The 4 Ways of Knowing

Embracing Elemental Wisdom

One of the most all-encompassing dances of my lifetime is to waltz with the difficulties posed by materialist, reductionist thinking.

The thinking that says we are only a total sum of our physical parts. The thinking that says that which cannot be objectified, measured and quantified cannot be real.

The thinking that has led us completely adrift of our magical, mystical and infinitely complex world and far, faar, faaar into the territory of separation.

This atomised way of knowing has been the paradigm those of us born into the Western secular world have been immersed in our whole lives. That of the mind.

Just as a fish is unaware of the water it swims in, many of those around us remain oblivious to the fact that our culture perpetuates a limited perspective of our surroundings.

Sure; reason and logic are an essential lens to view the world and represent a commendable attempt at unravelling its complexities.

But some things simply cannot be UNDERSTOOD, they can only be FELT.

The Empire is fixated on ultimately meaningless measurements and pointless technologies that only draw us further and further away from the qualitative dimensions of being alive.

Questions about the origins of consciousness, our search for meaning in life, and attempts to understand mystical experiences reveal the limitations of reason and logic in comprehending the profound depths of the human experience.

Vipassana meditation, plant medicine ceremonies and festival raptures have all connected me to unseen worlds that have brought me joy, peace and inspiration; but would be pathologised in the doctor’s office and be seen as problematic or abnormal in a medical context.

This is how a rationalist, materialist culture works, and this is why it is ultimately inadequate. There are whole dimensions of my own reality that cannot be explained through the airtight, self-sealing logic of Scientism: “the view that science and the scientific method are the best or only way to render truth about the world and reality.”

Personally, I find I can understand my journey better by stepping outside the limited prism of modern materialism and widening my understanding of what I know to be true.

My personal, felt experiences have taught me that reality extends beyond visual perception, and encompasses dimensions that transcend the tangible.

The Four Ways as mapped out by Neil Buchanan’s Art Attack Occult Special

Of Soma, Psyche, Spirit and Soul

A more expansive way of understanding reality opens us to the magic and weirdness of the world. A world brimming with enigma and awe that challenges the boundaries of our customary sense-making.

Every day; individuals encounter dreams, synchronicities, and instances of divine intervention, all of which defy rational explanations.

These occurrences are shared human experiences, with nearly all of us having encountered at least one of them in the course of our lifetimes. Unfortunately, there is a lack of understanding of these experiences in our culture.

In The Philosopher’s Secret Fire, Patrick Harpur notes, “The world we see is the myth we are in.” When we change our underlying mythos, the world we see begins to ripple and transform around us.

The story we are currently in is one of the psyche/mind/logic, and the imbalance that comes with holding this way of knowing as our primary mythos is reflected in our worlds from social isolation to environmental degradation.

As our collective understanding evolves, we're recognising the increasing significance of somatic intelligence as a perspective through which we can perceive the world.

Mental health challenges transcend mere conceptual constructs; they are intricate issues that require a more holistic approach - as best-selling books like The Body Keeps the Score have demonstrated.

But where we fall totally short in our shared understanding of our reality is in the worlds of Spirit and Soul. So much so that they are often used interchangeably to describe the same ideas, when in fact they are two completely different energies as we’ll soon discover.

The ultimate prize here is to not get stuck in one dimension or another, but to develop an understanding of the benefits and pitfalls of each so we can cultivate wholeness.

Psyche: The Domain of Rationalism, Logic, and Reason

Element: Fire

Core driver: Expression

Practice: Strengthened through therapy

At the core of the human experience, the Psyche ignites the fire of reason, thought, and logic - a force that creates and destroys, illuminates and consumes.

It is through the Psyche's lens that we construct our understanding of the world, analyse information, and solve problems. The fire of reason fuels our journey of learning and self-discovery, leading us to seek the truths that shape our reality.

Although world suffers due to the emphasis placed on this form of knowing, it is no real surprise we have ended up so ardently in the domain of the psyche, given the misgivings of our previous paradigm.

Pre-enlightenment, the elite classes committed egregious sins in the name of Spirit through the Church. The proverbial baby was thrown out with the bathwater of baby Jesus when we rejected religion of all shapes in favour of rationalism.

But without balancing out this way of knowing with other forms of understanding we find ourselves excessively occupied, alienated, and emotionally wounded, making it difficult to truly embrace the full spectrum of what we can perceive.

The shadow of the Psyche can manifest as excessive intellectualisation or over-reliance on reason and logic. This may lead to a disconnect from emotions and intuition, stifling empathy and creativity which develops into arrogance, rigid thinking, and a dismissive attitude towards other ways of knowing.

Taking in only a tiny fraction of the sensory nourishment we need, we are forever hungry, craving ever more intense stimuli to meet the need to feel experiences beyond our material bounds.

The mass epidemic of addiction we see today then becomes a logical response to a real unmet hunger for somatic, spiritual and soul-level nourishment.

Soma: The Domain of Emotions, Touch, and the Body

Element: Water

Core driver: Connection

Practice: Yoga, dancing and other forms of embodiment

Soma embodies the realm of emotions, touch, and the body's latent wisdom. Much like water's ability to adapt and shape-shift, Soma is fluid and receptive to the ebb and flow of emotions and sensations. It is through the language of the body that we connect with our innermost selves and the world around us.

Soma serves as a vessel for experiencing pleasure and pain, joy and grief, allowing us to embrace the richness of human emotions. Just like the river, it invites us to dive into the depths of our being, fostering a profound sense of introspection and self-awareness.

How we perceive and interpret our emotions impacts our overall well-being, shaping our understanding of self and relationships.

The shadow of Soma can be seen in excessive emotional reactivity or an inability to regulate emotions. When emotions overwhelm reason, decision-making becomes clouded, and impulsivity quickly arises. Getting stuck in the feels leads to self-indulgence or an avoidance of confronting challenging issues and adversity.

Somatic knowing desires to connect it’s understanding to other. To feel the other. To dance with the other. Its existence blossoms in relationships.

As a culture, we are slowly embracing the wisdom of the body but are yet to have a language for the Spirit or Soul…

Spirit: The Ethereal, Spiritual, and Cosmological

Element: Air

Core driver: Growth

Practice: Ritual

The word Spirit is derived from the Latin word for breath - spiritu. Air, the breath of life, is the embodiment of Spirit - the ethereal, spiritual, and cosmological domain of existence.

It represents the boundless expanse of consciousness, transcending the limits of the physical realm. Spirit calls us to venture way beyond the pale of the material plane, exploring the interconnectedness of all living beings and the vastness of the universe.

In the realm of Spirit, we connect with moments of inspiration, intuition, and divine connection through peak experiences. This is the experience of ‘all is one and you are all,’ in which our unique expression of consciousness merges with that of the universe.

We may have an ecstatic experience in which we’re filled with life-force energy. Tantric experiences, like a kundalini awakening, have been documented since the dawn of time and taps us into a wellspring of aliveness. For a fleeting moment, the veil is lifted, we see underlying patterns behind all things and it feels viscerally as though everything is coming together for a higher purpose.

If you have experienced this, you know what I’m talking about. And no, you don’t have to double drop some super strong Mitsubishis to feel this level of ecstasy.

We are unconsciously driven to these transcendental desires and peak experiences through ritualistic tendencies such as concerts, football matches and festivals.

These desires carry within them ancient wisdom and sacred truths, gently urging us to embrace a profound sense of unity and oneness with all of creation and our ancestors.

They beckon us to a time when communities often came together in harmonious gatherings, moving in unison to heal, connect, and grow. In this ethereal realm, we discover solace and guidance that transcend the limitations of our individual selves.

The shadow of Spirit can manifest as a detachment from the physical reality and an overemphasis on the spiritual or metaphysical realm. When spiritual experiences are not grounded and integrated, individuals may become disconnected from practical realities - what Jeff Brown describes as the New Cage Movement:

“A term to describe the more ungrounded, dangerous, and simplistic elements of the New Age movement, including but not limited to: wishful thinking mantras, spiritual bypassing, pre-mature forgiveness practices, superficial healing techniques, the perpetual denial of common-sense realities, and the insistence on inflated fantastical perspectives—i.e. “Everything is an illusion,” “It’s all perfect,” “There are no victims,” “Everything that happens is meant-to-be,” “All judgments are bad,” “Suffering doesn’t exist,” “You are responsible for everything that happens to you,” etc.”

While these perspectives can be uplifting and useful tools for awakening, they can also become a self-imposed prison when taken to extremes.

The overindulgence in these perspectives can temporarily alleviate problems but ultimately leave individuals terribly equipped to face reality. If you want to face reality, become comfortable with uncertainty and avoid the traps of simplistic and totalising explanations.

Living in the Northern Rivers, the hippy capital of Australia exposes me to these kinds of sentiments daily.

The Tantra Practitioner who can’t stop creeping, the 5D lightworker who can’t hold down a job, The Divine Goddess who has no time for the “low vibe” shop staff. It's challenging not to sense a lingering presence of unprocessed grief, unresolved emotions, and unacknowledged privilege in the air.

When we live in a paradigm locked in the domain of the Psyche which doesn’t even have the language to integrate mystical experiences - let alone the tools, we will return from profound spiritual experiences to a world ruled by the mind and create identities off the back of these potent experiences without truly embodying them.

Soul: The Earthly, Ecological Domain

Element: Earth

Core driver: Healing

Practice: Time in nature

In the bowels of Earth, we find the realm of the Soul, connecting us to the ecological fabric of existence.

In the same way an acorn contains the coding within it to become a tree, our Soul holds the blueprint for our unique essence. The song we are here to sing, the dance we are here to dance, the role we are here to play in our community.

This is what Bill Plotkin describes as our mythopoetic identity:

The way we consciously identify and experience the nature of Soul — namely, through metaphor in the form of poetic or mythic images or patterns. Since it’s not possible to directly describe our eco-niche in everyday descriptive language, we comprehend and appreciate it mythopoetically. Essentially what Carl Jung meant by “personal myth.”

Rooted in the principles of interconnectedness and interdependence, the Soul honours our profound relationship with the natural world.

As Plotkin explains above, this cannot be explained through traditional labels and observations but through the language of the natural world: symbols, imagery and metaphor.

Soul acts as a conduit for Spirit, leading us on a lifelong quest to reconnect with the unifying field we instinctively seek, drawing us towards rapturous experiences and immersion in the profound beauty of nature.

These peaks and troughs weave the lifelong tapestry of ecstasis and catharsis, marking our hero's journies and punctuating our lives with moments of turbulence that draw us closer to self-discovery.

The more skillfully we can surf these waves and return to our hearts, the closer we come to nurturing a profound relationship with both ourselves and our sacred purpose. Smooth seas never made a skilful sailor.

In my own journey, whenever I've strayed from the life I'm meant to lead, I've experienced gentle nudges in the right direction, as though my internal compass were steadfastly guiding me. And often, when I've ventured significantly off course, I have been delivered a cosmic smackdown to ensure I am back onto my destined path.

Looking back on my life I’ve been spiritually bitchslapped many, many times. Although these moments have left me shaken - in hindsight, I appreciate how they shaped my path. Without these experiences, I wouldn't be in the place I am today.

A place where I am infinitely grateful and have enough skin in the game now to know that a redirection is just a course correction. Although modernity doesn't quite have the language for this, it rings true for us all at the Soul level. And if you need even more confirmation, just observe the natural world.

Without our conscious awareness we instinctively tap into life's relentless pursuit of balance, drawing wisdom from nature's most potent metaphors.

It's akin to observing a snake painfully shed its old skin, witnessing the cyclical dance of lunar phases, and marvelling at the diverse trees in the forest: each uniquely serving the land simply by embracing their true selves.

Nature's beauty, in all its forms, touches the Soul in a way that elicits a profound emotional response, awakening a sense of humility deep inside us. In these moments, the boundaries between self and the natural world blur, and in its place a harmonious resonance with the universe emerges.

In moments of turmoil and uncertainty, seeking refuge in the bosom of Mother Nature provides the perfect sanctuary for the weary Soul.

The universal admiration for nature's magic motivates us to protect and preserve the delicate ecosystems that sustain life on Earth. It ignites a desire to act as responsible stewards, nurturing and safeguarding the planet for future generations to experience and cherish.

In this way, the Soul has no shadow. It exists only to play its role in maintaining balance. Its core driver is to heal, to be in deep catharsis, and to wash away all that stands in the way of our ability to shine.

This is how we rise as a collective, not to build towers to the sky but to clear our hearts of the debris that stands in the way of us being fiercely loving, and lovingly fierce.

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Hey fam, thank you so much for making it this far. I’ve been in the cave this winter but back with a new wave of inspiration. Please do get involved with the conversations through the comments below. Studies show time and time again when we directly engage with online media our happiness levels increase dramatically. Plus I get to hear your thoughts which helps me improve. Win-win for all! Thank you 🙏🏾