Style & Spirituality

It had to happen. God bless the Americans, they have created a word for it – metrospiritual. We’re not all just ambling about, trying out random beliefs, practices and products, we’re officially part of a cultural wave. First there were metrosexuals - straight guys who love all the great gay stuff like styling and grooming products - and the now latest buzzword is metrospirituality.

If you’re reading this, chances are you already qualify, but there will be a quiz later just for the hell of it. According to http://www.beliefnet.com/, “Metrospirituality is the mainstreaming of Taoist, Buddhist (thanks to Richard Gere and Uma’s dad, Buddhism scholar and practitioner Robert Thurman) and Hindu values, among others, into an easily-digestible, buyable form”. I like to think of it more as a personalised world view, an opportunity to find meaning in eclectic sources and an appreciation of the rituals of other cultural traditions. That you can now buy a yoga mat in just about every colour imaginable is an added bonus.

What was once considered Ab Fab is now de rigueur. A few years ago feng shui was the sole province of the more than slightly odd, yet these days it’s a fundamental part of how we create spaces to live, shop, eat and relax. Just go into any urban spa these days and you’ll see what I mean.

What does the advent of metrospirituality mean for fabulousness? Simply put, it’s an acknowledgement that the spiritual can be stylish. No need for bad hair, fluffy jumpers or the dog on a string so beloved of the New Age fraternity. This is real life, with style – and meaning and purpose.

As the novelist Umberto Eco recently wrote in the Daily Telegraph, “Human beings are religious animals. It is psychologically very hard to go through life without the justification and the hope provided by religion.” However, fewer and fewer of us are finding any real meaning in organised religion and so we are seeking a spirituality that rings true to us personally. Metrospirituality is a way to find that authentic, individual sense of meaning without being confined to a single spiritual source or mindset.

This freedom of spiritual choice begs a lot of questions. What is it that inspires you? What brings you sustenance and gives your life a sense of purpose? What are the rituals or habits that fill you with joy and make you feel connected to others? For some it’s time spent in nature or deep meditation. For others it’s the small things like a sense of aliveness (and caffeine hit!) from a really great cup of coffee or just choosing to be gracious when it would be easier not to. The people, places and things that make you feel fabulous, energised and purposeful are your very own recipe for metrospirituality. Be stylishly spiritual, whatever that means for you.

Even Elle MacPherson is getting in on the metrospiritual act, describing lingerie in ethereal, almost religious terms. Promoting her new range in a New York Times interview, she portrays it as a celebration of femininity and ultimately a path to a better world. “I truly believe that women, when they're empowered - by their femininity, by their Venus, by their sexuality - that it's so positive for the earth," she says. "It's positive for the earth because women are the nurturers of the environment, they're the givers of love, they are the warmth, the protection, the centeredness of the family. For me, my idea is that if we embrace this femininity, embrace this sexuality, we have a much healthier society."

Yes, she had something to sell and yes, it’s a stretch to link a pair of knickers with the salvation of society, but she has a point. Enough with the sackcloth and ashes, let’s get gorgeous and spiritually glamorous. You can have faith and be your fabulous, feminine self.

For a quick insight into the metrospiritual lifestyle, try Beliefnet’s Multifaith Meditations or their quiz, Are You A Metrospiritual? You’ll find links to both of these in the ‘Favourite Sites’ section. Personally, I’m pretty sure I qualify without the test – I’ve had a handbag with a picture of the Buddha on it for years and if that’s not metrospirituality, I don’t know what is!

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All material © 2005 Alison Porter. No article may be reproduced in full or in part without the express permission of the author. (Originally posted 5 Dec 05)