International Gay & Lesbian Review

The Human Core of Spirituality: Mind as Psyche and Spirit

• Nonfiction
• Publisher: State University of New York Press
• Publication Date: 1996

Daniel Helminiak's fourth book is at first a little daunting. The former priest turned psychotherapist and philosopher of spirit sets out for himself a difficult and rigorous job: “There are laws of physics that govern this universe and laws of chemistry and biology and medicine and psychology. I believe there are spiritual laws, too. The laws of spirit must eventually incorporate and harmonize with these other laws.” Following the exacting method of his teacher, Bernard Lonergan, Helminiak sets out to articulate the laws of spirit. And he succeeds.

Central to the premise is that spirit is a fundamental aspect of the human being as much as, but different from, body and psyche. Helminiak carefully distinguishes these. Spirit he calls, “the distinctively human dimension of mind, determined by self-awareness and experienced as spontaneous question, marvel, wonder, a dynamism open to all there is to be known and loved.” While spirit is tied into religion, it is not a religious matter. It doesn't depend on God or revelation. And the function of this aspect of mind is only indirectly concerned with religious mythology and practice. Hence its operations are crucial to psychology and to ethics (without relying on religion). Recognizing the reality of spirit is an important step in transcending religion and theism without denying or rejecting them.

The book begins with a heartfelt critique of popular “spiritual” notions like those that AIDS is caused by failure to love yourself, arguing that that
lack of rigorous thinking results in misuse of the idea of “spirit.” To avoid mushy thinking, Helminiak does some very difficult and very precise defining of aims and terms. But the book opens up after the definitions with a critique of C.G. Jung's synthesis, a report on Stanislav Grof's LSD research, a theory of human integration and an extended discussion of sexuality. “The exigencies of spirit,” Helminiak says, “are the four transcendental precepts: Be attentive, Be intelligent, Be reasonable, Be responsible.” Taking a positive attitude toward sex, he derives “the laws” for human sexuality. And they turn out to be both traditional and revolutionary and, of course, gay positive; a nice synthesis of perennial human values and modern realities and good sense.

Helminiak's rigorous method results in a lot of repetition and reiteration, but the conclusions he reaches are refreshing and liberating. “The goal of human maturity is integration, the focused flow of harmonious interaction of the organic, the psychic, and the spirit.” Daniel Helminiak, an open and proud and contributing gay man, is an important thinker, well beyond, but including, his articulation of sexuality and his more well-known explication of Christian Scripture. He merits our interest in his incisive thoughts.

commenting closed for this article