Fiction - The Ideal Vehicle for Spiritual Teaching?

In my previous post, I suggested that science and spirituality which are generally regarded as antitheses might actually join in holy matrimony one day. In this post, I discuss the role of fiction in communicating spiritual messages.

While people are turning away from traditional religion and a concept of God as master puppeteer and overall despot presiding over the human race, recent studies have shown that a vast proportion of the world's population still believe in some form of divine creator. Why is this, despite the diatribe of Richard Dawkins against faith and the bible? Deep inside, do we feel a kind of connection to some infinitely divine, conscious presence?

In a foreward to the first chronicle of my series 'Seven Point Eight', I suggest that...

It is said that a long time ago, our ancestors lived in a very different world from the one we inhabit today.  We understood the language of the Earth, the stars, the sky people and we knew of the Number.  Life was sacred and we lived in harmony with nature.

But over time, we forgot all of this and began to feel separate from the Earth and the stars.  We became lost souls, without direction and harmony was replaced with fear and distrust.  The wisdom of the number was lost.

Our love of material possessions now reflect our hollow satisfaction with ourselves and the world we inhabit.  We built technology to enable us to remain connected to each other, made institutions of our most sacred beliefs and manufactured chemicals to heal our bodies and grow our crops.  However, the further we wandered from our true selves and nature, the more unhappy we actually became.

Yet, we retain a deep and hidden memory of everything that we ever were.  There lies within us the hope that one day, we can remember that sense of harmony and connection with the Earth, the stars and the sky people. 

Life is a cycle, and that which is lost will one day be found…

While many people will agree with this statement, most will not pick up a copy of a spiritual based text as they see the ideas as being too New Age. It may be that the ideas expressed are profound and awe inspiring, yet because the concepts are not fully grounded in our own reality or lack any scientific basis, it can be difficult for the average population to latch onto these potentially life changing thoughts. In the first chronicle of 'Seven Point Eight', I attempt to draw together spiritual theory, quantum physics and contemporary life. In the novel, one of my principal characters, Dr. Paul Eldridge gives his attention to the study of the human soul anb relates it to the bio-electromagnetic field he has been working on...

But, more importantly, what produces the bio-electromagnetic field in the first place? 

The first line of enquiry would have to be brain matter, since it thrives on electrical impulses but the real creator may be much more elusive, some unknown mystical force.  Was there a line of upward causation from matter to energy, or downward causation from energy to matter?  For want of a better term, I refer to this electromagnetic field as energy, which I believe to be more scientific than the term ‘spirit’.  The established mode of thinking implies that consciousness is a product of the brain and not a powerful entity in itself.  I decided at this point, therefore, to focus my interest on consciousness and examine the relationship between consciousness and the bio-electromagnetic field.  It was more philosophy than science in many ways but it was necessary to intellectually digest the findings of the last decade.

I postulate that by following a fictional account of the journey of principal characters in a human account of adventure, intrigue, conspiracy and romance, we can digest spiritual theory in a way that brings it to life. Human history was always passed down by the telling of tales, it is a method of education that appeals to the creative and more emotional right hemisphere of our brain. Through this, a concept has greater impact and makes a more momentous imprint on our minds and hearts.


In my next post, I will look at spiritual themes in fiction and visual media.

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