Behind the Altar

In an age of increasing religious diversity and pluralism, many people resonate to spirituality beyond only one tradition. But how to find a path that has depth, discernment, and comprehensiveness, connecting to all one knows? Drawing from cross-cultural religious traditions, psychological research, and personal inquiry, Olds offers vocabulary, concepts, and maps of self and world as resources for exploring the ways psychological and spiritual development intersect and interweave, deepening understanding of one's core tradition as well. An integrative model differentiates soul (inner wholeness) and spirit (nondual awareness) as two complementary dimensions of the spiritual search that echo tendencies West and East. In this comprehensive look at the field of psychology and religion, Indra's net or cosmic web provides a guiding metaphor for exploring facets often underrepresented, including transpersonal development of a deeper self and higher consciousness beyond ego; meditation and mysticism; symbolic, Jungian, and imaginal approaches; God-language and nondual perspectives; spiritual embodiment; gender issues; and dialogues with science. An immanental emphasis on divine sacredness in the world is contrasted with more familiar transcendent assumptions, underscoring themes of interconnectedness in world religions, including Celtic Christianity, Hua-yen Buddhism, Taoism, and Whitehead's process thought.