Besides natural ecstasies (see yesterday’s DM), Matthew Fox discusses tactical ecstasies in his 1976 book WHEE! We, wee All The Way Home. A Guide to Sensual, Prophetic Spirituality. Under this name he considers those techniques which people invent and develop in order to reach ecstatic states.
But why are such techniques necessary, when we already have plenty of natural means available to achieve ecstasy, such as nature, friendship, art, and the like? Matthew is very clear in this regard: out of failure with natural ecstasy. That is, there are circumstances in which, out of habit or stubborness, the human mind remains attached to its rota of purpose-driven behaviors, to the point that is unable to forget itself and transcend into an ecstatic state by natural means. One can walk in nature, or talk to a friend, or listen to a piece of music, but nothing extraordinary happens.
Matthew offers a lucid and very helpful explanation of what happens to the mind — even though he apologizes for its simplicity — when we pass from a normal wakeful state of mind, purpose-driven and alert, to a prayerful or ecstatic state of mind. He writes:
The unconscious is God’s playhouse. Prayer, psychologically speaking, is the release of God from our unconscious or our depths so as to permeate our consciousness. What prevents this release of spiritual or root energy? It is (…) our conscious everyday existence and attitudes of survival and problem solving. These resist our efforts to experience God, harmony, integration and synthesis. The conscious level of existence puts up a block to our ecstatic states of consciousness.
What are then the kinds of tactical means to achieve ecstasy that are available? Human beings have been quite resourceful in this area. Chanting has been very much practiced in all religions, so that the distrust of it in modern Protestantism and even modern Catholicism must be seen as a strange development. The point of chanting is to lull one level of our mind so that a different one might flood over ourselves. Some kinds of ritual music and dances are devised to obtain similar results. I can’t refrain from pointing to the much maligned (by Protestants) processions, as well as to the hypnotic qualities of Hildegard of Bingen’s music.
Fasting and voluntary celibacy, i.e. abstinence from food and from sexual activities, are also age-old forms of tactical ecstasies. They must be engaged freely and responsibly, never as goals in themselves and never as moral demands. They have, in fact, nothing to do with morality. When this mistake is made, they constitute asceticism as a form of self-punishment for imaginary sins, thus resulting in the worst corruption of religion.
Meditation and retreats are also classified as tactical ecstasies. Meditation of all kinds is quite obviously an attempt to calm the conscious mind and allow a different kind of mental state to emerge. Retreats are very important as they situate the retreatant all of the sudden in a new space, which allows for a temporary detachment of the mind from its habits.
The use of drugs has become more relevant in the last few years, judging from the experiments that have been conducted (see THESE DMs). I wonder, though, if all the other means, presenting a much lower level of risk, have been truly explored when people make this choice. In any case, all tactical ecstasies present dangers when they are employed in excess, or without a clear purpose, or as goals in themselves. The risk of feeding the ego, rather than helping to quiet its demands, is always present.
Perhaps the most important insight that I gained in my re-reading the chapter on tactical ecstasies with care is this: Tactical ecstasies can serve the function of purifying our senses rather than repressing the senses and the sensual. This notion places tactical ecstasies in their proper place, as means that might be necessary in certain circumstances, and it clarifies that our best course of action, when our senses have been purified and restored, is that of enjoying all kinds of natural ecstasies to their fullness.
Banner Image: A Namah (salutation) Yoga asana. Photo by THLT LCX on Unsplash
Queries for Contemplation
How do you employ tactical ecstasies in your life? How are both natural and tactical ecstasies relevant in our present social context?
Related Readings by Matthew Fox
WHEE! We, wee All the Way Home: A Guide to Sensual Prophetic Spirituality, pages 56-56, 65, 69
Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality
Meditations with Meister Eckhart: A Centering Book
Christian Mystics: 365 Readings & Meditations
One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths
Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth
Creativity: Where the Divine and Human Meet
7 thoughts on “Tactical Ecstasies”
Today’s meditation is disappointing.
Why disparage Protestants in regard to attempting to live deep spiritual lives by following practices of their own choosing and rejecting other practices. Mindlessly following ritual-dictates does not promote spiritual growth. The Roman Catholic Church can be seen as a group following the pronouncements of a single male figure and led by a group of pampered and privileged men in the Vatican. In some regions of the world the Pope is regarded as more important than Jesus. The question even arises as to why the Vatican has ambassadorial status in today’s geopolitical world. The Holy Roman Empire is long gone.
Please write the DM’s in an inclusive manner which encourages your readers to grow beyond their past experiences whether protestant or roman catholic
I agree with Gianluigi. My past lived experience in protestant evangelicalism showed me that they have absolutely zero inclusiveness or toleration for any mystical Christianity, for any tactical practices like chanting or meditation. In fact, everything like that is warned against as being of the devil. Even creation spiritualty- ecstasy through experience of nature is branded as idolatry, and that includes environmental protection of the earth or other species- also branded as of the devil or idolotry. Gianluigi was simply referring to historical fact, these practices were attacked by protestantism. Don’t get me wrong, this does not excuse the Catholic church of its patriarchal power excesses and abuses, but this daily message was not being exclusive, just stated facts. Certainly there are protestant progressive churches that do not malign or exclude different traditions, but most evangelicals totally exclude and condemn the pursuit of ecstacy, unless it is speaking in tongues etc.
Like Matthew and many spiritual teachers teach and experience, both natural ecstasies (Beautiful Sacred Mother Nature) and tactical ecstasies (meditation/silent prayer) are important on our personal and communal spiritual journeys. Learning to heal and quiet the wounded, conditioned, and egocentric ego mind is essential towards our personal/communal/societal transformation of becoming aware of Our inner and outer Sacredness/ONENESS with Our Co-CREATOR/SOURCE in the Divine Spirit/Flow of the ETERNAL PRESENT MOMENT… Fr. Thomas Keating revived nationally and internationally the Contemplative Spiritual Prayer tradition through his teachings and spiritually encouraging daily Centering Prayer. This contemporary and natural form of daily silent prayer is taught and communally supported by contemplativeoutreach.org (teaching videos are also available through the YouTube subscription channel named Contemplative Outreach).
The practice that blew open the defensive bunker in my psyche was holotropic breathwork, the powerful technique of tactical ecstasy developed by Stanislav Grof to whom I am forever grateful. I never felt the need to use psychotropic substances to open my inner doors, but I understand that some people do get decisive benefits from such tactical initiation. However the distinction made by Karlfried Graf Dürckheim between an addict and a spiritual initiate should never be forgotten: the addict insists on repeating endlessly the initial experience whereas the initiate embarks on the spiritual journey and accepts that he/she may never experience the initial ecstasy again.
Thank you for this fine explanation. As a layperson who tries to follow a Franciscan path toward holiness, I imagine that you would, if space and time allowed, put meditation into a larger framework. I don’t deny the necessary value of any form of effort to be close to God. Still I recall that as a follower of Christ (in and as the extension of Christ) I am expected to do some practical things, as sketched in the 25th chapter of Matthew’s Gospel. As Jesus fed, healed, taught and pardoned, I should do likewise. And as Jesus said elsewhere, with and in him I/we may do some things even greater than he did in his three-year public life. Jesus called himself a “son of man”–a human being. So my fellowship in goals and actions of other humans, regardless of professed affiliation with a religious people or with those not so affiliated, this way of life is holy too. (Abraham Heschel has words to this effect.) God’s creatures are all holy, to be revered, since they exist by God’s creative, sustaining and transformative love. Human membership in our “race” as humans is good, and so is our membership in the vast family of other creatures. Hence we creatures are all together, cooperating in humility and rejoicing.
I do think we need to resist the temptation to compare/malign other forms of Christianity or other forms of any religion. Not all Protestants are evangelical, and not all evangelicals are closed minded–Jim Wallis is an example of an evangelical who is loving and inclusive. My own experience as a Congregational/UCC-formed person set Jesus solidly in the center of faith, and the command was to follow him, love God, and love neighbor. To follow Jesus rather than to worship Jesus was the goal. Love is a verb, not a noun, and it is not a sentiment. Service to others is holy, prayer and contemplation are holy, and both work together. Relationship and unity with God stem from that, IMO. To serve others with an open heart is both to serve God and to experience God.
I can employ tactical ecstasies in my life by avoiding dogma, especially the Christian stuff! 🙂