Evolutionary Spirituality
| Evolutionary Spirituality | |
|---|---|
| Family | Modern / New Age-adjacent spirituality |
| Origin region | Europe and North America |
| Founding period | 19th through 21st centuries CE, with major modern forms in the 20th and 21st centuries |
| Estimated adherents | Unknown; usually practiced through teachers, books, workshops, and networks rather than one institution. |
Evolutionary Spirituality is a modern spiritual worldview that interprets cosmic, biological, cultural, and personal development as part of an unfolding sacred evolutionary process.
Overview
Evolutionary Spirituality is an umbrella term for religious and spiritual ideas that treat evolution as spiritually meaningful. Some versions connect with New Age spirituality, integral philosophy, process thought, Teilhardian Christianity, or transhumanism. It is not one doctrine; it can be theistic, pantheistic, panentheistic, or non-theistic depending on the teacher or community.
Key beliefs
- Evolution can be interpreted as spiritually meaningful development
- Human consciousness may participate in cosmic or cultural evolution
- Personal transformation can be framed as part of a larger unfolding process
- Science and spirituality are often presented as compatible or complementary
- Critics warn against turning evolution into simplistic progress mythology
Practices
- Meditation and contemplative practice
- Personal development workshops
- Study of cosmology, evolution, and spirituality
- Community dialogue about consciousness and culture
- Rituals of transformation and purpose
Places of worship
- Retreat centers
- Study groups
- Online communities
- Meditation halls or home practice spaces
Sacred texts
- Books on integral spirituality
- Process and evolutionary theology writings
- New Age and transpersonal psychology texts
- Scientific-spiritual cosmology essays
Holidays and observances
- No universal calendar
- Solstices or Earth-centered observances in some groups
- Personal transformation milestones
- Community-defined retreat cycles
Branches and related traditions
- New Age spirituality - A broad modern context for many evolutionary spiritual teachers.
- Gaianism - A related Earth-centered worldview in some expressions.
- Transhumanist spirituality - A related future-oriented spiritual category.