As someone who has experienced spirituality as something both deeply personal and broadly encompassing, hearing the words “You cannot enjoy horror and be a spiritual person” always struck me as utter nonsense. Maybe you’ve heard something like that, too. Not necessarily in those same, exact words. And even had that idea repeatedly pushed on you. Well, I don’t know what they refer to as “spiritual”, but it certainly is lacking in scope.
Call it needless semantics, but this idea, this limited view on the concept, bothers me to the point where I want to break it down. And in the process, get us all on the same page.
First of all, there’s a HUGE difference between being religious and being spiritual. Maybe the word they’re looking for is religious instead and they're going by religions that prohibit horror. Because if they truly believe that being spiritual means denying the existence of all that is not bright and virtuous, I’ve got news: it doesn’t.
Being spiritual, simply put, is the awareness, acceptance, and embrace of the spirit - your own and/or that of other living beings and things. It’s picking up on and acknowledging the spiritual layer or component of things. What wraps around them or is of their essence. It is not about what is good or what is bad, it is about the spirit - which can be either, both, or anything in between. Just as the word ‘carnal’ refers to that of the flesh, the word ‘spiritual’ refers to that of the spirit. Hence, it makes absolutely no sense to say that you cannot enjoy horror and be a spiritual person - especially considering how much horror revolves around the spiritual realm and is appreciated because of it.
Yet, I get what many of them may be onto and coming from. Spiritual Gurus (or "gurus") often speak of raising one’s vibration, putting ourselves in a state of Zen, or even bliss. Faith, gratitude, connection, and all that jazz. And this is the opposite of what horror does. Horror works intend to make you tense, fearful, to tap into the basest instincts of survival. However, equating being and remaining in a perpetual state of light and love with being spiritual ignores that a true Spiritual Master would have explored and experienced, first-hand, everything from the deepest and darkest depths to the most euphoric heights. And as a Spiritual Master, they would know their way in, through, and out of any state. Or at least, that’s the kind of Spiritual Master that I would respect. The rest may call themselves guides or teachers and have immense merit as such, but not yet earn the title of Master. After all, some of the most important lessons in life come from suffering.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying you all should go be masochists and willingly put yourself through as much pain as you can possibly handle. You can leave intense and extreme spiritual development and growth to those that are inevitably fated for it, bound to it by circumstances, or heeding a call that they cannot ignore. But let’s see things for what they really are.
Furthermore, there’s the notion, promoted by a number of religions, that consuming horror is sinful. If you hold these beliefs, I won’t try to convince you otherwise and you can stop reading right now. Leave the site, even, and never come back, lest you be forever tainted. Nevertheless, we cannot discount the fact that, in certain religions, there is value in being able to face and handle the most horrifying aspects of life.
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| Anything for Jackson (2020) |
How many horror movies are there that include Christianity? A lot. You need exorcists and priests to fight demons and cleanse souls, or at least someone well-versed to tell you what the hell is going on. A portion of horror movies do look into the twisted and perverted sides of Christianity, making them or showing them as the bad guys in the story, but others have Christians as the protagonists - or at least as an indispensable aid for the good guys. And do you think that these servants of God became so knowledgeable and competent at saving people from the worst by only looking at rainbows and butterflies? I think not. I mean, come on, The Exorcist is a goddamn horror classic.
And although I do not condone it, for the sake of accuracy and culture, we cannot leave out Satanism. Which is very much a religion that is both spiritual and filled with horror. Therefore, again, you can be spiritual and enjoy horror.
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| The 100 Candles Game (2020) |
Personally, I’ve been intrigued and fascinated by witches ever since I was a little child. I asked and nagged adults for magic books as soon as I learned how to read. And I did get a few. Although, they were not as great as I imagined and expected them to be. What do you mean I cannot cast spells and manifest whatever I want by simply reciting a few words?! Still, I loved them. Witches could be terrifying, insanely powerful, as depicted in the media I happened upon. They were at home with horror. And yes, they were spiritual too. So, missed me with that “horror and spirituality cannot coexist together”.
Yet, the ability to dwell and mingle with spirit, or with the spiritual realm, is not so supernatural. People often say that you need a sixth sense for it (remember the popular horror film by the same name, The Sixth Sense?), as your other five senses won’t do. However, anyone with a bit of intuition can get in touch with it. And not exclusively through intuition, it is something that can also be reached through the mind and through the heart. It is an intangible, invisible, and abstract thing, but it is there if you wish to perceive it. Then, when you do, good luck trying to define it.
Are you spiritual? Which aspects of spirituality do you most delve on and why?