Anglican Spirituality

Anglicanism is among the major branches of the 16th-century Protestant Reformation and a branch of Christianity that incorporates features of Roman Catholicism and Protestantism.

According to the 25th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, Frank T. Griswold III, Anglican spirituality emphasizes the progressive nature of grace and how life is ordered to the process of Christ.

Anglican spirituality has values that can be easily incorporated into a person’s daily life, regardless of their religious/spiritual orientation.

How to Incorporate Anglican Spirituality In Your Life

John Henry Westerhoff explained the Anglican spirituality and temperament that are key to the Anglican way of life. 

The Anglican Temperament

According to St. Thomas Anglican Church, the Anglican Temperament emphasizes the significance of being comprehensive, ambiguous, open-minded, intuitive, aesthetic, moderate, naturalistic, and political. It describes how Anglicans live and give meaning to their life.

Comprehensive

“Anglicans believe they can find the truth by exploring the creative tension between opposites.  For example, we attest to both the sacred and the secular, the material and the spiritual, the mind and the heart, and glory and intimacy.”

From this temperament, you are encouraged to see all of the polarities of your life, from the good and bad to the sweet and bitter aspects of it.

Often, we appreciate only the bright side of life and detest its darkness. Forgetting the reality that it is often in hardship that we learn and grow to become the best version of ourselves.

Embrace life’s flaws. Learn from its beauty and ugliness, as you’ll only come to know your true purpose by accepting all of its aspects. 

Ambiguous

“Anglicans tend not to be “black and white” in our thinking.  We affirm the ambiguity of personal experience and the breadth of human life.  Through our history, which has often been bloody, we have learned to tolerate differing opinions of the spiritual journey.”

Letting go of your ego is one of the ways to travel the spiritual path. You must embrace the reality that your life will be different from others.

The ego always pushes us to seek something far from our true essence and compare our life to others. Because of this, we forget to appreciate our life and obliviously put ourselves in an endless pit of self-pity and doubt.

However, by accepting that your story and time frame are different from others, you’ll come to know life from a more positive perspective. Surrender your fate to life and trust your abilities to create your path.

Open-minded

“Anglicans believe in good scholarship, going back to the sources and valuing a questing and questioning faith.  We search for wisdom in many places and encourage people to listen to each other and bring their honest questions to their life journeys.”

Learning doesn’t only happen and stops in school, as you can always learn anytime and anywhere.

The third Anglican Temperament highlights the importance of learning. If you aim for progress and change, learn and use what you’ve learned to propel yourself toward your aspirations.

From the diligent street sweepers to the fledglings eager to fly, you are always surrounded by people and things you can learn from.

Intuitive

“Anglicans are home to poetry, image, symbol, story-telling, ritual, and art.  Although we have always resisted the temptation to align ourselves with the dogmas of either wing of the Church Universal, we have had many great theologians who have influenced world events.”

The fourth Anglican Temperament states the importance of intuition. The ability to discern right and wrong based on your gut feelings.

Anastasia Bely explained that intuition helps you determine your life’s purpose as it is linked to your subconscious. 

Your intuition can lead you in the right direction and help you ascertain your dreams aligned with your true purpose and core values. It also helps you make better decisions that benefit society’s common good. 

On the other hand, Theresa Jane Hardman added that intuition could also lead to authentic creativity stemming from your experiences, leading to high personal responses to the world.

Aesthetic

“Anglicans believe that beauty, in all its fullness, is a doorway to truth, goodness, and God.”

Aesthetic, the philosophical study of beauty and taste, elicits positive feelings of happiness and calmness.

Jodie Locklear explained that aesthetic sensibility helps us perceive our world beautifully, positively affecting our emotions.

Aestheticism allows you to see the world’s beauty, enjoy all art forms, appreciate your and others’ uniqueness, and reject the unnecessary.

Living in appreciation means living in gratitude. And to show gratitude means appreciating God and all of His creations.

Moderate

“Anglicans avoid extremes, believing that a godly life is inwardly graceful and ordered and outwardly serving and responsible.”

Our consumer-capitalist society programmed our minds to believe the lie that to be fulfilled, you must always acquire more. But instead of happiness, acquiring more leads to discontent and, worst, self-hate.

The sixth temperament highlights the significance of modest living. To live in modesty means to live sufficiently according to your means while lending a hand to those in need.

Courtney Carver shared that aside from the economic benefits, modesty promotes contentment, better mental health, freedom, and a more positive outlook. It teaches us to be more responsible and disciplined in allocating our life’s resources.

Today, a lot of individuals are transitioning to a minimalist lifestyle. The Zen Habits explain that living a simple life is about stepping back and letting go of the unnecessary to create more space to breathe.

It leads to the realization that having more doesn’t lead you to happiness. To live simply means finding joy in the smallest things and having enough to share with those who need your help.

Naturalistic

“Through our Celtic origins, Anglicans revere nature and its rhythms.  We are not above the created order but very much a part of its delicate and intricate balance.”

The Anglicans believe that nature helps us see God’s presence, power, and wisdom in its beauty. It nourishes our souls and reveals our role in the vast ecosystem of life.

Nature humbles us and reminds us of our assigned roles as protectors of other creations. It offers solace to relieve us of our pain and agonies despite its silence. 

You can seek comfort in nature when you feel down and confused. Nature will listen to your sentiments and accept your being.

Political

“Anglicans believe that Christian life has political implications and civic life is a legitimate and important place for our faith to be expressed.”

The last Anglican Temperament highlights the significance of expressing one’s faith and being proactive in life.

Regardless of your faith, you can express it by incorporating its values into your actions. It means providing meaning to your life while exploring your true essence in this world.

You are also encouraged to be proactive, plan for your future, and focus on what you can control. Always remember, you are not a result of your situation but your decisions.

Living According to the Scripture

The Tewkesbury Abbey shared that Anglican spirituality is deeply rooted in daily communal prayer and is framed by the principles written in The Book of Common Prayer. The Scripture and meditations on the psalms are important for the Anglicans.

In this sense, praying is another important aspect of Anglican spirituality you can incorporate into your life.

Praying is common and highly achievable for everyone, regardless of religious background.

You can also meditate for deep reflection and introspection. Meditation is a great tool to shield yourself from negative external factors. 

Final Thoughts

Anglican Spirituality is all about incorporating holistic approaches to enrich your life according to Christ’s teachings.

What’s beautiful about the Anglican way is that you don’t have to go to great lengths to incorporate its values into your life, as a sliver of it is already enough.

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