15 Feb Examples of Descending Line Spiritualities
An example of a highly developed spirituality that grew and flourished under a non-white, non-hierarchy is the African lineage as presented by Bynum (1992). This culture can be traced back to at least the beginnings of the Egyptian civilization, also known as Kemet. This transmission of spiritual beliefs, hope, and a sense of choice and responsibility were strong spiritual elements in what would be considered the “descending line.” (Asante, 1984 & Razak, 2016).
Although Tibetan spirituality was almost exclusively male and hierarchical, it differs from Wilber’s ascending line in one crucial element – it honors the body and desire rather than trying to extinguish them as do other traditions on the ascending line. These are considered descending characteristics although Wilber designates Tibetan Buddhism as one of the “highest” manifestations of the ascending line. Bernbaum (1974) describes a highly developed system of symbols: mantras, dance, ritual, yantras, and mudras, and states clearly that Tibetans accepted the energy of desire and used it. This will be examined more thoroughly later in the paper.
Other indigenous spiritualities which we now know to be highly developed are the Aborigines of Australia, Native Americans, shamanic cultures worldwide, pagan and earth-based religions. Today we do not assign lower rank to these sophisticated systems but instead attempt to learn from their wisdom.
Asante, M. K. (1984). The African American mode of transcendence. Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 16(2), 167-177.
Bynum, E. B. (1992). A brief overview of transpersonal psychology. The Humanistic Psychologist, 20(2-3), 301-306.
Wilber, K. (1977). The Spectrum of Consciousness. Quest Books
© 2023 Catherine Auman
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