A Spiritual Genealogy — The Christuman Way

In Christuman, we look to a spiritual genealogy—to men and women from all generations of humankind who model the breadth and depth of human creativity. We look to men and women from all generations of humankind whose lives were lived as if in conversation with the divine. We believe that one of the mysteries of being human is that our lives are in-formed and trans-formed and re-formed by our coming in contact with those who lives were channels of their own unique expression of Spirit.

This is “modeling,” never mimesis; you don’t learn from the model in order to do what they did. The suggestion is not that you model from their action; instead, you find your reflection in their being – who they are: their mind, their heart, their will, their very spirit. It is never to do what they did when they faced a crisis and overcame it, but it is to see as clearly as possible the character of that woman or man that took them into that crisis – and better yet, the character that took them through it. It is similar to what Gary Snyder describes in his poem, Axe Handles: “In making the handle/Of an axe/By cutting wood with an axe/The model is indeed near at hand.”

Over the years we’ve enjoyed so many opportunities to walk with, if you will,men and women, each a unique expression of Spirit set in the context of universal human challenges. In a variety of settings and gatherings such as Men’s reading groups, Women’s reading groups, History study groups, Literature groups—in these settings and more, we’ve drawn from so many wells of inspiration.

Throughout his 40+ years of teaching at Columbia University, whenever cultural historian Jacques Barzun was in need of some wise counsel, some settling in regard to a nagging concern around a student or university issue, he would take a stroll across campus with William James. Of course, James was long gone from the earth, but Barzun felt an intimate connection with James from a lifelong acquaintance with his life and works so that Barzun could leave his office on the Columbia campus to take a walk and converse with this favorite companion of spirit. Of these walks and talks with William James, Barzun said, “…his words, his temperament speak to me with intimacy as well as force. Communication is direct. I do not ‘divine’ benefit from him, rather he ‘does me good.’”In this month in which we explore the mystery of the immanent expression of the Divine seeded within each of us at birth – the Mystery of the I Am – we find ourselves called to revisit, seek counsel and walk again throughout the summer months reading the works and looking at the life of poet, mystic, philosopher, and theologian, Howard Thurman. Apt for not only this month’s theme, but this moment in time as well, Howard Thurman’s life reflected a unity that came as a result of his rock solid understanding of himself as a “child of God”, a “core identity” given by God that he never let anyone or any institution undermine. He wrote:

There is something
in every one of you
that waits and listens
for the sound
of the genuine in yourself.
It is the only true guide you will ever have.
and if you cannot hear it
you will all of your life spend your days
on the ends of strings
that somebody else pulls.

If you haven’t met Howard Thurman yet, then I can recommend no better way than reading his autobiography With Head and Heart, Jesus and the Disinherited, The Search for Common Ground, Deep is the Hunger, The Inward Journey – from these and all of his writings, the qualities of Howard Thurman’s life rise as if “insistent facts” because of that which was deep within him. There it was that he discovered something “literal and irreducible” – his true name, the sound of the genuine in himself. I can think of no better companion with whom to journey during these uncertain times. To be with Howard Thurman, just does you good.