EXPERIENCING TEARS OF WONDERJOY:
SEEING WITH THE HEART’S EYE
William Braud
Mountain View, Calyfornia
ABSTRACT: Experiences of "wonder-joy tears" are described—their felt sense, their triggers and cir-
cumstances under which they occur, their meanings and interpretations, and the impact they can have on
life. Wonder-joy tears are not tears of pain, sadness, or sorrow. Rather, they are accompanied by feelings
of wonder, joy, gratitude, awe, yeaming, poignancy, intensity, love, and compassion. They are an open-
ing up of the heart to the persons or profound circumstances being witnessed. These tears, with their
accompanying chills and special feelings, seem to be the body’s way of indicating a profound con-
frontation with the True, the Good, and the Beautiful—an indication of directly seeing with the eye of
the heart, soul, and spirit. These kinds of tears also indicate feelings of profound gratitude for such con-
frontations. Additionally, they can indicate moments of profound insight. The article discusses the poten-
tial guiding and transformational aspects of these experiences.
There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of
power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are
the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of
unspeakable love.
—Washington Irving
A series of coincidences brought me here. I have come to this shop, in a part of this
city that is new to me, in search of icons and incense. The small shop is closed. Next
door, there is a large cathedral. Unlike the shop, the cathedral’s doors are unlocked.
I enter the building. The Russian Orthodox liturgy is new to me. For hours, I stand
in the cathedral, amidst these Russian people, taking my cues from them as I par-
ticipate in the liturgy—moving, bending, crossing myself when they do these
things. My legs are tired from the standing; my heart, light and joyful. Choral
singing and incense fill this large space, surrounded by candles and icons. I feel a
sense of community and unity with the people and things around me. Throughout
the liturgy, the celebrants have moved from area to area—appearing through doors,
disappearing behind partitions, reappearing through other doors, alternately
obscured by panels and curtains, revealed through gates and openings.
The liturgy ends. As the celebrants disappear into the sanctuary and close the gates
and doors, I feel a sadness—a sense of loss. But now, a tall, solitary, buming can- I
dle is placed outside the holy of holies. Tears fill my eyes, and along with the tears
come gooseflesh and feelings of chills and thrills—a tingling feeling in my spine,
arms, shoulders, neck, and back. My breathing becomes slightly irregular. The tears
intensify. I gaze at the single, tiny flame through watery eyes, as the chills contin-
ue. What has just happened has profound meaning for me. The celebrants have dis-
appeared into the secret, holy place; they, and what they represent, are no longer
Requests for reprints should be sent to: William Braud, Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, Palo Alto, CA 94303; e-
mail: william@integral-inquiry.com.
Copyright © 2001 Transpersonal Institute
The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 2001, Vol. 33, No. 2 99

accessible. Yet the single buming taper remains. I feel the sun has been taken away,
hidden; but the spark remains as reminder and promise of the greater light that,
although unseen, may be subtly sensed. The solitary candle is a tiny spark symbol-
ic of, reflecting, a greater sun within. Eventually, the tears stop; the chills cease
caressing my spine. I feel a profound gratitude.
Another occasion: A new library is being dedicated. I stand in a crowd on a crisp,
sunny moming. I have been shifting position from time to time, seeking shadows to
keep the sun from my eyes. Throughout the ceremony, there have been many mov-
ing moments. At the close of the program, the mayor shares a Native American
story about telling one’s secret wish to a butterfly’s wings. The butterfly will keep
the secret and take it to the sky. At this point, small children release butterflies.
Many butterflies flutter upward, into the sky. Tears fill my eyes. Chills visit my
spine. What I am witnessing is moving and meaningful to me. The tears and chills
increase, persist. An orchestra of children begins to play. More butterflies take
flight. My eyes fill with more tears of joy and wonder and gratitude.
I have had such experiences many times. I have come to call them tears of wonder-
joy. The tears and chills are, to me, my body’s way of indicating that the eye of my
heart is open and functioning and encountering something of vast importance and
meaning. I have come to recognize these wonder-joy tears as direct responses to the
true, the good, the beautiful. Such tears are not tears of pain or sadness or sorrow.
Rather, for me, they are accompanied by positive affect—feelings of wonder, joy,
gratitude, yeaming, poignancy, awe, intensity, love, and compassion. With them
comes a feeling that my heart is going out to what I am witnessing. The tears, chills,
and special feelings come upon me, unexpectedly and spontaneously, as experi-
ences of grace—as bodily signals, signs, or indicators of encounters with the nurni-
nous; as my body’s way of letting me know I am having an unplanned, unavoidable
encounter with the Real.
In this article, I describe my personal experiences of wonder-joy tears. I relate the
circumstances under which these experiences occur and the meanings I have come
to attribute to them. I describe the similar experiences of others, sharing their first-
hand accounts and mentioning their interpretations of these experiences. What are
their physical reactions and accompanying feelings? What elicits these reactions
and feelings? What impact do tears of wonder-joy have on our lives?‘
A brief account of how I came to call these experiences "wonder-joy tears": In the
early 1970s, I was preparing the earth for a vegetable garden and was listening, as
I worked, to a portable radio. I happened to tune in a station in the midst of a read-
ing of a short story which I learned, at the end of the broadcast, was a tale by H. G.
Wells called "The Door in the Wall." It was, for me, a story of a special Something
More beyond our everyday experiences. It was also a story of lost opportunities, of
how habits and duties distract and prevent us from encountering that for which we
secretly yearn. Eventually, I was able to find the story in a collection of Wells’ tales,
and it became a favorite of mine—one that I read often. In the early 1990s, while
reading this tale once again, my attention was drawn to this passage.
IOO The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 2001, Vol. 33, No. 2

You know, in the very moment the door swung to behind me, I forgot the road with its
fallen chestnut leaves, its cabs and tradesmen’s carts, I forgot the sort of gravitational pull
back to the discipline and obedience of home, I forgot all hesitations and fear, forgot dis-
cretion, forgot all the intimate realities of this life. I became in a moment a very glad and
wonder-happy little boy-in another world. It was a world with a different quality, a
warmer, more penetrating and mellower light, with a faint clear gladness in its air, and
wisps of sun—touched cloud in the blueness of its sky. (Wells, 1927/1952, p. 148)
The phrase "very glad and wonder-happy" suggested a term for which I had been
searching to describe the tears-and—chills experiences I so often had. "Wonder-
happy" became "wonder-joy"—a perfect prefix, I felt, for these particular tears.
Thus I began to use the term as a shorthand code for these special kinds of tears and
for the fuller bodily and affective experiences that accompanied them.
THE FELT EXPERIENCE
Tears such as Angels weep, burst forth.
—Jolm Milton (“Paradise Lost," I.620)
I am witnessing a scene or occurrence that calls forth tears of wonder-joy. It is a
scene or activity that moves me deeply. Tears quickly fill my eyes. My skin erupts
in gooseflesh, hairs standing on end. Something literally takes my breath away; I
gasp, involuntarily. Chills mn up and down my spine. I feel a tingling around my
eyes, my head, and the back of my neck. The tone of the experience is positive.
Toward the end of the experience, or afterwards, there may be some sadness. In the
midst of the experience I feel love and compassion. My heart goes out to what I am
witnessing. I feel gratitude. I feel a yeaming, a poignancy, an intensity. Around me,
and between me and the provoking event, there is what I can only describe as a
thickness, as though the surrounding air somehow has a greater density. The expe-
rience comes upon me—unexpected, spontaneous. My attention is focused strong-
ly upon what I am witnessing, what is provoking these feelings. I am strongly aware
of the feelings themselves and the sensations that are being provoked. Other things
fade from my attention. The rest of me pauses, shuts down temporarily. If I try,
later, to describe the event that initially brought forth the wonder-joy tears, the tears
may occur even more strongly than they did initially, and I weep. Sometimes, I am
unable to relate the incident that originally provoked the tears—the feelings and the
weeping are too intense. I must cease, and allow the feelings to subside before I am
able to continue.
I have had a tremor of bliss, a wink of heaven, a whisper
And I would no longer be denied; all things
Proceed to a joyful consummation. (Eliot, 1980, p. 209)
Curious about others’ experiences, I query colleagues and students about their won-
der-joy tears. From their reports, I leam that in such circumstances, always, there
are the tears. Often, there is gooseflesh. Sometimes, there are the chills and thrills-
electrical or tingling feelings in the spine, arms, shoulders, neck, and back. (The
French have a special term for this—friss0n: shiver, shudder, quiver, thrill.) More
Experiencing Tears 0f Wonder-Joy: Seeing with the Heart’s Eye 101

rarely, there is an involuntary gasp, an irregularity in breathing, or a vocalization
("oh!" or "ah!" or "uh!"). Some report a feeling of warmth throughout the body.
Others report warm, soft colors. Still others report a pulsing, expanding, aliveness
in the chest area that may extend for three to four feet. Sometimes there is a quiet,
gentle sobbing.
In connection with this experience, all report positive affect. There are feelings of
joy, peace, and awe; feelings of love, compassion, empathy, and acceptance; feel-
ings of unity, union, oneness, closeness, connection, and immersion. Some report a
congruence of themselves and all life. There are feelings of gratitude, blessedness,
intensity, yearning, poignancy. Some report feeling cleansed, renewed, a beginning.
For some there is a feeling of being at home, of recognition, of safety. Others expe-
rience a lightness, a spaciousness, an expansion, a feeling of being uplifted, soaring.
Some feel a release, freedom. There may be feelings of deep satisfaction; of being
accompanied and not alone; of being fulfilled, loved, fully seen, known, held,
released from the need to be fully responsible for one’s own way or in charge; of
daring to be vulnerable. More rarely, there is an experience of the facade cracking,
of the surreal, of timelessness. There may be a paradoxical appreciation, a holding
of opposites: joy/sadness, bitter/sweet, tragic/beautiful, confused/clear, arnazedfnor-
mal. Some report sadness near the end of the experience?
In terms of attention, there is a "stopping" at various levels. Attention is very
focused, one-pointed—focused on the precipitating event and on the experience
itself. Awareness of all else fades. Yet, there is awareness of a fuller spectrum of
existence.
Just as the head is a part of the body, thoughts may be parts of the wonder-joy tear
experience. However, these are thoughts that usually occur later, in the wake of the
experience itself. Thoughts such as the following arise in the mind: These moments
await us, are latent, under the surface. Why are these not more frequent? Why are
they often absent? Why are they exceptions, rather than the norm? Life can be
messy/tragic and exquisite. This kind of experience is what really matters. We have
gone astray.
In summarizing his wonder-joy experience, one respondent said
Tears are always mixed with feelings of exaltation, as if a transcendent dimension has
been reached, as if the sacred has penetrated the mundane and come to earth. During these
moments, everything feels serene and transformed. Although "happiness," "joy," and
"peace" are part of the experience, these terms fail to catch the essence of these moments.
As I hear mention of chills, gooseflesh, and hairs standing on end in many of the
accounts of wonder-joy tears, I recall Plato’s (trans. 1993) ruminations on the feath-
ering of the soul. In the Phaedrus, Plato likens the form of the soul to the combined
capacities of a team of winged horses and their winged charioteer. In crafting this
metaphor, Plato suggests that when a soul is perfect, it has wings and travels
through the sky, helping to govem the cosmos. That which is noble, wise, and good
nourishes the wings of the soul and makes them grow. Shame, evil, and the like are
102 The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 2001, Vol. 33, No. 2

detrimental to the wings and can destroy them. If the soul loses its wings, it drifts
along until it grasps an earthly body and settles down, animating the body.
Only the thinking of the friend of wisdom will make the wings grow, because, through
memory, it is always as close as possible to that which by its proximity makes a god
divine. When a man deals correctly with remembrances of this sort, he is always initiated
perfectly into perfect mysteries, and he alone becomes perfect. Since he stands apart from
the busy antics of humankind and draws close to the divine, he is rebuked by most peo-
ple for being out of his wits. They do not realize that he is possessed .... Whenever some-
one sees beauty in this world he is reminded of true beauty and his wing-feathers grow. .
. . When the recent initiate . . . sees a godlike face or some form of body that imitates beau-
ty well, he at first gets goose bumps .... He is awestruck, as though he were gazing upon
a god .... As he looks at him, his goose bumps go away and an unusual warmth and
sweating seizes him. He is warmed by the effluence of beauty he receives through his
eyes, which naturally moistens the wing-feathers .... and as the nourishing moisture flows
over them, the shafts of the feathers swell and begin to grow from their roots over the
entire form of the soul, which was feathered all over before .... Mortals do indeed call
the winged one Eros (Love), but immortals call him Pteros (Feathered), because he nec-
essarily develops wings. (Plato, Phaedrus, 249c-252b)“
Could the experience of wonder-joy tears be the equivalent of the soul’s feathering
confrontation with forms of beauty that evoke reminiscences of a supermundane
realm?
In the quoted passage, Plato’s mention of being "possessed" also strikes a resonant
chord for me. In the midst of wonder-joy tears, I do, indeed, feel possessed—my
body and feelings captivated and enraptured in the experience.
As I dwell on the wonder-joy experience and its meaning, I come to appreciate more
fully the last sentence of the quotation. I begin to feel that wonder-joy tears are indi-
cations and expressions of love.
Truocrarzs (CnzcuMsTANcEs) or THE EXPERIENCE
In any really good subject one has only to probe deep enough to come to
tears.
—Edith Wharton (The Writing of Fiction, 1925)
I recall circumstances that have provoked my experiences of wonder-joy tears. In
addition to the solitary candle and butterfly incidents mentioned earlier, I remember
the following occasions:
· Seeing a watercolor painting by kindergarten children on "one big happy com1nunity"—
crude yet colorful continents with hands reaching out for one another
• In a filmed version of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, watching the gigantic, slow
Lenny stroking a tiny mouse
• Witnessing the simple, natural acts of animals—good, innocent, artless
• Witnessing anything that is truly honest, open, free from guile or craft
· Finding a small bit of milk, unexpectedly, in the refrigerator, when I "knew" there was
none left, and it being just enough to go with cereal—being overjoyed at such a simple
Experiencing Tears of Wonder-Joy: Seeing with the Heart’s Eye 103

surprise and being grateful that I could be so moved by something so simple; knowing
that my wife would appreciate this and be similarly moved, and that this simplicity is
something we share
• As part of my work, reading proposals and dissertations in which the goodness and spir-
itual light of the writer shines forth from the pages
• Toward the end of, and immediately after, an experience of timelessness in which I lost
awareness of my ego and individuality and merged with or became all that is, and was
so thankful for having been blessed with such an experience
• Attending a performance of a particular entertainer after having wanted to do this for
about 35 years, and having narrowly missed several opportunities
· When someone has related a very meaningful or profound experience that I, too, have
had and have been very moved by—a feeling of sharing, of common experiences, or of
common values or joys
• Witnessing certain profound synchronicities (meaningful coincidences)
• Witnessing miracles in which somatic conditions about which I was worried were
instantaneously corrected or healed; accompanying this was extreme gratitude and great
feelings of thankfulness, faith, hope, and love
• Witnessing, thinking about, or remembering the goodness, simplicity, and innocence of
particular persons I know or have known
• Reading my own deeply held truths in the writings of others and feeling a kindred spir-
it in the writer
• Being in the presence of a sage—a wise, holy, old woman-in Athens
• Appreciating the meaning of certain buildings at the Acropolis in Greece——how truths
and lessons were dramatized, communicated in permanent structures. Connected to this
was a feeling of the meaning of the gods, goddesses, and archetypes; an anger and frus-
tration at not having been taught such simple, true things many, many years ago; and a
delight that I had at last seen and understood such simple, true things
• Realizing, suddenly, thatI might be printing, on the feast of the Epiphany, the final copy
of a book whose seeds had largely been sown 5 years earlier on another Epiphany, and
remembering all of the curious, synchronistic occurrences that had happened on or very
close to the three intervening Epiphanies
• Events that work out just right—sometimes with a feeling of relief, of being protected,
watched over, cared for, or guided by unseen forces
· A student reading, in one of my classes, the "Tale of the Sands," a Sufi story in which I
recognized so much more this time than on other occasions—especially the wind/spirit
connection and the role of surrender, trust, letting go of the concrete body, of individu-
ality, in order to move to another realm
· Reactions to certain mystical poetry and passages
• Considering the devotion, dedication, and energy that science fiction writer Philip K.
Dick put into uying to understand his strange experience, and the energy, leaming, and
seeking he poured into his Exegesis—millions of words and years of work
• A guided imagery exercise in which I experienced a wonderful ball of light on the banks
of a stream near a cliff. The light led me to a cathedral, and I was filled with awe, won-
der, and a feeling of the nurninous
• Seeing a television advertisement that features a view of the many intricate muscles of
the human back and appreciating, with awe, Nature’s wondrous architecture, design, and
wisdom
• An image and feeling in meditation of standing on the Earth at the bottom of the sea with
my upper body in the air, reaching for the fire of the sun—feeling large, balanced, and
complete
· Seeing a Twilight Zone television episode, decades ago, called "Next Stop
Willoughby"—about an "ideal," simple, uncomplicated community
104 The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 2001, Vol. 33, N0. 2

· Reading a message about someone’s 4-year-old daughter who asks her father, "When
I’m old and then I die and then I’m a baby again, are you going to be my daddy again?"
· Experiencing Nature’s beauty—for example, the coastal mountains shrouded in mom-
ing mist
• Certain musical selections, especially those featuring cellos or violins
• Reading accounts of other people’s experiences of wonder-joy tears
As I prepare this listing, I often re-experience wonder-joy tear feelings. I relish this
experience. I am curious about what these circumstance may have in common, and
I ponder the qualities they share.
I ask others about circumstances that have elicited wonder-joy tears, and the fol-
lowing triggering events emerge:
• Witnessing good or noble acts
· Witnessing innocence or simplicity
· Witnessing gentleness or kindness
• Witnessing beauty
• Witnessing intelligence
· Witnessing displays of courage, bravery, and integrity
· Witnessing someone’s desire to be of service
• Experiencing the holy, the numinous
· Experiencing connections, closeness, union
• Experiencing understanding
· Experiencing empathy, affinity
• Experiencing what is given freely
· Experiencing "myself out there"
· Connecting to the larger "circles of life" when not doing, thinking, or planning
• Experiencing need
• Reading experiences of wonder-joy tears
· Experiencing nature
· Experiencing a quality of stillness
• Making an effort to connect with an experience of the Divine through meditation
• Finding—in writings, depictions, or actions—clear expressions of what I hold most
important, meaningful, or dear
Apropos of precipitating events, one respondent reports the following:
It is generally an experience of humble loving goodness that prompts this response. A
child rescued by a firefighter, a young woman who succeeds in not taking a drink, a moth-
er who leams to appreciate her child, or a street person who is caring for his dog. These
are experiences which are moving or touching or deeply felt or redeeming.
Another respondent writes:
Central to all of these experiences is the sense that the human beings involved have
achieved what they were somehow meant to be. They behave in exalted ways that demon-
strate their divine, transcendent potential. It’s as if the distance separating the Absolute
and the human has been overcome, like God touching Man on the ceiling of the Sistine
Chapel.
Experiencing Tears of Wonder-Joy: Seeing with the Heart’s Eye IOS

Another way to say this: Wonder-joy tears are evoked when I experience and see in
others displays of courage, bravery, and integrity in life-and-death situations. These
qualities have always been considered part of an impeccably lived life. Contact with
the virtuous side of life is both wonderful and joyous—wonder-joy.
MEANINGS AND INTERPRETATIONS OF THE EXPERIENCE
Tears, idle tears, I know not what they mean.
—Tennyson ("The Princess," IV)
What do my wonder-joy tear experiences mean to me? In response to prolonged
inner questioning, some clues have arisen. For me, wonder-joy tears are responses
to encountering and appreciating what is truly important. They are responses to I
what is innocent, unspoiled, uncomplicated, artless. To me, they are bodily indica-
tions of the functioning of the eye of the soul, of the spirit, of the heart—direct
responses to the true, the good, the beautiful, the sacred." Tears of wonder-joy are
somatic concomitants of my profound gratitude for encountering clear, pure, unam-
biguous instances or manifestations of the innocent, unspoiled, uncomplicated, and
artless. Such tears are an appreciation of what could be or should be but has been
missed, or from which we have gone astray—of what is less common than it could
be. The experience of wonder—joy tears is an innate, automatic "empathy indicator"
or "compassion indicator" or "gratitude indicator." For me, the experience is also a
bodily indicator of profound insight into my own nature and the nature of others and
the world.
Once, when I was keenly interested in behavior and ethology, I studied what used
to be called "instinct" but which has more recently come to be called the eliciting
of "fixed action pattems" by "releasing stimuli" (all innately determined). Nature
seems to have programmed the nervous systems of animals to respond in certain
fixed ways to particular cues in the environment. Such response pattems are func-
tionally adaptive; they occur in the service of, and support, survival. Small birds
respond, innately, with distress and avoidance to shapes that resemble the shadow
of a predator hawk. A dominant wolf ceases its aggressive actions when a submis-
sive wolf assumes a posture that exposes its vulnerable neck. Creatures with unusu-
ally large head size to body size ratios (as are found in the young of many species,
including human infants) elicit caring and nurturing reactions on the part of adult
animals. I sometimes think of wonder-joy tears as a sort of fixed-action pattem that
occurs in response to specific releasing stimuli. The tears may serve as signals or
tools, if we heed them, for disceming what is right, good, important, and authentic
in a nonegoic sense.
Stated more poetically, wonder-joy tears may be signals or signs of an encounter
with the numinous—an unplanned, unavoidable encounter with the Real. They may
indicate that the veils of maya have been pierced—that the windows of perception
have been cleansed so that we can see more clearly, more lucidly. Wonder-joy tears
may provide clues that the real me, the real person, real reality (the "big" rather than
the "little," the authentic rather than the false) is being confronted, appreciated,
experienced}
106 The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 2001, Vol. 33, No. 2

My own wonder-joy tear experiences—especially near their endings—are some-
times tinged with sadness; they have a bittersweet quality. The sad, bitter aspect
may have to do with an appreciation of how far the "usual" has strayed from what
could be, how we so often miss the mark. There is a yearning for some goodness or
beauty that is intimated but which is not sufficiently present. Edgar Allan Poe seems
to have captured some of this meaning in his essay "The Poetic Principle":
And thus when by Poetry—or when by Music, the most entrancing of the Poetic moods—
we find ourselves melted into tears—not as the Abbaté Gravia supposes-—through excess
of pleasure, but through a certain petulant, impatient sorrow at our inability to grasp now
wholly, here on earth, at once and forever, those divine and rapturous joys, of which
through the poem, or through the music, we attain to but brief and indeterminate glimpses.
(Poe, 1850/1938, p. 894)
I ask others what wonder-joy tears mean to them—how do they interpret or under-
stand these experiences? From their answers, the following meanings emerge:
• Wonder-joy tears signal an encounter with what is true, authentic, good, beautiful, real
• They are an indication of spontaneous compassion and empathy
• They have to do with grace, gratitude, humility, awe; they are a gift
• They indicate a certain clarity of perception
• They are a reminder or indicator of having strayed
• They are indicators of unity, of lack of separation; they remind us that separation is an
illusion
• They are recognitions of "what I really am," recognitions of what is important to me but
is sometimes missing: I am that and I am not always that
• They are a blessing
· They indicate newness, rebirth, growth
· They are an experience of the essence of life
• They indicate surprise
• They are a sign of letting go
• They are feelings of the presence of the divine
• They are affirmations of meaning, of that which is Greater, of the connectedness of all
things
· They are indications of the functioning of the eye of the heart, the soul, the spirit
· They are psychophysiological indicators of a particular state of being
• They are our natural state
In the words of one participant in this inquiry:
During these moments I feel one enters a larger form of consciousness than the everyday,
a dimension of the psyche in which individual minds are not separate. Schopenhauer once
asked why an individual would give his life to save another person. It’s because, he
answered, that at the critical moment he has become one with the individual for whom
he’s giving his life; there is no "other," only a single, shared experience that unites the two
as one. In this sense, one does not give one’s life for another; one is the other. Is this an
expression of the One Mind that many wisdom traditions talk about? [An experience such
as this] is a window to something more real than everyday forms of consciousness.
In the listing above of meanings and interpretations, a respondent mentions that
Experiencing Tears of W0nder—J0y.· Seeing with the Heart ’s Eye 107

wonder-joy tears may reflect a simultaneous recognition that one is, or possesses the
qualities, of what one is witnessing in such a moment and a recognition that one is
not entirely that or always that. I feel the sense of this revelation is perfectly cap-
tured in a passage in Augustine’s Confessions (trans. 1971): “What is that which
gleams through me and strikes my heart without wounding it? And I shudder and I
glow. I shudder, in so far as I am unlike it. I glow, in so far as I am like it" (XI,
IX[1 1.]).
IM1>Acrs AND CONSEQUENCES on THE EXPERIENCE
None are so desolate but something dear,
Dearer than self, possesses or possess’d
A thought, and claims the homage of a tear.
—Byron ("Childe Harold," H: xxiv)
In the momentary experience of wonder-joy tears, there is pleasure, joy, and a feel-
ing of participating fully in something moving and profound. These feelings are
revived when I relive the experiences through memory. If pleasure, joy, and the
feeling of integration into the profound were the only effects of such experiences,
these alone would make them notable, worthwhile, and deserving of further experi-
encing, study, and sharing. But there is so much more to these experiences. They
have had, and continue to have, more pervasive and persistent effects on my life and
work. As I experience and as I recall and ponder occasions of tears of wonder-joy,
I acquire and remember insights that encourage psychological growth and spiritual
development. These experiences yield fruits that can be transformative.°
The experience of wonder-joy tears forces me to pay attention in new ways—to
attend more to my body and my feelings and to avoid emphasizing my thoughts as
much as I usually do. Thus, wonder-joy tears serve a balancing function. They are
not reactions of the head, but of the body and of the heart. There is a directness
about the reaction and about the experience as a whole that engenders great trust.
The experience is accompanied by a strong sense of authenticity. I appreciate—in a
wordless, thoughtless way—thatI am encountering a special truth, a special reality:
"And the Truth distilled into my heart, whence the affection of my devotion over-
flowed, and tears ran down, and happy was I therein" (Augustine, IX, VI[14]); "And
when they hear what has been revealed to the prophet, you will see their eyes gush
with tears at what they recognize as truth therein" (Koran, V:83).
I recognize the great value of what I am witnessing or experiencing, in these won-
der-joy moments, and this prompts me to realize more fully what is truly important
in life; it prompts me to more fully consider my priorities. This realization and more
mindful (heartful) consideration stays with me and helps me in later choices and
decisions. The experiences are transient, but they foster the creation of tools of dis-
cemment that persist long after the experiences themselves have faded. I have liter-
ally made life changes based on different densities of experiencing wonder-joy in
various circumstances, and such changes and movements in particular directions
have always been correct. Never have I regretted choices based on the feelings and
108 The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 2001, Vol. 33, No. 2

indications concurrent with tears of wonder-joy.
These experiences, for me, are pointers: They serve as affirrnations or confirmations
of valued qualities that I am truly seeking, and provide immediate indications of
how those qualities are recognized. Their aftereffects serve as reminders of my
direction, help me stay on course, and allow me to make useful corrections in my
path. Thus, experiences that produce tears of wonder-joy and the memories of these
experiences serve a guiding function in my life. The experiences themselves serve
a more direct guidance function: my body and feelings are automatically moved in
certain directions, and a greater attraction is added to the events or qualities that pre-
cipitated the wonder-joy tears, so that the events are valued more and approached
more readily in memory.
Wonder—joy tears also serve as confirmations or affirmations of Something More.
They lead me to appreciate the great power, wisdom, and goodness that is behind
things and shines through things.
I query others about the impacts and consequences of their wonder-joy tear experi-
ences. They tell me that these experiences have had these self-perceived effects in
their lives:
• I have greater appreciation of and respect for the miracle of life
· I have more awareness of the choice to love and to open my heart to people
· I have an increased commitment to care, to be kind, to affirm self and others, to reach
out to others
• I realized that anger and depression cloud access to these experiences
• When I feel balance, ease, well-being, and no fear, wonder-joy tears happen more often
• My faith is restored or increased
· I feel release from the need to control
· I experienced being filled with joy
· I felt reconnected, temporarily less solitary
• I felt a confirmation of the perfection of all that is
• I gained a different perspective on life and my place in it
· I feel changed
• I was reminded of what I really am
• My actions have not changed, but my direction was confirmed
• I was reminded of the path I am on and what is really important
A respondent reported:
Sometimes, I gather these thoughts together and frame goals and intentions for my life but
more often, I encounter small markers like these tears which point the way. No, not point
the way. They confirm the way and they give meaning to what I am doing. You could say
that they change my story in the sense that they expand its meaning. I’m not being
coerced. I’m being encouraged. The tears are a signal that what I have experienced is rel-
evant to my own spiritual growth. I cannot see beyond here and now, but I am assured that
this particular bit is moving toward the transfomiation I seek.
I feel wonder-joy tears can have effects upon our lives by providing us with an addi-
tional means of knowing—a way of listening to the heart, as this heartfelt knowing
Experiencing Tears 0f Wonder-J0y: Seeing with the Hearfs Eye 109

is expressed through the body’s actions, sensations, and feelings. At the least, these
reactions can momentarily draw us out of our word-driven thoughts so that we can
appreciate the world and other people in new ways. At best, in attending more fully
to what wonder-joy tears may indicate or reveal, greater lessons can be leamed and,
if these lessons are sufficiently great, they may trigger profound changes—even
transforrnations—in our lives.
Wonder-joy tear experiences are, nonetheless, relatively crude and gross experi-
ences. For more subtle lessons, perhaps we might seek still subtler indicators.
To me the meanest flower that blows can give
Thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears.
—William Wordsworth ("Ode: Intimations of Immortality," 1807)
NOTES
‘ For both the content and writing style of this article, 1 have been influenced by the works and writings of Rhea White
and Rosemarie Anderson. 1 am indebted to Rhea White for her important work on exceptional human experiences
(EHEs) and for her model of EHEs, which inspired the organization of this paper (see Brown & White, 1997; White,
1997). I have attempted to write this paper in the embodied writing style being developed by Rosemarie Anderson (see
Anderson, 2001).
2 The findings reported in this paragraph and throughout this report were derived from my own experiences and those
of 12 additional research participants. Some of these participants were unselected students enrolled in a small research
group at the time of this inquiry. Other participants were colleagues, selected purposely on the basis of my suspicion
that they might have had experiences of the type explored in this chapter. The raw data consisted of written responses
to a semistructured questionnaire. Pa.rticipants' responses were taken through what 1 prefer to call an "experiential facet
analysis and synthesis." The guiding metaphor for this work is that the process being studied (the experience of won-
der-joy tears) is like a gem that is composed of many interacting facets (the major themes that are discovered and report-
ed); the facets reflect one another, and they also reflect things outside of the gem. First, major themes were identified
by the researcher working alone and by each respondent working alone. Next, the themes and findings were discussed
and developed further in group meetings. The researcher integrated and summarized the findings, prepared them in tab-
ular formats, retumed them to the participants for their verification and approval, then reorganized the findings for pres-
entation in this chapter. The qualitative research methods used in this inquiry share features of phenomenological (Valle,
1998), heuristic (Moustakas, 1990), experiential (Barrell, Aanstoos, Richards, & Arons, I987), intuitive (Anderson,
1998), and integral (Braud, 1998) research approaches. The methods also rely on additional assumptions and principles
of various transpersonal research methods presented in detail in Braud and Anderson (1998).
’ In this passage, and throughout his writings, Plato exhibits the androcentric thinking and writing to which he had been
conditioned by his time and culture. The gender-biased language ("man," "he," "him," "his," "god") reveals that he is
writing of and for men, and of masculine experience. The highest values and yeamings of which he writes are other-
wordly in nature—even this may bespeak a more masculine form of transcendent spirituality, which can be contrasted
with a more feminine form of descendent, immanent, or embodied spirituality that is more fully grounded in the body
and in the earth.
‘ The eye of the heart, soul, and spirit as a metaphor (or is it more than a metaphor?) for a special form of knowing fig-
ures prominently in a number of rich spiritual and wisdom traditions. The concept-—albeit in different terminologies-
may be traced through contemplative Greek, Neoplatonic, medieval monastic, and Eastem and Westem Christian mys-
tical thought, appearing strongly in the teachings of Plato, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Boethius, Gregory the Great,
the Victorine mystics Hugh of St. Victor and Richard of St. Victor, and Bonaventure—to mention but a few of the most
prominent exponents. The notion of the eye of the heart and knowledge of the heart is emphasized especially in the Sufi
tradition, particularly in the work of Ibn ‘Arabi. Recommended sources include McGinn (1995, 1996) and Corbin
(198I).
’ There are resemblances between wonder-joy tears experiences and the events that provoke them as described in this
section and the mysxerium tremendum and numinous experiences described by Rudolf Otto (1923/ I958) in his classic
work The Idea ofthe Holy.
‘ There are profound similarities between the wonder-joy tear experiences described in this section and the transforma-
tive weeping and sacred weeping experiences studied by Anderson (1997). Readers are strongly advised to consult the
Anderson article and note the similarities and differences between the two forms of tears and weeping.
110 The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 2001, Vol. 33, No. 2

REFERENCES
ANDERSON, R. (1997). Nine psycho-spiritual characteristics of spontaneous and involuntary
weeping. Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 28(2), 167-173.
ANDERSON, R. (1998). Intuitive inquiry: A transpersonal approach. In W. Braud & R.
Anderson, Transpersonal research methods for the social sciences: Honoring human
experience (pp. 69-94). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
ANDERSON, R. (2001). Embodied writing and reflections on embodiment. Journal of
Transpersonal Psychology, 33(2), 83-98.
BARRELL, J. J., AANSTOOS, C., RICHARDS, A. C., & ARONS, M. (1987). Human science
research methods. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 27(4), 424-457.
BRAUD, W. (1998). Integral inquiry: Complementary ways of knowing, being, and expres-
sion. In W. Braud & R. Anderson, Transpersonal research methods for the social sci-
ences: Honoring human experience (pp. 35-68). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
BRAUD, W., & ANDERSON, R. (1998). Transpersonal research methods for the social sci-
ences: Honoring human experience. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
BROWN, S. V., & WHITE, R. A. (1997). Triggers, concomitants, and aftereffects of EHES: An
exploratory study. Exceptional Human Experience, 15(1), 150-156.
CORBIN, H. (1981). Creative imagination in the Sufism of 1bn ‘Arabi. Princeton, NJ :
Princeton University Press.
ELIOT, T. S. (1980). The complete poems and plays, 1909-1950. New York: Harcourt Brace.
MCGINN, B. (1995). The foundations of mysticism. New York: Crossroad.
MCGINN, B. (1996). The growth of mysticism. New York: Crossroad.
MOUSTAKAS, C. (1990). Heuristic research: Design, methodology, and applications.
Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
OTTO, R. (1958). The idea of the holy. New York: Oxford University Press. (Original work
published 1923)
POE, E. A. (1938). The poetic principle. In The complete tales and poems of Edgar Allan Poe
(pp. 889-907). New York: Modem Library. (Original work published in 1850)
Valle, R. (Ed.). (1998). Phenomenological inquiry in psychology: Existential and transper-
sonal dimensions. New York: Plenum.
WELLS, H. G. (1952). The door in the wall. In The short stories of H. G. Wells (pp. 144-161).
London, England: Emest Benn. (Original work published 1927)
WHITE, R. A. (1997). Dissociation, narrative, and exceptional human experiences. In S.
Krippner & S. Powers (Eds.), Broken images, broken selves: Dissociative narratives in
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The Author
William Braud earned his Ph.D. in experimental psychology at the University of Iowa in
1967. At the University of Houston, he taught and conducted research in learning, memo-
ry, motivation, psychophysiology, and the biochemistry of memory. At the Mind Science
Foundation (San Antonio, TX), he directed research in parapsychology; health and well-
being influences of relaxation, imagery, positive emotions, and intention; and psychoneu·
roimmunology. Currently, he is Professor and Research Director at the Institute of
Transpersonal Psychology (Palo Alto, CA), where he directs doctoral dissertation research
and continues research, teaching, and wrwng in areas of exceptional human experiences,
consciousness studies, transpersonal studies, spirituality, and expanded research methods.
Experiencing Tears of Wonder-Joy: Seeing with the Heart’s Eye 111

MAPPING THE COURSES OF HEAVENLY BODIES: ·
TI-IE VARIETIES OF TRANSCENDENT SEXUAL EXPERIENCE
_ ` Jenny Wade
Corte Madera, California
ABSTRACT: The relationship between sex and spirituality is a controversial topic in transpersonal psy-
chology. This article presents a phenomenological inquiry into the nature of nonordinary, transcendent
experiences reported during sex. Based on the results of 86 interviews with heterosexual, homosexual.
and bisexual men and women ranging in age from 26 to 70, this study focused on spontaneously occur-
rlng_ experiences in individuals who had no prior history of tantric or other "spiritual" sexual practices.
A phenomenological cartography is presented, based on the taxonomy developed by Grof (l975, 1988)
and illustrated with numerous vignettes derived from the reports of the participants in this study. ln con-
clusion, a vision of sex is considered that goes beyond more and better orgasms to genuine transcendence
and integrated, embodied spirituality.
One of the most controversial pairings in transpersonal studies is the relationship
between sex and spirituality. Sex is an inbom drive to unite with something outside
ourselves, foreshadowing the notion of the transpersonal (identifying with some-
thing beyond the personal). In addition to the drive to merge physically with anoth-
er, human beings seek a psychological unification. Metaphorically and literally,
male-female sexual unions have parallels in virtually all spiritual systems, ranging
from the interplay of the sexes in indigenous religions to creation stories from
around the world, such as that of Shiva and Shakti, to male and female principles,
such as yin and yang, to Shekinah and Sophia as divine female counterparts to the
masculine god in esoteric Judaism and Christianity to the love poems of mystics in
the ecstatic traditions, particularly Sufism}
Furthermore, orgasm is, at least for a moment, a transcendence of the usual confines
of time and space when the kernel of the self bursts open. There is a grain of truth
in saying, "It was a religious experience," when referring to a particularly intense
climax. Sex represents one of the most accessible roads to ecstatic experience, so it
is hardly surprising that it is a path many people have found, whether their spiritu- _
al tradition recognizes, regulates, or forbids it? Perhaps its very accessibility and
highly personal quality, which bypass the intervention of ideology, authorities, and
mediators, account for some of its troubled history in the annals of religion.
` The fact is, whether spiritual traditions sanction sex positively or negatively in
relation to the sacred, the ubiquity of nonordinary experiences during lovemaking
Copyright O 2001 Transporsonal Institute
The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 2000, Vol. 32, No. 2 103

cannot be denied—nor can the inclination of persons who have such experiences to
connect such events with spirituality. Researchers of spiritual experiences invari-
ably seem to uncover their link with sex in a majority of cases, often to their own
surprise (e.g., Laski, 1961; Maslow, 1987). In addition, sex researchers publish
records of spiritual breakthroughs and conversions, even among atheists (e.g.,
Maurer, 1994; Scantling & Browder, 1993). Thus, events that people consider to be
sacred happen fairly regularly through an act that (a) many have been taught by sec-
ular as well as religious authorities to be profane, or even shameful, and (b) under
circumstances that may be forbidden, or even "sinful" (e.g., in extramarital or
homosexual relations). Outside of Taoism, Tantra, Judaism, and other religions that
may teach techniques deliberately designed to bring about altered states during sex
(but that also regulate acceptable practices and results), a fair number of people
(perhaps 1 in 20, as suggested by Scantling and Browder’s study) seem to have
spontaneous, involuntary, nonordinary experiences while making love, regardless
of their own beliefs and the mores of their societies. What happens to them, and how
do they understand their experiences? . ·
, Despite the institutionalization of sacred sex in some religions and its documented
- reorudescence among the uninitiated, no one has attempted to study these states sys-
tematically as they occur in the absence of direction or bias provided by a particular ide-
ology or technical instruction. This article, which describes part of an ongoing research
project, represents the first report on the phenomenology and variety of transcendent _
` sexual experiences as they occur naturally in a "naive" (i.e., untrained) population.
RESEARCH METHOD
For a phenomenological inquiry into the nature of nonordinary sexual experience,
the overall plan was to recruit a sufficient number of highly articulate participants °
who could describe extremely subtle, probably virtually ineffable, subjective
events. Since the range of experiences was unknown, however, there was no pre- `
conception of how many individuals would be adequate for this kind of survey. Men
and women of any sexual preference, marital status, and ethnicity over the age of 21
were eligible, provided they had not had training in Tantra, Taoist sexual tech-
niques, or similar erotic arts designed to bring about altered states and/or create an
ideology or expectation that might shape either the state itself or its interpretation.
Owing to the private and sensitive nature of the subject matter, recruiting was lim-
- ited to personal and professional contacts and word of mouth. Although this intro-
duced considerable bias, it seemed infinitely preferable to advertising through print
and electronic media for two reasons: (a) in .the initial stages of the research, it
might be difficult to spot hoaxes or fantasies and (b) to screen out responses from
people whose sexual interests would be at variance with the intent of the study.
` Recruiting took the form of e-mail solicitations through professional and personal
networks, mentions of the study at lectures given in various institutions of higher
learning, and referrals from these sources. Solicitations invited anyone who had
had a "nonordinary, mystical, or transcendent experience during sex with a part-
ner," or who knew someone who had, to participate. Anyone who self—selected ‘
based on that vague description was initially accepted. Only those who were using
104 The Journal of Transpemanal Psychology, 2000, Val. 32, No. 2
I 1

psychotropic substances at the time of the events in question were eliminated to
minimize the artifacts of other altered-state triggers. .
Recruiting qualified people was not particularly difficult, despite the minimal wording.
People who said they had never had "transcenderrt" sex, whatever they imagined it
might be, were absolutely certain. The momentary loss of self] time, and space during
- orgasm is so familiar that people seem to identify this sensation as "ordinary." A pow-
' erful orgasm may jokingly be a "religious experience," but people seem to classify even
the most exquisite climax differently from an experience of transcendence. ln fact, one
researcher who compared powerful altered states he had had ("cosmic consciousness,"
psychedelic experiences, and "the best orgasm of my life" [Smith & Tart, 1998, p. 104])
said definitely that the orgasms to which he was referring were "rather ordinary and cer-
tainly not ‘mystical’ " (A. L. Smith, personal communication, March, 1998). Thus,
these stories come from self-identified volunteers with their own understanding of
"nonordinary, transcendent, mystical experiences" during sex, discussed below.
The following report is based on the results of 86 interviews with heterosexual,
homosexual, and bisexual men and women ranging in age from 26 to 70. A sur-
prisingly large number for a qualitative study, especially a phenomenological one,
this sample was necessary once the full range of experiences began to emerge. Since
the thrust of this article is a phenomenological cartography, no attempt will be made
to provide a quantitative analysis of the results or detailed demographic data.
However, some general qualification of the sample is offered to indicate its limita-
tions. It is not representative of American adults demographically for the reasons
stated; nor is statistical validity a goal in this project. Furthermore, no attempt has
been made to include representatives of the full range of spiritual practices and V
beliefs, or of the full range of sexual proclivities and experience.
The sample consisted of` 50 (58%) women and 36 (42%) men. The majority (77%)
were heterosexual in their preference for partners (35 [41%] women; 31 [36%]
men), followed by homosexual (16%: 10 [12%] women; 4 [4%] men), and bisexu-
- al (7%: 5 [6%] women; 1 [1%] man). Marital status was not a useful category for
various reasons: (a) individuals were sometimes speaking of past events unrelated
to their present marital status; (b) if married, they were sometimes speaking of ·
_ extramarital events; (c) those with long, rich histories had had experiences while
- single, married, divorced, or outside of marriage; and (d) for same-sex connections,
marital status was not necessarily a relevant descriptor.
_ The sample was predominantly White (88%). Other groups represented 12% of the
total: 4 (5%) African-Americans, 4 (5%) Latinos, 1 (1%) Asian, and l (1%) Native
American, respectively. Owing to the solicitation venues—mostly through universi-
ties and contacts in higher education—the sample was highly skewed toward people
with advanced degrees: 24 (28%) had doctoral degrees (Ph.D., M.D., ].D.); 34 (40%)
had masters degrees; 5 (6%) had some graduate education; 18 (21%) had bachelors
degrees; 2 (2%) had associates degrees; and 3 (3%) had high school diplomas.
Concerning spiritual beliefs that might have a bearing on the subjective interpretation
of nonordinary states, people were asked about the traditions in which they had been i
The Joumal of Tranrpersanal Psychology, 2000, Vol. 32, N0. 2 105

reared and their present religious orientations. Fo1·ty participants (47%) had been
brought up in households identified with various Protestant denominations; 21 (24%)
were Roman Catholic; 16 (l8%) were agnostic or atheist; 7 (8%) were Jewish; and 1.
(1%) was Buddhist and 1 (1%) was "eclectic." As adults, the vast majority have shift-
ed their spiritual orientation—some as a direct result of their sexual experiences-
though the reverse did not seem to be true: they noted little, if any, crossover from a
spiritual practice, such as meditation, and the types of experiences they had during
sex (a full discussion of these findings is beyond the scope of this paper). At present,
most follow less traditional paths: 40 (46%) considered themselves "eclectic" in their
orientation; 13 (15%) atheist/agnostic; 10 (12%) "generally Christian" or a specified
Protestant denomination; 8 (9%) Buddhist; 4 (5%) Roman Catholic; 4 (5%)
Yogic/Hindu; 3 (4%) Pagan/Nature mysticism; and 1 (1%) each Islam, “Jewish mys- .
ticism," "New Age," and 'I`ranscendental Meditation. (Interestingly, of the 13 who
said that they were now atheists/agnostics, 6 used theistic references throughout their
records in describing the events and meaning of their sexual experience.)
Respondents were interviewed in a mutually agreed-upon location, or, if this was ‘
inconvenient, by telephone, The interviews were semistructured and took anywhere
from 30 minutes to 2% hours. They consisted of standard open-ended questions, fol-
lowed by additional probes to develop promising lines of inquiry and to clarify. A
few preferred to write about their experiences, and in those instances, the same
questions and probes were used in a dialogical correspondence. t _
How adequate is this sample? As already noted, the intent was exploratory and the
selection deliberately skewed. This is anongoing study, and it is possible that there are
experiences outside those represented here, but the degree of overlap among 86 cases
suggests that this is at least an adequate first attempt to chart new territory. How trust-
worthy is the information? People may exaggerate or fantasize about their sex lives or
avoid telling the entire story. A further difficulty exists when the events in question .
involve an altered state, which may be difficult to capture and convey in an ordinary
state. This is complicated by the difficulty inherent in communicating phenomenolog-
ical information verbally (e.g., describing the quality and nature of an orgasm).
Plnrthermore, the accounts represent the self-reported version of a subjective experience
uncorroborated by anyone else. Even in the few cases where both parmers agreed to be
interviewed, their own experiences frequently differed significantly from each other.
It would be difficult indeed to make any claims for the data if any single experience
had to stand on its own. But, just as with near-death experiences, when person after
person describes the same type of event, the same feelings, and the same insights,
pattems begin to emerge. Each story is a data point; the more there are, the clearer
the image. The pattems they produce may not form the sharp delineation of repre-
sentational art, but they can give the softer, more layered images of impressionism.
The emergent images are as meaningful and clear as those of Monet, van Gogh, or
Seurat. Although only 86 people were interviewed, their stories represent more than
86 events. For some, a transcendent experience was a rare happening in a lifetime of
sexual activity. Like any other profound spiritual event, such as a near-death experi- .
` ence, these one- or two-time occurrences were reported with great vividness from
f memories of times and partners often long past, sometimes as much as 30 years ago.
106 The Journal of Transpcrsanal Psychology, 2000, Vol. 32, N0. 2
' I

For many others, however, transcendent sex occurred with some regularity in a par-
_ ticular relationship, oiten covering two or three different types of experience over
time. A fortunate few commonly have transcendent experiences whenever they make
love and wonder why anyone would "bother" to have ordinary sex. They sometimes
had a range of experiences to report. The net result is that no category mentioned
below represents a single case.
Defining a Transcendent Sexual Experience
Owing to the variety, no simple definition of transcendent sex is possible. However,
two factors consistently emerge from the narratives as characteristic of transcendent _
sex. The first, not surprisingly, is participation in an altered state that could not be
ascribed to the use of chemicals or deliberate techniques. In these states, as illus-
trated below, the ordinary sense of time, space, and/or agency (in Cartesian-
Newtonian or Formal Operations terms)- is transcended. Furthermore, the altered
state includes an awareness of the lover, if only as a conduit, and is rooted in the
‘ union of the two during sex. These altered states appear to be more or less inde-
pendent of orgasm, which is considered a discrete state of its own. That was invari-
ably true for the men: they entered an altered state that had no relationship to the`
timing or duration of their climax. It was true for the majority of the women, as well.
For a few, however, being non- or mono-orgasmic during sex is either infrequent or
impossible. These women were having an unending chain of orgasms that could last
indefinitely, usually until their lovers withdrew the contact, although the events they
described as transcendent had little or no (subjectively) discernible relationship to
orgasm. (For most men and women in this sample, orgasm was either a nonevent or
‘ a problem relative to the transcendent sexual state. Some could not recall whether
they had had one, as they were so much more drawn into other events; some said it
_ became "in·elevant"; others found it a somewhat irritating distraction; and a couple
found that orgasm shattered or ended the state.)
The second factor that differentiates transcendent from ordinary sex is the felt expe-
rience of a cosmic force engaging one or both lovers in the context of their relation-
ship, especially their lovemaking. This cosmic force is most often described in the
terms reserved for Spirit: God, the Divine, the Oversoul, the Void, etc. Some
described it spatially, as a place they can enter, a world of cosmic power, intelli-
gence, and love. For some, the force is implied: It is the invisible source of their jour-
` neys into other realms, or it makes the other realms possible. For others, it is a living
` entity that somehow arises from, but cannot be reduced to, the union of the lovers.
` The tendency to associate such experiences with the supematural was marked, fre-
quently resulting in deep personal transformation, spiritual insights, and even con-
version? Indeed, the interplay of both these factors——altered states and the felt sense
of the numinous—creates a variety of sexual experiences that appear to have the
same characteristics as those recognized in some of the major spiritual traditions.
The Varieties of Transcendent Sexual Experience
l Classification of complex human experiences is fraught with difficulties, as any
taxonomy is somewhat arbitrary and can never reflect the dynamics or richness of
The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 2000, Vol. 32, N0. 2 107

l an individual's experience per se. Rather than create a taxonomy specifically for
this project, it seemed wise to determine whether an extant model would serve. The
one chosen was developed by Grof (1975, 1988); it was selected for several rea-
sons. First, he originally created a comprehensive cartography of transpersonal
states arising from a variety of sources: his psychedelic research, holotropic breath-
work, and experience working with individuals having spontaneous episodes of
nonordinary states. It generally is congruent with perennial philosophy, although it
contains more categories and differs in some details. Moreover, Grof has also fre-
quently acknowledged the relationship between sex and various nonordinary states
in his writings (e.g., 1975, 1985, 1988, 1998). His schema was also chosen for rea-
‘ . sons of brevity (Rhea White’s [1995] Exceptional Human Experiences classifica-
tion is magnificent, but with more than 200 categories, it would not be easily repro-
ducible in this venue. As- it is, Grof’s addition of a third grouping labeled
"Inter1ti0nal Psychokinesis" is omitted because it involves the "ability to influence
the material environment . . . by simply wishing events to happen" [1988, p. 157],
a category at variance with the involuntary, spontaneous nature of experiences
sought for this study). ·
Grof”s model does indeed cover the kinds of episodes arising during sex. What fol-
lows, then, is a brief recapitulation of Grof` s complete taxonomy (1988, pp. 42-
157), indicating where these sexual experiences fall and giving examples but also
showing what types of experience have not (yet) been found to arise from sexual
activity under the conditions noted above.
Regrettably, in the brief space of this article, it is not possible to develop any of
_ these cases fully outside the condensed content presented here for classification.
The full records are luminous with joy, peace, discovery, insight, and inspira1ion,
and they have typically been life~changing events. However, only such quotes as
illustrate the phenomena for classification can be given here. Nevertheless, it is
hoped that at least a tiny bit of the radiant bliss will shine through}
Transpersonal Experiences
Experiential Extension Within Consensus Reality and Space-Time
1. Transcendence of Spatial Boundaries
a. Experience of Dual Unity—Loosening and melting of the boundaries of the body
ego and a sense of merging with another person into a state of unity and oneness}
Perhaps the most common of transpersonal sexual experiences is the sense of the two
· lovers' merging into one being. Respondents report not only a strong sense of psy-
chological and spiritual union, but physical, as well, including, as seen in the second
example, the sharing of kundalini. These are accompanied by profound feelings of
sacredness and love, also noted by Grof with other subjects and relationships (1975).
Then, any sense of separateness between us dissolved. I couldn’t even tell whetherl was
making love to her or being made 1ove to. I can hardly even tell you what our physical
108 The Journal of Transpersanal Psychology, 2000, Val. 32, No. 2

· bodies were doing because it was like our bodies were part of the flow and cbb of all this
energy and Spirit body. We were all mixed together in this mysterious, melting dance.
Body awareness merged with all the other levels .... We were one moving, touching mass
_ of energy and awareness, not two separate poles of consciousness ..... I sort of felt like
a woman and a man . . . where all we were was one being, one love, kind of a melting
together. (Kyle)
Often . . . my partner will start to feel the energy in her pelvis, and it goes in shock waves
up her spine. She’|l begin to have kriyas, . . . and my body will react. I‘l| feel it almost
like my spine is a radar dish or something. Her spine is sending out this wave, and my
spine catches it and responds .... And sometimes vice versa. (Nanette)
b. Identyication with Other Persons (None.)
c. Group Identification and Group Consciousness—Expansion of consciousness to
a global awareness of an entire group of people by race, nationality, cultural her-
itage, religions, profession, shared ideology, or destiny. `
Some women identify with all women’s experience, and in so doing, find their fem-
ininity affirmed, making them expand more into that part of themselves and feel
more empowered.
. They feel like they’re very, very close, all women. Not an identity, but all women. My
identity falls away, and I’m identified with all women now and back in time, and their
state of mind. There’s not a separation .... My way of being a woman is so much greater
from having had this experience. I grew up Catholic . . . with the body being sinful and
touching it being sinful .... A sense of rapture that came from so many different places,
and how wonderful it `was to have that . . . and that sense of unity [with all women].
(Kristin) -
d. Identification with Animals—Complete and quite realistic identification with
members of various species.
Animal identification in this group may not be well-matched with Grof’ s because
. his examples display an abstruse knowledge such as might be ordinarily be known
only to biologists or animal specialists. Sex respondents report more feeling states
than an unusual knowledge of actual animal behavior or attributes. The potential
degree for cultural determination appears to be high in this sample, but perhaps also
in this category of experience, given the reports of various indigenous groups to
. identify with culturally significant organisms, such as grubs, salamanders, vultures,
spiders, scorpions, ants, snakes, frogs, weasels, baboons, rats, and coyotes, while
this North American sample mentions only predatois—usually mammals (wolves,
bears, and the big cats), but also birds of prey. These most puissant animals in mod-
ern-day North America, however, are often the ones associated with shamans, who
are among the most powerful individuals in their societies (Eliade, 1951; Kalweit,
1988; Walsh, 1990; Wolf, 1991). Metamorphosis into animals during lovemaking
typically involves aggressive, rough sex play, which, along with the above, may
suggest fantasy. Participant perception, however, is that of being overtaken
(possession), confusing the causal link between sex play and the shift. Increased
n The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 2000, Vol. 32, No. 2 109

strength, bestial mannerisms—growling, snarling, scratching, biting, fighting, or
wrestling—and the altered—state sense of actually being and thinking like an animal
manifest in ways quite contrary to subjects’ everyday personalities and sex play.
With that [electrical charge] comes a power and a strength that makes me feel invincible,
like [l] could run through the woods and jump over trees any time now .... It’s that kind
of strength. If I'm the wolf, my hips and butt and legs, especially the tops of my legs
where the quadriccps are, feel different. Definitely leaner, sinewy—God, I wish I were
- sinewyl—kind of like a haunch sort of a musculature so you could spring. When I'm a
wolf, it seems easier to move and jump about, and when I'm a bear, it doesn't. As the bear,
I feel the weight of the head, really, really big, and very, very heavy. (Kim)
e. Identnication with Plants and Botanical Processes (None)
f Oneness with Ly‘e and All Creationéldentifying with the totality of life on this
planet, including all humankind, flora and fauna (extending to viruses and single-
celled organisms).
A number of individuals report an opening of self to identify with all creatures.
There's a comiection with the universe that happens. I sense a connection with the flora
and fauna, all the other animals [and people] in the world. The experience has more of a
horizontal plane to it, the immanent reality. But with the sense of oneness and connection,
certainly. It’s a different plane, closer to the ground, about union with all living creatures.
. . . We‘re really connected, all of us with each other for all time and all space. And there's
a sense of "how vast the universe!" (Terry)
g. Experience of Inanimate Matter and Inorganic Processes—Identification with
macroscopic and microscopic phenomena ·of inorganic nature (e.g., consciousness
of fire, the ocean, iron, and quartz). I
` Rarely do individuals go into the microcosm during sex, but when they do they see
and become part of the interplay of energy and matter. -
It’s almost like a biologist or physicist looking at subatomic particles or things under the
electron microscope, the basic patterns of energy that the universe is made of: forms of
waves and rays and points and the interplay of expansion and contraction, progressions,
and the experience of densities. I'm having all kinds of visions and insights, the kind I
imagine physicists have, where there’s the confluence of energy and matter, the regener-
ation of life and death. (Donna)
h. Planetary Consciousness (None)
i. Extraterrestrial Experiences—-Travel within this solar system, and to other Stars,
and galaxies; witnessing explosions of supemovas, contraction of stars or identify-
‘ ing with these entities and events.
A number of l people (mostly women) journey blissfully through outer space, flying
along in the darkness surrounded by stars and planets. -
l l0 The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 2000, Vol. 32, N0. 2

And then again l felt myself in the cosmos, but this time it felt like in the solar system
with solid planets and gaseous planets being present and around me. I seemed to be in
outer space. There was a lot of space between what was out there, blackness with points
of lights, stars .... There seemed to be a presence of other planets too, and I was floating.
(Vivian)
We were among the stars. It was black, and there were all these stars, and it was like we . "
were flying, both of us flying. It was mostly a visual impression, but it was accompanied
by that feeling of incredible opermess and joy. I was just incredibly happy. It was very
much a feeling of being my true self, being who I really am, authentic. (Jill)
j. Identification with the Entire Physical Universe (None) -
k. Psychic Phenomena Involving Transcendence of Space (our-of-body experiences,
traveling clairvoyance and clairaudience, and !elepathy)—Leaving the body; mov-
ing to another place in the physical world; occasionally moving to experiential
realms and subjective realities that appear to be entirely independent of material
reality; reading the minds of other persons.
Out-of-body experiences are common. Usually the experience involves moving to a
place suspended above the lovers and looking down at them in the here-and-now
(very similar to 0BEs reported under other conditions, though in this case usually
accompanied by feelings of great peace and wonder.)°
I suddenly found myself having for the first time what I would call a transcendent kind of
‘ experience. I was out of my body observing mc and my lover lying in bed from above,
perhaps near the ceiling. I'd never heard of such a thing and didn't know how to explain
it, but it was a very strange phenomenon suddenly looking clown at the two of us. (Dick)
. Along the other dimensions of spatial plasticity Grof includes in this category, some
(mostly women) report being transported to different urban and pastoral locations,
· but most often under the sea. This transportation is typically accompanied by ecstat-
ic feelings.
There was a time when we were like dolphins in the water. I saw other fish in the water,
butI was more aware of us .... The water was very blue, and it was extraordinarily peace-
ful, joyful. (Jill)
In a striking case of telepathy, a man making love with his date at aparty became
aware that his best friend, who was attending the same celebration, needed help.
_ ` I went into an emptiness, and in that emptiness an awareness ca.rne to mc that Tom was in
danger .... And it was such truth that I knew he was in danger .... So I immediately came
back into my body. I said, "Oh my God, oh my God. Something’s wrong with Tom."
_ She said, "No. there’s not. I-le’s still at the reception. I-le's having a great time .... " `
I started running down the street throwing on my clothes .... As soon as I tum the cor-
ner, there’s this mob of people. In the center of it was Tom and this huge Hell’s Angels
The Journal of Tran.rper.r0nal Psychology, 2000, Vol. 32, N0. 2 lll

type of guy brawling with him. Without hesitation——and I'm just a little guy—I lunged. I -
just jumped on this guy’s back, trying to get him in a headlock. He was a huge, huge fel-
low .... This guy could have taken me out with his thumb, if he had wanted to, but I just
had this tremendous energy .... That evening, Tom said, "You should really be hurting."
And I should have been because that was a brick wall [the attacker] threw me against, sev-
eral times. I was not bruised or in any kind of physical pain out of the experience, during
it or afterward. (Esteban) `
2. Transcendence of the Boundaries of Linear Time , I
a. Embryomzl and Fetal Experiences (None) ‘
b. Ancestral Experiences—Historical regression along biological lines to periods
preceding the subject’s conception and an identification with one’s own ancestors.
Some respondents feel transferred back in time into the bodies and personalities of
their forebears, which usually is something of a shock. For example, one woman
found herself as a Celtic priestess during the Roman conquest of Europe.
I was there during the time when the Roman empire was invading Gaul .... l have this
sense that I died in a Roman prison. Some of the most excruciating pain I’ve ever experi-
enced was a vision that I had right after we’d made love, this feeling that they were bum- g
’ ing my trees, burning my groves. (Ardrigh)
At the time the incident occurred, she knew nothing consciously about ancient
Celtic culture, nor about her own ancestry, but her identification with these events
_ was so strong, she decided to check into her origins.
I didn‘t even know the names of my great-grandparents .... I did the research later. I
found out that the groves were sacred in the Druid tradition. They actually worshipped in
groves of trees, and that’s why I was just so upset that my trees were burning. I’ve tried
to verify some of the other stuff as actual historical occurrences, and of course, the Roman
empire eventually overtook Gaul up almost into Ireland .... But when I get in that guise,
[ can speak Gaelic fairly well, and I don’t even know Gaelic. It’s the damuedest thing.
[My lover] has written down some of the stuffl said . . . and it's old, old Gaelic. We‘ve
actually looked it up. (Ardrigh)
No claims are made here for the veridicality of such events, but their felt validity is A
sufficiently strong that most other participants spoke of conducting similar research
or experiencing uncanny manifestations and synchronicities in conjunction with
these past-life episodes. _
In another example, a White man whose mother had always been troubled and fas-
cinated by fair-skinned African-Americans who could almost "pass" for Whites
found himself as the Creole mistress of a White plantation owner who later married
a Black man.
I had six children iu that life. Three of them passed for White because their father was a
planter, a White planter. One of them, one of the chil.dren who passed for White, is my
112 T/te Journal of Transpersonal Psychology. 2000, Vol. 32, No. 2

mother in this lifetime. She was my son in that lifetime. The person who is now my moth-
er left New Orleans and came to Minneapolis and passed as White in that lifetime. In this
life, she also went from New Orleans and Tennessee to Minneapolis. (Richard)
c. Racial and Collective Experiences (None)
d. Past Incarnation Experiences-—Participation in episodes occurring at another
time and place in history. The person maintains ego-identity, while experiencing the
self in another form at another place and time.
‘ Persons report past-life experiences without any sense of their biological lineage.
These events frequently mimic those of past-life regression therapy in revealing
(sometimes foretelling) fundamental conflicts that are not apparent to the lovers at
the present time. In one, a couple on their second date relived a history of several
years’ duration in which they met, fell in love, had an illicit affair, created an unin-
tended pregnancy, lost the child, and split up in Victorian times. The story was par-
ticularly disturbing as they were just falling in love and had no belief whatsoever in
_ reincarnation or other "nonscientific" phenomena. They married and were together
for a long time, but by the time of the interview, they were separating. `
Q The story was dictating to us, like watching a movie, and you don't get to change it if you
don't like what’s going on. It was playing out, and we were being shown something ....
I didn’t see any similarity in it with us at that time, though it did say something about why
‘ we felt so compelled to be together even though we didn’t know each other that well; why
_ . I we felt so familiar, like we’d always been together. It was overriding my logical mind,
  which was a big override for me. The rational part of me dismissed it. I'd say to myself,
‘ "Oh, you were just daydreaming." I believe we were given an opportunity to be with each
5 other in a diffeient context, but we haven't been able to do it. We made the wrong choic-.
i es again in this lifetime. It’s too painful to continue. (Carolyn)
  _ Unique among the sexual experiences, only those involving past lives in some way
seem to place both partners in a shared altered state. Respondents usually describe
this as "finishing each other’s sentences" or "like we both had the same movie going
_ in our heads, but we weren’t making it up."
{ e. Phylogenetic Experiences (None) .
` i f Experiences- of Planetary Evolution (None)
; g. Cosmogenetic Experiences (None)
i h. Psychic Phenomena Involving Transcendence of Time—Psi phenomena includ-
ing precognition, clairvoyance, and clairaudience of past and future events; psy-
` chometry (obtaining history or information from touching an object); time travels.
  Some respondents reported instances of precognition. Like the past-life experiences,
_ future insights seem to involve negative outcomes, although the feelings associated
’ with them tend to be peace and calm acceptance. For example, one woman who was
The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 2000, Vol. 32, No. 2 113

resuming with great hope a relationship that had been suspended for a number of
years, suddenly saw the future.
I felt that we were lifted into levels of possibility, of unfettering connection, though per-
haps not yet realized, which existed at some level still to be reached. I was thoroughly
confident that the path was there even though I was perhaps on it alone. The feeling was
` of liberation . . ._ being freed . . . a sense of opening to another unknown dimension of
experience .... [In this one transcendent moment,] it was as though I was lifted into a
dimension of truth beyond ordinary rational understanding, wherein I knew it to be the
realm of false hope. The disjunction of this overwhelming feeling and the uncertainty of
what I knew to be the more likely outcome of our association was not at all upsetting.
There was a refreshing calm that settled over and stayed with me for days. (Leah)
3. Physical Introversion and Narrowing of Consciousness—Organ, tissue and cel-
lular consciousness.
Cellular awareness tends to be reported in two ways. one of which is not neces-
sarily congruent with Grot"s definition in that it involves a sense of the "alive-
ness" of individual cells owing to an unusually charged sense of the entire body
during sex.
It was an experience of beiug both completely and totally aware of every cell in my
body—and of every cell in my body vibrating at the same frequency—and yet not even
inhabiting my body at exactly the same time. (Betty)
The second type of experience seems to draw the individual down into the cellular
or molecular microcosm.
It’s as if I dove into your eyeballs, and I got into the interstitial spaces and into the vitre-
` ous humor and started to push my arms and legs out to make everything wider. And all of
a sudden you feel that you operate from a very contracted place, relatively. Muscles relax `
where you normally don’t even know that they’re there because, at the time, you thought
they were part of an immovable structure. Now I can lean back, now I can stretch out and
feel limber and really unfurl. (Sabu)
Experiential Extension Beyond Consensus Reality and Space—Time’
o. Spiritistic and Mediumistic Experiences—Mediumistic and channeling experi- _
ences, in which the individual’s countenance, gestures, and voice are dramatically
changed. Sometimes the individuals perceive a discarnate entity, but they may also
be taken over by an alien entity or energy form.
Perceiving other entities happens more often during sex than the sense of being
changed into one (except for animals, noted above). Called "shapeshifting" or "mor·
phing" by participants, these occurrences normally involve the rapid succession of
a number of different faces superimposed on the partner’ s actual visage (trespasso).
At least half a dozen times. I've had an experience with my eyes open where I'd see my
lover’s face morph into all these different faces. [There] might be 20 different faces. I
1I4 The Journal of Transpcrsonal Psychology, 2000, Vol. 32, N0. 2 .

don’t remember them all, but some are more memorable than others, so I'd recognize
them when they came up again. (Vivian)
Other experiences include the sense of physical manifestation, and could involve
not only physiological changes, but movement, such as gestures and glossolalia.
When she steps into that place, she gets rougher sexually. Therc`s a rawness. She even
smells different. And she said my eyes seemed a lot darker when I looked up. I have light
hazel eyes, and she said they were so dark it was almost like black eyes. Her sense was
that they weren‘t my eyes at all. (Lynn)
We would spontaneously start speaking in tongues, and at tirstl felt kind of embarrassed
about that, like "What is this?" . . . Either he would start speaking in tongues, or I would,
and when that started happening, it was another signal that this wave of energy is coming
over us, through the different movements of my tongue or different hand gestures, per-
haps mudras. (Leona) ‘
b. Energetic Phenomena of the Subtle Body-Experience of _various energy fields
described in mystical traditions of ancient and non—Western origin (e.g., kundalini).
As might be expected, kundalini effects are well represented. They typically involve
unusual percepts of light, heat, energy, and liquification, and they seem to behave in
the same ways described in the Tantric literature, with which very few of these sub-
jects had even a passing familiarity (one couple was upset by an episode of amrita).
I’m aware of energy, pattems, and electric colors .... When it moves past certain areas of the
body, the body will tend to get kind of tingly. It‘s like there’s pure crackling, surging, grind-
ing, burning energy. Boundaries tend to expand, and . . . the further the energy goes up the
spine, it seems like the more intense it gets, and I start getting into an altered state. (Reginald) · .
The light was just going through me . . . and shooting out of the top of my head. I had
feelings of white lights shooting out of the top of my head .... You think of sunlight or
lightning, but nothing like this! . . . I started crying because it was overwhelming, an emo-
tional effect like "Oh, my God, I’m coming home. I got home." A feeling that I’d been
separated for a long time, like coming together, and finally being home. (Suzette)
c. Experiences of Animal Spirits (None) -
d. Encounters with Spirit Guides and Suprahuman Beings—Interactions with spirit
guides, teachers, protectors, and beings of light.
During sex, people may have visions of supranatural beings (e.g., angels and pre-
‘ deceased loved ones). In some cases they feel themselves or their partners mani-
festing divine forms (e.g., their Ideal Form in a platonic sense). More commonly, L
they sense an ephemeral Third presence or divine entity that is cocreated with and
‘ by the lovers, yet also independent of them.
I had a little sister who died when I was l0 and she was 6. And I felt her presence in the
room right then .... When I was growing up, she was really close to God because she was
The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 2000. Vol. 32, No. 2 115

dying the whole time she was growing up. I felt her close to the divine Presence, as if she
came from God. So as an adult, whenever I had an altered state—well, not whenever but
sometimes when I’ve had them—I would see her .... ldidn’t have a sense of myself as
being just me, but of a divine Presence being around. (Armand) ·
Sometimes when we make love, I see my lover's face grow young, and she looks 20 years ‘
old to me. She has that radiant, lit-up—from-within beauty, almost as if she is divine her-
self in a way, as if she becomes a perfect version of herself. It’s like looking at images in
a church, or icons that can be suggestive of something beyond themselves. There’s some- ‘
thing transcendent even in the vision of her, like when great art gives rise to religious feel-
ing. When she transforms before my eyes, I’ve been displaced to a different environment
where everything has become radiant because she’s my environment. I’m going into a
holy place. (Blake)
I’ve always had a sense of movement beyond myself. I have no illusions that my partner
and I are creating that .... [haven't come to a good term for that. . . . Some of the native
peoples call it the Great Mysterious .... By our coming together . . . maybe there’s some-
thing that we’re doing that is the kindling in the midst of that fire, but. . . that fire comes
from somewhere else, not just from the two of us .... Making love . . . is a way to go to
church, talk to God, connect with God, however you might understand that. (Roland)
e. Visits to Other Universes and Meetings with their Inhabitants (None) ·
f Experiences of Mythological and Fairy-Tale Sequences (None) _
g. Experiences of Specyic Blissful and Wrathful Deities-—Experiences with deities
associated with the forces of light and good or darkness and evil.
Somewhat rare, these experiences concem deities associated with archetypal forms
(e.g., Sappho and Kali). The majority of these deities are ambiguous in their pres-
entation, such as Kali, whose fierceness is as much relished as feared.
I beheld this dark man, fairly shadowy, I really c0uldn’t come up with any features other
than a rack of antlers .... It was Carnanuss, . . . the [Celtic] lord of the forest and the hunt
[who symbolizes to me] the seduction into the wildemess, the betrayal of that trust and
murder. I think that’s the degree of anxiety I have around this figure .... My Catholic
background said it was the devil, but it was Carnanuss. (Zebediah)
All of a sudden, I heard this horrible roar . . . and a serpent came out of the water, the rain— .
bow serpent, and he dived back in and I could never quite see its head but I could see its
body where it came in and out and in and out. It was frightful and beautiful, shimmery, ·
very bright. (Natasha)
h. Experiences of Universal Archetypes (None)
i. Intuitive Understanding of Universal Symbols (None)
j. Creative Inspiration and the Promethean Impulse (None)
k. Experience ofthe Demiurg [sic] and Insights into Cosmic Creation (None)
116 The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 2000, Vol. 32, No. 2

L Experience of Cosmic C0nsciousness—Identifying with the supreme and ultimate
principle that represents all Being characterized by formless, dimeusionless, infinite
awareness, knowledge, and bliss. ‘ .
Participants describe unitive experiences in the same language of the unio mystica
of Western contemplative traditions, especially omniscience and overwhelming joy.
It’s a very boundariless time, and then comes the Light, mostly a flood of bright, whitish-
yellowish light ..., lt's as though the Light were all the universe that’s not me, the part
of the universe that I don’t think I’m usually connected to. That Light definitely represents
the life force, the universal force, the god_ force without the deity .... I’m content in the
Light because I’m also there observing it. I love it when this happens, but there is that
moment when it begins, and l step in it without that awareness. lt is maybe nondunl for a
. few seconds, and then I’m there observing it, so it's not there. (Esther)
It’s real! . . {At the same time I felt it coming from the outside, it was also coming
from the inside. It was evident that it was also in me. I participate in divinity in a
- direct, inclusive way. There’s no separation at all. All those mystical incantations
about the entire universe being embedded in the person, or that the soul of the human
. being participates in that, it was all suddenly manifest .... Was there a face to God?
I No. Or a presence? The presence was us. It wasn’t a call, it wasn‘t a sign. All the things
E I had interpreted as it weren’t true. We were just there. It just was. Oh, yes, it’s real. I
; become all of me but with my ego or subpersonalities all gone. Just God is left, and I
am that. (Zebedinh)
. _ m. The Supracosmic and Metacosmic Void-—Experience of primordial emptiness,
{ nothingness and silence; the Void that is supraordinated to and underlying the phe-
H nomenal world.
i Several describe nontheistic nonduality in terms very like those of Buddhism,
Y though it is hard to do them justice in a short excerpt. _
r I sensed thatl had gone some place, and that once I came out of it, I knew I had been there,
i but not when it happened. You know how there’s the being in something, and then the
¤ knowing that you were there. So when you come out of just being and you get to the
i knowing part, you’re an observer apart from what comes in that moment. Everything was
F dropping away, no sensory perception, and there is no way to describe it. There was noth-
E ing but union in that moment, but I couldn’t tell you union with what. And immediately
i afterward were the tears, tears of joy, incredible joy that Ifelt the privilege of having t.his
l incredible gratitude and awe. (Marta)
E _ There was nothing there. The boundaries of the body wen:. and yet there was an aware-
ness of doing, so there was an awareness of action, but the sense of the body was not.
_ There was this dissolvingness, and this losing of boundaries. And then there was this
incredible nothingness and everythingness. Out of this feeling of nothingness and n0—self,
there was yet all possibility and all potential ity. It was probably for only an instant, but in ·
that instant there was no time and no space .... Yet there was somehow an awareness of
what was happening. an awareness of something and nothing all at the same time ....
[ There was just a more complete sense of really pure awareness, just no sense of self. The
_ completeness of the nothingness was enomious. (Ann)
The Journal af Transpersonal Psychology, 2000, Vol. 32, No. 2 117

Transpcrsonal Experiences of Psychoid Nature
1. Synchronistic Links Between Consciousness and Matter-Acausal connections
linking various types of transpersonal experiences to physical events in the phe-
nomenal world, especially the meaningful coincidences of events separated in time
- and/or space.
`Grof recognizes a number of phenomena in this general category that include expe-
· riences people report during sex, especially unusual connections between their
· _ actions and natural forces. As Grof notes, these are clearly subjective intrapsychic
events, but they are also meaningfully connected with specific physical changes in
consensus reality (1988, p. 148). Subjects in this study speak of both meaningful
- and magical synchronicities. A few think, for example, that their lovemaking cre-
ates a "bubble" in time.
We must have made love in our customers' houses hundreds and hundreds of times. We
always did it at our own pace, never hurried .... lt was the right thing to do in that
` moment, and in that moment, our sex ran the world. Once we started, we were complete-
ly safe. lt was as though, somehow, through our strong desire to make love and our free-
dom from embarrassment, we were never caught. With this particular man. our love was
so confident and sure it seemed that the universe honored the magic in us . . . but feeling
as though the whole world is in me, and I’m the whole world. And it worked. We were
never caught, ever .... lt amazed me that it was only just as we were putting ourselves
back together that the customers came back. Never before. (Francine)
- Others have a sense of participating in the forces of nature.
Our caressing and touching was slow and languorous, and we were moving very slowly
together. There was a real sense of connectedness to each other. We were looking into
each other’ s eyes a lot, and l started feeling as if our boundaries were melting .... We had
. an orgasm together, which was lovely, really lovely. We were both kind of trembling in
that moment. And then the bed started to shake. And then the whole room started to
vibrate. So right at the moment that we were having this intense climactic, orgastnic expe-
tience, suddenly the whole world was shaking. There was an earthquake! (Roland)
2. Spontaneous Psychoid Events
a. Supernormal Physical Feats—Spectacular physiological changes in the body or
seemingly impossible achievements (e.g., stigmata and luminosity of the body of
various saints). -
See the above description of unusual physical engagement in an unequal fight with-
out physical injury (Esteban’s narrative in 1.k. Psychic Phenomena Involving
Transcendence of Space). According to Esteban, he threw himself on the back of a
much larger man who was attacking his friend, attempting a beadlock. Although
Esteban notes above that he suffered no injuries, he was not, in this instance, sup-
plied with superhuman strength: l
lt was kind of comical in that [the attacker] just picked me up, plucked me off his neck
and threw me against the [brick] wall. That should have hur-t me, probably should have
118 The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology. 2000, Vol. 32, No. 2

broken some bones. But I immediately got up and lunged at him again. In fact, I lunged
` at him about four or five times. I was obviously not in my right mind. All I knew was that
_ I had to protect Tom, and yet Tom is bigger than Iam. I~le's got a lot better chance than I
do of taking care of himself. (Esteban)
b. Spiritistic Phenomena and Physical Mediumship (None)
c. Recurrent Spontaneous Psychokinesis (Poltergeist) (None)
d. Unidenlhied Flying Objects (UFO Phenomena) (None)
CONCLUSIONS
. Based on these findings, the numerous vague allusions in the literature to nonordi-
nary experiences occurring during sex appear to represent an astonishing array of
altered and transpersonal states. Many of these are consonant with the experiences
described in the spiritual literatures of various traditions, including the far-travelling _
and otherwordly episodes of indigenous religions and those associated with various
stages of contemplative practice in the esoteric and perennial systems. Although
another classification scheme would yield different results, this one allows for the
extensive range of phenomena and tends to point to clusterings around experiences p
of higher-order entities and organisms, connectedness, terrestrial and organic (as
opposed to inorganic) processes, and archetypal imagery. Thus, sex appears con-
ducive to an unusually broad range of experiences in which agency, temporality,
and space are differenct from the consensus reality.
Probably owing to the recruiting method, the majority of these experiences were
positive, so positive, in fact, as to be ecstatic. These results can hardly be viewed
independently from their context, even though not all of the sexual relationships
were happy ones. Where negative emotions were either present or foreshadowed,
they still seemed to be productive of valid realization and insights and thus were
positively valued by the subjects. (Destabilization of ego boundaries as a conse-
quence of transpersonal experiences is reported in this sample, but the experiences
themselves were still quite positive.)
At this point, it seems clear that naturally occurring sex can be just as effective as
other processes in bringing about altered and transpersonal states, including those
vaunted by traditions that highly regulate and repress bodily desires. Since these
. naive subjects were not deliberately attempting to bring about- the events, and since
their spiritual beliefs were usually at variance with any expectation of a "religious -
experience" during sex, they were not especially helpful informants concerning
‘ causal factors. Several reasons suggest themselves, however.
To the extent that altered states are associated with changes in brain electrochem-
. istry, they can be generated by many factors, such as lack of nourishment or sleep,
_ sensory deprivation or overload, repetitive sounds or motions, drugs, contempla-
tion, etc. Sex often involves a number of these—especially repetitive motion, sen-
sory overload, and a concentrated focus similar to meditation—not to mention the
The Joumal of Transpersonal Psychology, 2000, Vol. 32, No. 2 l 19

changes in body and brain chemistries as hormones are released into the blood-
stream. Of course, some individuals are more inclined to be somatically attuned or
swept into states of absorption. Other factors suggest that relaxation, letting go of
all physical effort, and becoming highly concentrated in the present contribute as
well. (A hill treatment of these factors is outside the scope of this paper.)
The fact that sex can take people to the same realms as trance, meditation, drugs, ctc.
may well support the notion that the phenomenal worlds of human experience fall into
certain universal patterns, as has often been suggested by materialists and transper-
sonalists alike. No matter what the trigger, there are only so many "destinations."
Realizing that sex can transport uninitiated and disbelieving people to so many of
these points, though, is powerful, new knowledge that can potentially benefit many.
` Transpersonal psychologists are well positioned to use such knowledge effectively.
For instance, just making this information public would open a discourse with those
who are now shamed and silent. One of the saddest findings has been learning that
with rare exceptions, subjects had never told another person—not even their part-
ners—about their experiences prior to the interview for fear of being considered
crazy. Just as in the early days of near—death research when people were afraid to
tell about what happened to them, they expected ridicu1e—and often had to strug-
gle alone trying to make sense of events that severely undermined their belief sys-
tems. Many also knew their partners were unsympathetic to "spiritual stuff." So it
was easier to suffer profound experiences alone than bring them out into the open,
effectively creating more distance in the relationship regardless of the positive
nature of the experience itself. .
Finding a spiritual outlet for discourse was also difficult. As the results indicate, few
people’s traditions value nonordinary experiences, and many—perhaps most-
. overtly discourage any thought of the convergence of sex and the sacred. Even for
those who left mainstream practices, few found their experiences honored in recog-
nized contemplative traditions and instead have developed their own idiosyncratic,
personal practice (as have others, such as near-death experiencers who have had
profound spiritual experiences at variance with the dogma of recognized paths).
Only a handful of people said they were willing to discuss their sexual experiences
in spiritual venues.
Acceptance of this type of embodied spirituality seenrs rare, despite attempts by
some feminists for greater acknowledgment of the body. Sex continues to have a
troubled relationship with most spiritual traditions, but as an accessible medium for
transpersonal experiences, greater awareness could foster discourse around its
potential for transpersonal openings; personal transformation, and spiritual know-
ing. To the extent that sex is treated as a "lower" fomi, an unworthy desire, or a haz-
ard to "true" spirituality, its potential will be repressed and its discoverers margin-
alized. These are not merely issues for some conventions, or for women, but for any
approches to spirituality in contemporary culture.
Certainly, sex is not the path for everyone (and thinking that it is, or should be, runs
the risk of creating yet another hurdle for performance, however implicit). But it can
120 The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 2000, Vol. 32, No. 2

bc recognized as a powerful method of tmnspcrscnal journcying. Knowing that it
can lead to the same places and realizations that recognized spiritual paths do can
open ncw.arcus of exploration. With a map of thc territory, those who have been
there can come out into thc open, enjoying thc af5rmati0n of knowing that their
experience is neither unique nor shameful and sharing their gifts with thc larger
community. Others can at least loam that there is a new world out there, a vision of
sex that goes way beyond more and better orgasms, whether they wish to attempt to
reach it or not. Just knowing how uplifting and inspirational sex can bc may bc help-
ful to those who have suffered sexual wounding and abuse in thc past, including
those who have been spiritually marginalized for their preference in partners.
Indeed, thc fact that there scqms to bc no difference between thc ability of homo-
and hctcroscxuals to undergo transpcrsonal experiences during sex could bc
extremely beneficial, especially for adolescents and others coming to terms with
their sexual preference.
The potential for working with such embodied forms of spirituality is great. It sheds
light on altered state experiences and triggers. It suggests that thc body can be far
more incorporated with spiritual practices than has hitherto been explored by most
’ traditions. It can signi.ticz1nt1y reduce thc shame associated with thc body, sex, and
particular ways of having sex, and certainly it can heal and transform. In short. know-
ing about transcendent sex can open new horizons in everyday living and loving.
NOTES
‘ No slight is intended hum conceming same-sex unions, as will hc clear below. The abuvc statement merely reflects
the vast majority of the historical literature.
’ Sex and spirituality seemed mom conjoined in ancient times. From what little is known of true indigcnnus culturu,
distinctions were nut originally madc between sex and spirituality. ln dm established global religions t0day—Judnism.
Christianity, Islam. Hinduism, and Buddhism—es¤t¤ric and nudustream conventions may either embrace or rojcct sex
as conducive to spirituality, though it appears that the vast majority of fonm deny the role of thc body to somc extent.
Virtually all of them regulate sexual expression. cvmwhcn it is considered a spiritual path, such as in Judaism aud
Vajmyanu Buddhism. The history of sex und spirituality is beyond ihe scope of this aniclc; for a brief overview, sec
Wadc (2000).
’ Preliminary findings on thc transfonualivc powem of rhcsc experiences have been reported in Wade (1998. 2000).
‘ Slightly fuller records have been published previously (Wade. 1998, 2000), and complain ones will be forthcoming.
’ Category titles and descriptions dcrivc, as noted, from Gmf (1988. pp. 42—l57), though mos; sm: paraphrnsed. since
this version of Gmf represents long prose descriptions of his more concise 1975 version. Grof has expanded his car-
zogmphy aver rho years. and continues no do so. Where me 1988 and 1975 versions still coincided closely. paraphras-
ing here is closer to his 1975 schcmn, owing to its conciscncss.
‘ Incidentally, our of body expcrlcnccs in thls sample do not include the dissociation; of sexually abused individuals;
in fact, although the sample Includes people who have been abused, they noe only reported being present in their bod-
ies during th: events. but no have been healed no some degree or another by their embodied yu tmnsccndenl sexual .
cncountcrs.
' Grcf's outline format in terms of hierarchical ciganiznticn of numbered and lcucmd categories is notconsistem; ucv-
erthclcss, this paper conforms to his system for consistency and case of cross-referencing.
REFERENCES
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Princeton, NJ: Pdnccton University Press. .
` The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology. 2000, Vol. 32, N0. 2 121

GROF, S. (1975). Realms of the human unconscious: Observations from LSD research. New
York: Viking.
GROF, S. (1985). Beyond the brain: Birth, death and transcendence in psychotherapy. -
Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
GROF, S. (1988). The adventure of se$discovery: I. Dimensions of consciousness, II. New
perspectives in psychotherapy. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
GROF, S. (l998). The cosmic game: Explorations of the frontiers of human consciousness.
Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
KALWEIT, H. (1988). Dreamtime & inner space: The world of the shaman (W. Wunsche,
Trans). New York: Summit.
LASKI, M. (1961). Ecstasy in secular and religious experiences. Los Angeles, CA: Tarcher.
Mrlsiow, A. H. (1987). Motivation and personality (Rev. ed.), (R. Frager, J. Fadiman, C.
McReyno1ds, & R. Cox, Eds,). New York: Harper & Row.
. MAURBR, H. (1994). Sex: An oral history. New York: Viking.
Scnwruno, S. & Baowmzn, S. (1993). Ordinary women.- Extraordinary sex: Releasing the
passion within. New York: Dutton.
SMITH, A. L. & TART, C. T. (1998). Cosmic consciousness experience and psychedelic expe-
riences: A first person comparison. Journal of Consciousness Studies, 5(1), 97-107.
‘ WADE, J. (1996). Changes of mind: A holonomic theory of the evolution of consciousness.
Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
WADE, J. (1998). Meeting God in the flesh: Spirituality in sexual intimacy. ReVision, 21(2),
35-41.
WADE. J. (2000). The love that dares not speak its name. In T. Hart, P. L. Nelson, & K.
Puhakka (Eds,). Transpersonal knowing: Exploring the horizon of consciousness (pp.
271-302). Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
WALSH, R. (1990). The spirit of shamanism. New York: Tarcher/Perigee.
_ WHITE, R. A. (Ed.). (1995). Abstracts. Exceptional human experience: studies of the uni-
tive/spontaneous. Imaginal, 12(2), 92-134. l
WOLF, F. A. (1991). The eagle ’s quest: A physicist's search for truth in the heart of the
shamanic world. New York: Summit. _
. Zllheaiuthonz - `
Jenny Wade, Ph.D., is a researcher, writer, consultant, and graduate school teacher spe-
cializing in consciousness studies, especially with regard to human development. She is
presently senior consultant for Nova Consulting, an organization development firm maxi- ‘
mizing individual and organization potential using integral approaches, and she also
directs the joint doctoral program offered through the Standing Conference on U
Educational Research and St. Martin ’s College ofthe University of Lancaster. Previously,
she chaired the doctoral program at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. She is the
author of Changes of Mind: A Holonomlc Theory of the Evolution of Consciousness.
Her research interests include prenatal and near-death rnemorles, as well as other evi-
dence for consciousness independent of known cellular processes; organizational applica-
` tions of developmental theory; and nonordinary states of various kinds.
122 The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 2000, Vol. 32, No. 2

CHAPTER 2
EXAMPLES OF EXCEPTIONAL CHANNELING
Hastings, Arthur. (1991). With the tongues of men and
angels: A study of channeling (pp. 11-25). Fort Worth,
Texas: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
We will begin by looking at several contemporary cases with exceptional
features. In some of these cases, the material is exceptional in quality or
content. In others, the skills involved go well beyond the talents of the
individual doing the channeling (Hastings, 1988). These cases will illustrate
some of the ways in which channeling has been used and the level of
messages that are possible.
TECHNIQUES
First, we will review some of the processes through which this material is
actually received. The Ouija Board, now manufactured by Parker Brothers,
has been around since the late 1800s. It is a well-known parlor entertainment
and is sold only as a game, according to the manufacturer. In 1967, the board
actually·‘outsold the game of Monopoly. The participants place their hands
on a sliding pointer which, ‘apparently by itself, moves to letters and num-
bers on the .board`to spell out messages. The actual movement of the pointer
comes from subconscious movements of the operators’ hands, but the
question is where the messages come from. Often they claim to come from
spirits.
Messages may also come through automatic writing or, in modem times,
typing or computer word processing. The individual experiences a slight
dissociation, and the message is written or typed_ without conscious volition. ‘
Another mode ofthe channeling process could be called an inner voice.
Messages, teaching, poetry, information, profound (or trivial) thoughts are
. spoken in a mental voice.
While in a light trance, the individual may feel inspired by another `
presence and speak words that come spontaneously. The early Christians
called this prophecy, a gift of the Holy Spirit. As the channel moves into a
deeper trance, similar to hypnosis, the individual’s personality moves aside .»
and another begins to appear until the other is predominant. This is similar
to possession states found in tribal societies and to divination and oracular
. ceremonies in which a deity is presumed to possess the speaker.
· 11

12 Examples of Exceptional Channeling with the Tongues of Men and Angels 13
HEALTH DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT ‘ The diagnosis and treatment were remarkable in that Cayce performed
_.  them at a distance. Sometimes the patients were in the- room or the same
We will now tum to abilities and skills that have manifested in a channel-  Z h0¤$e; usually, however, they were rrlhes ¤W¤Y, often Th0¤$¤r\d5 of rr1ile5·
ing mode, beginning with advice on health. The most famous psychic in l According to records, many or the diagnoses were confirmed, either by
America is probably Edgar Cayce, who was bom in 187’7 and died in 1943 . physicians or the individuals involved, and the remedies were reported to
(H. L. Cayce, 1964; Sugrue, 1945). He is best known for his clairvoyant Q  be effective, including some in which medical treatment up to that time had
readings on health. During his life, he gave about sixteen thousand readings ’  _. net been Successful- Some recent Clinical Work has et*ernPted *0 Connnn
for individuals, speaking while his conscious mind was in a trance state. j  ._ several of Cayce’s remedies, with some success (McGarey, .1970, 1983). A
Most of these readings were about health problems, diagnosing the person’s `Z   reeehr eXPerhr\er\rel $h1dY Suggests that Ceyeels 0hien‘Pre$€¤hed remedy cr
physical state and giving instructions for treatments (E. Cayce, 1970), Cayce   Q  castor oil packs may have value in stimulating the immune system·(Grady,
would be told the name of the individual, and he would describe what the ¥  · 1988). Unfortunately, there were no objective investigations of his work;
individual’s health conditions were. This might include heart and circulation . current study remains based on case transcripts and correspondence kept at
problems, nerve disorders, organ malfunctions, spinal misalignments (in ‘ the time. A study of 150 cases, selected randomly from the files, found that
the language of chiropractic), and nutritional needs. Cayce often referred to . correspondence from patients and physicians reported good results in 43
stress, exhaustion, overexertion, poor mental attitude, and the individual’s percent of the cases and negative results in 7 percent. For the remainder,
spiritual state, and so has been referred to as holistic. After his diagnosis, he  _ . there was no follow—up data (E. E. Cayce and H. L. Cayce, 1971). As the
would give recommendations for treatment. These were generally oriented  ‘ authors point out, however, some of the subjects of the readings were
toward natural remedies such as folk medicine, over-the-counter remedies,  __ present, and one cannot exclude the role of unconscious perception of some
herbal preparations, formulas for colds and eye disorders, and castor oil  . SYr¤Pt0rr\S-
packs for skin and circulation problems. He would also recommend ex-   Edgar Cayce was referred to by his own entranced self as a channel for
ercise, diet, and attitude change. We should note that he did not hesitate -to  ·_ higher consciousness- He said that the rnferrnenen Wes reserved by hrs
recommend surgery in certain cases, including one recommendation for Q subconscious mind from the subconscious minds of other people or from the
hjmsejp ;  Akashic Records. (In occult terminology, the impressions of all actions and
9 events on the skein of space-time are called the Akashic Records.)
  .   _ V u ‘ -‘  r Occasionally, an entity spoke through Cayce—the Archangel Michael, an
.   `.-`   `‘·»'     I · x >_  angel named Halaliel, and some_ spirits of the deceased. However, Cayce
·   . .— ° "?;_Q 1 . ‘  " consistently chose to use his own mind for the channeling state, rather than
   K,.   . - ` »_ allow other entities to speak. He said it was his own·subconscious that did
    ` »‘--` ?`  . the speaking.
   "   .·'e 1   Other channels have given health diagnoses. Mrs. Eileen]. Garrett’s
      ·‘r·`.   Q ·;g2§€i »·-e   , guide Abdul Latif claimed to be the spirit of a twelfth-century Arab physi-
  ie}; , j.li‘_‘ j          _ cian and often would diagnose physical and mental illness. In contemporary
i¥‘?}·*”` -‘~. i     “t`‘‘ Xe; W   e _’ - times, neurosurgeon C. Norman Shealey has called upon intuitive di-
  i j*~ L  J EF;     y agnosticians, including chamiels, for information on physical, emotional,
‘ _ `     _   ` 5  and spiritual aspects of illness (Shealy and Myss, 1988). The best ones, he
Navel   ni j Says, are more than 90 percent correct, even at a distance. Iasked Shealey if
gi. $   __   - `C there was a difference in accuracy between a channeled diagnosis and one
`     . · that was simply psychic, without an outside entity. Shealey said that the
  `'_' accuracy depends on the individual, not the method used.
__/ ”   I ·' ln recent years there has been much discussion of psychic surgeons. The
. ’   " _ best known of these are located in the lehilippines and Brazil. _These in-
.,/ { “ . _ dividuals claim to be possessed by spirits of doctors and carry out pro-
1 A cedures in which they seem to make incisions in a- patient’s body with their
Edgar Cayce, Americas most famous psychic, channeled health readings in a hypnotic trance. . bare hands, Pr0dl1Ci¤g blood and tissue, 0I' they pe1'f0I‘m minor operations

14 Examples of Exceptional Channeling With the Tongues of Men and Angels 15
without usual medical procedures. Careful observation of these practices . A ‘   I
has found them to be based on sleight of hand, with no paranormal aspects      .   li    
(Randi, 1982).   »—p·-   »‘:·,»=     `
LITERARY CREATION   t2— `   ‘·-‘ {lj (
The channeling mode stands out as a source of creative literature. The ‘ . ~ A.,;i$-if" E Q; it-gf *—_· gg. ·
British poet and artist William Blake was highly responsive to what he . si;-{`=.;¤,_   `.  1 E et_`   ·__" . Q 
termed spiritual perception. His major prophetic work, a long poem titled · '     _=__ Q QQ, _
jerusulem, apparently came to him entirely through the dictation of an inner ;1_; ‘._ `  
voice. He said he had written "from immediate Dictation, twelve or some- ` ’. ·~ \ E _-.”  
times twenty or thirty lines at a time, without Premeditation 8: even against `? : { g  _Q?_
my Will; the time it has taken in writing was thus render' d Non Existent, & Y 7.~   ‘d`· e _;§e
an immense_ Poem‘Exists which seems to be the Labour of a long Life, all _;,   _
produc’d without Labour or Study" (Wilson, 1971, p. 78). The authors of it, `   I
he said, were in eternity. lt was as though the material had been prepared _ ( V  
somewhere else and was being read off to Blake, a characteristic that has l `   ;_
been reported by most channels who are given written compositions. Q . V -   I _ ‘
At the bsglmllllg Of llls Poem Mlllonr Blake deliberately olllllvolod lrlsPlro' Pearl Curran of St. Louis received messages from the spirit of Patience Worth who dictated
tion from the Daughters of Beulah, muses on the third plane, for his writing. novels, stories, poems, and plays. ~
"Come into my hand," he wrote, "By your mild power descending down i
the Norvos or rllY rlglll orrrl Frorrl olll lllo Portals or mY bralrr Whore bY Your seconds. Here are two examples, the second one regarding people who
ministry The Great Eternal Humanity Divine planted his Paradise" (p. 78). Considered her not to bg r€a]_
Other authors have incorporated material from clianneling into their
writing. William Butler Yeats\(1938) based his mystic.- work,·A Vision, on ON FEAR
channeled messages from hiswife, who was a medium. ]ames’Merrill The shadow of valor,
(1982), a contemporary American poet, has used messages channeled The sheath of every sword.
through a Ouija Board as an integral part of his works, including the Book of _ And yet he who fears may plunge .
Ephraim and Mirabell’s B00ks of Number. His writings have received a Bollin— - Him headlong to the fray
gen Prize and a National Book Award. If he but love. -
The finest literary works produced by channeling came through Mrs. — He who fears ‘
Pearl Curran, a St. Louis, Missouri, housewife (Prince, 1927; Litvag, 1972). , Must love over his fearing,
She and some friends were experimenting with a Ouija Board in 1913, and a For love be the sun I
spirit came through claiming to be Patience Worth, an Englishwoman of the ` That dispels that shadow.
seventeenth century. ` (worth, [anuary 22, 1925, p. 1913)
Soon Mrs. Curran found the words coming directly into her rnind,- rather
than being spelled out on the board. Over the next twenty years, Patience PATIENCE WORTH
(as she came to be known) dictated award-winning poems, short stories, A Phahtem? Weel €¤<>¤gh,
and novels that were well reviewed. Her poetry was ranked with that of I°1`0V€ thyself t0 met
Amy Lowell, Edga Lee Masters, and others who are still widely known I $3}% behold, here I he- . __
today, though Patitence is largely forgotten. The poetry was blank verse, Buskinsr kirtle, Ca? artrl PottYsl<trlsi
generally romantic, and would not be in style today. But there are still some Ahd much tehguet
nice pieces. Patience usually composed spontaneously, being given a topic Weelr what hast their to Pr0Ve thee?
by one of the people in the room and beginning dictation within a few . (B'““d€» I98O» P- lss)

16 Examples of Exceptional Channeling With the Tongues of Men and Angels 17
Once she was asked for a poem for children to say at night, one more table talkin the same evening. There were rarely any changes or Corrections;
cheerful than "Now l lay me downto sleep, " with its images of falling and the material' came through in final form- The <11¤t¤¤°¤ was ¤°*eb1e 1°’ In
dying. She took a month to consider this, then composed the following. rapidity. In one evening session, Paeeuse dleteted @000 ‘”9“1S1°$1`t1" Sm?
` . Tale. (Another exampleof this process is the English automatic writer Geral-
a A CHILD’S PRAYER , dine Cummins, who could write 2000 words in an hour and a half.)_The
I, Thy child forever, play ` Patience Worth writ;ing"was ofgood quality; Iriowever, as is truelfor ordinary
About Thy knees at close of day. writing, not all channeled works meet_ the standard of a William-Blake. I
Within Thy arms l now shall creep _ have read many poems, parables, and essays that appeared to be expressive
And learn Thy wisdom while I sleep. of feelings and ideas relevant to the channel, but Wl'llCl.’\’€ltl`l€I` did not have
Arnen_ the universal qualitiesthat we expect of literature or whose composition was-
(wirrtli, lazy 31, 1919, p. 1913) simplydeficient. · `
Mrs. Curran wrote impressive novels and plays from dictation by Pa- MATHEMATICS: SRINIVASA RAMANUIAN
tience Worth. The Sorry Tale, published in 1916, was a 325,000-word epic i ` ‘ I - _ - _
story set in the time of Christ and was favorably reviewed by The New York One ofthe tnaior contributors-to modern nntnbet the°1fY 1n Inethemenes
Times., The novel Télka, a medieval idyll, was a 60,000-word play written in received-lorrnulas through   ¤h¢uu¤el1¤g.l>ro¤eS$- _Snn1‘fe$-e Rmnennlan
archaic dialect, with 90 percent of the words said to have Anglo-Saxon roots, _ (1887-1920) was a mathernat1Cal‘gen1t1S (Harman-and Rhelngoldl 1984)-
This is a remarkable feat because thewords in the works of Shakespeare are - He grew up in a small village m_Ind1a, poor and uneducated- At the 389 of
only 59 percent Anglo-Saxon in` origin, and the King james Bible is 77 sixteen, given an o¤t¢0t·dete-_.metnemene$ b9°1<» he 1een1ed· an of the
percent Anglo—Saxon in origin. Knowing which words have"Anglo-Saxon theorems, then Went forward on 1115 Own- EVenn1#Y» he Sent Some Ot tus
roots is a scholarly task, yet Patience did it without research, at least on this work to_ mathematicians in Englandtandzwas recognized as an outstanding
side. Not only that, most of the prose of Telka is in iambic pentameter verse rnathernatiical theorist-   . - ‘ - ‘ - ‘ -
(like the plays of Shakespeare). A third novel was Hope Trueblood, a novel . .. ~ e- . - - . ‘ -
about Victorian England, written, the dust jacket noted, "by a Pre-Victorian . -. ,___ ’ "
writer.” The reviews in- Great·Britain were favorable; most of the reviewers , _ ‘ · .   ` · -
assumed the book was written\by an English author rather than a spirit on * . - ‘   _l —. ` I ` · ‘ `
the other side of the Atlantic. `Patience wrote in a dialect that was bothi » " . · · //¢’/,4j*?_`·eg  - _ ‘
archaic and peculiar. Some of her obscure seventeenth-century words were . _ I · . . ‘   ’.g_€_ _,.._; _   _ . ‘ .
identified by scholars only after research. . _ - _ ‘ . ,  ll    - .e.·  M. .. ‘ - ·
Patience carried on lively conversations with . the Currans and their g t g i - ‘ - e I \ { t- - ‘ -
friends. She had a sharp tongue and did not hesitate to put people in their - - `, _ _       ‘ - _ ‘
place. Once, whenthe seance group tried to hurry her, she observed, "Beat - - ._ _ . . ` · ‘  : -_e. · ‘
the hound and lose the hare." Another time, when the company returned - . · . -- . -   l I ` - r t ‘ A-
from a refreshment break, she commented, ”Swilled enough, and still they i - " I " .
grunt for more!" ` _ -     _ _ .
On the theme ”Patient God/’ she said "Ah, God, I have drunk unto the - I _,_ _ i   » · . ·
dregs, and flung the cup at Thee! The dust of crumbled righteousness hath . - · . arf   — ,» - -. »
dried and soaked unto itself, e’en the drop I spilled to Bacchus, whilst Thou, _ - - ( V   '   l -
all-patient, sendest purple vintage for·a later harvest" (Slightly edited, from _ "¢· if
Worth, February 8, 1914, p. 62). When the group discussed this, Patience . - . ._   
said, ”Tish, tish, Ye d,riveleth!" _ ‘ . _ »   ._ . -
In these examples of written composition, there was usually nonstop _ . .   - ‘ - . - . --
dictation without any obvious composition process. Patience could also Sfinivese Ramuuufua, 4* ‘t’ri11¢mt mathemutirim teeetved number ’he"'e"1$·f""" Indie"
dictate chapters for each of two or three on-going novels plus poems and g°dd““5· _ ‘  

ta Examples of Exceptional Channeling With the Tongues of Men and Angels 19
Ramanujan said that he received many of his mathematical concepts from that the communicator, whoever it is, must draw on the knowledge of the
the Indian goddess Namagiri, a local deity, and from Saraswati, the deity of individual doing the channeling, and most persons channeling now and in
language,'song, and logic. The formulas given to Ramanujan were acknowl- the past, including UFO contactees, are not scientifically sophisticated.
edged to be brilliant. When Cambridge mathematician Godfrey Hardy saw
Ramanujan’s formulas, he said, "They must _be true, because if they were ( MUSIC
not true nobody could have had the imagination to invent them." In- ‘
terestingly, not all were correct when the proofs were worked out; some A number of respected musical compositions have come through the
were wrong. channeling process. The most famous is Giuseppi Tartini’s "Sonata in D for
Regarding the rest of science, I have reviewed channeled materials in Vi0lifl," named "The DeVi]'S $01’1ata-" Taftiht dreamed that the Devil Was his
astronomy, physics, evolution, geology, and various technical subjects. slave. He gave him the violin, and reported: "How great was my astonish-
There are rare correct predictions, but much discussion of scientific theories, ment when I heard him play with consummate skill a sonata of such
mostly appearing to be extrapolatjons of ideas of the time. Onhspe, published exquisite beauty as surpassed the boldest flights of my imagination. I felt
in 1882, discusses cosmic vortexes, the planets, creation of races, space 3 enraptured, transported, enchanted: my breath was taken away and I
ships, angels, and other topics. A description of one vortex in the 990-page I awoke. Seizing my violin I tried to retain the sounds I had heard. But it was
volume has been taken to describe the Van Allen radiation belt around the all in vain. The piece I then composed, ’The Devil’s Sonata,’ was the best I
earth. Iacob Lorber- (1800-1864), a German prophet (Eggenstein, 1973), ever wrote, but how far below the one I had heard in my dream" (Harman
wrote of what we would call galaxies and supergalaxies, revolving around and Rheingold, 1984). This is not exactly the same as directchanneling, but
central suns. He gave the lifespan of elementary particles to be one trillionth seems quite close to the process.
of a second, reasonably correct. Andrew ]acl<son Davis (1875) predicted in We can now turn to Rosemary Brown, an English psychic, who one day
The Principles of Nature, first written in March 1846, the discovery or an in the 1960s discovered Franz Liszt standing by her piano in spirit form
eighth planet. The eighth planet, Neptune, was discovered in September (Brown, 1971, 1974). Since then, Liszt, Chopin, Beethoven, Schumann, and
1846, but its presence had been hypothesized for several years, Other data other composers have dictated musical compositions to her which have been
about Neptune, such as its satellites, diameter, and composition were off the put in print by recognized music publishers (Brown, 1977, 1978, 1980). One
mark. Davis also described a ninth planet, and Pluto was discovered in 1933. phonograph album (Brown, 1970) has been recorded. Mrs. Brown has
The Uruntia Book (1955) includes extensive descriptions of the. creation of our minimal musical training, and the compositions are often dictated an ele-
solar system, evolution ofclife, human races, social institutions, and history. . ment at a time, which musicians tell me is tedious and difficult. The style
These are described as if froin the vantage point of outside entities helping and form are very rriuch like those of the composers. As musical pieces, they
the Earth to develop. More recently, Andrija Puharich (1974) received mes- are short and usually not complex, but some have been judged quite good.
sages from the Nine, which included one or two theoretical formulae in Musicologists have studied these pieces, and there is a case to be made that
physics. However, they do not appear to have scientific meaning. Stuart these are genuine transmissions (Parrott, 1978). Such compositions could be
Edward White (1940) in The Unabstructed Universe received reconceptualiza- written by musicians trained in composition, but they are beyond Mrs.
tions of the principles of the universe such as, "The essence of Time is Br0wn’s capability in terms of her experience, training, and knowledge of
Receptivity . . . the essence of Space is Conductivity , , , the essence of the technicalities of composition. Why are the composers’ spirits doing this?
Motion is Frequency" (p. 107). These appeared to be thought experiments I They Say that they ata tt'Yth8 th Shaw that thaY Stttt ttxtat ahd that ttta
designed to expand the thinking of the recipients. Messages purporting to — continues after death. This Case will be diSC11SSed m0re in Chapter 16-
come telepathically from UFO occupants often have ·scientific information, Another example of channeled music is that of contemporary American
but, to my knowledge, none of these have proved to be technically or harpist Ioel Andrews, who performs music said to come from Saint Ger-
theoretically useful. t ·_ main, the Elohim, and other advanced masters (Andrews, 1989). When I
Overall, in the scientific areas, channels have provided very little useful visited him, Andrews told me that the skill and composition of the music is
information. The material seems to emerge from the point of progress of beyond what he could do himself. He says that he receives the music in four
science at the time of writing, perhaps with some extrapolation or modifies- ways: auditorily, he may hear chords or notes; visually, he may find his eyes
tion. Creativity in science is more frequently reported to come from hun- _ focusing on particular strings; kinesthetically, his hands may automatically
ches, intuitions, and dreams, rather than channeling. If it occurs, it is not move toward certain strings; and verbally, he may hear words telling him
publicly discussed, perhaps understandably. It also seems to be the case the key signature or other information.

20 Examples of Exceptional Channeling With the Tongue! cf MED md A¤s¤l¤ 21
There have been several cases of musical mediums who played im- . . . . L ~ . .
provised piano music, presumably under the control of spirits who included - A _ · `· . V
Liszt, Thalberg, and Chopin. These are described in the Encyclopaedia of ` Af-~     V, A.
Psychic Science, edited by Fodor (1966), and the similar encyclopedia by   A_ r A A   -;   V   '1[   = T   -
Leslie Shepherd (1984). Listeners who had actually heard some of the     A A _;—.’l.`_ Q}?   ` A `       . .- -    
performers while living were impressed with the performances. e ·_ V-¥`.f·'? ,' 3   5 V A?   7. `_l`_   _.‘- »   , e   Y i  · _.__     ‘ A _
Turning to painting, William Blake said that he drew upon his spiritual ‘   i .  ..     V 4     A..A   r'`T i   `i_·A       B I     V n-°    
vision to see angels and spirits, and his notebooks are filled with heads and V “ ( Q A A _ }"f‘_;A.;AAA_;V}_ A~____.  f,i:A§ ·.’l_         `- V . 5 Y ` . g_-3; ·
figures of these visions. To a critic who said that these came from his own A » . A r   ‘‘·"   `·  A' FI * i T ° `
mind, B1¤1€¤ ¢<>mm¤¤t¤d, "H¤w very A¤><i¤¤S R€y¤¤1dSiS t¤ DiS1¤r¤v€ & = ' ·     `i`‘ I L           . - ·
Contemn [sic] Spiritual Perception!" (Wilson, 1971, p. 79). The contempo- A AA  ;*A`   ·—"`   `°‘‘ ` `A.; i   ·:   QA ~ A -,    
rary Brazilian medium Luiz Gasparetto channels paintings said to come D.   G ‘,..   AY}?  , if "  
. . .   .. ·   it*-;·¤.3é{x;=;eV;;vreqé ·   ‘   ·· .   `
from deceased artists Degas, Picasso, van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Toulouse- A     A     A_ . g. AA.; A;    
Lautrec, and others (Dubugras, Gasparetto, and Espiritos Diversos, 1979; ` A _.·_   . "?i7?¤__   .-l·   .—`·{ _     '-‘.‘ T"]; 
Gaetani, 1986).AGasparetto goes into a light trance, takes pastels or acrylics, - gl     Ai   AA     1AAr _<rA ?A§Aj 7 ;jj`A·Qe._l* AAjr{:A.
then sketches very rapidly, doing. some pictures in three to five minutes,   _{.§¤s     A  `  f ·.._’     i  
others in an hour. He often does this in a darkened room, sometimes with   l - `“.·‘ 2*.   A   _   _ A   A»‘;AAA.·-i‘ -;
the paper upside down, sometimes with both hands working on drawings     A   - .~_.   ‘ j   °Z_ A —A.’ —   ‘AAAe A  ;g
simultaneously, and even with his feet. ::5;}    .·-. ?`¤;?_,_ _ -V P$=‘  A · ` ._ L  
i _ "' ( a _ V L  ; _`.r’,.> j .       ” L i L  .*f.   il`l Q T     (Q :   l· L  
.       . e   ‘>i— »   V   e‘`* "       _‘..l   ..
l‘·’ ~..   c   - A i V   ·i=‘ il   [ —   '
-   -   ‘· 1   »‘.- . >   · 1 e .
  - AV..;_ %AA A   {Q1; 41 __ , A - . _ . .
· ` *' 4 · ·r   hd!-al ` · .`
‘“       ¤' r   ; ._·.-.·   . V— .·..    
. -_‘.     ,,¤§.’  ¤   ·  -‘-rl- ~*""*l   A   · ‘ " ‘·‘l·   ’‘‘‘   " " ‘ ‘ ‘
"   "   A Degas painting channeled by Gasparetto.
Luiz Gasparetto, Brazilian medium, channels paintings and sketches from well—kn0wn, V
deceased artists. - A

Emmplcs Ul Excepllmml Channeling With the Tongues of Men and Angels 23
The drawin s certainl reflect th t l ft ‘ · · an
not been judggd by expgts for the ensoyeeselbtléecplaintars, ttl;ougl1theYhave  · There have been other mediums who hav€ Prodklced Paintings and
Th bu. . . . · . . mc gills Cs_O the amstS‘ 3 drawings credited to spirits. As with Gasparetto, these were often produced
e a ity to paint this rapidly and under difficult condition ‘ I `
_ S1SSt1’1l<lIlg.AS . · · · · · -
wlth Mrs Bmwnrs music the painters Sa that thmu h G _  _ very rapidly, in darkness, sometimes with both hands, and so on. (See
intent is to Prove that there is survival ofydeath. g asparettol their l F¤<1e=:-196§¢ amlEl5heph€rd’ 1.98* for examplesl -
    _r_· >—;c. <;;j.s_;;:         K g.,,   ~ ._ _       , f" RELIGION AND PSYCHOLOGY
Aer., ·~—  ? ZS ':·,-??‘?’;?¥'.T`._Q.·r‘“:   ...;`.·~i’.’ ' `     Il.-—,'$;$·£‘->"`?.¤=*’ "-:7-;§? ·‘‘l   V . -· . · _ ' " ·
··.· .¥Ti1?.Q`Yl ·_-. ._e-.e. . ·_·¥¤    TQ <·‘I··  .;-i‘i_,..»¢.e»’_ L. »-.. »   
?£?§;§¤‘:¥ij.—-; .Q-; ‘_·.  e.:·i·,rr_`....  ZT.   ‘   ( j ‘ “—-.>{;:&·TTj'-.    f _ Man messa es from the channelin rocess can be categorized as s ir- -
T. __ . . .;_. _.   ..,     .-- _.   __,» . _, . __ .... _.   .    Y . 8 _ . _ SP P
  ;,1_i_·r,j;* ;   “___ ··   r. r  ar;  .   .‘,- r   ; itual teachings. Generic New Age platitudes are frequent, but a few. com-
igj’t_ji;·e;. .1;-;'»;?jfQ;_,a..r_t_`i.?;<;Q;;_{;g,-=;·i,    jg,  · munications areguite sophisticated systems of psychological or spiritual
    ~·—i   ‘ V _ _. ___.   { development. Thereis ample precedent for channeled-religious teaching,
    G"   ` since this process of receiving information and teaching from sources out-
    _·-.-;·. V__—-, 2       ggtéat  g§‘¥gpf_,.*‘t _   _ s-identhe self is a form_of revelation found in many traditions.
 If  "‘           example of a current channeled spiritual teaching is A Course ih
mx ·.—.·=‘-   ’~~ ·.... -"`f#r<'-+.%6'  `*’ we gjgws t  ·»;~._· .i·» ir r V . ` ' - ` .. .- _ . ‘ . . ·· - . .
.2;; . rj; tt ___.*__  I     . _ at --._ —     · M1racles_(198§a, 1985b, 1985c). The material was dictated by an inner voice to
  U .    _ · . Er. !   ‘ Dr. Helen Schucrnan, an `academic psychologist. The speaker eventually
"?-._?;ftjt?;y‘j:_;l     - ,` $  ·   -‘ nf; . Z" ` ;   L , identified himself as ]esus, much to the embarrassment of the recipient, who
Eg    `*' l if' ·t‘*‘: »j    V . * ` _ ‘   _ considered herselfto be an_atheistic ]ew. The dictation could stop in mid-
?g.{;_- ' Tfrl 7 I ‘· 'jéylj ;_.._,     e-’· ~   ; Qt     sentence 'and_begin’at thejsame point days or weeks later; The Course has a
j_;_Tj{     QQQ7 QL ,;;—’ -   »*`'       ` complexfinterloclging structure that leads one to believe that it was com-
 ?.i"*°‘*   l...».I-   · Y ”   ‘» ·“"*‘”· d 'th th · tir "ch e" in mind It is so histjcated Us cholo 'call
.i _____ __p,.»‘_. c_,;»_/1,e;.;jg.   ·_;==¤%, _ 1 _ X. r ._ pose_ wi e en Ie s __em· __ rr _ p ` _ __ p y gl y
 °'_;;§..h · ,;.__‘   l §`z=   and is a system of conceptsand practices thatare intended to transform
  .`.e         ‘ I : §;T; arr;.E.£.!r perceptionand personality; Since itsi`publication"ini1975, 700,000 copies
    `   l°l'l_§.'¥l`l _ E _ ’ v_       ·= have been published. Interestingly,-like some of the writing by Patience
  ._   ··..‘ _ T_j_ r _   _ yi; ,1 1  g iéré ,  . Worth, many pages of the -prose are in subtle iambic p£'f1tameter, as though
·  Urn'} I    — ga  {ill   I Q      __ ‘ whoever wrote it did not have enough to do, so they put-it into verse also.
  j lj " 1 _   ’_   `      . The material is inthree v01t;mea,ia text, a set of lessons, and a manual for
  ` ¤ .. L _ "   W rl;   __ A _       I teachers. The textdeals with salvation; guilt, love, fear, judgment, atone-
{fg} ~ ·— ..     jjA-j.j;_,r;`<.’;.?-" A · .1  l     _ ment, and other elements of spiritual life, usually_ -w1th a psychological
g 5 r -.   - _ {yr ‘’'» cirf ‘-‘i .  as v-_e   A  v_     flavor. Here is a sample on "change.” -- ‘__‘ -
 -7*   · Z i ··.‘.i ······ . 2 · i-     · - .
.  gt   ·   » .1*  tj   X.   —.   ...__ ;    _ _ . _ _
  arr. `\\__-`-U J e. --   . . ge., ..._ _ _ __ y—»e¤... _   ,g;_._;;*q --__·_;.;i¤;_¢__ Many stand guard over their ideas because they want to protect their
 · >   I   ‘   it   l   V f-I   - lll?   L   _ ` thought systems as they are, and learning means change. Change is always
e g 3,}   "”*·‘ji'ig';’”»·g ‘ _ i- _‘   ek;     -   ___,: `     . Q fearful to the separated,. because they cannot conceive of it as a move toward
  (In .   < ·;‘$=.: _ _ A   - _·     . healing the separation. They always perceive it as a move toward further
Y.    ,___     _,._ I    .     separation, because the separationwas their first experience of change. You
  -.2     I  . , Q  .     M   — believe that if yotilallow no change to enter into your ego you will find peace
  ````   Y \Yl°lr·.“`€`   .   `‘i` *2.. Q°”l‘:$?°*'"a.1*~·’”'Z.·~·*i"l` I- (1985a . 45). ` " l l
 r      ·= P · _
    "·   ‘ ' ‘ “  ¢=  ., (#*5  ` rr    _ ___   An excerpt from lesson 188, "The Peace of God is Shining in Me Now/’
  xr; 1.  w`   T "  . eg   which is a guided meditation, reads: "Why wait for heaven? Those who seek
T       r;_ . \  ’   .·»'   `Q '  ‘   ` the light are merely covering their eyes. The light is in them now. Enlighten-
A van Gogh still life transmitted through Gasparetto. l _ nél .4. an Q lnent is but a recognition notna Change at aull l1985b’ p'   This excerpt is
. rn rough iambic pentameter, though the verses are not tied to·the sentences. -

24 E"¤¤1Pi°$ Pi E><¤eP¤i¤¤¤i Channeling with the reiigiies or Men and Angels ee
The Course is the most systematic spiritual system that has come through COMMENTS
a channeling mode. There are many who study its teachings individuallyor l _ _ . _ - _
in small groups. A recent survey of readers of Common Boundary, a publica- In these Channeling cases, we can observe several Ch¤f¤€i¢1'i$d€$ W°¥ihY
tion oriented toward psychotherapists interested in spirituality, listed the _ ef eOiiSjdei§uon_ First, there are a variety of skills demonstrated that come
volumes of the Course as the most influential book they have read] ` from Oiiiside the Congcigjtjs mjntj of theperson) including musical composi-
There are other modern channeled teachings that present spiritual and ` tion, health diagnosis] -mathematics/. Painting, literary composition, and
psychological teachings. The material channeled by jane Roberts from a reiigieue teaching These are specific and organized, _purposeful,_ and di- I
personality named Seth is well known (Roberts, 1970). It emphasizes that reetedt toward an audience, These comrnunications_ usually come from- a
the mind is not limited to the conscious ego'. Exercises and techniques are I Personality or source of consciousness. They may come only as an inner
given to expand the consciousness of the self into a larger reality. Another i voieej Oi the_souiee_may` give a name or identification- ‘ i __
spiritual program was presented by Alice A. Bailey, an Englishwoman who R l Second, the creation of the _ dmaterial is effortless,_ immediate, and
wrote twenty volumes of esoteric material said to beninner dictation from a i Spontaneous, with np apparent consciousconstructionlof thelmaterial. The
Tibetan master (A. Bailey, 1922). Both the Seth writings and the Bailey 4 j_1·idividua13PP9nfS`fObé arecipient, rather than a_partic1pant,.in the produc-
teachings have afollowing of study groups and institutions thatare devoted tigni though the person may be very active in_ using the information or
to the material. Later chapters will examine channeled spiritual and psycho- _ developing the material. For example, Iane Roberts wrote several books
i08i€¤i 5Y5i?m5 m0F€ iui1Y· - -' herselfexpanding on the_ channeled material   Seth. t th lével Of ex
l I A third characteristic is that some o t e s s are a e . _ ’
_ . ` ce` tional human ca abilities, such as_complex literary composition, the
GARDENING AND COMMUNITY miiltiple evening dicijations of Patience Worth, and the claitvgyargltpgfgg-
- . ---· ivi e ,
Meeeesee <m beth meeheel =-me epmmel mehem here eeme thmesh the mi °f C°Y°°? they fi? be iii thi liziliof Eiiigliii gi; qliiiliues.
ehermeims-p¤¤eeee`i¤ membem bf e emeiieemmemti et Fmdhem» m - th°“g1i-the Peisgns ·- ani`? mi- ?-imaiigg iiiaaiiieiipii, or dir ethical and
iiqithem siietiiiiia (Hawken, 1975).- iii the-early.-1960s, ieeteidiid Eileen g _ F9F“*h». *1**** .¥S-*‘tf°?’S¥3§ ° ;“ 2-esdof teh bus Prophets; ami ieiigioiis
Caddy and Dorothy MacLean began hearing inner guidance eoi-ning from * igxlgggsnamfei Sim 65.. B m. SS 3 . $1 -
the devas, or angels of the forces ot nature. These devasigave instructions on - - _ . . ‘ _ _ _ -- . ‘ · t gse Cases are not
eeeeeeeteee heme eee in he eh-ii“§‘i§i;Pi*i'e1tie*§r°“¢ dbetii s iii?i?§E’$$-iyiiiiiidiit ¥`i$i§“§;“$}§d§ii§m§§E¥§§iZ“ii§§iii.Y iidividiidi.
Composting,   . of planting; thinning, e f ` ation, an scaping, an; _ .. _ -· _ . _ '· -_ 1 . - ded information,
other- praeticeswere explained to the group, who knew little about th€Se i i Other eeeee.giee1e biligteiaigegisitxgsggofggehgiggogiitempeiaql but
eubieete Under the iI!$'d`dCd°hS df the deiiee and dame Spiiitsl the}, ieemed ‘ lcieasa and gm ginger h-·-Q ade of ability cultural contribution, and
to be senaitive-to the energies of plants, to talk to them, and to developa _ h1S'{9¥`{°?1_?dS°$- SO S T: a   . zig evidehhthat this Process Of Channep
1'€idd°¤$iliP· *9 the 11ee<iS·<>f d@idYd¥.·Th€ dsimdshidg Yeddiis were ASYOPS ef l doclal Impact. Whii°V°ii ziiilglql ta t contributions to our knowledge
fruit and vegetablesandbeds of flowers and herbs that were large, healthy i 1113 h¤$ the €¤P¤b1i1iY 0 m mg imPdr “
and exceptionally productive for thesandy soil and location. ‘ — ` end °XP°n°n°€‘ ·
` Along with the horticultural advice; there were messages of spiritual _ `
inspiration ernphasizing the oneness of iiaaire and humanityand-the `quali- ~
tiesiof attunement and iaugiimiint with these values (Caddy, 1976). There ·  
was more to cultivate than just the plants; the group gradually increased in
size, as other seekers joined it. It became aspiritjually based community,
withthe members individually and as a groupreceiving inner guidance on
community organization and decisions. The original founders eventually
left, but thecommunity continues, attempting to provide a model for living . _
and workingltogettier-ii1.harniony witheach other and with nature- (Find- _
horn Community, 1976; Popenoe and Popenoe, 1984). Here is a case in _ '_
which the channeling process has contributed to a social institution, one ‘ `
  considers itself a center of light in the w_orld. ` ‘ _

THE EXPERIENCE OF SPIRITUAL INTELLIGENCE
Natti Ronel, Ph.D.
Ramat Gan, ISRAEL
ABS T RACT· This paper focuses on spirituality as part of a broad understanding of intelligence
and the inquiry into human abilities. Based on a theistic approach, spiritual intelligence is perceived
as an ability to understand the world and oneself through God-centeredness and to adapt one’s life
accordingly. It is a basic ability that shapes and directs all other abilities. Relying on the personal
experience of known spiritual authors and lay people, several attributes of spiritual intelligence,
such as faith, humility, gratitude, integrative ability, the ability to regulate emotions, morality and
the ability for moral conduct, and the ability for forgiveness and love, are portrayed in a non-
inclusive description. Spiritual intelligence is considered as developmental in nature, built through
the accumulation of separate experiences, as manifestations of spiritual intelligence appear in an
individual’s life in an increasing manner. An illustrative example of spiritual intelligence in action is
provided.
Key words: faith, God-centeredness, human abilities, morality, spiritual intelligence.
INTRODUCTION
The study of human potential, abilities, and performance is the center of
interest of various disciplines such as religion, philosophy, and sociology. Since
the beginning of the twentieth century, modern psychology has attempted to
lead this study and provide what is considered a scientific measurement of
human intelligence, based on empirical data (Nevo, l997). However, one may
argue that the choice of data and the methods of measurement mostly reflect
the researcher’s basic assumptions about the nature of human potential and
abilities. Hence, the definition of intelligence and the scope and methods of its
measurement have varied and multiplied in time.
In his widely published book, Emotional Intelligence, Goleman (1997)
succeeded in bringing emotional intelligence e a concept previously presented
by Salovey and Mayer (l989—90) — into the discourse of lay people, as a means
of understanding real-life issues. Similarly, I will attempt to describe the
relationship between intelligence, spiritual faith, and a spiritual way of life, as a
real-life issue central to people and cultures all over the world.
The term "spirituality" covers a broad spectrum of meanings and many
definitions. In the current paper, I have chosen to adhere to a theistic approach
to spirituality, based on faith in God. Being aware that different people from
different backgrounds and at different times understand God differently, I will
E-Mail: roneln@mail.biu.ac.il
I wish to thank Ms. Deborah Shechter, Ms. Monica Broido and Ms. Tammy Berkowitz for their help with the
English, Dr. Ernie Kurtz for his helpful contribution, and Mr. Shlomo Kalo for his generous guidance.
Copyright © 2008 Transpersonal Institute
100 The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 2008, Vol. 40, N0. I

attempt here to address the common denominator within this variety, that is,
the perception of God as sacred, transcendent, supreme, and ultimate. Within
this framework, spirituality is understood as the quest for the sacred
(Pargament, 2007), a concept that may address some aspects of the non-
theistic approach to spirituality, such as Buddhist spirituality, as well
(Goleman, 2005). Consequently, I will attempt to apply the notion of
intelligence to the discussion of theistic spirituality by re—introducing "spiritual
intelligence" (to be defined later) 4 a term previously described by Emmons
(1999, 2000), as well as others (e.g., Halama & Strizenec, 2004; Noble, 2000) -
and to analyze its contribution to the understanding of human potential,
abilities, and performance.
My aim here is to present spirituality as a basic quality from which certain
skills or capacities arise. As already mentioned, my emphasis is theistic, i.e.,
that I understand spirituality in relation to God, but without adherence to any
religious specification of God. In a non—inclusive description I will portray
various attributes of spiritual intelligence, such as faith, humility, gratitude,
integrative ability, the ability to regulate emotions, morality and the ability for
moral conduct, and the ability for forgiveness and love. I will show how these
virtues construct distinct, applicable, and adaptive ability. I will then discuss
the development of spiritual intelligence, basing my arguments on results from
research on the development of domains that are connected to the spiritual
such as moral development, faith development, and so forth. Before the
conclusion, an example of the experience of spiritual intelligence will be
presented.
WHAT is THE NATURE OF INTELLIGENCE?
Within psychology, there are several diverse, conflicting ways of understanding
intelligence. A prominent controversy refers to the generality of intelligence 4
does intelligence represent a general, core ability, named g (Carroll, 1997), or is
it an umbrella term for different, loosely related abilities that construct
multiple intelligences (Gardner, 1995)? A second controversy refers to the level
on which intelligence is based 4 is it a representation of a physiological function
of the brain neurons that defines one’s potential and abilities (Eysenck, 1994),
or is it a function of complex cognitive mechanisms not reducible to the realm
of biology (Anderson, I992)? Another debate relates to the domain of
intelligence: Is intelligence a mental, purely cognitive function (Cantor &
Harlow, 1994; Gardner, 2000; Hunt, 1997), or is it connected to other human
domains, such as emotional content (Mayer & Salovey, 1993; 1997; Salovey &
Mayer, l989490)?
The last controversy relevant here is whether values, beliefs, and attitudes play
a role in defining and studying intelligence — is intelligence a morally neutral
ability for processing information and its context (Gardner, 1999), or is it
connected to personal virtues and moral conduct (Chiu, Hong, & Dweck, 1994;
Sternberg & Kaufman, 1998)?
The Experience 0f Spiritual Intelligence 101

Apart from these controversies, there are also commonly held views about
intelligence (Nevo, 1997; Sternberg & Kaufman, 1998); namely, that
intelligence is related to a basic potential ability or abilities and to
performance, and that it is connected to the acquisition and processing of
knowledge. This basic ability or abilities guide people in adapting to and
understanding the world.
THE STUDY OF SPIRITUAL INTELLIGENCE
Previous Studies
Gardner (e.g., 1995) established the concept of multiple intelligences that
represent distinctively different human abilities. Emmons’ work (1999) took it
further, to include the spiritual as a distinct intelligence. According to Emmons
(2000), specific abilities and competencies construct spiritual intelligence and
may guide adaptive problem solving. He offered five characteristics that may
illustrate spiritual intelligence: (a) an ability for transcendence; (b) an aptitude
for reaching spiritual states of consciousness; (c) penetration of the sacred into
everyday performance; (d) service of the spiritual as a resource for problem
solving; and (e) the capacity to be virtuous, internally and in behavior. In a
qualitative study of the spirituality of nine adults, Noble (2000) confirms these
five characteristics, but adds two more: (a) "the conscious recognition that
physical reality is embedded within a larger, multidimensional reality with
which we interact" (Noble, 2000, p. 3); and (b) the search for psychological
health of oneself as well as of others.1
Responding to Emmons (2000), Mayer (2000) questions whether one might
speak of spiritual intelligence or consciousness, while Gardner (2000) opposes
the inclusion of the spiritual as an intelligence, pointing to the need to
differentiate between intelligence as ability and its use in various domains,
including the spiritual. At that time, Gardner included the spiritual function
within a distinct existential intelligence, although he later admitted that the
criteria for separate intelligences are judgmental rather than an algorithmic
conclusion (Gardner, 2003). On the other hand, Halama and Strizenec (2004)
argue that the spiritual and existential are separate intelligences, although they
may overlap. Kwilecki (2000) agrees with Emmons that spirituality may
represent a distinct mode of adaptation and claims that spirituality represents a
different-than—secular understanding of values and aims in life.
Although spiritual intelligence is a relatively new concept, different authors
view it entirely differently. Zohar & Marshall (2001), for example, reduce
Gardner’s multiple intelligences to represent three basic intelligences:
intellectual, emotional, and spiritual. The spiritual is the core intelligence that
describes the ability to solve problems that relate to values, vision, and
meaning. According to these authors, creativity is a major aspect of spiritual
intelligence, and spiritual processes are manifested in physiological ones.
Halama and Strizenec (2004) review other diverse comments and views about
spiritual intelligence. For example, Sinetar (2000), cited in Halama & Strizenec
102 The Journal of Truhspersomzl Psychology, 2008, Vol. 40, N0. I

(2004), understands spiritual intelligence as inspired thinking within the general
context of creative talent. MacHovec (2002), cited in Halama & Strizenec
(2004), emphasizes the broad cross-cultural context of spiritual intelligence and
considers it as a general sign of personality, while Bowling (1999), in Halama &
Strizenec (2004), defines spiritual intelligence as knowledge of the sacred.
Vaughan (2002), however, argues that spiritual knowledge must be expressed
in the world through wisdom, compassion, and action: "Integrating spiritual
intelligence means living in accordance with one’s core beliefs" (p. 31). On the
same line, Kass and Lenox (2005) conclude that when individuals practice life
as an agent for spiritual growth they achieve their full choice of human
potential. The centrality of spiritual intelligence to individuals’ lives is also
expressed in the conception of Rogers and Dantley (2001), who view spiritual
intelligence as the root of thinking, which precedes any accepted sets,
structures, or categories of thinking. Wolman (2001) continues this notion,
while emphasizing the manifestations of spirituality and spiritual intelligence in
everyday activities and relationships. This perspective of spiritual intelligence
as a lived experience is one that frames this article.
Approach 0f this Inquiry
Since its early days (e.g., James, 1984), the psychological study of both
religion and spirituality has presented knowledge acquired through personal
experience (Richards & Bergin, 1997; Slife, Hope, & Nebeker, 1999).
Accordingly, this inquiry into spiritual intelligence is based mainly on
different sources of experiential knowledge (Borkman, 1990), that is,
knowledge acquired through personal experience of theistic spirituality.
Different religions and spiritual traditions and different people understand
the term "theistic spirituality," as well as the image of God, differently. Here,
however, I attempt to avoid any theological discussion or metaphysical
disagreement, and to target common meanings based on the diverse personal
experiences of people who follow a spiritual way of life. The focus of my
discussion is subjective personal experience, based on subjective personal
definition and narrative. Consequently, while they are diverse, all the sources
describe personal experiences. The first source is the personal accounts of
famous spiritual leaders such as Gandhi (Settel, 1995), Julian of Norwich
(1997), St. Ignatius (Puhl, 1951), John of the Cross (1991), St. Augustine
(2004), and others. I attempted here to follow what I perceive as the common
essence of these influential thinkers, i.e., the central role of the spirit in most
if not any human experience. Therefore, their writing is reflected throughout
the entire text. The second source is the teachings of a widely known
contemporary spiritual master from Israel — Shlomo Kaloz (see, e.g., Kalo,
2005). Finally, I learned from the real-life experience of many individuals
whose struggle for spirituality I have witnessed following 15 years of studying
followers of different 12—step programs (Ronel & Humphreys, 199942000;
Ronel & Libman, 2001), running ongoing experiential courses on profes-
sional implementation of the 12—step program, as well as working as a
therapist in public and private settings (e.g., Ronel, 2008; Ronel & Claridge,
The Experience 0f Spiritual Intelligence 103

1999). The 12—step ideology stresses the personal understanding and
experience of theistic spirituality, which is also expressed here.
SPIRITUAL INTELMGENCE IN PRAcrrcE
As already established, there are many different definitions of spirituality and
how it is represented in one’s life (Emmons, 1999; Richards & Bergin, 1997;
Noble, 2000). From a theistic perspective, however, according to Kalo: "A
spiritual purpose is e to expose spiritual thinking, spiritual feeling, spiritual will;
to become entirely liberated from the secular, that is .... to be for God and for
God only" (1993, p. 29). Accordingly, the spiritual action "is but the purification
of your mind and the achievement of self—mastery on the way of awakening to see
and to know yourself as an inseparable part of The Eternal. And this is gained by
devotion to God and confidence in Him" (Kalo, 1999a, p. 80).
According to Kurtz & Ketcham (1992), "spirituality is, above all, a way of life"
(p. 68). Theistic spirituality is a basic intention directed towards God and consists
of an inner struggle (Ronel, 2000). Following Kalo’s recurring theme (e. g., 1991),
this struggle is characterized by an endeavor to purify one’s mind. This view of
spirituality acknowledges that there is a "dark side of the soul" and a conflict
between the ego and the yearning for God (Kurtz, 1999). Human spiritual
development is therefore a confrontation with one’s "dark side" and an immense
struggle to purify oneself from the other side, based on free will. In Kalo’s (1999a)
words, "One of the most important, independent spiritual acts that a sincere
spiritual person should at all times, always, assiduously perform and never
abandon in any circumstances, is the removal of non-spiritual elements from
oneself, that is, to constantly and uncompromisingly depart from anything that
has the odor of the ego" (p. 140). This view is also mirrored in Alcoholics
Anonymous’ 12—step approach, in which alcoholism is perceived as rooted in self-
centeredness and recovery is attained while struggling for a higher power
according to one’s understanding of this power (Alcoholics Anonymous, 1976;
Kurtz, 1999; Miller & Kurtz, 1994). A similar line of thinking is found in St.
Ignatius’ spiritual exercises: "We call Spiritual Exercises every way of preparing
and disposing the soul to rid itself of all inordinate attachments, and, after their
removal, of seeking and finding the will of God in the disposition of our life for
the salvation of our soul" (Puhl, 1951, p. 1).
In the theistic approach, the spiritual struggle is based on spiritual knowledge
related to God and the yearning for God. This knowledge leads one beyond the
"darkness" of the ego and the everyday routine. Different people, in different
circumstances, display different abilities to gain this knowledge. The ability to
spiritually know, or the ability to yearn for such knowledge, produces the
ability to choose and to adjust one’s life accordingly. When the latter is
activated, any other abilities of the individual are put in the service of the
spiritual, which is the main struggle in life. Step 11 of AA states this clearly:
"Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with
God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and
the power to carry it out" (Alcoholics Anonymous, 1965, p. 96).
104 The Journul of Trunspersonul Psychology, 2008, Vol. 40, N0. I

What I have discerned here that may define spiritual intelligence is a
fundamental and general ability that may present itself in any domain of life.
Spiritual intelligence is an experience-based ability to understand the world and
ourselves through God-centeredness: an ability to long for, to realize and to
know God, to recognize and to choose the way towards God in all
circumstances, as well as to detect self-centeredness and the manifestations
of the ego in various situations, and to adapt the life accordingly.
From this proposed definition of spiritual intelligence, it can be inferred that
the higher a person’s ability to perceive and understand through God-
centeredness, the less he or she is influenced by self-centeredness and ego. As
Miller (2005) stated, "there is a higher standard, an ideal, an intended nature
for human beings that exists apart from context and human thought" (p. 17).
Spiritual intelligence may assist one to see things as they are, free from self-
distortions (Vaughan, 2002). The essential similarities among the theistic
spiritual teachings of different people at different times and places (see, e.g.,
Kurtz & Ketcham, 1992) support this claim. The following description of the
attributes of spiritual intelligence, based on different spiritual sources, also
exemplifies these similarities.
THE NATURE or SPIRITUAL INTELLIGENCEZ A THEISTIC PERSPECTIVE
Different people experience multiple ways of realizing and knowing God, as
well as various ways of struggling against their self-centeredness. However, the
ability to adapt these apparently different ways to the spiritual quest is a
fundamental one. "Spirituality permeates to the very core of our human be-in,
affecting the way we perceive the world around us, the way we feel about the
world, and the choices we make based on our perceptions and sensations"
(Kurtz & Ketcham, 1992, p. 68). Similarly, Pargament asserts: "When people
sanctify, they look at life through a sacred lens" (2007, p. 35). The spiritual
core ability may present itself in any ability that a person possesses. Spiritual
intelligence may be presented within the entire person (Miller & Delaney,
2005), in any human function or domain, whether it is philosophy (e.g.,
Augustine, 2004), music (e.g., Handel’s music), Gandhi’s non-violent political
struggle (Settle, 1995), or Einstein’s thinking: "every one who is seriously
involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in
the laws of the Universe" (Einstein, n.d.). It may be presented in any worldly
concern, including marital relationships (Mahoney, Pargament, Murray-
Swank, & Murray-Swank, 2003). Therefore, spiritual intelligence may be
articulated as representing a general factor of intelligence underlying any other
factor of intelligence.
Spirituality, as seen in most of its theistic definitions, functions in the world but
refers to a transcendence that is beyond the material realm and the
identification with our own body (Miller, 1998). The spiritual intention,
motivation, and practices that refer to the transcendence may lead to various
physiological, bodily processes (Emmons, 2000; Zohar & Marshall, 2001).
Goleman (2005), for example, describes a sophisticated study of the brain
The Experience 0f Spiritual Intelligence 105

activity of a Tibetan—Buddhist monk while meditating, which showed a unique
ability to control this activity. The spiritual practice e meditation e led to a
unique physiological process. But the spiritual process points far beyond its
physiological manifestation and it may be valid also in those cases when there
is no unique physiological manifestation of the spiritual. While certain spiritual
experiences may cause unique physiological processes, the definition of
spiritual intelligence cannot be reduced to "nothing but" biological processes.
As its basic conception clarifies, spiritual intelligence, as represented here, is
part of a broad perception of intelligence, which includes domains other than
the cognitive one alone. I am suggesting that spiritual intelligence represents a
fundamental domain that underlies all other domains of human function. Thus
understood, spiritual intelligence is a core ability connected to and manifested
in values, motivation, intentions, emotions, and personality structure.
THE APPEARANCE OF SPIRITUAL INrELL1GENcE
In the following section, I will attempt to describe some attributes and factors
related to spiritual intelligence. This description, which is not comprehensive
and still requires further additions and syntheses, represents the "ought," that
is, the full potential indicated by the very concept of spiritual intelligence. It is
important to remember that spiritual intelligence is also marked by a struggle
against "the dark side of the soul"; hence the following description points to
the vision that shapes this struggle.
Theistic spiritual intelligence, as a core ability, is based on the recognition of
God and faith in God. Faith is an indicative attribute of a theistic perception of
God and the consequent world order, a basic factor in spiritual intelligence,
which provides the ideology and worldview necessary for its arousal. As such,
faith is an act that gives meaning to the spiritual experience (Crapps, 1995),
apart from just belonging to an organization that declares its spiritual
intention, such as a particular religion. When faith is not yet present, spiritual
intelligence may appear as willingness and openness for such faith (Anony-
mous, 1991; Ronel, 2000). Based on this willingness, people may act as if they
have faith; in other words, they may activate their spiritual intelligence even
before faith in God awakens within.
According to Kalo (l989b), faith is gained by the grace of God. People become
ready for God’s grace when they endeavor, honestly and continuously, to live a
virtuous life. "Faith is a result of a pure mind; there is nothing as reliable as
exemplary moral behavior to purify the mind" (Kalo, l989b, p. llO). Spiritual
intelligence directs the choice to struggle for the purification of the mind, with a
growing attempt to practice moral conduct. This may strengthen faith, by the
grace of God, which, in turn, serves as the basis for growing spiritual
intelligence. Such development is well known in the writings of spiritual
authors from different backgrounds such as Thomas Kempis (2002), a
Christian teacher, and the Ramhal (1978), a Jewish one. In the l2—step
program, this process is represented as an initial willingness towards
106 The Jourmzl of Tmhspersomzl Psychology, 2008, V0]. 40, N0. I

spirituality that leads to growing faith and deeper willingness (Alcoholics
Anonymous, 1976; Anonymous, 1991). Several studies show the centrality of
faith in God in the worldview transformation of members of 12—step self-help
organizations aimed at recovery from different addictions (Humphreys &
Kaskutas, 1995; Ronel & Humphreys, 1999e2000; Ronel & Libman, 2003).
According to recovering members of these organizations, their ability to
maintain recovery is strongly associated with the arousal of their faith in God.
In other words, the awakening of spiritual intelligence nourishes their ability to
recover.
Spiritual intelligence indicates a faith—based ability to experience the Sacred
as the Supreme, an objective and absolute value (Otto, 1967). The
recognition of the discrepancy between this holiness and worldly existence
stimulates people’s ability to humble themselves before God: "Yielding [to
God] is the master virtue, which produces control by the ‘new self’.   A
Christian view of self-control finds the self to be inadequate to win the
struggle for virtue on its own" (Worthington & Berry, 2005, p. 157).
According to St. Ignatius (Puhl, 1951), "every one must keep in mind that in
all that concerns the spiritual life his progress will be in proportion to his
surrender of self—love and of his own will and interests" (p. 78). The struggle
against selfishness and towards God requires a growing degree of humility
(Puhl, 1951). Kalo (2000) tells us, "The safe way for openness to God, the
one and only, is humility" (p. 64), and "Humility is the avowed adversary of
selfishness. Never is the selfish humble; never is the humble selfish. The way
to attain humility is by uprooting selfishness, that is — knowing yourself as
you are" (p. 75). Therefore, humility can be understood as an attribute of
spiritual intelligence, an ability shaped by faith that affects a person’s
intentions and motivation in the world. Humility, as an attribute of spiritual
intelligence, directs those who possess it to considerations other than those of
personal gain, hedonism, material profit, or self—power (John of the Cross,
1991). It stands in sharp contrast to the modern-day emphasis, at least in
Western culture, on individuality and "the culture of narcissism" (Lasch,
1979). Hence, spiritual intelligence may take the form of an ability to humbly
conform to spiritual principles rather than to the prevailing norms of the
modern capitalist culture.
When people seek God and divine—like understanding, they may experience a
growing ability to perceive the world and their place within it as meaningful
constructs that may assist in their struggle. Everything that happens may be
interpreted as a significant experience, essential to progress toward divine
knowledge (Kalo, 2000; Otto, 1967). Therefore, spiritual intelligence represents
the ability for integrative perception that sees the whole beyond its parts. This
ability assists people on their spiritual path. It may help them perceive the
world beyond selfish expectations and corresponding complaints (Kalo, 2000).
Spiritual intelligence is characterized by the ability to see the best in seemingly
painful circumstances, as well as to see the divine beyond the gains of the
secular world. Alcoholics Anonymous and the 12-step self-help groups’ daily
practices of gratitude attempt to direct participants toward such a perception
(Kurtz & Ketcham, 1992). In a phenomenological study of Narcotics
The Experience 0f Spiritual Intelligence 107

Anonymous members in Israel, gratitude was found to be a leading theme
among many, to the point of even being grateful to their addiction and its
consequent suffering, since they came to perceive it as a milestone in their
spiritual progress (Ronel, 1993). The Hassidic story of Rabbi Zusia illustrates
this view. Though he was known to have a troubled life, when asked how to
follow the Biblical guidance to exalt one’s own troubles in the world, he
answered, "You must ask another person and not one like myself, whom evil
has never caught" (Buber, 1979, p. 222).
With such a view, spiritual intelligence becomes an ability to regulate emotions.
Usually, this ability is attributed to emotional intelligence (Mayer & Salovey,
1997). However, when spiritual intelligence awakens as a general factor
underlying other abilities, it also guides emotional intelligence. Spiritually
based functions accelerate the ability for emotional regulation (Geula, 2004).
Alphonse Ratisbonne (Carmelle, 1984), a former Jew who became a Catholic
priest after a revelation he experienced in Rome in 1842, described this ability
(p. 38): "I shall tell you my secret: I tell everything to the Blessed Virgin, I
confide to her my troubles, my sorrows and my anxieties and then 1 let her do
what she wants. How can you expect me to be sad? I know very well that in this
way everything will be done according to God’s will and therefore, for the best,
so I rejoice in advance." Julian of Norwich (1997) followed a similar line: "And
the fullness of joy is to behold God in everything that happens" (pp. 67468). St.
Augustine (2004) also provided a similar understanding when he openly
described his struggle with lust, the decision to put this battle in God’s hands,
and the relief he felt afterwards.
Generally, the discussion of the spiritual refers to moral values and behavior.
For example, Giacalone and Jurkiewicz (2003), who studied the influence of
spirituality on perceptions of unethical business activities among 162
employees, concluded that the degree of individual spirituality influences
whether an individual perceives a questionable business practice as ethical or
unethical. Rest (1994) introduced four components that pave the way to
moral behavior: (a) moral sensitivity, which is the awareness that a certain
situation or behavior has a moral value; (b) moral reasoning, which indicates
the process of deciding which line of action is more justifiable; (c) moral
motivation, which relates to the importance ascribed to moral values in
comparison to other values; and (d) moral character, which involves
psychological strength that determines the ability to display moral conduct
regardless of interfering influences. Since spirituality refers to the value
systems of the people involved, when spiritual intelligence is activated in the
life of an individual, it may direct this person to fulfill these four
components. In such cases, moral sensitivity is experienced as a component
of a broader spiritual sensitivity, that is, the ability to distinguish between the
spiritual and the secular, and between self—centeredness and God—centered—
ness (Kalo, 1999a; 2000). The corresponding moral reasoning indicates an
ability to morally judge a situation beyond the personal, social, or ideological
standpoint of the viewer (Fernhout & Boyd, 1985; Kohlberg, 1975). It is an
ethic of supererogation that sees every situation in the eyes of love and
108 The Jourmzl 0f Tmhspersomzl Psychology, 2008, V0]. 40, N0. I

through an integrative and infinite perspective (Kohlberg, 1981). Likewise,
when spiritual intelligence is at work, the motivation for moral conduct is
experienced as integral to the spiritual quest, and attempting to lead a
spiritual life shapes the ability to actually practice moral conduct (Kalo,
1999a). Therefore, although spiritual intelligence is not identical to morality,
it serves as a basis for morality and moral decisions (Wolman, 2001).
To sum up, as an ability central to real-life issues, spiritual intelligence is
manifest in interconnected attributes: faith, humility, gratitude, integrative
ability, ability to regulate emotions, morality and moral conduct. The thread
that runs through these attributes is the purification of the mind on the way
towards God by detecting and attempting to remove thoughts, emotions,
and actions of selfish sources (Kempis, 2002). As Kalo emphasizes (1989a),
such purification will enable individuals to reveal their true nature, which
lies underneath their selfish motives. As spiritual intelligence grows, this
nature reveals itself by the individual’s growing ability to love (agape), the
loving of God, and the love for fellows (Julian of Norwich, 1997; Kalo,
2001; Sorokin, 1967; Underwood, 2002). "Love is   your departure from all
sensual pleasures for the sake of the object of love... Love is the most
sublime, wonderful and pure thing... The one who loves is always happy"
(Kalo, 1989a, pp. 53455). Spiritual intelligence may direct people towards
this kind of love and enable them to choose its path (Welwood, 1985).
Following a similar line of reasoning, Brazier (1993) assumes that loving is a
basic human need. When the need to love is not fulfilled, people may
deteriorate mentally. Consequently, many therapists consider the ability for
interpersonal goodness — the wish and willingness for the benefits of
others - as one of the most beneficial results of a successful therapy
(Nicholas, 1994).
Jaeger (1998) describes her own struggle to put such goodness and love into
practice in her life in an extremely unpleasant situation. When her small
daughter was kidnapped, she felt an initial rage towards the kidnapper. But
soon afterwards, she struggled against this emotion, with the view that such
an emotion is destructive and by no means loving. She clearly described her
tremendous struggle for self-purification in order to find love within, even
love for the kidnapper as a human being. Finally, she reached the point of
forgiveness and gained some calmness that stood beyond the real—life pain.
Hence, one more attribute of spiritual intelligence can be added: namely, the
willingness and ability for unconditional forgiveness (Aponte, 1998; Enright
et al., 1994). In this perception, the wrongdoer becomes identical to oneself
and therefore deserves forgiveness equal to oneself. Such an approach views
anger and resentment as obstacles on one’s path to God (Alcoholics
Anonymous, 1976; Anonymous, 1991). The ability to forgive is the ability to
purify oneself from these obstacles, which enables love and getting close to
seeing God in every person. As Gandhi asserted, "Love is the only remedy
for hate" (Settel, 1995, p. 15), and "The real love is to love them that hate
you, to love your neighbor even though you distrust him" (Settel, 1995,
p. 41).
The Experience 0f Spiritual Intelligence 109

TIIE DEVELOPMENT OF SPIRITUAL INTELLIGENCE
A key issue in understanding spiritual intelligence concerns its awakening and
development. More often than not, researchers regard most of its attributes as
factors that develop through stages. For example, morality, an important
attribute of spiritual intelligence, is usually studied and described as a quality
that develops through certain levels and stages (e.g. Gilligan, 1993; Kohlberg,
1975; Rest, 1994). Forgiveness (Enright et al., 1991) and altruistic behavior
(Krebs & Van Hesteren, 1994), both of which may stem from spiritual
understanding and the ability to function accordingly, are also considered to
follow certain stages of development. Even faith, a central attribute of
spirituality and spiritual intelligence, is seen as a quality that develops (Fowler,
1981).
Closer examination of the different theories of human development reveals a
striking resemblance in the processes that they describe. Considering the
development of moral reasoning, for instance, there is a development process
that goes from a self—centered view of morality, through social morality, and up
to a principled one (Colby & Kohlberg, 1987), which may be developed even
further, to the stage of the morality of love (Kohlberg, 1981). The lower stages
in themselves are not yet a pure, principled morality, but serve as stages in the
progress towards it. Actually, reasoning of the lower stages is not considered
true ethical reasoning. When reasoning is of the highest order, it is ethical,
whether it is based on the ethic of justice or that of caring and love (F ernhout
& Boyd, 1985; Gilligan, 1993; Kohlberg & Ryncarz, 1990; Ronel, 1998). Since
reasoning in the lower stages is self—centered or self—social-centered, and not yet
other—oriented or God-oriented, it is not yet an attribute of spiritual
intelligence as defined here. Only in the highest stage 4 other—oriented or
God—oriented stage — can moral reasoning be considered an attribute of
spiritual intelligence. The achievement of the highest stage indicates the
existence of the spiritual ability to comprehend and to act accordingly.
The development of other attributes of spiritual intelligence usually follows the
same line 4 from lower stages with selfish motivation, through a socially
influenced motivation and up to the pure form of an attribute, whether it is
forgiveness, faith, or altruistic behavior (Krebs & Van Hesteren, 1994).
Therefore, spiritual intelligence, as understood here, indicates a kind of
dichotomous process 4 it is either awakened or not. The development up to a
certain stage is preparatory, although many individuals may never progress
further. Beyond that point there is a new cognition that represents a pure
attribute, such as moral reasoning, forgiveness, altruism, or faith. Only when
these qualities reach that point can they be ascribed to spiritual intelligence.
During different life experiences, people may develop through the preliminary
stages, but only at a certain point can they discern an awakened spiritual
intelligence. Yet, this is only one part of the picture, since one may question the
continuity of spiritual intelligence 4 is it always there, always awakened? How
does its existence relate to the struggle between one’s "dark side of the soul"
and the yearning for God?
110 The Jourmzl 0f Tmhspersomzl Psychology, 2008, V0]. 40, N0. I

Since I discussed spiritual intelligence as the ability to struggle against human
selfishness and towards God, it becomes clear that during that struggle people
may adhere to spiritual intelligence in certain moments only. One may not use
it all the time, although it still exists potentially. Support for this last claim can
be found in some cognitive—developmental theories of moral reasoning. Rest
(1986; 1994), for example, notices that the same person, at different times,
might exercise different stages of moral reasoning. Hence, he measures moral
reasoning as a proportion of principled reasoning (Rest, 1993). The more often
one exercises a high stage of moral reasoning, the higher one’s stage of moral
reasoning is. Similarly, spiritual intelligence is built through the accumulation
of separate experiences, that is, individuals increasingly experience an
expanded commitment to engage in actual spiritual practices (Winkl &
Dillon, 2002). The more moments in which people identify with God—centered
motives (Kalo, 1999a), the more frequently they use spiritual intelligence as
their principal intelligence. Therefore, I suggest that "higher" in spiritual
intelligence means experiencing it more often.
SPIRITUAL INT1;LL1GENcE IN Acr1oN
While writing this paper, I came across real—life examples of people who chose
to struggle against their self—centeredness as a means in their search for God.
During their struggles, the diverse features of spiritual intelligence were
revealed. To conclude, I will describe an example of such a struggle that
portrays spiritual intelligence in action.
The example is that of a young orthodox Jewish family whose story was
publicized several years ago on a highly rated Israeli television program. In the
first of two episodes, it became known that these young people had bought a
second—hand car with all of their savings (cars are relatively expensive in Israel).
Unfortunately, after several months they discovered that it was a stolen car. So
they searched for the legitimate owner and, to his astonishment, returned the
car to him. They got nothing in return and could not afford to buy another car.
A week later, on the same show, it was announced that the Israeli importer of
that make of car had decided to give this couple a new car. While I was
working on the initial stages of this paper, I decided to investigate this case
further, and interviewed the young couple, while having their permission to
publish their case (of course their anonymity is preserved, although they were
ready to disclose their identity).
The husband described their inner struggle when their insurance agent
informed them that the car was suspected as stolen. According to him, "the
temptation was great and painful." Friends advised them to destroy the car,
which was the only proof of its being stolen, and have the insurance company
pay for it. They both felt that doing so was not right and would contradict their
faith and way of life. Indeed, when they decided to return it, they felt an
immediate relief. However, the police "were not cooperative at all" according
to this man, and after several months the owner had still not been found. A
new temptation arose: if they waited long enough, the police might return the
The Experience 0f Spiritual Intelligence lll

car to them, as no one had claimed it. However, the man felt that this was a
spiritual experience, not a financial one. Although they were relatively poor
and had lost all of their savings, "money was not the issue at all". His decision
was: "If the police are corrupt and do not do their job, let’s do it ourselves!"
After several weeks of independent investigation, they found the legitimate
owner of the car and gave it back to him, just before he received his theft
insurance payment.
The owner offered to go on a TV show with the story. Initially they refused,
with a wish to stay "out of the limelight," but on second thought they accepted
his suggestion, "to warn other people against this kind of sophisticated thief."
When they were offered a new car, they initially refused it. However, the
importer convinced the couple that it was really an inexpensive form of
advertising. In the week between the two shows, several people who had
watched the first show offered the couple money. They rejected all of it,
although they did not know then that they would get a new car. When one
woman insisted and sent them some money, they donated it to charity in her
name.
Although outside the scope of this article to recount all the details of the
couple’s experience or the interview conducted, this example serves to illustrate
the struggle for practicing faith in everyday matters. Although this young
couple was advised to make a distinction between faith, morality and "real
life," they choose differently, that is, to manage life according their spiritual
understanding and intelligence. Doing so illustrates the role of honesty,
modesty, and humbleness as part of their spiritual intelligence, as well as the
emotional empowerment that was gained by their faith that assisted them to
reject social pressure and to feel confidence and relief.
CONcLUs1oN
Spiritual intelligence is a somewhat confusing, contradictory concept (Wol-
man, 2001). While intelligence refers to human abilities, within the limited
human nature, spirituality refers to the infinite that stands beyond the human.
Whereas the human ability to adapt to the world usually points to the parts,
spirituality indicates the whole, the one. Intelligence lies within the domain of
the psyche, while spiritual teaching refers to a different domain, that of the
spirit.
I have attempted to resolve these apparent contradictions and to describe the
theistic spiritual experience as representing a core ability that directs and
influences one’s overall life A spiritual intelligence. I see it as a first attempt to
introduce spiritual intelligence as a core ability, a general factor that penetrates
into and guides other abilities. An analysis of the nature of this ability is
suggested here, taking into account known controversies about the study of
intelligence. In view of these, it is asserted here that the general nature of
spiritual intelligence can be manifested in any human realm, whether cognitive,
emotional, moral, artistic, creational or other, and hence it differs from other
ll2 The Jourmzl of Tmhspersomzl Psychology, 2008, V0]. 40, N0. I

forms of intelligence that are limited by definition (Gardner, 1995). In addition,
unlike the perception of intelligence as a cognitive ability alone (Gardner,
2000), a broader understanding of the concept of intelligence is suggested. As
such, spiritual intelligence is more than a cognitive ability to comprehend the
spiritual in any given field; rather, it is a distinct ability for spiritual
comprehension in general. Such a broad ability cannot be reduced to distinct
physiological processes, although certain spiritual practices and abilities can be
manifested by exclusive physiological activities (Goleman, 2005).
Spiritual intelligence is, then, a unique ability to understand, feel, evaluate,
create, and act beyond self—centered motives and towards a spiritual meaning.
As my approach is theistic, spiritual intelligence represents here the ability to
recognize theistic meaning in a given situation and to direct one’s motivation
from a self-centered one to one that represents the spiritual, theistic meaning.
Its various attributes, as emphasized earlier, are expressed in any life domain.
These include personal theistic faith as a basic motive in life; humility and
gratitude as a personal approach; an integrative, spiritual understanding of any
reality; the ability to regulate emotions; the ability to morally judge a situation
and to act accordingly; and the ability for forgiveness and unselfish love.
Increasingly, people may experience these and similar attributes in their lives.
At moments when these attributes become central to the individual, as in the
example described above, spiritual intelligence is in action.
The above description of spiritual intelligence is a pragmatic one; it may
assist people in self-evaluation of their personal spiritual intelligence
(Underwood, 2002) and consequently, since spiritual intelligence is develop-
mental, people may practice its development at any stage. Kalo summarizes
this process: "to persevere on self—correction and not to let loose, free from
fear, strong in hope, independent on the result" (2000, p. 110). First, people
may evaluate the attributes of spiritual intelligence that have to be
strengthened in their lives. Subsequently, based on the perception of the
developmental nature of spiritual intelligence, people may practice an
increased proportion of spiritual intelligence in their lives, thus potentially
increasing their spiritual intelligence. It is assumed here, following the
experience gained in l2-Step interventions, whether in self-help or by
professionals (Rehm, 1993; Kurtz & Ketcham, 1992; Ronel & Claridge,
1999), that the deliberate intensified practice of those attributes that direct
one from self—centeredness and toward God—centeredness or other—centered—
ness can bring a personal spiritual transformation. It is also assumed A
although further research is needed for confirmation A that an increase in the
proportion of several attributes of spiritual intelligence in one’s life may
increase the proportion of other attributes as well, since the spiritual
intelligence that lies beneath these attributes is a general, unified one.
Therapy or counseling may be useful in this developmental process of spiritual
intelligence. Based on the concept of spiritual intelligence and the description
of the various attributes, counseling may be seen as a process that assists one in
recognizing and practicing spiritual intelligence in life. During counseling
The Experience 0f Spiritual Intelligence 113

people may be encouraged to engage in such a process, based on their
willingness and intention. When individuals practice life as an agent for
spiritual growth, they may achieve their full choice of human potential (Kass &
Lenox, 2005; Pargament, 2007), which is an inspired aim of counseling.
The above conclusions about the possibility of self—evaluation and practice of
spiritual intelligence and its development via counseling require further
research. Such a study, based on experiential knowledge, could explore a wide
range of expressions and additional attributes of spiritual intelligence, as well
as subjective factors about its self—assessment and the conditions for its
development during counseling.
Another issue yet to be explored is the social aspect of spiritual intelligence. The
preliminary discussion of spiritual intelligence here focuses on the individual
realm. What impact, if any, has spiritual intelligence on social order, community
life, or culture? Kalo (1999b), for example, describes the horror of society and
culture that turn their backs on the spiritual quest and that stress self—centeredness
as a promising way of life. The culture of self—centeredness may lead to the
"commoditization of human relationships," based on a wish for maximal gain
and minimal loss. In contrast, the awakening of spiritual intelligence may lead to
the humanization of relationships, including those that are initially defined as
commercial. It is the awakening of a struggle towards the sanctification of
relationships. The resulting social structure and what society should struggle
towards are questions that demand further exploration.
Norias
1 Editor’s note: For further inquiry and a more expanded discussion the reader is referred to Noble K.D. (2001).
Riding the windhorse: Spiritual intelligence and the growth rfsef Creskill, NJ: Hampton Press.
Z"Shlomo Kalo was born in 1928, in Sofia, Bulgaria. When he was 12 years old, he joined an anti-Fascist
underground in Bulgaria. Aged 15, under Nazi occupation, he was imprisoned in a concentration camp... Aged
18, he won a prize in a poetry competition and went to Prague, where he studied medicine and worked as a
journalist... The sharp turn his life which occurred in the first week of 1969, is reflected, among others, in his
writings. More than 60 titles of his were published in Israel, some of which were translated into English, French,
Spanish, Italian, Polish, Greek, Malayalam, Bulgarian, Portuguese, Korean and more." (Retrieved on June 14,
2008, from http://www.y-dat.co.il/bio.htm.)
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The Author
Natti Ronel, Ph.D., is Senior Lecturer at the department of Criminology, Bar
Ilan University, Israel. He previously held position at Tel Aviv University,
School of Social Work where he also served as the Researcher-in-Chief of the
Interdisciplinary Center for Children and Youth Studies. A member of the
World Society of Victimology, European Society of Criminology, the Israeli
Society of Criminology (board member) and the Israeli Council for
Criminology. He is a licensed clinical criminologist who holds a private
118 The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 2008, Vol. 40, No. I

practice. He also leads continuous training and supervision courses for
professionals who work with criminological and victimological populations.
His various writings reflect both the clinical experience and the criminological
studies. A special focus is on the spiritual aspect of criminologyeits values and
impact upon individuals and communities: spiritually based intervention and
recovery, moral transformation, forgiveness and spiritual intelligence. Married
happily with two grown children, he lives in Jaffa — a J ewish—Arabic part of Tel
Aviv.
The Experience 0f Spiritual Intelligence 119

Reproduced with permission ofthe copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

THE EXPERIENCE OF SPIRITUAL INTELLIGENCE
Natti Ronel, Ph.D.
Ramat Gan, ISRAEL
ABS T RACT· This paper focuses on spirituality as part of a broad understanding of intelligence
and the inquiry into human abilities. Based on a theistic approach, spiritual intelligence is perceived
as an ability to understand the world and oneself through God-centeredness and to adapt one’s life
accordingly. It is a basic ability that shapes and directs all other abilities. Relying on the personal
experience of known spiritual authors and lay people, several attributes of spiritual intelligence,
such as faith, humility, gratitude, integrative ability, the ability to regulate emotions, morality and
the ability for moral conduct, and the ability for forgiveness and love, are portrayed in a non-
inclusive description. Spiritual intelligence is considered as developmental in nature, built through
the accumulation of separate experiences, as manifestations of spiritual intelligence appear in an
individual’s life in an increasing manner. An illustrative example of spiritual intelligence in action is
provided.
Key words: faith, God-centeredness, human abilities, morality, spiritual intelligence.
INTRODUCTION
The study of human potential, abilities, and performance is the center of
interest of various disciplines such as religion, philosophy, and sociology. Since
the beginning of the twentieth century, modern psychology has attempted to
lead this study and provide what is considered a scientific measurement of
human intelligence, based on empirical data (Nevo, l997). However, one may
argue that the choice of data and the methods of measurement mostly reflect
the researcher’s basic assumptions about the nature of human potential and
abilities. Hence, the definition of intelligence and the scope and methods of its
measurement have varied and multiplied in time.
In his widely published book, Emotional Intelligence, Goleman (1997)
succeeded in bringing emotional intelligence e a concept previously presented
by Salovey and Mayer (l989—90) — into the discourse of lay people, as a means
of understanding real-life issues. Similarly, I will attempt to describe the
relationship between intelligence, spiritual faith, and a spiritual way of life, as a
real-life issue central to people and cultures all over the world.
The term "spirituality" covers a broad spectrum of meanings and many
definitions. In the current paper, I have chosen to adhere to a theistic approach
to spirituality, based on faith in God. Being aware that different people from
different backgrounds and at different times understand God differently, I will
E-Mail: roneln@mail.biu.ac.il
I wish to thank Ms. Deborah Shechter, Ms. Monica Broido and Ms. Tammy Berkowitz for their help with the
English, Dr. Ernie Kurtz for his helpful contribution, and Mr. Shlomo Kalo for his generous guidance.
Copyright © 2008 Transpersonal Institute
100 The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 2008, Vol. 40, N0. I

attempt here to address the common denominator within this variety, that is,
the perception of God as sacred, transcendent, supreme, and ultimate. Within
this framework, spirituality is understood as the quest for the sacred
(Pargament, 2007), a concept that may address some aspects of the non-
theistic approach to spirituality, such as Buddhist spirituality, as well
(Goleman, 2005). Consequently, I will attempt to apply the notion of
intelligence to the discussion of theistic spirituality by re—introducing "spiritual
intelligence" (to be defined later) 4 a term previously described by Emmons
(1999, 2000), as well as others (e.g., Halama & Strizenec, 2004; Noble, 2000) -
and to analyze its contribution to the understanding of human potential,
abilities, and performance.
My aim here is to present spirituality as a basic quality from which certain
skills or capacities arise. As already mentioned, my emphasis is theistic, i.e.,
that I understand spirituality in relation to God, but without adherence to any
religious specification of God. In a non—inclusive description I will portray
various attributes of spiritual intelligence, such as faith, humility, gratitude,
integrative ability, the ability to regulate emotions, morality and the ability for
moral conduct, and the ability for forgiveness and love. I will show how these
virtues construct distinct, applicable, and adaptive ability. I will then discuss
the development of spiritual intelligence, basing my arguments on results from
research on the development of domains that are connected to the spiritual
such as moral development, faith development, and so forth. Before the
conclusion, an example of the experience of spiritual intelligence will be
presented.
WHAT is THE NATURE OF INTELLIGENCE?
Within psychology, there are several diverse, conflicting ways of understanding
intelligence. A prominent controversy refers to the generality of intelligence 4
does intelligence represent a general, core ability, named g (Carroll, 1997), or is
it an umbrella term for different, loosely related abilities that construct
multiple intelligences (Gardner, 1995)? A second controversy refers to the level
on which intelligence is based 4 is it a representation of a physiological function
of the brain neurons that defines one’s potential and abilities (Eysenck, 1994),
or is it a function of complex cognitive mechanisms not reducible to the realm
of biology (Anderson, I992)? Another debate relates to the domain of
intelligence: Is intelligence a mental, purely cognitive function (Cantor &
Harlow, 1994; Gardner, 2000; Hunt, 1997), or is it connected to other human
domains, such as emotional content (Mayer & Salovey, 1993; 1997; Salovey &
Mayer, l989490)?
The last controversy relevant here is whether values, beliefs, and attitudes play
a role in defining and studying intelligence — is intelligence a morally neutral
ability for processing information and its context (Gardner, 1999), or is it
connected to personal virtues and moral conduct (Chiu, Hong, & Dweck, 1994;
Sternberg & Kaufman, 1998)?
The Experience 0f Spiritual Intelligence 101

Apart from these controversies, there are also commonly held views about
intelligence (Nevo, 1997; Sternberg & Kaufman, 1998); namely, that
intelligence is related to a basic potential ability or abilities and to
performance, and that it is connected to the acquisition and processing of
knowledge. This basic ability or abilities guide people in adapting to and
understanding the world.
THE STUDY OF SPIRITUAL INTELLIGENCE
Previous Studies
Gardner (e.g., 1995) established the concept of multiple intelligences that
represent distinctively different human abilities. Emmons’ work (1999) took it
further, to include the spiritual as a distinct intelligence. According to Emmons
(2000), specific abilities and competencies construct spiritual intelligence and
may guide adaptive problem solving. He offered five characteristics that may
illustrate spiritual intelligence: (a) an ability for transcendence; (b) an aptitude
for reaching spiritual states of consciousness; (c) penetration of the sacred into
everyday performance; (d) service of the spiritual as a resource for problem
solving; and (e) the capacity to be virtuous, internally and in behavior. In a
qualitative study of the spirituality of nine adults, Noble (2000) confirms these
five characteristics, but adds two more: (a) "the conscious recognition that
physical reality is embedded within a larger, multidimensional reality with
which we interact" (Noble, 2000, p. 3); and (b) the search for psychological
health of oneself as well as of others.1
Responding to Emmons (2000), Mayer (2000) questions whether one might
speak of spiritual intelligence or consciousness, while Gardner (2000) opposes
the inclusion of the spiritual as an intelligence, pointing to the need to
differentiate between intelligence as ability and its use in various domains,
including the spiritual. At that time, Gardner included the spiritual function
within a distinct existential intelligence, although he later admitted that the
criteria for separate intelligences are judgmental rather than an algorithmic
conclusion (Gardner, 2003). On the other hand, Halama and Strizenec (2004)
argue that the spiritual and existential are separate intelligences, although they
may overlap. Kwilecki (2000) agrees with Emmons that spirituality may
represent a distinct mode of adaptation and claims that spirituality represents a
different-than—secular understanding of values and aims in life.
Although spiritual intelligence is a relatively new concept, different authors
view it entirely differently. Zohar & Marshall (2001), for example, reduce
Gardner’s multiple intelligences to represent three basic intelligences:
intellectual, emotional, and spiritual. The spiritual is the core intelligence that
describes the ability to solve problems that relate to values, vision, and
meaning. According to these authors, creativity is a major aspect of spiritual
intelligence, and spiritual processes are manifested in physiological ones.
Halama and Strizenec (2004) review other diverse comments and views about
spiritual intelligence. For example, Sinetar (2000), cited in Halama & Strizenec
102 The Journal of Truhspersomzl Psychology, 2008, Vol. 40, N0. I

(2004), understands spiritual intelligence as inspired thinking within the general
context of creative talent. MacHovec (2002), cited in Halama & Strizenec
(2004), emphasizes the broad cross-cultural context of spiritual intelligence and
considers it as a general sign of personality, while Bowling (1999), in Halama &
Strizenec (2004), defines spiritual intelligence as knowledge of the sacred.
Vaughan (2002), however, argues that spiritual knowledge must be expressed
in the world through wisdom, compassion, and action: "Integrating spiritual
intelligence means living in accordance with one’s core beliefs" (p. 31). On the
same line, Kass and Lenox (2005) conclude that when individuals practice life
as an agent for spiritual growth they achieve their full choice of human
potential. The centrality of spiritual intelligence to individuals’ lives is also
expressed in the conception of Rogers and Dantley (2001), who view spiritual
intelligence as the root of thinking, which precedes any accepted sets,
structures, or categories of thinking. Wolman (2001) continues this notion,
while emphasizing the manifestations of spirituality and spiritual intelligence in
everyday activities and relationships. This perspective of spiritual intelligence
as a lived experience is one that frames this article.
Approach 0f this Inquiry
Since its early days (e.g., James, 1984), the psychological study of both
religion and spirituality has presented knowledge acquired through personal
experience (Richards & Bergin, 1997; Slife, Hope, & Nebeker, 1999).
Accordingly, this inquiry into spiritual intelligence is based mainly on
different sources of experiential knowledge (Borkman, 1990), that is,
knowledge acquired through personal experience of theistic spirituality.
Different religions and spiritual traditions and different people understand
the term "theistic spirituality," as well as the image of God, differently. Here,
however, I attempt to avoid any theological discussion or metaphysical
disagreement, and to target common meanings based on the diverse personal
experiences of people who follow a spiritual way of life. The focus of my
discussion is subjective personal experience, based on subjective personal
definition and narrative. Consequently, while they are diverse, all the sources
describe personal experiences. The first source is the personal accounts of
famous spiritual leaders such as Gandhi (Settel, 1995), Julian of Norwich
(1997), St. Ignatius (Puhl, 1951), John of the Cross (1991), St. Augustine
(2004), and others. I attempted here to follow what I perceive as the common
essence of these influential thinkers, i.e., the central role of the spirit in most
if not any human experience. Therefore, their writing is reflected throughout
the entire text. The second source is the teachings of a widely known
contemporary spiritual master from Israel — Shlomo Kaloz (see, e.g., Kalo,
2005). Finally, I learned from the real-life experience of many individuals
whose struggle for spirituality I have witnessed following 15 years of studying
followers of different 12—step programs (Ronel & Humphreys, 199942000;
Ronel & Libman, 2001), running ongoing experiential courses on profes-
sional implementation of the 12—step program, as well as working as a
therapist in public and private settings (e.g., Ronel, 2008; Ronel & Claridge,
The Experience 0f Spiritual Intelligence 103

1999). The 12—step ideology stresses the personal understanding and
experience of theistic spirituality, which is also expressed here.
SPIRITUAL INTELMGENCE IN PRAcrrcE
As already established, there are many different definitions of spirituality and
how it is represented in one’s life (Emmons, 1999; Richards & Bergin, 1997;
Noble, 2000). From a theistic perspective, however, according to Kalo: "A
spiritual purpose is e to expose spiritual thinking, spiritual feeling, spiritual will;
to become entirely liberated from the secular, that is .... to be for God and for
God only" (1993, p. 29). Accordingly, the spiritual action "is but the purification
of your mind and the achievement of self—mastery on the way of awakening to see
and to know yourself as an inseparable part of The Eternal. And this is gained by
devotion to God and confidence in Him" (Kalo, 1999a, p. 80).
According to Kurtz & Ketcham (1992), "spirituality is, above all, a way of life"
(p. 68). Theistic spirituality is a basic intention directed towards God and consists
of an inner struggle (Ronel, 2000). Following Kalo’s recurring theme (e. g., 1991),
this struggle is characterized by an endeavor to purify one’s mind. This view of
spirituality acknowledges that there is a "dark side of the soul" and a conflict
between the ego and the yearning for God (Kurtz, 1999). Human spiritual
development is therefore a confrontation with one’s "dark side" and an immense
struggle to purify oneself from the other side, based on free will. In Kalo’s (1999a)
words, "One of the most important, independent spiritual acts that a sincere
spiritual person should at all times, always, assiduously perform and never
abandon in any circumstances, is the removal of non-spiritual elements from
oneself, that is, to constantly and uncompromisingly depart from anything that
has the odor of the ego" (p. 140). This view is also mirrored in Alcoholics
Anonymous’ 12—step approach, in which alcoholism is perceived as rooted in self-
centeredness and recovery is attained while struggling for a higher power
according to one’s understanding of this power (Alcoholics Anonymous, 1976;
Kurtz, 1999; Miller & Kurtz, 1994). A similar line of thinking is found in St.
Ignatius’ spiritual exercises: "We call Spiritual Exercises every way of preparing
and disposing the soul to rid itself of all inordinate attachments, and, after their
removal, of seeking and finding the will of God in the disposition of our life for
the salvation of our soul" (Puhl, 1951, p. 1).
In the theistic approach, the spiritual struggle is based on spiritual knowledge
related to God and the yearning for God. This knowledge leads one beyond the
"darkness" of the ego and the everyday routine. Different people, in different
circumstances, display different abilities to gain this knowledge. The ability to
spiritually know, or the ability to yearn for such knowledge, produces the
ability to choose and to adjust one’s life accordingly. When the latter is
activated, any other abilities of the individual are put in the service of the
spiritual, which is the main struggle in life. Step 11 of AA states this clearly:
"Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with
God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and
the power to carry it out" (Alcoholics Anonymous, 1965, p. 96).
104 The Journul of Trunspersonul Psychology, 2008, Vol. 40, N0. I

What I have discerned here that may define spiritual intelligence is a
fundamental and general ability that may present itself in any domain of life.
Spiritual intelligence is an experience-based ability to understand the world and
ourselves through God-centeredness: an ability to long for, to realize and to
know God, to recognize and to choose the way towards God in all
circumstances, as well as to detect self-centeredness and the manifestations
of the ego in various situations, and to adapt the life accordingly.
From this proposed definition of spiritual intelligence, it can be inferred that
the higher a person’s ability to perceive and understand through God-
centeredness, the less he or she is influenced by self-centeredness and ego. As
Miller (2005) stated, "there is a higher standard, an ideal, an intended nature
for human beings that exists apart from context and human thought" (p. 17).
Spiritual intelligence may assist one to see things as they are, free from self-
distortions (Vaughan, 2002). The essential similarities among the theistic
spiritual teachings of different people at different times and places (see, e.g.,
Kurtz & Ketcham, 1992) support this claim. The following description of the
attributes of spiritual intelligence, based on different spiritual sources, also
exemplifies these similarities.
THE NATURE or SPIRITUAL INTELLIGENCEZ A THEISTIC PERSPECTIVE
Different people experience multiple ways of realizing and knowing God, as
well as various ways of struggling against their self-centeredness. However, the
ability to adapt these apparently different ways to the spiritual quest is a
fundamental one. "Spirituality permeates to the very core of our human be-in,
affecting the way we perceive the world around us, the way we feel about the
world, and the choices we make based on our perceptions and sensations"
(Kurtz & Ketcham, 1992, p. 68). Similarly, Pargament asserts: "When people
sanctify, they look at life through a sacred lens" (2007, p. 35). The spiritual
core ability may present itself in any ability that a person possesses. Spiritual
intelligence may be presented within the entire person (Miller & Delaney,
2005), in any human function or domain, whether it is philosophy (e.g.,
Augustine, 2004), music (e.g., Handel’s music), Gandhi’s non-violent political
struggle (Settle, 1995), or Einstein’s thinking: "every one who is seriously
involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in
the laws of the Universe" (Einstein, n.d.). It may be presented in any worldly
concern, including marital relationships (Mahoney, Pargament, Murray-
Swank, & Murray-Swank, 2003). Therefore, spiritual intelligence may be
articulated as representing a general factor of intelligence underlying any other
factor of intelligence.
Spirituality, as seen in most of its theistic definitions, functions in the world but
refers to a transcendence that is beyond the material realm and the
identification with our own body (Miller, 1998). The spiritual intention,
motivation, and practices that refer to the transcendence may lead to various
physiological, bodily processes (Emmons, 2000; Zohar & Marshall, 2001).
Goleman (2005), for example, describes a sophisticated study of the brain
The Experience 0f Spiritual Intelligence 105

activity of a Tibetan—Buddhist monk while meditating, which showed a unique
ability to control this activity. The spiritual practice e meditation e led to a
unique physiological process. But the spiritual process points far beyond its
physiological manifestation and it may be valid also in those cases when there
is no unique physiological manifestation of the spiritual. While certain spiritual
experiences may cause unique physiological processes, the definition of
spiritual intelligence cannot be reduced to "nothing but" biological processes.
As its basic conception clarifies, spiritual intelligence, as represented here, is
part of a broad perception of intelligence, which includes domains other than
the cognitive one alone. I am suggesting that spiritual intelligence represents a
fundamental domain that underlies all other domains of human function. Thus
understood, spiritual intelligence is a core ability connected to and manifested
in values, motivation, intentions, emotions, and personality structure.
THE APPEARANCE OF SPIRITUAL INrELL1GENcE
In the following section, I will attempt to describe some attributes and factors
related to spiritual intelligence. This description, which is not comprehensive
and still requires further additions and syntheses, represents the "ought," that
is, the full potential indicated by the very concept of spiritual intelligence. It is
important to remember that spiritual intelligence is also marked by a struggle
against "the dark side of the soul"; hence the following description points to
the vision that shapes this struggle.
Theistic spiritual intelligence, as a core ability, is based on the recognition of
God and faith in God. Faith is an indicative attribute of a theistic perception of
God and the consequent world order, a basic factor in spiritual intelligence,
which provides the ideology and worldview necessary for its arousal. As such,
faith is an act that gives meaning to the spiritual experience (Crapps, 1995),
apart from just belonging to an organization that declares its spiritual
intention, such as a particular religion. When faith is not yet present, spiritual
intelligence may appear as willingness and openness for such faith (Anony-
mous, 1991; Ronel, 2000). Based on this willingness, people may act as if they
have faith; in other words, they may activate their spiritual intelligence even
before faith in God awakens within.
According to Kalo (l989b), faith is gained by the grace of God. People become
ready for God’s grace when they endeavor, honestly and continuously, to live a
virtuous life. "Faith is a result of a pure mind; there is nothing as reliable as
exemplary moral behavior to purify the mind" (Kalo, l989b, p. llO). Spiritual
intelligence directs the choice to struggle for the purification of the mind, with a
growing attempt to practice moral conduct. This may strengthen faith, by the
grace of God, which, in turn, serves as the basis for growing spiritual
intelligence. Such development is well known in the writings of spiritual
authors from different backgrounds such as Thomas Kempis (2002), a
Christian teacher, and the Ramhal (1978), a Jewish one. In the l2—step
program, this process is represented as an initial willingness towards
106 The Jourmzl of Tmhspersomzl Psychology, 2008, V0]. 40, N0. I

spirituality that leads to growing faith and deeper willingness (Alcoholics
Anonymous, 1976; Anonymous, 1991). Several studies show the centrality of
faith in God in the worldview transformation of members of 12—step self-help
organizations aimed at recovery from different addictions (Humphreys &
Kaskutas, 1995; Ronel & Humphreys, 1999e2000; Ronel & Libman, 2003).
According to recovering members of these organizations, their ability to
maintain recovery is strongly associated with the arousal of their faith in God.
In other words, the awakening of spiritual intelligence nourishes their ability to
recover.
Spiritual intelligence indicates a faith—based ability to experience the Sacred
as the Supreme, an objective and absolute value (Otto, 1967). The
recognition of the discrepancy between this holiness and worldly existence
stimulates people’s ability to humble themselves before God: "Yielding [to
God] is the master virtue, which produces control by the ‘new self’.   A
Christian view of self-control finds the self to be inadequate to win the
struggle for virtue on its own" (Worthington & Berry, 2005, p. 157).
According to St. Ignatius (Puhl, 1951), "every one must keep in mind that in
all that concerns the spiritual life his progress will be in proportion to his
surrender of self—love and of his own will and interests" (p. 78). The struggle
against selfishness and towards God requires a growing degree of humility
(Puhl, 1951). Kalo (2000) tells us, "The safe way for openness to God, the
one and only, is humility" (p. 64), and "Humility is the avowed adversary of
selfishness. Never is the selfish humble; never is the humble selfish. The way
to attain humility is by uprooting selfishness, that is — knowing yourself as
you are" (p. 75). Therefore, humility can be understood as an attribute of
spiritual intelligence, an ability shaped by faith that affects a person’s
intentions and motivation in the world. Humility, as an attribute of spiritual
intelligence, directs those who possess it to considerations other than those of
personal gain, hedonism, material profit, or self—power (John of the Cross,
1991). It stands in sharp contrast to the modern-day emphasis, at least in
Western culture, on individuality and "the culture of narcissism" (Lasch,
1979). Hence, spiritual intelligence may take the form of an ability to humbly
conform to spiritual principles rather than to the prevailing norms of the
modern capitalist culture.
When people seek God and divine—like understanding, they may experience a
growing ability to perceive the world and their place within it as meaningful
constructs that may assist in their struggle. Everything that happens may be
interpreted as a significant experience, essential to progress toward divine
knowledge (Kalo, 2000; Otto, 1967). Therefore, spiritual intelligence represents
the ability for integrative perception that sees the whole beyond its parts. This
ability assists people on their spiritual path. It may help them perceive the
world beyond selfish expectations and corresponding complaints (Kalo, 2000).
Spiritual intelligence is characterized by the ability to see the best in seemingly
painful circumstances, as well as to see the divine beyond the gains of the
secular world. Alcoholics Anonymous and the 12-step self-help groups’ daily
practices of gratitude attempt to direct participants toward such a perception
(Kurtz & Ketcham, 1992). In a phenomenological study of Narcotics
The Experience 0f Spiritual Intelligence 107

Anonymous members in Israel, gratitude was found to be a leading theme
among many, to the point of even being grateful to their addiction and its
consequent suffering, since they came to perceive it as a milestone in their
spiritual progress (Ronel, 1993). The Hassidic story of Rabbi Zusia illustrates
this view. Though he was known to have a troubled life, when asked how to
follow the Biblical guidance to exalt one’s own troubles in the world, he
answered, "You must ask another person and not one like myself, whom evil
has never caught" (Buber, 1979, p. 222).
With such a view, spiritual intelligence becomes an ability to regulate emotions.
Usually, this ability is attributed to emotional intelligence (Mayer & Salovey,
1997). However, when spiritual intelligence awakens as a general factor
underlying other abilities, it also guides emotional intelligence. Spiritually
based functions accelerate the ability for emotional regulation (Geula, 2004).
Alphonse Ratisbonne (Carmelle, 1984), a former Jew who became a Catholic
priest after a revelation he experienced in Rome in 1842, described this ability
(p. 38): "I shall tell you my secret: I tell everything to the Blessed Virgin, I
confide to her my troubles, my sorrows and my anxieties and then 1 let her do
what she wants. How can you expect me to be sad? I know very well that in this
way everything will be done according to God’s will and therefore, for the best,
so I rejoice in advance." Julian of Norwich (1997) followed a similar line: "And
the fullness of joy is to behold God in everything that happens" (pp. 67468). St.
Augustine (2004) also provided a similar understanding when he openly
described his struggle with lust, the decision to put this battle in God’s hands,
and the relief he felt afterwards.
Generally, the discussion of the spiritual refers to moral values and behavior.
For example, Giacalone and Jurkiewicz (2003), who studied the influence of
spirituality on perceptions of unethical business activities among 162
employees, concluded that the degree of individual spirituality influences
whether an individual perceives a questionable business practice as ethical or
unethical. Rest (1994) introduced four components that pave the way to
moral behavior: (a) moral sensitivity, which is the awareness that a certain
situation or behavior has a moral value; (b) moral reasoning, which indicates
the process of deciding which line of action is more justifiable; (c) moral
motivation, which relates to the importance ascribed to moral values in
comparison to other values; and (d) moral character, which involves
psychological strength that determines the ability to display moral conduct
regardless of interfering influences. Since spirituality refers to the value
systems of the people involved, when spiritual intelligence is activated in the
life of an individual, it may direct this person to fulfill these four
components. In such cases, moral sensitivity is experienced as a component
of a broader spiritual sensitivity, that is, the ability to distinguish between the
spiritual and the secular, and between self—centeredness and God—centered—
ness (Kalo, 1999a; 2000). The corresponding moral reasoning indicates an
ability to morally judge a situation beyond the personal, social, or ideological
standpoint of the viewer (Fernhout & Boyd, 1985; Kohlberg, 1975). It is an
ethic of supererogation that sees every situation in the eyes of love and
108 The Jourmzl 0f Tmhspersomzl Psychology, 2008, V0]. 40, N0. I

through an integrative and infinite perspective (Kohlberg, 1981). Likewise,
when spiritual intelligence is at work, the motivation for moral conduct is
experienced as integral to the spiritual quest, and attempting to lead a
spiritual life shapes the ability to actually practice moral conduct (Kalo,
1999a). Therefore, although spiritual intelligence is not identical to morality,
it serves as a basis for morality and moral decisions (Wolman, 2001).
To sum up, as an ability central to real-life issues, spiritual intelligence is
manifest in interconnected attributes: faith, humility, gratitude, integrative
ability, ability to regulate emotions, morality and moral conduct. The thread
that runs through these attributes is the purification of the mind on the way
towards God by detecting and attempting to remove thoughts, emotions,
and actions of selfish sources (Kempis, 2002). As Kalo emphasizes (1989a),
such purification will enable individuals to reveal their true nature, which
lies underneath their selfish motives. As spiritual intelligence grows, this
nature reveals itself by the individual’s growing ability to love (agape), the
loving of God, and the love for fellows (Julian of Norwich, 1997; Kalo,
2001; Sorokin, 1967; Underwood, 2002). "Love is   your departure from all
sensual pleasures for the sake of the object of love... Love is the most
sublime, wonderful and pure thing... The one who loves is always happy"
(Kalo, 1989a, pp. 53455). Spiritual intelligence may direct people towards
this kind of love and enable them to choose its path (Welwood, 1985).
Following a similar line of reasoning, Brazier (1993) assumes that loving is a
basic human need. When the need to love is not fulfilled, people may
deteriorate mentally. Consequently, many therapists consider the ability for
interpersonal goodness — the wish and willingness for the benefits of
others - as one of the most beneficial results of a successful therapy
(Nicholas, 1994).
Jaeger (1998) describes her own struggle to put such goodness and love into
practice in her life in an extremely unpleasant situation. When her small
daughter was kidnapped, she felt an initial rage towards the kidnapper. But
soon afterwards, she struggled against this emotion, with the view that such
an emotion is destructive and by no means loving. She clearly described her
tremendous struggle for self-purification in order to find love within, even
love for the kidnapper as a human being. Finally, she reached the point of
forgiveness and gained some calmness that stood beyond the real—life pain.
Hence, one more attribute of spiritual intelligence can be added: namely, the
willingness and ability for unconditional forgiveness (Aponte, 1998; Enright
et al., 1994). In this perception, the wrongdoer becomes identical to oneself
and therefore deserves forgiveness equal to oneself. Such an approach views
anger and resentment as obstacles on one’s path to God (Alcoholics
Anonymous, 1976; Anonymous, 1991). The ability to forgive is the ability to
purify oneself from these obstacles, which enables love and getting close to
seeing God in every person. As Gandhi asserted, "Love is the only remedy
for hate" (Settel, 1995, p. 15), and "The real love is to love them that hate
you, to love your neighbor even though you distrust him" (Settel, 1995,
p. 41).
The Experience 0f Spiritual Intelligence 109

TIIE DEVELOPMENT OF SPIRITUAL INTELLIGENCE
A key issue in understanding spiritual intelligence concerns its awakening and
development. More often than not, researchers regard most of its attributes as
factors that develop through stages. For example, morality, an important
attribute of spiritual intelligence, is usually studied and described as a quality
that develops through certain levels and stages (e.g. Gilligan, 1993; Kohlberg,
1975; Rest, 1994). Forgiveness (Enright et al., 1991) and altruistic behavior
(Krebs & Van Hesteren, 1994), both of which may stem from spiritual
understanding and the ability to function accordingly, are also considered to
follow certain stages of development. Even faith, a central attribute of
spirituality and spiritual intelligence, is seen as a quality that develops (Fowler,
1981).
Closer examination of the different theories of human development reveals a
striking resemblance in the processes that they describe. Considering the
development of moral reasoning, for instance, there is a development process
that goes from a self—centered view of morality, through social morality, and up
to a principled one (Colby & Kohlberg, 1987), which may be developed even
further, to the stage of the morality of love (Kohlberg, 1981). The lower stages
in themselves are not yet a pure, principled morality, but serve as stages in the
progress towards it. Actually, reasoning of the lower stages is not considered
true ethical reasoning. When reasoning is of the highest order, it is ethical,
whether it is based on the ethic of justice or that of caring and love (F ernhout
& Boyd, 1985; Gilligan, 1993; Kohlberg & Ryncarz, 1990; Ronel, 1998). Since
reasoning in the lower stages is self—centered or self—social-centered, and not yet
other—oriented or God-oriented, it is not yet an attribute of spiritual
intelligence as defined here. Only in the highest stage 4 other—oriented or
God—oriented stage — can moral reasoning be considered an attribute of
spiritual intelligence. The achievement of the highest stage indicates the
existence of the spiritual ability to comprehend and to act accordingly.
The development of other attributes of spiritual intelligence usually follows the
same line 4 from lower stages with selfish motivation, through a socially
influenced motivation and up to the pure form of an attribute, whether it is
forgiveness, faith, or altruistic behavior (Krebs & Van Hesteren, 1994).
Therefore, spiritual intelligence, as understood here, indicates a kind of
dichotomous process 4 it is either awakened or not. The development up to a
certain stage is preparatory, although many individuals may never progress
further. Beyond that point there is a new cognition that represents a pure
attribute, such as moral reasoning, forgiveness, altruism, or faith. Only when
these qualities reach that point can they be ascribed to spiritual intelligence.
During different life experiences, people may develop through the preliminary
stages, but only at a certain point can they discern an awakened spiritual
intelligence. Yet, this is only one part of the picture, since one may question the
continuity of spiritual intelligence 4 is it always there, always awakened? How
does its existence relate to the struggle between one’s "dark side of the soul"
and the yearning for God?
110 The Jourmzl 0f Tmhspersomzl Psychology, 2008, V0]. 40, N0. I

Since I discussed spiritual intelligence as the ability to struggle against human
selfishness and towards God, it becomes clear that during that struggle people
may adhere to spiritual intelligence in certain moments only. One may not use
it all the time, although it still exists potentially. Support for this last claim can
be found in some cognitive—developmental theories of moral reasoning. Rest
(1986; 1994), for example, notices that the same person, at different times,
might exercise different stages of moral reasoning. Hence, he measures moral
reasoning as a proportion of principled reasoning (Rest, 1993). The more often
one exercises a high stage of moral reasoning, the higher one’s stage of moral
reasoning is. Similarly, spiritual intelligence is built through the accumulation
of separate experiences, that is, individuals increasingly experience an
expanded commitment to engage in actual spiritual practices (Winkl &
Dillon, 2002). The more moments in which people identify with God—centered
motives (Kalo, 1999a), the more frequently they use spiritual intelligence as
their principal intelligence. Therefore, I suggest that "higher" in spiritual
intelligence means experiencing it more often.
SPIRITUAL INT1;LL1GENcE IN Acr1oN
While writing this paper, I came across real—life examples of people who chose
to struggle against their self—centeredness as a means in their search for God.
During their struggles, the diverse features of spiritual intelligence were
revealed. To conclude, I will describe an example of such a struggle that
portrays spiritual intelligence in action.
The example is that of a young orthodox Jewish family whose story was
publicized several years ago on a highly rated Israeli television program. In the
first of two episodes, it became known that these young people had bought a
second—hand car with all of their savings (cars are relatively expensive in Israel).
Unfortunately, after several months they discovered that it was a stolen car. So
they searched for the legitimate owner and, to his astonishment, returned the
car to him. They got nothing in return and could not afford to buy another car.
A week later, on the same show, it was announced that the Israeli importer of
that make of car had decided to give this couple a new car. While I was
working on the initial stages of this paper, I decided to investigate this case
further, and interviewed the young couple, while having their permission to
publish their case (of course their anonymity is preserved, although they were
ready to disclose their identity).
The husband described their inner struggle when their insurance agent
informed them that the car was suspected as stolen. According to him, "the
temptation was great and painful." Friends advised them to destroy the car,
which was the only proof of its being stolen, and have the insurance company
pay for it. They both felt that doing so was not right and would contradict their
faith and way of life. Indeed, when they decided to return it, they felt an
immediate relief. However, the police "were not cooperative at all" according
to this man, and after several months the owner had still not been found. A
new temptation arose: if they waited long enough, the police might return the
The Experience 0f Spiritual Intelligence lll

car to them, as no one had claimed it. However, the man felt that this was a
spiritual experience, not a financial one. Although they were relatively poor
and had lost all of their savings, "money was not the issue at all". His decision
was: "If the police are corrupt and do not do their job, let’s do it ourselves!"
After several weeks of independent investigation, they found the legitimate
owner of the car and gave it back to him, just before he received his theft
insurance payment.
The owner offered to go on a TV show with the story. Initially they refused,
with a wish to stay "out of the limelight," but on second thought they accepted
his suggestion, "to warn other people against this kind of sophisticated thief."
When they were offered a new car, they initially refused it. However, the
importer convinced the couple that it was really an inexpensive form of
advertising. In the week between the two shows, several people who had
watched the first show offered the couple money. They rejected all of it,
although they did not know then that they would get a new car. When one
woman insisted and sent them some money, they donated it to charity in her
name.
Although outside the scope of this article to recount all the details of the
couple’s experience or the interview conducted, this example serves to illustrate
the struggle for practicing faith in everyday matters. Although this young
couple was advised to make a distinction between faith, morality and "real
life," they choose differently, that is, to manage life according their spiritual
understanding and intelligence. Doing so illustrates the role of honesty,
modesty, and humbleness as part of their spiritual intelligence, as well as the
emotional empowerment that was gained by their faith that assisted them to
reject social pressure and to feel confidence and relief.
CONcLUs1oN
Spiritual intelligence is a somewhat confusing, contradictory concept (Wol-
man, 2001). While intelligence refers to human abilities, within the limited
human nature, spirituality refers to the infinite that stands beyond the human.
Whereas the human ability to adapt to the world usually points to the parts,
spirituality indicates the whole, the one. Intelligence lies within the domain of
the psyche, while spiritual teaching refers to a different domain, that of the
spirit.
I have attempted to resolve these apparent contradictions and to describe the
theistic spiritual experience as representing a core ability that directs and
influences one’s overall life A spiritual intelligence. I see it as a first attempt to
introduce spiritual intelligence as a core ability, a general factor that penetrates
into and guides other abilities. An analysis of the nature of this ability is
suggested here, taking into account known controversies about the study of
intelligence. In view of these, it is asserted here that the general nature of
spiritual intelligence can be manifested in any human realm, whether cognitive,
emotional, moral, artistic, creational or other, and hence it differs from other
ll2 The Jourmzl of Tmhspersomzl Psychology, 2008, V0]. 40, N0. I

forms of intelligence that are limited by definition (Gardner, 1995). In addition,
unlike the perception of intelligence as a cognitive ability alone (Gardner,
2000), a broader understanding of the concept of intelligence is suggested. As
such, spiritual intelligence is more than a cognitive ability to comprehend the
spiritual in any given field; rather, it is a distinct ability for spiritual
comprehension in general. Such a broad ability cannot be reduced to distinct
physiological processes, although certain spiritual practices and abilities can be
manifested by exclusive physiological activities (Goleman, 2005).
Spiritual intelligence is, then, a unique ability to understand, feel, evaluate,
create, and act beyond self—centered motives and towards a spiritual meaning.
As my approach is theistic, spiritual intelligence represents here the ability to
recognize theistic meaning in a given situation and to direct one’s motivation
from a self-centered one to one that represents the spiritual, theistic meaning.
Its various attributes, as emphasized earlier, are expressed in any life domain.
These include personal theistic faith as a basic motive in life; humility and
gratitude as a personal approach; an integrative, spiritual understanding of any
reality; the ability to regulate emotions; the ability to morally judge a situation
and to act accordingly; and the ability for forgiveness and unselfish love.
Increasingly, people may experience these and similar attributes in their lives.
At moments when these attributes become central to the individual, as in the
example described above, spiritual intelligence is in action.
The above description of spiritual intelligence is a pragmatic one; it may
assist people in self-evaluation of their personal spiritual intelligence
(Underwood, 2002) and consequently, since spiritual intelligence is develop-
mental, people may practice its development at any stage. Kalo summarizes
this process: "to persevere on self—correction and not to let loose, free from
fear, strong in hope, independent on the result" (2000, p. 110). First, people
may evaluate the attributes of spiritual intelligence that have to be
strengthened in their lives. Subsequently, based on the perception of the
developmental nature of spiritual intelligence, people may practice an
increased proportion of spiritual intelligence in their lives, thus potentially
increasing their spiritual intelligence. It is assumed here, following the
experience gained in l2-Step interventions, whether in self-help or by
professionals (Rehm, 1993; Kurtz & Ketcham, 1992; Ronel & Claridge,
1999), that the deliberate intensified practice of those attributes that direct
one from self—centeredness and toward God—centeredness or other—centered—
ness can bring a personal spiritual transformation. It is also assumed A
although further research is needed for confirmation A that an increase in the
proportion of several attributes of spiritual intelligence in one’s life may
increase the proportion of other attributes as well, since the spiritual
intelligence that lies beneath these attributes is a general, unified one.
Therapy or counseling may be useful in this developmental process of spiritual
intelligence. Based on the concept of spiritual intelligence and the description
of the various attributes, counseling may be seen as a process that assists one in
recognizing and practicing spiritual intelligence in life. During counseling
The Experience 0f Spiritual Intelligence 113

people may be encouraged to engage in such a process, based on their
willingness and intention. When individuals practice life as an agent for
spiritual growth, they may achieve their full choice of human potential (Kass &
Lenox, 2005; Pargament, 2007), which is an inspired aim of counseling.
The above conclusions about the possibility of self—evaluation and practice of
spiritual intelligence and its development via counseling require further
research. Such a study, based on experiential knowledge, could explore a wide
range of expressions and additional attributes of spiritual intelligence, as well
as subjective factors about its self—assessment and the conditions for its
development during counseling.
Another issue yet to be explored is the social aspect of spiritual intelligence. The
preliminary discussion of spiritual intelligence here focuses on the individual
realm. What impact, if any, has spiritual intelligence on social order, community
life, or culture? Kalo (1999b), for example, describes the horror of society and
culture that turn their backs on the spiritual quest and that stress self—centeredness
as a promising way of life. The culture of self—centeredness may lead to the
"commoditization of human relationships," based on a wish for maximal gain
and minimal loss. In contrast, the awakening of spiritual intelligence may lead to
the humanization of relationships, including those that are initially defined as
commercial. It is the awakening of a struggle towards the sanctification of
relationships. The resulting social structure and what society should struggle
towards are questions that demand further exploration.
Norias
1 Editor’s note: For further inquiry and a more expanded discussion the reader is referred to Noble K.D. (2001).
Riding the windhorse: Spiritual intelligence and the growth rfsef Creskill, NJ: Hampton Press.
Z"Shlomo Kalo was born in 1928, in Sofia, Bulgaria. When he was 12 years old, he joined an anti-Fascist
underground in Bulgaria. Aged 15, under Nazi occupation, he was imprisoned in a concentration camp... Aged
18, he won a prize in a poetry competition and went to Prague, where he studied medicine and worked as a
journalist... The sharp turn his life which occurred in the first week of 1969, is reflected, among others, in his
writings. More than 60 titles of his were published in Israel, some of which were translated into English, French,
Spanish, Italian, Polish, Greek, Malayalam, Bulgarian, Portuguese, Korean and more." (Retrieved on June 14,
2008, from http://www.y-dat.co.il/bio.htm.)
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The Author
Natti Ronel, Ph.D., is Senior Lecturer at the department of Criminology, Bar
Ilan University, Israel. He previously held position at Tel Aviv University,
School of Social Work where he also served as the Researcher-in-Chief of the
Interdisciplinary Center for Children and Youth Studies. A member of the
World Society of Victimology, European Society of Criminology, the Israeli
Society of Criminology (board member) and the Israeli Council for
Criminology. He is a licensed clinical criminologist who holds a private
118 The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 2008, Vol. 40, No. I

practice. He also leads continuous training and supervision courses for
professionals who work with criminological and victimological populations.
His various writings reflect both the clinical experience and the criminological
studies. A special focus is on the spiritual aspect of criminologyeits values and
impact upon individuals and communities: spiritually based intervention and
recovery, moral transformation, forgiveness and spiritual intelligence. Married
happily with two grown children, he lives in Jaffa — a J ewish—Arabic part of Tel
Aviv.
The Experience 0f Spiritual Intelligence 119

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