Good thoughts!!! My Dad and I have butted head about spirituality for years. His parents were missionaries in China and Sri Lanka so he rejected explicit forms of religion but has always had a very deep spiritual awreness. It's something he's tried to share and impart to me for a long time. I studied science and so I guess as a consequence ended up rejecting any form of spirituality. The truth is however, I've really shifted my own views, there is a spiritual quality to experience and I'm not even sure that we have to define what it is. For me very simple things evoke a sense of wholeness, rain and nature for example are very important to me, I couldn't really explain it more than that.

I read William James's Varieties of Religious Experience a few years ago and it had a very impact on how I think about things. The book is wonderful and lays out in a very clear way the different ways in which peoples sense of religiosity has had very powerful effects on them.

What has changed most dramatically for me is that having some "spiritual sense" has become important in a personal way, I find something very natural to it and it can be very important to people, although I'm not religious in any way that would make much sense I've seen people's lives change because of belief. And I do think that we've largely lost touch with it to our disadvantage.

Part of the dilemma I think that we have is that the connotations of spirituality have a hard time standing up in the face of science. I would personally like to see a re-working of what we mean when we talk about spirituality, it's the loss of deeper meaning that in a way I think contributes to a fragmentation of society. I know that what I'm writing may not seem that clear, it's not that clear to me either but, i do think it is a very important topic. There are a lot of writers these days given to disposing of any notions of spirituality, people like Daniel Dennett (who is a first rate philosopher). The main difference between my own views and theirs is that I see first person experience as very important, they are committed to a third person science that by it's very nature can not take account of the first person qualities we all experience.

You are right also about processions, it wold be worth reading about the cult of Dionysus. I am sure that groups gathering and sharing some kind of experience has existed throughout human history, I think it would make for a very interesting post as well (so will start giving it some thought), but the Dionysian cults are an very clear and early example of the power and significance of that shared experience. I'll find some good links and send them to you.

What is interesting is that all of these things are related. That is that funeral processions, cults, gatherings, spirituality and an individualistic or collectivist mentality are all part and pasel (to me at least) of something that is very relevant to humanity.

I would as always be glad for your thoughts and ideas. You've already given me some rich food for thought. i would love to hear more about your experiences and memories of funeral processions in the south. Do you write about them in your book (<a href="http://www.katemayfield.com/books.html)?" target="_blank">http://www.katemayfield.com/books.html)? I hope you don't mind me posting a link to the book, only I really think it will be an interesting read (and am looking forward to reading it myself).
With Kind Regards As Always,
Alex