Abstract
In an interview-based and ethnographic study that sought to understand how astrologers and astrology enthusiasts make sense of themselves within their communities, participants were asked how their identities may inform their practice. One responded with, “Oh, I transcend all that shit.” This statement exemplifies many participant responses to questions of identity and social issues. Furthermore, most who responded in ways like this identified as “spiritual” or “spiritual, but not religious” in a pre-interview survey where they were allowed to write in their religious preference. Additionally, they actively described themselves as involved in practices such as yoga, meditation and reiki; were interested in things like crystals and plant medicine, and sometimes even professed to have psychic abilities. In short, the more an individual appeared to consider themselves spiritual, the more likely they were to engage in a practice I am calling socio-spiritual bypassing. This term borrows from the psychological concept known as “spiritual bypassing” which argues that spirituality is often used to avoid one’s own personal trauma. Socio-spiritual bypassing, then, is the process of using interest in spiritual practices to avoid or ignore social problems. This paper, therefore, explores the differences between those who use spiritually-oriented interests to elevate and engage with social issues and those who use it to avoid social problems, focusing on the latter. It finds that race, gender and age are relevant characteristics but that, in fact, the more spiritual interests an individual professes may be the most salient predictor of socio-spiritual bypassing.
Presenters
Ian WallerStudent, PhD, University of California - Santa Barbara, California, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Spirituality, Identity, Astrology, Meditation, Yoga, Spiritual Bypassing, Socio-Spiritual Bypassing
