The most important rite of passage in tribal culture and
spirituality has always been the quest for identity. A person’s identity is
their gateway into reality. A person’s identity is also a gateway into their
spirit, so it is equally important to know who “I Am” while at the same time
protecting that identity from others that would seek to do harm or take
advantage of the person. There are many ways and methods for becoming aware of
one’s identity but the most common method for males has always been solitude in
nature. Buddhism was born after an individual in India spent time meditating while
sitting alone at the base of a tree. Jesus of Nazareth spent forty days and
nights in the wilderness, fasting and praying alone. The vision that resulted
in Protestant Christianity came to Martin Luther while he was meditating in
personal chambers. (Okay, I always love to mix it up a little with that pivotal
point in Western Culture, which is historically accurate and a prime example of
the spiritual importance of scatology.) While there are similarities between
men and women in the experience of becoming aware of one’s identity, there are
some gendered-based differences, the primary one being that a woman doesn’t
appear to have to isolate the same way a man will because of the difference in
gender-based ego function. A woman’s sense of self is stronger and thus able to
integrate social stimuli during the formation of identity. Should this not
occur then the same methods are available to a woman that are utilized by a
man.
In breaking down tribal culture and identity functions over
recent human history (say, the past 2000 years) there has been a lot of
attention given to discontinuing any tribal ritual that would help establish
and utilize a spiritual identity. A soldier vows to protect his country and its
citizens but not his sense of self. He becomes a nameless and faceless warrior
in the battle to protect, defend, and further the advancement of the rulers and
powers that be. Military training is designed to reduce him down to a primal
killing machine. Any sense of spiritual identity or integrity would incorporate
a basic respect for all life and this impairs his ability to respond to
commands that are in conflict with his sense of identity. The rites of passage
that encourage the awareness of identity are also designed to be ego-deflating,
but in the opposite direction. While ego-deflation is designed to create a
sense of helpless servitude to the powers-that-be for a soldier, the tribal
warrior goes through ego-deflation at a social level whereby his awareness
beyond other people is of equal importance to his identity. A spiritual warrior
is subjected to challenges that generate a sense of inter-connectedness with
all his relations. “All My Relations” includes any function of awareness. The
stars become relations. The grass, insects, rain, wind, and beyond are all
integrated into an interpersonal and transpersonal relationship. All of life is
sacred. To break a People’s will to maintain personal identity the opposing force
must discontinue the rituals.
The first course of action in doing this is to “convert” the
spiritual leaders to whatever spiritual or religious practices the invading
forces follow, which is generally a dehumanizing religion that has very little
regard for life. When the goal in following a religion is to have a better life
in the “here after” then there is little attention given to the quality of life
in the “here now”. That has serious consequences on the moral judgments a person
will make. A fear-based reality is easier to control than one based upon
awareness of self and the infinite possibilities of the Universe. The need for
control of the masses and thus the warriors of a People is paramount for a
conquering hero. So converting the spiritual leaders to the invader’s religion
is the first stage of controlling the people beyond military force. Should the
spiritual leaders refuse to convert, they are executed in full view of the
public. Eventually the survivors succumb. The longer range procedure is to take
over the education of the youth. As generation after generation loses touch
with their indigenous spirituality they lose all sense of self as individuals
and as a culture and become servants to the political, religious, and economic
forces that control them.
One’s identity is established in the caste system of the
invading culture. The indigenous people are always at the bottom of the totem
pole. Their identity is now based on their station in life with respect to
their relations with the conquerors. The better they are at serving those in
power the better they will be rewarded. They will never be as good as but they
might appear to be almost as good as their conquerors. Identity is based upon
securing approval and an overwhelming fear of disapproval. Each generation is
subjected to the process of destroying one’s sense of self in favor of
servitude to a social and religious ideal of imperfection and unachievable
perfection. “To Thine Own Self Be True” means to be greedy and self-centered to
a person has been disenfranchised from their indigenous spirituality. Their
social interaction is reduced to that of keeping up with the Joneses and
comparative assessments of success based upon material acquisitions.
When an individual steps out of the social norm and seeks to
establish a spiritual identity that person will encounter rejection and social
ridicule. Every effort will be made to break the person’s will. It takes a
great resolve to remain steady on the course during this process. As difficult
as it is for a person to engage in a vision quest or walk-about while a member
of a supportive tribal community, that effort is far more difficult while the
person is attempting to function in an acculturated society that has given in
to the fear-based reality of a conquered people who have functioned on the
premise that success is dependant upon imitating the conqueror. One distinguish
that is important to make between those who follow the course of an
acculturated society and an individual who has made the commitment to seek and
arrive at a spiritual awareness of self and identity is that the person who is
subservient to society will view reality through his/her ego and assume that
everyone else sees and understands the world the way they do while the
spiritual warrior does not impose personal perception upon others. That means
that while the person embarks upon a spiritual journey outside the acculturated
society he/she grew up in, everyone in that society will assume that after some
effort that person will give up and succumb to societal pressure just like they
did.
And then we all die and go to heaven. Your mileage may vary.
