I have long been a fan of Hunter S. Thompson (as you can see from the pic of me at Burning Man in 2006.) Not his life, or even really his work, although I do enjoy his work a great deal. I am a fan of his methodology. Not his style, but the method he used to produce his style. That methodology, of course, is Gonzo Journalism. There is much dispute about the origins of the term Gonzo, what it actually means and what it does. The term has been popularized, and used in different realms, to the point that the term is becoming ambiguous almost to the point of uselessness.

For the purposes of this article I want to be specific about the definition of Gonzo Journalism that I am using.

Gonzo Journalism is a style of journalism which is written subjectively, often including the reporter as part of the story via a first person narrative. The style tends to blend factual and fictional elements to emphasize an underlying message and engage the reader.

In the framework of Gonzo Journalism, the writer is an inherent part of the story being told. The inescapable fact that the author of any story cannot be separated from the story is embraced rather than reduced. There is also a free hand taken with mixing fiction in with the facts of the story, blurring the line between them that is always hard to find, using metaphor, allegory, shock, and humor to draw attention to the point and moral (if any) of the story. I have always admired the simple honesty of this approach. For my own part the world of journalism is not one I have been able to find a place in, but this methodology still rings true for me.

So, in an attempt to find a way to integrate the methodology into my own interests, I have come up with the following:

Gonzo Spirituality

In this approach the individual seeker on the spiritual path is brought to the forefront. They are an active participant in their own realization, enlightenment, salvation. In the spirit of Gonzo Journalism, the seeker can be brought to not only an equal footing with whatever path, or approach they are studying and practicing, but should become the center piece of the story.

(Warning: Several gross generalizations follow. I assure you they are here only to stress a point. Mostly.)

In the typical way that spiritual practice is handled, meaning the non-gonzo way, the “inner secrets”, “special practices”, “advanced understandings”, and “true path” (ie – the real good shit) is held behind a flimsy curtain of authority. It is believed that “beginners” and “lay people” and “John Q. Public” is just not up to handling the real stuff. They can’t cut the mustard. They have to be sheltered and shepherded for their own good. In the mean time they are good enough to provide tithes, donations, and life support to the structure of priests, gurus, gate keepers, “attained” ones, and any of the bureaucracy needed to run the church/ashram/commune/whatever.

Gonzo Spirituality ™ says “Bollocks on that!” Any spiritual path may have stages of practice and progress that build on each other. That’s really fine. The Gonzo Spiritualist doesn’t have an issue with that. What the Gonzo Spiritual Seeker does have a problem is not knowing that. Not knowing that the higher ups are holding onto some teachings to hit you with later, is a problem. But, even worse is not understanding a reason for that holding back. This is good old Modernism style skepticism at its actual finest. There is a very valid reason why skepticism can be healthy and useful. The Gonzo Seeker embraces skepticism and uses it in a skillful way to their own advantage.

One of the key points of Gonzo Spirituality is that not only is the seeker moved into a primary position and take at least some of the spotlight, but they also take the great sages that history has carried forward at their word. That often comes in different methods, and phrases, but it boils down to something like, “You, the seeker, are trying to liberate you, the seeker, so obviously you, the seeker, must do the work. You must liberate you, for yourself.”

From that point follows the next. It’s your fault. You are responsible. Do not hand over your power to an authority figure, along with the responsibility for your life. The Gonzo Seeker steps into the spotlight not only to take on all the benefits and accolades (although those rock), but they also accept the blame (at least their portion) for any fumbles and foibles. Sorry folks, gotta take the bad along with the good.

There are, just as their are in any style of spiritual pursuit (or any pursuit for that matter), plenty of more key points that could be thrown into the gonzo bucket. It’s a creative way to be engaged and responsible for your own progress. But, me throwing a bunch out there would make this more and more about my interpretation. That’s not very gonzo. I would love to hear what other folks think about this topic, and invite as many comments as you can muster!

“We might think we can find a buddha or enlightenment somewhere beyond this mind; we might think we can find serenity, clarity, and meaning beyond this mind, but such place does not exist. Everything that appears is this mind.” ~ Bodhidharma

Please note that the above is, like anything said, just an opinion. The heart of Gonzo Spirituality rabidly defends the right of anyone to pursue a path in a way which works for them. That may, or may not, be the Gonzo way. As long as it’s working I would not dream of knocking it. Really.