Spiritual Literacy Skills

Working to give the Word authority in our life through a conscious effort to apply its spiritual principles to the life of our mind, leads to the development of what, in Logopraxis work, are called “spiritual literacy skills”. Spiritual literacy involves using truths from the Word as a basis for examining the quality of the thoughts and affections that make up our state of mind. By engaging in this practice, the Word provides a way of thinking where what is exterior becomes reframed as spiritual states or states of mind. This is the true meaning of repentance or “metaonia’ that was discussed in the previous section in the state of interiors and refers to  the “new mind” that the Word offers us.

The growth of spiritual literacy involves developing essential skills such as, being able to divide our attention, reflect on our internal chatter, and examine the motives behind our responses. With regular practise, these skills can become second nature allowing us to live more consciously from the Word. They can help us lead more meaningful lives by supporting our spiritual development and allowing us to be more aware of the Word when reflecting on our states when alone and when in contact with others. They provide the basis for developing greater insight into the nature of the proprium, opening the way to experiencing the boundless mercy of the Lord as He works to free us from it. Developing spiritual literacy also means that we are better able to draw distinctions between levels of existence and so become clearer about boundaries and what belongs where.

The ability to draw cognitive boundaries between our inner, mental world and the outer, material world is crucial for maintaining psychological balance. These cognitive boundaries help us to distinguish between our internal world of thoughts, feelings, and beliefs, and the external world of people, events, and circumstances. Without these boundaries we can become overwhelmed by external influences causing confusion, anxiety, and stress. This is because without the clear distinctions between levels that the practice of the Word provides, we are prone to give power to external influences as causal. To do this is to fall into the false belief that the external conditions of life are the cause of our inner psychological states which is contrary to what the Word teaches.
It appears to man that the objects of the world enter through his bodily or external senses, and affect the interiors; and thus that there is an entrance from the ultimate of order into what is within; but that this is a mere appearance and fallacy is manifest from the general rule that posterior things cannot flow into prior; or what is the same, lower things into higher; or what is the same, exterior things into interior; or what is still the same, the things which are of the world and of nature into those which are of heaven and of spirit; for the former are of a grosser nature, and the latter of a purer one; and those grosser things which are of the external or natural man come forth and subsist from those which are of the internal or rational man; and they cannot affect the purer things, but are affected by the purer things. (AC 3721{2})​
To be spiritually literate allows us to step back from what’s presenting so that we become aware of the spiritual principles that we can employ to govern our perceptions and responses in any given situation and circumstance in our daily life. We can then make distinctions between the outer, material world manifestations and the inner world of our thoughts and feelings that constitute the life of the spirit. Again, this is the doctrine for life that the practice of the Word offers.

So, the first two states of exterior and interior concerns of a spiritual awakening occur as we are exposed to the Lord’s truths.  These two states of awakening guide individuals through transformative processes that enable them to develop a deeper understanding o...

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