Spiritual Intelligence: “What Would Love See Here?”
Wisdom, Compassion and Love in Action
Jennifer Butler for The Hearts Center Community
January – February 2025 • Vol 4, No 14
What would love see here within us and within the world around us? How do we get to that place of seeing with the eyes of love, feeling with a heart of love, and thinking with a mind of love? Have you heard of spiritual intelligence? You may already possess it. One way to define spiritual intelligence is the ability to act with wisdom and compassion while maintaining inner peace, regardless of the demanding situation occurring in the moment.
Innate within the soul is a longing to be connected to something larger than ourselves, a connecting to something sacred, divine, and noble. The actualization of this longing can be said to be the attaining of spiritual intelligence.
We are all innately spiritual beings; yet, we may not necessarily have mastered spiritual intelligence, which requires the mastery of certain skills. Just as emotional intelligence evolves in us as we apply a set of skills— such as: becoming aware of our emotions, learning how to manage them, understanding the emotions of others, the ability to give empathy readily—spiritual intelligence takes work. What a wonderful work it is!
Goaded by Example
We have all known examples of individuals who have displayed both emotional and spiritual intelligence for the benefit of everyone around them and for millions they have never met. Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, the High Lamas of Tibet, Bhutan and Nepal, and Mahatma Gandhi are some. When looking at these exemplars who embody the best of humanity, we can see certain capacities that set them apart. Let’s take a look at some of these traits.
Compassion and wisdom are two qualities that emanate from those who embody spiritual intelligence. These admirable men and women seem to have combined to perfection the heart and the head, resulting in love in action at every turn.
Love in Action
A brief definition of spiritual intelligence might indeed be love in action. And those actions are not just acts of prayer and meditation—they permeate every activity of our daily lives, every relationship, including the most frustrating ones.
Spiritual intelligence can be recognized by the way people we admire relate to those challenging circumstances. They show courage, tenacity, and the capacity to keep going no matter how difficult the way ahead. They are able to reframe what they are seeing or experiencing, transcending negative reactions to maintain an inner peace and harmony. There is a nonattachment, an openness, an ability to see clearly. They watch the drama and do not enter into it.
When we move into com-passionate self-awareness and awareness of others, we are growing in spiritual intelligence. The experience is transcendent, allowing us to become…
- Effective agents for global change,
- Wise decision-makers,
- A calming and healing presence,
- Aligned with the ebb and flow of life and of the highest good.
We develop an appreciation for, and no longer fear, the mystery of spiritual growth. Growth and self-mastery are now embraced as innate capacities to be cultivated. We expand our love to include all of life, unconditionally, and all forms of creation. Various perspectives and points of view are received with an open mind and heart. There is no longer the desire to be right.
Reframing
One of the major skills that leads to greater spiritual intelligence is reframing. It is the ability to listen to the stories we tell ourselves from a place of inner peace. When we release inner turmoil, we are free to create a new and different story about our self or a new story about an interaction with another individual or group.
We can watch our interpretation of events, the meaning we attach to a story, and ask if that interpretation is true. Might there be another story we could tell? We can question all our interpretations and ask ourselves, “What would love see here?” When we do this, we are widening our perspective to include compassion and wisdom.
So stories we have told ourselves about ourselves—or our spouses, parents, or colleagues—that once triggered upset and distress appear less and less in our purview. We are creating valid stories that flow from a new depth within us, a depth of forgiveness and love, and a depth of spiritual intelligence.
As we choose to reframe, we gain greater understanding of everyone’s situation, everyone’s feelings and thoughts. Miracle of miracles, we feel an inner spaciousness and so much less reactivity! We are now a part of the healing of any conflict. What a high and worthy, yet absolutely attainable, goal for which we all can strive.
What would love see for you and for our planet in 2025?
Jennifer Butler trained as a Clinical Psychologist in South Africa and works with adults and children. She practices both Christian and Buddhist forms of spirituality and is a teacher of mediation and Iyengar yoga. Jennifer is a long-time member of The Hearts Center Community. To learn more, visit their website or drop by the Alchemy Exchange Bookstore in Livingston.