Tips for Spiritual Activists

Being a spiritual activist sounds like a lofty goal and may bring to mind images or fears of having to leave everything to live on the mission field, but not so. If you help others, regardless of form, or aim to live gently upon the Earth from a moral or spiritual conviction as part of your higher calling, you are a spiritual activist (also called sacred activism).

In his book, The Hope, A Guide to Sacred Activism, Andrew Harvey defines Sacred Activism as “a holy force – the power of wisdom and love in action.” This force is rooted in divine truth, wisdom, and compassion. It is not private or self-absorbed but is politically and socially conscious and practical in its application.

Take a look inside The Hope (affiliate link)

Spiritual activists face personal and social challenges as they try to relieve suffering and improve conditions in the circle of life. The following suggestions will help you sustain your attitude and ability to continue doing good works with joy.

Practice exceptional self-care and spiritual attunement

• Be compassionate with yourself. Genuine appreciation and compassion flow from the full cup of unconditional love for yourself and others. The Divine loves you and has compassion for you. When you truly love yourself, you will naturally treasure the Earth that nurtures all within the sacred circle of life and ou can be of service to others in a heart-centered, healthy, sustainable way.

• Employ the principle of the Middle Way. Balance your wants, needs, and personal responsibilities with service to your cause. Eat nutritious food, get enough sleep, and exercise. Play, take a vacation, spend quality time with friends and family, read or do your favorite hobby, breathe.
• Have a consistent spiritual practice. Nurture your spiritual connection with the Divine. Pray, dance, meditate, sing, or do yoga. Attend services at your favorite house of worship. Take an example from Jesus: after healing and teaching the crowds, he withdrew to the wilderness to pray and meditate. Find your own way to unplug and recharge.

• Seek support and encouragement from others. Surround yourself with people on the active spiritual path. Partner with others doing the same compassionate works. Get a coach, mentor, or advisor. Don’t go it alone.
• Be honest and in integrity with all you do. Be mindful that activism is a process. Ask your Higher Power which steps you are called to take this day, this week, this month. Be open to spontaneous inspired action. Stay aware, observe, say “yes” and engage when it feels right. Sometimes, you may be called to take a break or to shift paths. That’s okay.

Work toward a positive outcome

•  It is usually more effective to have the mindset of working toward a goal than against a wrong even if the actions are the same.  Working toward something feels positive and energizing; it does not put you in attack mode. Mother Theresa said she would attend a peace rally but not an anti-war rally. Dr. King marched for equal rights, not against segregation. When you focus on evil and what is wrong, it is easy to feel overwhelmed, depressed and tempted to give up. Acknowledge the wrong but focus on the good you want to create.

• Focus on issues. Judge issues, not people. This is difficult when people are callous in their disregard and cruelty. Affect them energetically for the good by sending them love and blessings. Remember that many people are unaware of what goes on behind the scenes in agriculture, manufacturing, corporations, and politics. When they know better, they are willing to do better. Forgive them their ignorance and forgive yourself for being judgmental and thinking yourself “holier than thou”. We all have faults, blind spots, and ways we can act with more enlightenment.

• Employ wisdom before taking compassionate action. For example, helping a turtle cross the road is kind and wise unless you are risking your life. At times, compassion can be carried to an unhealthy extreme or cause more harm than good. If you make yourself sick or impoverished trying to save the world, that is extreme. If you create a bad situation, such as overwhelmed rescuers who hoard animals in filthy conditions, you give your mission a bad name despite your good intentions. Remind yourself that compassion does not enable someone to continue harmful physical and emotional habits, break laws, or to abuse the goodwill of others to avoid personal responsibility. It does not purposely hurt one to help another. In certain cases, it is wise to seek counsel from experienced activists before trying to help. Learn when compassion looks like “tough love”, when to assist, and when to back off, when to give a hand-out and when to offer a hand-up.

You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model.
—Buckminster Fuller

Approach issues and people with positivity and compassion.

• Meet people with different viewpoints where they are. Hear them out. Acknowledge their fears and understandings with respect. Offer information, not too much at once. People are more willing to listen when they do not feel judged or belittled. No one likes to be wrong or at fault. Provide scapegoats and a way to deal with them. Hold advertisers, the media, corporations, and/or politicians responsible, not individuals who may not know better. It is more fruitful to evoke change with Truth and a change of heart rather than fear, hypocrisy, or humiliation.  Appeal to their emotions.  Suggest small, easy changes, and upgrades. Do this and you have a good chance of inspiring new ways of thinking and behaving.

• Smile and say, “Thank you, I try,” (or something like that) when someone calls you a “do-gooder”. Since when is doing good a bad thing? The world needs people whose caring actions speak louder than empty words. This same idea holds true when people question why you advocate for one cause over another. This line of questioning is often a veiled attack rather than an authentic inquiry. Refuse to allow judgments, threatened egos, and reprisals hold you back from fulfilling your spiritual purpose. Claim your power to disentangle from what others think.

• Remember, you have the power to be a conscious change-maker. You are always making an impact for better or worse. Continue asking for the wisdom, strength, and courage to live and contribute as you are called, to do no harm, and to serve the highest good. Make your impact as a human count for good in little and big ways. Don’t discount your efforts if someone else does more than you or the issue is so much bigger than yourself.

In summary, spiritual activists sustain righteous, purposeful lives when they keep themselves healthy, balanced, and connected to Source and other committed individuals. They are empowered, enlivened, and excited to advance their cause with wisdom, compassion, and right action. Sacred activists know what is wrong and are not naive about the challenges and evils they will face. They are sensitive and sensitized, but do not wallow in the mire of problems. Rather, they look forward from where they are to where they want to go. They focus on the positive changes they want to create and make it happen to the best of their ability.

Do you  have good intentions, but fall short on empathy or inspiration to take action? You can change that and become the person you want to be by training your brain. Learn how here.