---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Modern spiritual consciousness is…"
description: "\"“Modern spiritual consciousness is predicated upon the fact that God is gone, and spiritual experience, for many of us, amounts mostly to an essential,..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22c/christian-wiman-10211_consciousness_modern-spiritual-consciousness-is-predic_2631645.png"
---

#  Modern spiritual consciousness is predicated upon the fact…

![“Modern spiritual consciousness is predicated upon the fact that God is gone, and spiritual experience, for many of us, amounts mostly to an essential, deeply felt and necessary but ultimately inchoate and transitory feeling of oneness or unity with existence. It is mystical and valuable, but…” quote by Christian Wiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22c/christian-wiman-10211_consciousness_modern-spiritual-consciousness-is-predic_2631645.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22c/christian-wiman-10211_consciousness_modern-spiritual-consciousness-is-predic_2631645.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22c/christian-wiman-10211_consciousness_modern-spiritual-consciousness-is-predic_2631645.png)

> ““Modern spiritual consciousness is predicated upon the fact that God is gone, and spiritual experience, for many of us, amounts mostly to an essential, deeply felt and necessary but ultimately inchoate and transitory feeling of oneness or unity with existence. It is mystical and valuable, but distant. Christ, though, is a thorn in the brain.””

[Christian Wiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-wiman/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Modern spirituality often feels detached from traditional faith, offering fleeting unity experiences that lack lasting depth, while traditional religion remains challenging.

**In simple terms:** Modern spirituality feels temporary, lacking depth.

Key Takeaway

Seek deeper, lasting spiritual connection.

Themes

spirituality faith existence meaning transience

Mood

contemplative serious

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal meditation
- church attendance
- philosophical study
- existential crisis
- spiritual practice

Key Concepts

theology existentialism psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- What gives your spirituality lasting meaning?
- How can you integrate tradition with personal experience?

A Different Perspective

Traditional faith can feel alienating for some seekers.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Modern Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-spiritual-2195402/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual/) [Spiritual Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual-consciousness-504325/) [Spiritual experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual-experience/)

## Related quotes

> [As we raise ourselves in the spiritual consciousness, we are better able to solve the problems of life. We are happy. We are at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-klemp/as-we-raise-ourselves-in-the-spiritual-consciousness-we-are-better/)

[Harold Klemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-klemp/)

> [We live under the power of Modern Consciousness, which means that we are obsessed with progress. Wherever you are is not good enough. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satish-kumar/we-live-under-the-power-of-modern-consciousness-which-means-that-we/)

[Satish Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satish-kumar/)

> [“it occurred to me that the modern spiritual leaders of my tradition were always somber, self-important men, thickly coated in others’ idea of who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-merullo/it-occurred-to-me-that-the-modern-spiritual-leaders-of-my-tradition/)

[Roland Merullo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-merullo/)

> [Yoga is a generic name for any discipline by which one attempts to pass out of the limits of one's ordinary mental consciousness into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/yoga-is-a-generic-name-for-any-discipline-by-which-one-attempts-to/)

[Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/)

> [After 32 years as a priest , I think its fair to say that most institutional churches are very limited in addressing higher levels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/after-32-years-as-a-priest-i-think-its-fair-to-say-that-most/)

[Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/)

> [On human levels of consciousness one may emphasize getting and having as the prime goals, in spiritual consciousness he seeks the way of giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/on-human-levels-of-consciousness-one-may-emphasize-getting-and-having/)

[Eric Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-butterworth/)

> [Be aware of the words that go into your mind, both conscious and unconscious, because words and ideas can be great tools for your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-templeton/be-aware-of-the-words-that-go-into-your-mind-both-conscious-and/)

[John Templeton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-templeton/)

> [When you understand the law of divine compensation, you realize that in the presence of spiritual consciousness, there is more than enough compensation for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/when-you-understand-the-law-of-divine-compensation-you-realize-that/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [“Our reality is masked as a medium for growth. What we are growing is our Will which, when aligned with a given Thought Center,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-knight-jadczyk/our-reality-is-masked-as-a-medium-for-growth-what-we-are-growing-is/)

[Laura Knight-Jadczyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-knight-jadczyk/)

> [Spiritual consciousness does not make your problems go away; it does, however, help you view them from a different vantage point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/spiritual-consciousness-does-not-make-your-problems-go-away-it-does/)

[Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/)

> [The spiritual consciousness is never deceived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-meier/the-spiritual-consciousness-is-never-deceived/)

[Billy Meier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-meier/)

> [Science is leading us forward in our evolution in the area of spiritual consciousness, in a sense. They're leading us to a final realization,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-mctaggart/science-is-leading-us-forward-in-our-evolution-in-the-area-of/)

[Lynne McTaggart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-mctaggart/)

> [When we grow in spiritual consciousness, we identify with all that is in the world there is no exploitation. It is ourselves we're helping,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/govindappa-venkataswamy/when-we-grow-in-spiritual-consciousness-we-identify-with-all-that-is/)

[Govindappa Venkataswamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/govindappa-venkataswamy/)

> [We do not build or create a spiritual consciousness; we merely get rid of all that obscures our pure vision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-davis/we-do-not-build-or-create-a-spiritual-consciousness-we-merely-get-rid/)

[Roy Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-davis/)

> [Truths are not truths to you unless you realize them within yourself. Without realization, they are just ideas. For spiritual perception, spiritual consciousness, lies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/truths-are-not-truths-to-you-unless-you-realize-them-within-yourself/)

[Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/)

## More by Christian Wiman

> [I find myself continually falling back into wounds, wishes, terrors I thought I had risen beyond.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-wiman/i-find-myself-continually-falling-back-into-wounds-wishes-terrors-i/)

[Christian Wiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-wiman/)

> [“Intellectuals and artists concerned with faith tend to underestimate the radical, inviolable innocence it requires. We read and read, write long, elaborate essays and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-wiman/intellectuals-and-artists-concerned-with-faith-tend-to-underestimate/)

[Christian Wiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-wiman/)

> [Wonder is the precondition for all wisdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-wiman/wonder-is-the-precondition-for-all-wisdom/)

[Christian Wiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-wiman/)

> [We should be suspicious when God's call conforms so neatly to our own inclinations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-wiman/we-should-be-suspicious-when-god-s-call-conforms-so-neatly-to-our-own/)

[Christian Wiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-wiman/)

> [God is with us, not beyond us, in suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-wiman/god-is-with-us-not-beyond-us-in-suffering/)

[Christian Wiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-wiman/)

> [“Let us remember...that in the end we go to poetry for one reason, so that we might more fully inhabit our lives and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-wiman/let-us-remember-that-in-the-end-we-go-to-poetry-for-one-reason-so/)

[Christian Wiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-wiman/)

> [To be truly alive is to feel one's ultimate existence within one's daily existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-wiman/to-be-truly-alive-is-to-feel-one-s-ultimate-existence-within-one-s/)

[Christian Wiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-wiman/)

> [I am a Christian because of that moment on the cross when Jesus, drinking the very dregs of human bitterness, cries out, My God,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-wiman/i-am-a-christian-because-of-that-moment-on-the-cross-when-jesus/)

[Christian Wiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-wiman/)

> [Mandelstam is the sort of poet who comes along very, very rarely. Even the two Russian poets whose work is often linked with his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-wiman/mandelstam-is-the-sort-of-poet-who-comes-along-very-very-rarely-even/)

[Christian Wiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-wiman/)

> [“How many loves fail because, in an unconscious effort to make our weaknesses more strong, we link with others precisely at those points? How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-wiman/how-many-loves-fail-because-in-an-unconscious-effort-to-make-our/)

[Christian Wiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-wiman/)

> [“It is a strange thing how sometimes merely to talk honestly of God, even if it is only to articulate our feelings of separation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-wiman/it-is-a-strange-thing-how-sometimes-merely-to-talk-honestly-of-god/)

[Christian Wiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-wiman/)

> [“Faith cannot save you from the claims of reason, except insofar as it preserves and protects that wonderful, terrible time when reason, if only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-wiman/faith-cannot-save-you-from-the-claims-of-reason-except-insofar-as-it/)

[Christian Wiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-wiman/)

> [“part of my enjoyment of life had always been an unconscious assumption of its continuity. Not necessarily a continuity of reality itself—the moment does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-wiman/part-of-my-enjoyment-of-life-had-always-been-an-unconscious/)

[Christian Wiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-wiman/)

> [I suppose I do believe that the greatest art consoles a wound that it creates, that art can give you the capacity to endure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-wiman/i-suppose-i-do-believe-that-the-greatest-art-consoles-a-wound-that-it/)

[Christian Wiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-wiman/)

> [There is nothing more difficult to outgrow than anxieties that have become useful to us, whether as explanations for a life that never quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-wiman/there-is-nothing-more-difficult-to-outgrow-than-anxieties-that-have/)

[Christian Wiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-wiman/)

[Explore all 67 Christian Wiman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-wiman/)

## More Consciousness quotes

> [“You're never alone if you're with your soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-armond-powell/you-re-never-alone-if-you-re-with-your-soul/)

[Gerard Armond Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-armond-powell/)

> [“I now argue that entry into Upper Palaeolithic caves was probably seen as virtually indistinguishable from entry into the mental vortex that leads to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/i-now-argue-that-entry-into-upper-palaeolithic-caves-was-probably/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [How wonderful it would be to scatter words as they rise to consciousness, to let them lie where they fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-scott/how-wonderful-it-would-be-to-scatter-words-as-they-rise-to/)

[Joanna Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-scott/)

> [“People and situations always show us what we need to see and learn about ourselves, and when we take responsibility for our own feelings,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-mada-dalian/people-and-situations-always-show-us-what-we-need-to-see-and-learn/)

[Eliza Mada Dalian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-mada-dalian/)

> [With the realization of God comes all power. If the little wave knew that behind it is the great ocean, it could say, "I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/with-the-realization-of-god-comes-all-power-if-the-little-wave-knew/)

[Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/)

> [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/)

[Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/)

> [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/)

[David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/)

> [“Entropy is the normal state of consciousness—a condition that is neither useful nor enjoyable. To avoid this condition, people are naturally eager to fill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/entropy-is-the-normal-state-of-consciousness-a-condition-that-is/)

[Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/)

> [The purpose is to be in gratitude forever. Live with applied consciousness, prosperity will break through the walls, flood you with it. You do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh-yogi/the-purpose-is-to-be-in-gratitude-forever-live-with-applied/)

[Harbhajan Singh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh-yogi/)

> [“No one has any right to tell you that the way you perceive yourself is wrong. Because by doing so, they also discourage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/no-one-has-any-right-to-tell-you-that-the-way-you-perceive-yourself/)

[Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/)

> [A language possesses utility only insofar as it can construct conventional boundaries. A language of no boundaries is no language at all, and thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/a-language-possesses-utility-only-insofar-as-it-can-construct/)

[Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/)

> [So many people are passive participants in their very short time of having a consciousness, and those who aren't inspire me. Like Malala Yousafzai…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-gelulla/so-many-people-are-passive-participants-in-their-very-short-time-of/)

[Dylan Gelulla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-gelulla/)

> [Floating in and out of consciousness...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/floating-in-and-out-of-consciousness/)

[Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/)

> [“The vision teller tells the vision to unguarded minds' of prey. The programmed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-f-hodge/the-vision-teller-tells-the-vision-to-unguarded-minds-of-prey-the/)

[T.F. Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-f-hodge/)

> [Human freedom involves our capacity to pause between the stimulus and response and, in that pause, to choose the one response toward which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/human-freedom-involves-our-capacity-to-pause-between-the-stimulus-and/)

[Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/)

[Browse all 6,062 Consciousness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Modern spiritual consciousness is predicated upon the fact that God is gone, and spiritual experience, for many of us, amounts mostly to an essential, deeply felt and necessary but ultimately inchoate and transitory feeling of oneness or unity with existence. It is mystical and valuable, but distant. Christ, though, is a thorn in the brain.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Christian Wiman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-wiman/modern-spiritual-consciousness-is-predicated-upon-the-fact-that-god/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Consciousness"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-wiman/modern-spiritual-consciousness-is-predicated-upon-the-fact-that-god/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22c/christian-wiman-10211_consciousness_modern-spiritual-consciousness-is-predic_2631645.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22c/christian-wiman-10211_consciousness_modern-spiritual-consciousness-is-predic_2631645.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22c/christian-wiman-10211_consciousness_modern-spiritual-consciousness-is-predic_2631645.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Modern spiritual consciousness is predicated upon the fact that God is gone, and spiritual experience, for…” — Christian Wiman",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Christian Wiman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-wiman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Modern spiritual consciousness is predicated upon...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-wiman/modern-spiritual-consciousness-is-predicated-upon-the-fact-that-god/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-wiman/modern-spiritual-consciousness-is-predicated-upon-the-fact-that-god/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
