spiritualthat

Spiritualthat is a neologism used in contemporary spiritual and philosophical discussions to denote a perceived ultimate referent within experience. The term blends 'spiritual' with the demonstrative 'that' to signal a pointed awareness of a ground or context of reality that resists conventional religious labels. In practice, advocates describe spiritualthat as a felt sense of a fundamental backdrop to experience, rather than a personal deity or a finite object.

The coinage has appeared in online forums, meditation practice texts, and essays that seek neutral vocabulary for nondual or ineffable experiences. It functions as a linguistic placeholder allowing discussion of a ground of reality without committing to a specific doctrine. While not tied to a single tradition, spiritualthat is often associated with phenomenological approaches that emphasize description over belief.

Interpretations vary. Some equate spiritualthat with nondual awareness or the sense of underlying unity. Others treat it as a linguistic tool for discussing experiences too subtle for conventional language. Proponents emphasize its usefulness in distinguishing experiential ground from theological images or doctrinal formulations.

Reception and critique: Critics warn that the term can become too abstract or ambiguous, while supporters argue it provides precision for describing certain states of experience. It remains informal and not widely standardized, with usage concentrated in particular communities and online spaces.

Related concepts include nonduality, the ineffable, noumenon, and mysticism.