I came across was biodynamics. This seems quite sensible composting and minimal intervention organic farming methods, building up soil quality, thinking carefully about irrigation, but includes planting at phases of the moon and planting cow horns with specially prepared stuff.

My reaction was that actually these rituals are probably enhancing or tuning placebo effects and are therefore valuable. It probably doesn't much what the ritual is, so long as it is done. A french town has a fountain where the water comes out of two lion's mouths, and it tells you to wet the lions' noses. I was amazed at the feelings it caused in me!

They need studying further - pubs etc are too ad hoc!