‘Passion for the unseen’: Elder justice and spiritual pilgrimage

ABSTRACT

A recurring aspect in some definitions of spirituality is an unseen, spiritual reality shining through seen, physical reality. This idea of living simultaneously in two worlds – visible/invisible – is conceptualised by Friedrich von Hügel (1852–1925), who emphasised sensory stimulation and attention to symbols as aids for encountering invisible spiritual reality. Evelyn Underhill (1875–1941) extended von Hügel's philosophy, through focusing on ‘Eternity’ – the unseen reality underlying her visible world – emphasising silence and being alert to the ‘Church Invisible.’ These two writers' conceptual undergirdings for attending to spiritual realities are outlined then applied in two contexts: elder spiritual care and spiritual pilgrimage. In residential aged-care, we see the visible reality of frail people, yet if we are attentive enough, we discover what is unseen. An invisible reality lies behind that diminishment; creative ways of discerning who people are and meeting specific spiritual needs is essential. Given the substandard care and elder abuse prevalent in our world, elder justice is paramount. The second context discussed is spiritual pilgrimage which is not simply tourism - focusing on visible sites; pilgrimage involves journeying in the seen world, but explicitly attending to the unseen behind visible realities; both journeying a path that's been trodden for centuries, plus the journey we're invited into towards the future. Von Hügel's arguments concerning sensory stimulation and attentiveness to symbols can enrich spiritual pilgrimage, and even provide encounters with Underhill's ‘Church Invisible.' The author describes her spiritual encounter with two unseen ‘spiritual friends' while on the Camino Portugués: Teresa of Avila and ‘Mother Mary.’

KEYWORDS:

• Spiritual care
• Friedrich von Hügel
• Evelyn Underhill
• Dementia
• spiritual pilgrimage

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 https://www.who.int/srilanka/news/detail/29-10-2022-world-stroke-day-202, accessed 1 July 2023.

2 The most common occurrences involve U.S. gun violence. See: Cosgrove (2023).

3 Letter from von Hügel to Juliet Mansel, ms37194/29, St Andrews University Library, Special Collections, November 30, 1911.

4 https://nyceac.org/about/definition/ accessed 4 July 2023.

5 Personal communication, May 17, 2015.

6 For example, the American, Lorena Bobbit, used a kitchen knife to sever her husband’s penis (as he slept), following years of rape.

7 Jamberoo Benedictine Abbey, Australia.

8 I walked from Tui on the Portuguese border up to Santiago de Compostela in six days, averaging about 20 kms a day.

9 This was a phrase that Eugene Peterson used to use to describe the Saints.

10 See: https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/the-annunciation/f8e45a6f-7645-4e53-9fd5-cbdae7e8faac accessed 12 September 2023.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Robyn Wrigley-Carr

Robyn Wrigley-Carr has researched spiritual care for people with dementia and also the spiritual writings of Baron Friedrich von Hügel and Evelyn Underhill. As well as being an academic, she is a spiritual director and leads retreats. She is on the Executive Committee for the International Network for the Study of Spirituality.