The hottest Spirituality Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Philosophy Topics

My Rule of the 6 Spheres

The Honest Broker • 23072 implied HN points • 02 Feb 24
📖 Philosophy Spirituality
  1. The rule of the 6 spheres focuses on balancing six key aspects of life like vocation, community, family, mind, body, and spirit.
  2. Balancing these spheres is crucial for a fulfilling life, and neglecting any one of them can lead to feelings of imbalance and quiet desperation.
  3. Constructing a personal worldview based on your own values and virtues is important for guiding your daily life and decision-making.

Who has time to make a bison hide?

Neckar’s Notes • 99 implied HN points • 06 Feb 26
🎭️ Culture Spirituality
  1. Slowing down and sitting in the void exposes uncomfortable personal contradictions and strips away defensive identities. It can soften you, but that openness is awkward and guarded by grief and guilt.
  2. Every purchase and investment ties us into a global machine of extraction and harm, making us complicit even when we feel innocent. Money and markets turn distant resources into real-world scars on landscapes and communities.
  3. Real care and alternatives—like making a bison hide by hand—take time, attention, and often privilege, so few people do them. Lasting change will require collective awakening and hard choices that most aren’t yet willing to make.

Can AI Help Us Find God?

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 190 implied HN points • 28 Jan 26
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Spirituality
  1. AI is reshaping religion and could change what it means to be religious, even as people keep seeking the divine.
  2. Religious leaders and institutions are reacting differently: some warn that AI can deaden spiritual life, while others adopt it as a learning tool so long as it doesn't replace God.
  3. Modern AIs know a lot about scriptures and are very good at answering questions, so believers may increasingly turn to machines as oracles for personal and doctrinal guidance.

The Hunger Beneath the Hunger

Anima Mundi • 288 implied HN points • 07 Jan 26
📖 Philosophy Spirituality
  1. Most people who feel lonely also feel their lives lack meaning, so loneliness is often about feeling insignificant rather than just wanting more friends.
  2. Modern life gives us lots of surface-level connections that scale, but not the scarce, unscalable communion that makes us feel witnessed and real.
  3. Meaning can’t be manufactured alone; it emerges when you participate in something larger than yourself, and quiet, attentive practices or simply being present with others can help that remembering and ease the hunger.

Angels, Dragons, And That Spiritual Monster Truck Rally At The End Of The Opera

The Corners by Nadia Bolz-Weber • 5522 implied HN points • 02 Oct 23
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Spirituality
  1. Revel in the complexity and symbolism of spiritual narratives like the battle between angels and dragons in the book of Revelation.
  2. Reflect on how deception can touch us all, prompting self-reflection on personal biases and misconceptions.
  3. Embrace humility to navigate the battle between good and evil, acknowledging that certainty in righteousness can be more dangerous than blatant evil.
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The Advent Salon

The Abbey of Misrule • 363 implied HN points • 21 Dec 25
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Spirituality
  1. Taking a planned, month-long internet break can help recovery from exhaustion and burnout. It's okay to accept help and let the body heal at its own pace.
  2. Quiet spiritual reading and reflection can bring comfort during illness, offering a perspective that suffering is temporary and can have deeper meaning.
  3. Keeping an open community salon lets people connect and keep conversations alive during absences, and sharing seasonal music or invitations to worship helps people feel linked together.

Moving Toward A Soul-Aligned Life

Changing The Channel • 4923 implied HN points • 19 Apr 23
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Spirituality
  1. The importance of moving towards a soul-aligned life and detaching from ego-driven desires.
  2. Transitioning to a life focused on second half-of-life priorities such as giving back and using wisdom to help others.
  3. Exploring deep questions about authenticity, societal conditioning, spiritual life, and system healing.

Will nobody save the world?

Neckar’s Notes • 222 implied HN points • 08 Jan 26
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Spirituality
  1. Relying on a single hero or ego-driven collective to "save the world" is probably a misconception, since the same ego that made the problems can't easily fix them.
  2. Opening to feeling and giving loving, attentive presence matters more than clever fixes; emotional work and connection change how we relate to the world.
  3. Big crises can be catalysts for change, and by anchoring in gratitude, compassion, and small healing acts we create space for wiser, collective transformation.

The New Oracles: QAnon, AI and Divination

The Bigger Picture • 718 implied HN points • 31 May 24
🎭️ Culture Spirituality
  1. The QAnon movement, despite failed predictions, remains a significant force with millions believing in its prophecies.
  2. Movements like Reichsbürger share an interest in divination, with some using occult practices like astrology and fortune-telling.
  3. Artificial intelligence, through generative AI models, is becoming a modern oracle on the internet, mediating between us and the virtual world.

The New Age Is Dead

Daniel Pinchbeck’s Newsletter • 42 implied HN points • 19 Feb 26
🎭️ Culture Spirituality
  1. The New Age movement, long embodied by figures like Deepak Chopra, is collapsing as scandals tie prominent spiritual teachers to Epstein-era moral failures and abuse.
  2. New Age blended hand‑friendly Eastern ideas with self‑help and consumerist culture, effectively aligning with and covering for neoliberal, hyper‑individualist capitalism.
  3. Critics are exposing how spiritual authority was used for personal gain and to shield abuses, sparking a wider reckoning and questions about what will replace this apolitical neo‑religion.

What is Fairyland?

Default Wisdom • 488 implied HN points • 29 Nov 25
🎭️ Culture Spirituality
  1. An otherworld is a layered, immaterial realm that overlaps the physical world, and the Internet functions like that kind of otherworld.
  2. Folkloric Fairyland is ancient, strange, and often dangerous, governed by its own rules and obligations, not the cute Victorian image of tiny, harmless sprites.
  3. People once treated the Internet as mystical or spiritual and, even though it’s now framed as a tool or an addiction, many online experiences still feel 'magical' and can trap you — so old myths and etiquette for navigating otherworlds remain useful.

understanding pain, mental illness, and grief

Midnight Musings • 39 implied HN points • 11 Sep 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Spirituality
  1. Pain happens when there's a mismatch between how we think things should be and how they actually are. It's like a warning sign from our brain telling us to rethink our beliefs.
  2. Mental illness can be seen as our struggle to deal with pain in a healthy way. Anxiety might come from fearing that pain, while depression can stem from being unable to accept our current situation.
  3. Grief starts when we adjust our beliefs to match our experiences. It's a complex emotion, but it's a part of being human and shows our understanding of life's unpredictability.

Soul Renewal During the Times of Heavy Lies and "the Files"

Tessa Fights Robots • 20 implied HN points • 24 Feb 26
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Spirituality
  1. Many public voices use rehearsed talking points and spiritual-sounding words to manipulate people, so be cautious about accepting popularity or fancy language as truth.
  2. It’s natural and important to grieve when trusted people or movements betray your expectations, and stepping back to process rather than reacting to media pressure helps you regain clarity.
  3. The antidote is to choose honesty, inner integrity, and courageous aliveness—opt out of performative narratives, defend your truth with love, and walk your path rather than follow crowd control.

Offering: February 2024

Tarot Offerings • 1690 implied HN points • 28 Jan 24
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Spirituality
  1. Becoming real to ourselves and others is essential for love and relationships.
  2. Clarifying our wants and limits, trusting them, and making honest requests is part of becoming real.
  3. Love thrives on embracing differences and committing to nurturing them.

new year, same you (hopeful)

Both Are True • 192 implied HN points • 01 Jan 26
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Spirituality
  1. The words you use about yourself matter — speaking from love instead of self-attack changes how you feel and act.
  2. Acceptance comes before real change — when you truly accept yourself, criticism loses its power and growth becomes possible.
  3. You don't need flashy resolutions to start the year right — being alive and treating yourself with grace is already enough.

The Ego Doesn't Die: Why Western spirituality is so confused, and what to do about it

The Bigger Picture • 3175 implied HN points • 14 Sep 23
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Spirituality
  1. Reality is relational, and mystical experiences are about changing how we relate to the world.
  2. Spiritual transformation is not about the ego dying, but about widening our perspective and how we relate to everything around us.
  3. Framing inner transformation as relational rather than focused on the ego object can lead to richer and more complex spiritual experiences.

The Tragic View of Life v. Spirituality

Castalia • 499 implied HN points • 01 Jun 24
📖 Philosophy Spirituality
  1. Spirituality suggests there's a guiding intelligence in life, making events feel purposeful. Many people express spiritual ideas even if they're not religious.
  2. The tragic view of life sees meaning in the absurdity of existence, emphasizing courage in facing life's challenges without relying on a higher power.
  3. There's an ongoing debate between believing in spiritual guidance or accepting life's chaos. It can be more fulfilling to find strength in life's struggles than to search endlessly for meaning.

I've known revival

Sarah Bessey's Field Notes • 3144 implied HN points • 21 Feb 23
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Spirituality
  1. Revivals can hold deep significance in shaping one's spiritual life, but may not always have lasting impact.
  2. Experiencing doubt and humility can lead to personal revivals that are more profound than traditional revivals.
  3. The search for revival should involve reflection, understanding biases, and a focus on justice and positive change.

A Partial Algopoetic Translation of John's Gospel

apxhard • 34 implied HN points • 17 Feb 26
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Spirituality
  1. Better to realign early with a central truth or guide than to keep investing in a false path that will cause conflicts later.
  2. The guide is framed as the goal, the path, and the measure: follow this way to find enough, rest, and a meaningful measure for life.
  3. Computing metaphors show that lasting, healthy lives respect constraints and architectures; systems that don’t align with those boundaries will consume people or collapse over time.

Into the Woods

Cosmographia • 898 implied HN points • 28 Mar 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Spirituality
  1. The woods evoke a childlike wonder, making us feel small and allowing our minds to wander freely in a peaceful environment.
  2. In today's society, humans spend very little time connecting with nature, emphasizing the importance of taking time to venture into the woods and away from modern distractions.
  3. Exploring the woods brings a sense of tranquility and a break from the busyness of daily life, encouraging us to disconnect from screens and immerse ourselves in the natural world.

Soul Initiation: Finding your Unique Niche

What's Important? • 27 implied HN points • 27 Feb 26
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Spirituality
  1. Mature human development includes a Soul Initiation, a passage out of cultural adolescence to discover the unique ecological niche or gift you are meant to offer the living world.
  2. The Journey of Soul Initiation often requires a difficult ‘Descent to Soul’ and a pivotal Soul Encounter accessed through nature-based, mythopoetic practices like vision fasts and dreamwork that let the world mirror symbolic guidance to you.
  3. The process is risky but necessary — it can lead to deep fulfillment, extended transition, or failure — so people need to be held by supportive communities and practical delivery systems (jobs, networks, digital cocoons) to embody and share their soul-purpose.

A Defence of Hate

Becoming Noble • 2232 implied HN points • 01 Sep 23
📖 Philosophy Spirituality
  1. Hatred, when directed at evil and not individuals, can be a powerful force for rejecting what is harmful.
  2. According to philosophers like Aquinas and Nietzsche, properly understanding and harnessing hatred involves recognizing its role in opposing evil.
  3. It's crucial to distinguish between hating evil actions and hating individuals, as the former is aligned with rejecting what is harmful while the latter can be destructive.

Beginnings and enchantments

The Art of Enchantment, with Dr Sharon Blackie • 2116 implied HN points • 05 Apr 23
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Spirituality
  1. Moving into a new house can be disruptive but redecorating and making it your own can be joyful and rewarding.
  2. Returning to a place where you feel a sense of belonging can bring a profound feeling of being at home, even after many years.
  3. Exploring familiar landscapes and being close to family can bring a sense of ancestral connection and understanding of oneself.

On Wise Agency, Part 1 | #315

Boundless by Paul Millerd • 211 implied HN points • 01 Dec 25
📖 Philosophy Spirituality
  1. Agency can be wise or foolish: wise agency means experimenting and choosing a sustainable, genuine path, while foolish agency is doingwhatever it takes to get ends without regard for consequences.
  2. People often move through phases — mastering career 'hoop-jumping' that masks insecure agency, then 'blowing up' their life — and the danger is trading one identity for another or making rejection your new personality.
  3. To become more wisely agentic, surface and question your unconscious scripts by noticing which beliefs trigger strong reactions, and allow yourself to get lost and experiment instead of seeking quick belonging or monetizing uncertainty.

Revival Happens in the Streets

The Soup • 1886 implied HN points • 18 Feb 23
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Spirituality
  1. Revival is about renewal and restoration, a turning away from one thing toward something different.
  2. Revival happens when we face the consequences of our actions with courage and surrender.
  3. Revival is not confined within walls, it occurs in the streets where we notice what needs repairing and take action.

Ross Douthat: Everyone Should Believe in God

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 2179 implied HN points • 16 Feb 25
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Spirituality
  1. Many people are feeling drawn back to religion after a period of being more secular. It's like there’s a little spark in the younger generations wanting to explore faith again.
  2. High-profile figures are converting to religion, suggesting a trend where even the educated elite are rethinking their beliefs. This shows that curiosity about spirituality is growing, even among the skeptics.
  3. However, there’s a worry about why people are turning to religion. It's important to think about the reasons behind this interest in faith to ensure it’s meaningful and genuine.

Panic In Zanzibar: Nocturnal Sodomy & Demon-Bats

Grey Goose Chronicles • 1041 implied HN points • 19 Jan 24
🎭️ Culture Spirituality
  1. In Zanzibar, a collective panic occurred in 1995 due to reports of attacks by a shape-shifting spirit called Popobawa, resulting in violence and fear among residents.
  2. The Popobawa legend is a complex mix of political tensions, taboo sexual elements, supernatural beliefs, and historical legacies, making it challenging to interpret.
  3. The phenomenon of the Popobawa offers insights into Zanzibar's history, culture, and divisions, reflecting how fears and stories can have real-world impacts on communities.

Making Peace with God

The Reclamation Era • 179 implied HN points • 01 Jul 24
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Spirituality
  1. Revisiting childhood places can be a powerful way to find healing and connection. It helps you reconnect with your past and feel a sense of belonging.
  2. Not every church or place you remember will welcome you as you expect. Sometimes, you might face locked doors, but that doesn't stop the journey of self-discovery.
  3. Feeling emotions like peace and nostalgia is natural when you reflect on your past. These feelings can help you recognize how you've grown and found your own sense of spirituality.

The Naked Potential of 2024: Democracy, Chaos and Creativity

rebelwisdom • 1002 implied HN points • 12 Jan 24
🎭️ Culture Spirituality
  1. 2024 is a year with significant democratic elections worldwide, highlighting a growing apathy and distrust in the democratic process.
  2. The tension between centralized control and decentralized, regenerative movements is intensifying, leading to a clash of ideologies and perspectives in society.
  3. There is a growing movement towards seeking new ways of being and thinking, challenging existing structures and norms in society.

Do you want to be well?

Sarah Bessey's Field Notes • 1709 implied HN points • 28 Mar 23
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Spirituality
  1. Jesus asked 'Do you want to be well?' - a powerful question for introspection and transformation.
  2. Choosing hope, making difficult choices, and embracing agency are key to healing and well-being.
  3. There are forces benefitting from our despair, so it's important to challenge resignation and work towards communal healing.

Re-story

SOAR with Sara Hagerty • 904 implied HN points • 19 Jan 24
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Spirituality
  1. Choosing a word for the year is a personal tradition for some people, but it's not a magical practice.
  2. Taking time for reflection and renewal at the start of the year can lead to new perspectives and insights.
  3. Considering a 're-story' approach can offer a fresh outlook on familiar challenges with the potential for growth and change.