2024-08-02 A Meditation on Spiritualism

“12 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. 3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit. 4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.” (1 Cor 12:1-11 ESV)

Copacetic. At ease. Peaceful. Any spiritualist believes that when climates of the world change, so change or act boisterous or grate upon the passing encounters in the street. We live in a society with unaware spiritual smarts. Overnight, due to no failing on our part, we can greet the day with a new rumor—tangential and not directly related to ourselves—that has hit the streets. People respond, and vibe off of one another, and get some of that “juice” just as likely as some of that “malice”. Some of that “threat” or hasty demon-exorcism preceded by demon-alive reality. Some of that kosher acceptance, that purr, that strange way we seek approval or wonder what others think.

Is it all a facet of our own posture? Do we call “mind reading” what any sociologist calls the expression on our faces, the gestures of our social dance, the timing belts of our glance upwards or the eye contact met or avoided? Needless to say, the night of Prompt Efficacy is real, called by any number of names: overnight, the true test of whom among the cohort and collegial vibes, is Ready and Uncompromised and Unafflicted and Undemonic. These may be our friends across a divide, or may be by contrast the shouting match or the hasty accusation “Bah!”, “Humbug!”, “Cretin!” that meets the personage who startles. Who shakes off a social stigma. Who rises confident and composed although by racial or ethnic or sociological or gender lines they Should Not Rise. Who Rise without Apology. Who banter and narrowly evade the Attack, the three-on-one or five-on-two, because of that same Calming Spirit who intervenes for us, who is methodic and measured, causing a spell to alight upon the Anger and the Aggression.

That is, any spiritualist endears unto their Uniform worn by believing in that Investment in the street smarts, the local Peacetime, the night of watching, the Jesus-vision of “I saw Satan falling from the heavens”. We are each of us called to be reflective and reactive unto that Spirit of the Community, we all of us know the estate of vibing off the public eye while also being saddened as the last to close up shop. We are not to make too much of a social slight, but also can be injured if—carelessly—we wander and sojourn in daring ways.

Such is the night march and day jaunt. We’re rolling deep, so no one should mess with us, we might even say. But to roll deep is to love on those we encounter, magnanimous and generous, Aware of our projection of strength but also being attorney and advocate for the meeker souls, the loner souls, the solitary lights. They get our best Advocacy, our real Sympathy, our generous Gladhearted Appeal. Because no love for the people ever originated in Man’s proud willing duty, but in Man’s reaction and response to him or herself themselves being loved. The proud acts of love, these are met with resistance at the patronizing tone, but the generous Giving is met with Receptivity and gladhearted compassion. We vibe off of one another. We grow into our proper Uniform of Service. We learn all these things by the wandering Tribe called Twelve, called Christ-plus-a-few, called Depth, called Fact: that war boils over, the spiritualist an early Beacon and Red Herring, of some Survivalist Getting by, aside from angular and erratic and hasty and uncouth Reality on all sides.