by JohnAAJoseph

Sometimes it can seem like there is an overabundance of categories for literature. Steampunk, creepy pasta, urban thug -- is it really necessary to have all of these little subsections? Of course, it is! Traditional genres can become predictable, bland and indistinguishable, but these different categories provide imagination, variety and excitement. Readers' tastes are always changing, demanding fresh and new stories. The different subgenres allow for freedom of expression and personal exploration. So let me introduce you to the subgenre of Spiritual Fantasy!

What is Spiritual Fantasy, you ask? In simple terms, it is that subcategory of Fantasy genre that uses spirituality or religion as the central theme for its narrative element. Whoa! How's that for your Merriam-Webster or Wikipedia definition? Let's break it down further: the "Fantasy" part is pretty straightforward -- you know, speculative fiction where supernatural phenomena is the primary plot element, theme or setting; without referencing locations, events or people of the real world; commonly including traits of magic, fantastic creatures, and a medieval setting. The "Spiritual" aspect? The defining characteristic. The word 'spiritual' generally pertains to anything that affects or relates to the human spirit or soul.

A human's spirit refers to the immaterial or non-physical part of an individual which gives him or her cause for life. It's a hypothetical force giving life to physical organisms. It is also described as that part of an individual that is the center of his or her emotions and moral character. In religious terms, it is the human element that gives each person the ability to have a relationship with God. (For clarity's sake, sometimes the term 'soul' is used interchangeably with the word 'spirit.' Technically, however, a soul refers to both immaterial and material aspects of an individual, regardless of their state of being -- on earth or in the afterlife. In essence, human beings have spirits, whereas human beings are souls.)

So, what relevance does Spiritual Fantasy hold that such a special subgenre be recognized? I think Spiritual Fantasy's greatest attribute is simply that it allows for individual exploration of one's spirituality. When we speak of spirituality in a traditional sense, we talk about something unseen and hypothetical, which automatically makes it feel imagined in some respect. This fits right in with the Fantasy genre, which separates itself from Science Fiction by way of plausibility. However, traditional spirituality is also closely related to religion, which deals with beliefs and organized practices of faith. This is almost counter-intuitive to Fantasy characterization. Where else can you go to find a subgenre with such oppositional aspects?

In Fantasy writing, the author relies on the reader to accept the unbelievable or impossible for the sake of enjoyment. This is known as "suspension of disbelief." The reader knows the story is not true, its characters and settings are not true, and yet the reader is able to set aside his or her beliefs to fantasize about the storyline. With a spiritual central theme, however, the reader's suspension of disbelief becomes mixed-in with his or her own spiritual or religious beliefs. For example, instead of blessings, characters receive endowments of special powers; miracles are presented as supernatural events; prayer is described as direct communication with an all-powerful being. Things between belief and disbelief become blurred! In this way, reading Spiritual Fantasy can be special and allow the reader to experience a story in a unique way. It can make reading Spiritual Fantasy thrilling!

In today's world, spirituality can be viewed in a lot of different ways. Thus, it is also found in literature in a lot of different ways. If "Spiritual Fantasy" is searched on the Internet, a lot of different stories are deemed part of the subgenre. For example, Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse is a fictional story about a young, Nepalese man's search for spiritual enlightenment. Ben-Hur by Lew Wallace is a Historical fiction story about a Jewish man who becomes a Roman slave and later finds redemption as a Christian. Both examples are overt stories of spiritual experience, whose supernatural phenomena is rooted more in its religious aspects rather than in fantastic description.

Then there are those Spiritual Fantasy stories that are more Fantasy in character and setting, but whose spiritual side is found in its storytelling. For example, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis may take place in a faraway Narnia land with magic and talking animals, but is an allegory of the author's Christian faith and morality. The same can be said about The Gunslinger by Stephen King and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. Each is a representation of the authors' spiritual or religious beliefs.

More modern views of spirituality are more secular, meaning they do not depend on formal religious practice. The emphasis in a more modern Spiritual Fantasy story, then, would depend less on transcendental aspects or relations with a higher being, and more on what Philip Sheldrake, author of A Brief History of Spirituality, describes as "the deepest values and meanings by which people live." This includes more humanistic ideas on moral character, such as love, compassion, forgiveness, coexistence, as well as others. In these cases, the humanistic idea itself becomes the spiritual link to a supernatural aspect of a story. For example, if the theme is "Love conquers all" or "Love is all you need," you can imagine a storyline where a character's undying love (or faith) for another character causes a supernatural (or miraculous) event to occur. Sounds amazingly religious, doesn't it?

To hold the Spiritual Fantasy subgenre to one strict interpretation or another, however, is to lose sight of the heart of its matter. Spirituality can mean so many different things for so many different people. That's what makes Spiritual Fantasy so great -- it allows for individual expression and exploration of one's own spirituality. Could anything so deep and meaningful not warrant its own subgenre in literature? I think not!That said, I want to welcome you to the Church, Temple and House of Spiritual Fantasy!

Example of Spiritual Fantasy on Wattpad:
Creatures of God by JohnAAJoseph

Synopsis:

In the future, a mysterious youth with a frightening secret from Earth's past is awakened by a young scientist named Elliot, who joins the strange boy on a holy mission to save mankind from its terrifying world of mutant animals -- Creatures of God!

Excerpt:

"Be gone, bastion of Hell!" the second figure commanded. The second stranger was a magnificent winged being, beautiful, with blonde curly hair. He wore a long, flowing white gown, tied off with a golden rope around his waist. He carried a gleaming silver sword, and held it high in the air, as if holding a lantern of hope in the darkness.

The first villainous creature regressed into a lesser being, darker and thinner, hissing and screeching. His hat, cloak and outer clothing disappeared, leaving him near naked and exposing his stick-like frame. So thin, he looked like a skeleton in skin, with deep-set, sunken eyes. A pair of black wings unfurled from his back in a ferocious, defensive display. He spat at the second stranger and hissed once again. "You are too late, archangel!"

The boy, fearing for his life, closed his eyes and covered his ears. He rolled himself into a ball. What had just happened? Who was this Signor Ambroggio? Why was an angel here? What had the boy done?

The archangel gently floated into the room. He pointed his mighty sword at the evil creature, and without taking a swing, forced the creature away from the boy. "Too late, too late!" the evil creature laughed and gloated. "He has already drank of my blood and chosen eternity!" "Wretched demon!" the angel declared. "Have you no meaningfulness but to prey on the young, the innocent and the poor? Be gone now, or feel the finality of my sword!

"The hellion quietly snickered and looked at the boy with satisfaction. He turned and disappeared out of the room in a cloud of heavy smoke.The angel lowered his weapon away and turned to the sobbing boy.

"I am lost!" the boy cried."Do not despair, young one. God will take care of you."

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