Beta Spirituality

“Let us endeavor to commence every enterprise with a pure view to the glory of God, continue it without distraction, and finish it without impatience.” ~François Fénelon.

Brainwave activity is measured in several streams and, for the purposes of present discussion, especially by alpha and beta waves. Alpha waves register when our minds are on autopilot; beta thinking, on the other hand, occurs when we’re focused on a task to the exclusion of all distractions.

Beta spirituality, likewise, fits the François Fénelon tag. There is intentionality about it. And whilst we may worship the Lord mindlessly from time to time, we never truly worship our God without our minds fully engaged.

Alpha Spirituality

Surely, however, we do identify with the mindless enjoyment of the Lord our God, especially as we are carried off into a netherworld of fancy in the Spiritual realm. Many times we found ourselves sodden in joyous tears or encroached by a spirit beyond us. Sometimes God blesses us so much, via our worship, we cannot rationalise how we feel.

This so-called alpha spirituality is the Lord’s allowance, like alpha thinking is mindless, for simple enjoyment in the inimitable Presence and Power of God.

But, without the intentionality of beta spirituality our growth in God is stunted and, even, paralysed; even to a point where alpha spirituality sits condemned and even, its blessedness, unavailable to our touch.

The Necessity and Practice of Beta Spirituality

“Focus” may seem an overused word these days. It is, nevertheless, the most appropriate input we can bring in enjoying more and more of the divinity in the Presence of God.

It is the comprehensive necessity of the one bent forward for God in fervency.

What more could it be, then, than to be focused—again, with intentionality—toward a pure view to the glory of God; the transcendence of all mystery regarding the Divine?

Practicing beta spirituality is the continual realisation of the stipulation to focus and refocus, and when we pick up our Bibles there are literally limitless images, stories, metaphors, and characterisations that help toward that end.

Yet, we can practice beta spirituality any conscious moment as we find thought for God’s glory and take that marvellous sight into our everyday living situations, sprinkling them with the majesty of virtue, by loving people and, therefore, God.

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Beta spirituality is a thoughtful and poised spirituality. It imagines the fullest Presence of the Lord—for that’s a fact—and lives deliberately out of such a blessed assurance.

Such a practice indwells our conscious lives, making nothing good impossible.

© 2011 S. J. Wickham.