Home-Grown Process Theology
Personalized, Accessible, Mindful, Ecological,
Compassionate, Adventurous and Humble
I want to talk about a kind of process theology that is personalized, emerges from the ground up, is not reliant on appeals to scholars and academics, is both social and ecological, and is available to people from all walks of life. I call it home-grown process theology.
It can be embodied by people with many different religious affiliations, however strong or weak, and by people without any religious affiliation: spiritual independents.
This theology is always in process, comparable to an ongoing activity like cooking or gardening. Just as cooking involves continually adjusting ingredients and methods to create a satisfying meal, or gardening requires ongoing care and adaptation to nurture a thriving garden, home-grown process theology evolves and grows over time. It is dynamic and adaptable, constantly responding to new experiences, insights, and understandings. This theology is never static; it flourishes through continual engagement and reflection, allowing individuals to cultivate a personal and ever-evolving spiritual practice.
In what follows, I offer images of its core ideas, spiritual and religious emphases, spiritual practices and rituals, ethical practices, and core values, such as life-long learning, including learning from science, the arts, and traditions. While personal, it is not solipsistic. Home-grown process theology finds its home in community with others, in community service, and in the aspirational ideal of helping to build a new kind of civilization—an ecological civilization in which people live with respect and care for one another and the larger community of life, with special care for the vulnerable.
1. Core Ideas
2. Spiritual and Religious Emphases
3. Sample Practices
4. Sample Rituals
5. Ethical Commitments
6. Learning and Growth
7. Community Building and Ecological Civilization
8. Primacy of the Present Moment
9. A Sense of Adventure
10. Humility
Please note that all of the practices and ideas noted above can be practiced and embodied from the ground up, without appeal to special authority or to scholarly discussions. They can be enriched by such discussions, but the discussions are not essential. This is process theology home-grown.
It can be embodied by people with many different religious affiliations, however strong or weak, and by people without any religious affiliation: spiritual independents.
This theology is always in process, comparable to an ongoing activity like cooking or gardening. Just as cooking involves continually adjusting ingredients and methods to create a satisfying meal, or gardening requires ongoing care and adaptation to nurture a thriving garden, home-grown process theology evolves and grows over time. It is dynamic and adaptable, constantly responding to new experiences, insights, and understandings. This theology is never static; it flourishes through continual engagement and reflection, allowing individuals to cultivate a personal and ever-evolving spiritual practice.
In what follows, I offer images of its core ideas, spiritual and religious emphases, spiritual practices and rituals, ethical practices, and core values, such as life-long learning, including learning from science, the arts, and traditions. While personal, it is not solipsistic. Home-grown process theology finds its home in community with others, in community service, and in the aspirational ideal of helping to build a new kind of civilization—an ecological civilization in which people live with respect and care for one another and the larger community of life, with special care for the vulnerable.
1. Core Ideas
- Relationality and Interconnectedness: The interconnectedness of all things, where every action, thought, and feeling affects and is affected by others.
- Respect for People, Animals, and the Earth: Cultivating respect for all forms of life, with special care for the vulnerable, acknowledging their intrinsic value and the importance of compassion and kindness.
- Creativity and Novelty: Valuing creativity and the emergence of new possibilities in each moment.
- Dynamic Becoming: The idea that reality is not static but constantly evolving, embracing change and growth as fundamental aspects of life.
- Prehension and Feelings: Understanding that experiences and feelings are pre-reflective and form the basis of reality, acknowledging the importance of empathy and shared emotions.
- The Aliveness of Nature: Recognizing that all entities experience the world in some way, emphasizing the subjectivity present throughout nature, and embracing the idea that nature is alive and responsive.
- Beauty: Understanding beauty as the richness of experience in daily life and recognizing the beauty of other people, other animals, and the Earth.
- Cosmic Context: Viewing the universe as a vast, dynamic, interconnected web of relationships, recognizing that human life is part of a larger cosmic process, and that each moment is an opportunity to participate in the ongoing creation of the universe.
- Primacy of Love: Emphasizing love as a foundational principle, recognizing it as central to ethical and spiritual practices and fostering deep connections and mutual respect.
2. Spiritual and Religious Emphases
- God as Process: Understanding God not as a static being but as a dynamic process involved in the world, continuously creating and being created through relationships.
- God as Deep Listening: Viewing God as a field of consciousness, pervading the universe, that feels the feelings of each and all with tender care.
- Lure of Possibility: Recognizing the divine as a lure towards greater complexity, beauty, and harmony in the universe.
- Feeling of Interconnectedness: Fostering a profound sense of interconnectedness and mutual respect for all forms of life, recognizing that every entity contributes to and is affected by the web of existence.
- Participating in the Earth Community: Embracing the idea that the whole of nature is alive with subjectivity, acknowledging that all living beings and natural entities possess their own forms of awareness and experience, contributing to the dynamic, living tapestry of the universe.
- Journey into Wholeness: Undertaking a personal journey into wholeness, seeking to integrate all aspects of being—physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual—into a harmonious and fulfilling life.
3. Sample Practices
- Daily Reflection and Journaling: Maintaining a journal to reflect on daily experiences, feelings, and how they connect with the broader web of life.
- Mindful Living: Practicing mindfulness to stay aware of the present moment and the dynamic processes unfolding around.
- Artistic Creativity: Engaging in creative activities like painting, writing, or music to explore and express the understanding of process theology.
- Community Service: Participating in community service activities that promote interconnectedness, kindness, and mutual support.
- Deep Listening: Practicing deep listening to oneself, to other people, and to the more-than-human world to foster empathy and understanding.
4. Sample Rituals
- Nature Walks: Regularly spending time in nature, reflecting on the interconnectedness of all living things and the dynamic processes at play.
- Shared Meals: Hosting or participating in communal meals, emphasizing the relational aspects of sharing food and conversation.
- Meditation and Prayer: Developing a meditation or prayer practice that focuses on gratitude, interconnectedness, and openness to new possibilities.
- Seasonal Celebrations: Creating rituals that honor the changing seasons and natural cycles, celebrating the interconnectedness of life and the rhythms of nature.
- Rites of Passage: Developing and participating in rituals that mark significant life transitions, such as births, weddings, and deaths, recognizing their importance in the broader web of life.
- Gratitude Practices: Incorporating daily or weekly practices that emphasize gratitude for the interconnectedness of life, fostering a sense of appreciation and mindfulness.
5. Ethical Commitments
- Sustainable Practices: Adopting environmentally sustainable practices in daily life, recognizing the interconnectedness of all life and the impact of human actions on the environment.
- Social Justice: Advocating for social justice, understanding that the well-being of individuals and communities is interconnected.
- Care for People: Prioritizing care for people, including the vulnerable, ensuring their well-being and recognizing their intrinsic worth.
- Care for Animals: Promoting and practicing care for animals, recognizing their intrinsic value and their role in the web of life.
- Care for the Earth: Committing to caring for the Earth, recognizing its vital role in sustaining life and the need for conservation and stewardship.
- Creative Localization: Blooming where one is planted, helping to make the local community a place that is creative, compassionate, participatory, humane to animals, and good for the Earth, with no one left behind.
- Ecological Civilization: Viewing creative localization as part of a larger movement around the world to help build “ecological civilizations” in which people live with respect and care for the community of life.
6. Learning and Growth
- Curiosity and Life-long Learning: Committing to ongoing education and personal development, embracing every opportunity to learn from various sources, including formal education, self-study, and experiential learning.
- Learning with Others: Forming or joining a study group to explore texts and ideas related to process theology, including works by Alfred North Whitehead and others influenced by him, and websites such as Process and Faith, Open Horizons, The Institute for Ecological Civilization, and the Cobb Institute.
- Interfaith Dialogue: Engaging in conversations with people from different religious traditions to explore commonalities and differences in understanding the dynamic nature of the divine.
- Learning from Nature: Reflecting on the fundamental elements—earth, water, fire, and air—and their roles in sustaining life, observing the growth, resilience, and adaptability of plants, paying attention to the behaviors and communities of animals, exploring various landscapes, attending to the spectacle and dynamics of the stars and planets, trusting in the wisdom of one's own body, and learning from the cycles and seasons of nature.
- Learning from Science: Understanding the complexity and diversity of life on Earth through the study of biology, appreciating the fundamental building blocks of matter and the chemical processes that sustain life, exploring the fundamental laws and forces that govern the universe, studying the Earth's physical structure, history, and processes, investigating the vastness of the universe, delving into the abstract and universal language of mathematics, and exploring the principles of computer science.
- Learning from the Arts: Engaging with visual arts to explore how color, form, and composition can convey complex emotions and ideas, exploring the role of music in expressing and evoking emotions, delving into literature to understand how storytelling shapes perceptions of the world and ourselves, considering dance as a physical expression of the dynamic processes of life, and recognizing cooking and food as powerful means of creating community and expressing creativity.
- Learning from Tradition: Engaging with various religious traditions to understand their teachings, practices, and rituals, studying different philosophical traditions to gain a deeper understanding of fundamental questions about existence, knowledge, and ethics, exploring cultural traditions and practices to appreciate the diversity of human expression and experience, and learning from historical contexts to understand the development of ideas and practices over time.
7. Community Building and Ecological Civilization
- Life-Nourishing Communities: Developing communities that prioritize compassionate human-to-human connections, fostering environments where individuals feel valued, supported, and connected.
- Compassionate Human Connections: Emphasizing the importance of forming deep, empathetic relationships within the community, recognizing that these connections are fundamental to a healthy and vibrant community life.
- Holistic Community Care: Advocating for and practicing holistic care within the community, addressing not just physical needs, but also emotional, intellectual, and spiritual well-being.
- Global Movement: Viewing efforts as part of a global movement towards building “ecological civilizations” where respect and care for the community of life are paramount, and every person, animal, and ecosystem is valued.
8. Primacy of the Present Moment
- Being Present: Cultivating the practice of being fully present in each moment, paying attention to thoughts, feelings, and surroundings without judgment.
- Mindfulness Practices: Engaging in mindfulness practices such as meditation, deep breathing exercises, and mindful walking to develop awareness and presence.
- Connection with Self: Fostering a deep connection with oneself through self-reflection, self-compassion, and self-care practices.
- Connection with Others: Building meaningful relationships by practicing active listening, empathy, and genuine presence in interactions with others.
- Connection with Nature: Developing a mindful relationship with the natural world, appreciating its beauty, and recognizing the interconnectedness of all life.
- Mindful Consumption: Practicing mindful consumption by being aware of the impact of one’s choices on the environment and society, and making decisions that align with values of sustainability and compassion.
- Gratitude and Appreciation: Cultivating a habit of gratitude, regularly reflecting on and appreciating the positive aspects of life and the contributions of others.
9. A Sense of Adventure
- Adventure as a Mode of the Universe: Embracing adventure as an inherent aspect of the universe, reflecting its dynamic, ever-changing nature.
- Intellectual Adventure: Engaging in intellectual pursuits with curiosity and openness, exploring new ideas, challenging existing beliefs, and seeking deeper understanding.
- Spiritual Adventure: Embarking on spiritual journeys that involve exploring different practices, beliefs, and experiences, fostering growth and transformation.
- Social Adventure: Building and nurturing relationships through new social experiences, community involvement, and collaborative efforts, embracing the unpredictability and excitement of social interactions.
- Embracing Risk and Uncertainty: Recognizing that adventure often involves stepping into the unknown, taking risks, and being open to the unexpected, all of which contribute to personal and communal growth.
- Celebrating Discovery: Valuing the discoveries made along the way, whether intellectual, spiritual, or social, and integrating these insights into one's life and community.
- Adventure in Daily Life: Finding adventure in everyday activities, viewing challenges as opportunities for growth, and approaching life with a sense of wonder and excitement.
10. Humility
- Humility in Knowledge: Recognizing the limits of one’s knowledge and understanding, being open to learning from others, and valuing different perspectives.
- Humility in Relationships: Approaching relationships with a sense of humility, acknowledging the value and worth of others, and practicing kindness and empathy.
- Humility in Action: Acting with humility in daily life, being mindful of the impact of one's actions on others and the environment, and striving to serve rather than dominate.
- Humility in Spirituality: Embracing humility in spiritual practices, recognizing the vastness and mystery of the divine, and being open to continuous spiritual growth and transformation.
- Humility in Community: Fostering a community culture that values humility, encourages mutual respect, and supports collaborative efforts towards common goals.
- Humility in Leadership: Practicing servant leadership, prioritizing the needs and well-being of others, and leading by example with humility and integrity.
- Humility in the Presence of the Universe. Recognizing that we are small but included in something much more than us, with many forms of life, and that we are participants in a wider network of cosmic becoming.
Please note that all of the practices and ideas noted above can be practiced and embodied from the ground up, without appeal to special authority or to scholarly discussions. They can be enriched by such discussions, but the discussions are not essential. This is process theology home-grown.