Grassroots spirituality as a holistic expression of the psyche

Abstract

Jung was aware that any new experience of the sacred would not be welcomed as sacred by religious tradition or intellectual high culture. In fact, new experiences of the sacred are often rejected by religions, and regarded with utmost scepticism by critical traditions. I suggest that a grassroots spirituality movement is to be viewed in this context today. I distinguish this movement from the New Age movement with which it is often conflated and confused. I argue that the grassroots movement is an expression of the holistic directions of the collective psyche. Finally, I explore the Vatican's recent attack on Jungian psychology as an example of a senex tradition that seeks to destroy creativity, and suggest that Jung's theory of the religious function of the psyche is being deliberately misread by a besieged and failing tradition.