Anglo-Futurism: Anglo Spirituality

Anglo-Futurism is a new cultural movement which looks to provide a positive futuristic vision for the English and the nations which are derived from it.

‘The English Spirit’ was a book written in 1987.  It looked through the entire literary history of the English, in order to define the spirituality of England.

The English were forged in the highly Christian environment of the middle Anglo-Saxon period.  But this is not like Modern Christianity.  Here, the Cross speaks, the long-passed saints communicate, Christ is a young warrior and God is a thane giving gifts to his aldermen.

The first entry in the book is from 7th Century monk, Caedmon.  The next entry is from the Venerable Bede and then a story about St Cuthbert.  We can see this English spirituality is deeply entwined with a Christian framework.

The authors of the book drew out several threads which further clarified this spirituality.

Firstly, they describe the spirituality of England as ruled by moderation.  There is a thread a scepticism which is woven through the literature.  And a sensitivity to being too unbalanced, to a point where the English will ridicule the extremists.  This leads the English to want to be led by clear thinking rather than brutal passion.  In fact, they are deeply suspicious of arguments from emotion.

English spirituality is practical.  Their spiritual life is grounded in physical activity.  Not just by themselves, but as part of a community.  Spirituality is as much praying as tidying the garden.  I wonder if this comes out from the Celtic Christian tradition, where every activity was part of a spiritual practice, from washing the clothes to walking to church.

English spirituality has a strong lay bias.  This means everyone is encouraged to get involved, no matter who they are.  They want people to volunteer and join in.  Spirituality is not just for the priests, but for everyone. I wonder if this is where they get this sense of volunteerism.  They are willing to give their time freely, without expecting any financial reward.

English spirituality is domestic and local in nature.  It’s not just practiced at church, but at home too.  From prayers over meals to trying to live out a life of sacrificial love amongst the extended family and neighbours.

Finally, English spirituality is optimistic.  Hellfire and brimstone preaching has never felt comfortable with the English psyche.  They prefer to focus on the goodness which comes from God, rather than the judgement.

In conclusion, the authors drew out a single phrase which summed up Anglo-Spirituality.

‘All will be well.  All will be well.  And all natter of things will be well’.

Julian of Norwich

Julian was a 15th Century nun and mystic from Norfolk.  She was a very pious person and was given several vision, which she wrote down.

This phrase comes from one of those visions and tells us that there is a quiet optimistic confidence which underpins the English.  No matter what happens in life, the English will keep going.

This is probably from where they get the Blitz-Spirit.  During the bombing of London in World War II, the English never gave up.  They carried on living in the capital city, despite the threat from the Doodlebug bombs.

With the Anglo-Futurism dream of going ’To The Stars’, this spirit endows the English with a never giving up attitude.  From their perspective, a failure is one less set-back along the path to success.

When we think about the English spirit, it is broadly autonomous, family orientated and cautious of their more fiery emotions.  And is defined by:

• Practical

• Moderate

• Local community (Domestic)

• Volunteerism

• Optimistic

In turn, the Anglos derive their spirit from this root.  So, if they aim for the stars, through quiet perseverance, they will achieve it.