Spirituality is the new religion

 by Timothy Paleczny

One need only visit a museum of art to see religion's deep connection with humankind throughout millennia. Not decades. Not centuries. Millennia. Our absorption with who we are, why we are here, and where we are heading, is neither old or new, nor increasing or waning. It is ever-present.

This was the idea that struck me while visiting The National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin, in May 2023. At the time I had been mulling a reader’s comment that A Life on Water had presented too much religion for his liking. The comment may repel readers, I feared, who might conjure images of contemporary evangelical religiousness as easily as formal Catholic rituals of the kind that do appear in A Life on Water.

In religion, people seek answers to the mysteries of life. To no one's surprise, religion has become a varied and intriguing combination of personal interpretations over time.

Christianity has evolved. Islam has adapted. Eastern spirituality has expanded. And so has science. To take these generalizations a step further, consider that a modern character is more likely to be concerned with spiritual matters than religious ones.

In A Life on Water, both religion and spirituality are important aspects of the story. As a scientist, Ardis, the protagonist, is concerned not with religion but with environmental issues. Her relationship to the mysteries of life becomes a spiritual experience, which is the modern way, in my opinion.

Mid-way through the first chapter, a sea turtle communicates telepathically with Ardis, an experience that startles her. But her indigenous friend explains that turtles symbolize longevity and wisdom. He suggests the turtle is her spirit guide. The turtle reminds her that in the face of environmental destruction, humanity's survival is tied to turtles' survival. The turtle warns her not to let war distract her from helping sea turtles to survive.

Ardis's companions process their experiences in the context of their connections to religions that were prevalent in Portugal during the 1930s and 1940s. Carlos is a Catholic priest who promotes the miracles of Fatima even while his faith is tested. Portugal was ninety-eight per cent Catholic at that time; to ignore this aspect of life in a historical fiction would be faulty.

Also in this mix, Xisco learns of his heritage as a Marrano Jew. The Marranos are a sect that practiced in secrecy, which was a holdover from the Inquisition that officially ended only a century earlier. The presence of Marrano Jews in Sonim, a village in Tras-os-Montes that is located in the northeast region of Portugal, is vital to the cultural fabric of A Life on Water.

One cannot write (or read) historical fiction without at least a nod of recognition to the significant role that religion has played in our collective histories.

Nowadays, such religious fervor often is expressed as spirituality. Look no further than great stories of our time such as the Harry Potter series, Lord of the Rings, and the Da Vinci Code, to see how spirituality can appear in fiction. And they are only the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

#HistoricalFictrion #DebutNovel #MarranoJews #WWII #Portugal