Showing posts with label Twenty - one skills of SQ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Twenty - one skills of SQ. Show all posts

Friday, December 2, 2022

Spiritual Intelligence Skill Four - Complexity of Inner Thought.


Life is not black and white but a lot of gray. The ego mind likes to dichotomize and play one off the other. We constantly double bind ourselves into believing that we have to choose one or the other alternative when there can be a third, fourth, and fifth way. The questions to be asked are: Can you hold contradictory ideas of the “right thing” in your mind simultaneously and perceive the larger system and context which allows other options? Can you make decisions in the face of uncertainty?

The conventional level of morality would have us choose between right and wrong but what is legally right is sometimes morally wrong and what is morally wrong is sometimes legally right, and the mature person can rise above the conventional level of norms and can apprehend the higher good and truth which is above legal and moral codes. This level of spiritual judgment is called “post conventional.”


In Unitarian Universalism, the fourth principle is the affirmation and promotion of the free and responsible search for truth and meaning. This search takes the seeker into the realm of complexity beyond the dichotomous world of simply right and wrong. Rather than black and white and compliance with some externally imposed moral code, the seeker is encouraged to rise above this code to apprehend the higher Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. Jesus said “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.


Wednesday, November 30, 2022

Spiritual Intelligence Skill Three- Values Hierarchy.

 

What matters the most to me in my life are _____________,  ____________________, and ______________. Sometimes I ask, “If you could have three wishes what would you wish for?”


Values are things we do when we put our money where our mouth is, when we walk the talk. Spirituality has to do with the things that are of ultimate importance.


The questions are “Can you name and rank your top  five personal values? Do you keep them in mind when making important decisions?”


As we grow and mature our value priorities change. We tend to move from the egocentric and ethnocentric to world centric and integral. An indication of a person’s maturity is their values hierarchy.


In Unitarian Universalism we join together to affirm and promote the free and responsible search for truth and meaning. Truth and meaning comes from reflecting on the things that are most important to us in our lives.


Sunday, November 27, 2022

What is spirituality?


Spirituality, as I define it, is the innate human need to be connected to something larger than ourselves, something we consider to be divine or of exceptional nobility.


Wigglesworth, Cindy. SQ21: The Twenty-One Skills of Spiritual Intelligence (p. 8). SelectBooks, Inc.. Kindle Edition. 


There are increasingly materials being produced which describe the difference between spirituality and religion. Very briefly spirituality is our relationship with our Higher Power while religion is an organization that one can join. Sometimes spiritual people are religious but increasingly people say on surveys that they are spiritual but not religious.


Cindy Wigglesworth defines spirituality as defined by 21 skills which can be measured and the level of skill achievement equals a person’s degree of spiritual intelligence. The skills fall into four quadrants: self awareness, universal awareness, self mastery, and spiritual presence. The skills can be measured as low, medium, or high as exercised by the person. 


There are four types of intelligence: cognitive intelligence as measured and called IQ; emotional intelligence as measured and called EQ; physical intelligence as measured and called PQ,: spiritual intelligence as measured and called SQ.


In following posts, each of the 21 skills of SQ will be described.


It has been reported that the level of SQ is relatively low in the United States. The mission of religion in society should be to nurture and facilitate the growth of SQ but not only do religious organizations not carry out this function well, but often hampers and blocks the development of SQ in its members and the communities and society in which they reside..


Friday, October 14, 2022

What does a fuller, higher expression of human life look like?

Beyond religious and cultural differences, we do in fact have quite clear and remarkably congruent ideas about what higher human attainment looks like. Here are some of the descriptors that I hear most often regarding spiritual leaders. He or she:
  1. •  Is authentic and has integrity

  2. •  Is calm, peaceful, and centered

  3. •  Has a clear mission or vocation 

  4. •  Is compassionate, caring, kind, and loving 

  5. •  Is courageous, dependable, faithful and faith-filled 

  6. •  Is forgiving and generous 

  7. •  Is a great leader, teacher, and/or mentor 

  8. •  Is humble, inspiring, and wise

  9. •  Is nonviolent 

  10. •  Is open-minded and open-hearted 

  11. •  Is persistent, values-driven, and committed to serving others. 

While the words chosen may vary slightly for a given person or group, they tend to be synonyms of the words in this list. What the consistency of the responses tells me is that we already have a general perception of what makes someone worthy of our admiration and possibly our emulation. We recognize a fuller, higher expression of humanity when we see one.


Wigglesworth, Cindy. SQ21: The Twenty-One Skills of Spiritual Intelligence (pp. 5-6). SelectBooks, Inc.. Kindle Edition. 


How many and to what extent do you or people you know exhibit these 11 characteristics?


Join our spiritual book discussion group.


Tuesday, October 4, 2022

Is SQ is a set of skills?


Spiritual Intelligence, as distinct from both spirituality and religion, is a set of skills we develop over time, with practice.


Wigglesworth, Cindy. SQ21: The Twenty-One Skills of Spiritual Intelligence . SelectBooks, Inc.. Kindle Edition. 


Many people have observed that the problem with the concept of spiritual intelligence is that it is difficult to define in measurable terms. For that reason some developmental psychologists have been reluctant to use the term. Cindy Wigglesworth has addressed that concern by defining SQ as a set of 21 skills which can be measured.


If SQ can be measured like IQ, PQ, and EQ then we can assess the level of development of a given individual and the next steps to be taken to grow and develop further. For example, the first skill is “awareness of one's own Worldview.” I sometimes ask people “What makes you tick?” Some people have a thoughtful answer but most seem annoyed, perplexed, confused and will respond, “What are you asking me that for?”


I am asking because I am wondering what your search for truth and meaning has been like in your life and to what extent has it been intentional?


What do you think of the idea that spiritual intelligence can be measured by describing certain skills that a spiritually intelligent person would be competent in?


Join the Spiritual book discussion group where we are discussing The Twenty-One Skills of Spiritual Intelligence during October, 2022.


Friday, September 30, 2022

Is the U.S. one of the spiritually poorest countries on the planet?



What if I could name those Spiritual Intelligence skills and describe them on a spectrum from “novice” to “expert”? Could a framework of skills and levels of development help me and others know what to work on next?

Wigglesworth, Cindy. SQ21: The Twenty-One Skills of Spiritual Intelligence . SelectBooks, Inc.. Kindle Edition. 


There are models of physical development, social development, emotional development, cognitive development, moral development, why not spiritual development? 


What are the functions of religious organizations in our society? One of them is to nurture the spiritual development of its members and the people who interact with the religious organization. How do we assess the level of spiritual development of an individual, the groups that individual participates in, and the society in which the individuals and groups are members? Are there models that provide such an assessment tool? The answer is yes, and Cindy Wigglesworth attempts to provide us with one such model in this book.


Mother Teresa said one time that while the United States is one of the materially richest countries on the planet it is one of the spiritually poorest. What do you think of Mother Teresa’s observation and comment?



Join the spiritual book discussion group. We are discussing Cindy Wigglesworth's book, The Twenty-One Skills of Spiritual Development during October, 2022.


Monday, August 22, 2022

What is currently making the UUA tick?



Stanford law professor Randall Ralph Richard Banks says that many things are going on in society and that “focusing only on race is a mistake. Once you start to divide society into the oppressor and the oppressed and the black people are always on the downside and the white people are always the possessors of privilege, I think that’s a mistake. It’s a mistake to fixate on the idea of white privilege because most white people in American society are not and don’t feel themselves to be privileged. Most white people in American society are actually struggling. They’re struggling to raise their children. They worry about whether their children’s lives will be better than their own. They confront all manner of illness and distress and economic anxiety. So it’s both analytically wrong and politically misguided to promote an ideology that suggests that all white people have it good and all black people have it bad.” (Manhattan Institute 2021)


Cycleback, David. Against Illiberalism: A critique of illiberal trends in liberal institutions, with a focus on Unitarian Universalism (pp. 41-42). Center for Artifact Studies. Kindle Edition. 


Some Unitarian Universalists covenant together to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person, and justice, equity, and compassion in human relations. In light of these two principles it would seem that accusing whites of privilege automatically making them racist undercuts these two principles.


Spiritual intelligence can be thought of as being manifested in twenty one skills according to Cindy Wigglesworth in her book, Twenty-One Skills Of Spiritual Intelligence. The first skill of spiritual intelligence is the ability to observe and monitor one’s own worldview. To what extent does an individual know what makes them tick? The idea of the ability to observe and monitor one’s own worldview can be extended to families, organizations, and cultures.


The skill of observing one’s own worldview can be pursued by answering these questions “What makes you tick? What makes your family tick? What makes your organization tick? What makes your culture tick?”


David Cycleback’s book, Against Illiberalism takes a look at what makes the UUA and some congregations tick as they shut down the free and responsible search for truth and meaning in the face of the imposition of Critical Race Theory as the current dogma of the UUA being imposed on its member congregations.


Cycleback and others have argued that the current policies and programs of the UUA regarding governance with the imposition of CRT  are antithetical to UUs principles. This is a major problem interfering with the good functioning and growth of the denomination.


What is to be done?


The first step is to name the problem why Cycleback does very well. Be able to state it in your own words in one sentence.


The second step is to work with others to diminish the UUA’s policy of shutting down the free and responsible search for truth and meaning by shaming, marginalizing and excommunicating UU members.


The third step is to support and lift up all ideas and observations for consideration in the articulation of our faith.


The fourth step is to continue to practice the UU principles in one’s daily life, in one’s family, organizations, community, and culture.


Twenty-one Skills Of Spiritual Intelligence by Cindy Wigglesworth will be the UUAWOL book of the month for September, 2022



If you would like to join the UUAWOL book discussion group via email send a request and your email to davidgmarkhkam@gmail.com

Sunday, July 31, 2022

How to enhance one’s spiritual intelligence?


What if I could name those Spiritual Intelligence skills and describe them on a spectrum from “novice” to “expert”? Could a framework of skills and levels of development help me and others know what to work on next?


Wigglesworth, Cindy. SQ21: The Twenty-One Skills of Spiritual Intelligence . SelectBooks, Inc.. Kindle Edition. 


If a person wanted to enhance their spiritual intelligence where would they start? If an organization existed whose mission it is to teach spiritual intelligence what would be the pedagogy?


A first step might be to define spiritual intelligence. Cindy Wigglesworth in her book Twenty-One Skills of Spiritual Intelligence defines spiritual intelligence as “the ability to behave with wisdom and compassion, while maintaining inner and outer peace, regardless of the situation.” p.8


There may be other key components to spiritual intelligence as well such as sincerity and genuineness and discerning God’s will.


Does religion enhance people’s spiritual intelligence? Does your church provide teachings and experiences that enhance the congregation’s level of spiritual intelligence? Does your religion and church have the competence to do so?


In Roman Catholicism there was an emphasis on “spiritual formation” and people were encouraged to focus on their “interior spiritual life.” In Unitarian Universalism these concepts are rarely mentioned, and no consistent effort is made to provide the resources necessary for the development of spiritual intelligence. The mission of UU A Way Of Life is to enhance spiritual intelligence among its members and in the society of which it is a part.


To be continued


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