Some additional definitions

Interspirituality

Interspirituality is the alchemical elixir, the quintessence, that is left in the crucible, after all the specifics of creed and rite have been evaporated away from any religion or psychospiritual path.

Interspirituality is the mystical, heart-centered spirituality that is inclusive and non-otherizing.

Interspiritual Soul-Companion

An interspiritual soul-companion is one who meets every client from this place of complete openness and permission to use any language and imagery for the ultimate mystery that works best for that individual at that point in time.

An interspiritual soul-companion is a soul-tender, a gardener, and sometimes a guide, who witnesses and assists the client to deepen their engagement with the divine of their own understanding.

Interfaith vs. interspirituality

The word "interspirituality" is relatively new to our vocabulary, having been coined in 1999 by the late Brother Wayne Teasdale - a lay Catholic monk and a "Christian sannyasi"  (a monk in the Hindu tradition). The word was first used in his seminal book, "The Mystic Heart: Discovering a Universal Spirituality in the World's Religions." 

Interspirituality refers to that deeper unity of experience that is our shared spiritual heritage, irrespective of our outer religion or lack thereof. It is the common ground - the fountainhead - which lies beneath the diversity of theological beliefs, rites, and observances.

Interspirituality sees this mystical spirituality as the origin of all the world religions, and posits that every authentic spiritual path offers unique perspectives and rich insights into this deeper, direct experience of truth.

The "Interspiritual Movement" builds on the Interfaith experimentation and dialog among the most brilliant minds from within traditional religions. Some names that come to mind as the forebears of Interspirituality include Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Yogananda, Father Bede Griffiths, and Shaykh Nur al-Jerrahi. Each of these people immersed themselves deeply in more than one spiritual path, and created a synthesis that, for them, was richer and more authentic, than any single path.

According to an LA Times article from 2012 written by Philip Clayton, Dean of Faculty at Claremont School of Theology, about 75% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 now consider themselves "spiritual but not religious." Clayton argues that young people today are not necessarily rejecting a sense of the divine, rather they feel that religious organizations are too concerned with money and power, too focused on rules and too involved in the structures of the political status quo. Thus, the need for a spirituality that is open and accepting and evolutionary. In his book The Mystic Heart, Brother Wayne says:

The religion of humankind can be said to be spirituality itself, because mystical spirituality is the origin of all the religions. If this is so, and I believe it is, we might say that interspirituality — the sharing of ultimate experiences across traditions — is the religion of the third millennium. Interspirituality is the foundation that can prepare the way for a planet-wide enlightened culture...

History of Interspirituality in the United States

In the USA, the “interspiritual movement” can be traced back to the famous Snowmass Interreligious Conferences that were conceived of by Father Thomas Keating, one of the pioneers of interfaith dialogue in the Christian tradition and the co-founder of the highly influential Centering Prayer movement. In 1983, he was invited to participate in a series Buddhist-Christian dialogues at the Naropa Institute in Boulder, Colorado, that would ultimately change his whole approach to dialogue. The next year (1984), after collecting a host of recommendations, he issued invitations to a select group of individuals. Among the attendees of the first Snowmass Conference retreat at St. Benedict’s Monastery in Snowmass, Colorado, were: Thomas Keating, Pema Chodron, Douglas Steere, Gayatri Devi, Gerald Red Elk, Rami Shapiro, Bernie Glassman, and Bilal Hyde. These dialogues continued annually at Snowmass until 2015. Starting 2016, with the blessings of Father Keating, and in the spirit of Snowmass (small groups, intimate dialogue), the Future of Religion and Interspirituality (FRIS) Dialogues emerged, sponsored by the Charis Foundation for New Monasticism and Interspirituality. The Charis Snowmass Dialogues have explored general topics such as spiritual formation, practice, community, and the future of religious traditions and their relationship to Interspirituality, but also colonialism, racism, and gender. These conferences are ongoing, and responsive to the changes in our world at this time.