Fundamental Formation Volume One – Adrian Van Kaam

Incorporation A sixth manifestation of vital energy is the urge for incorpora- tion. Life continuously strives and forms itself by incorporating what it needs for sustenance, growth, and expansion. In human formation incorporation is complemented by transcendent partici- pation. The infant brings everything to its mouth, a bodily mani- festation of the incorporation urge.

On the level of cordial pres- ence, this energy can sustain the striving of the heart to incorporate in one’s affective life many good memories, symbols, images, and stories that evoke and maintain a loving disposition. Uncontrolled by wisdom and reason, the incorporation urge can deteriorate into an unending and unfulfilled hunt for affective ex- periences. Functional incorporation should help us to assimilate useful ideas and information. It fosters studiousness. It helps us also in the acquisition of what we need to establish our place in society.

If unchecked, this urge leads to functional gluttony, overexpansion, possessiveness. On the transcendent level of presence, it fosters the steady incor- poration of spiritual experience in our lives. When not illumined by reason and the transcendent powers of mind and will, it may give rise to a possessive hoarding of transcendent experiences. In human formation at large, the incorporation striving becomes permeated and elevated by the aspiration for participation.

We incorporate food into our bodily organism by destroying its origi- nal texture, structure, and appearance. Mental and cordial incor- poration, however, is permeated by human participation. We do not devour but participate respectfully in the lives of those whose gifts we incorporate. There is no destruction, only an appreciative approach. The same applies to what we could call participant in- corporation of spiritual values. We let things be in their goodness, truth, and beauty and participate in these manifestations.

Hence, we speak not only about the emergent life-form but also about the participant life-form. The incorporation striving serves wise participation in transcen- dent-functional values and their implied form directives. It facili- MOVEMENTS AND INFLUENCES OF FoRM DIMENSIONS tates a relaxed assimilation of the fruits of such participation. It may fall deformatively into a violent, anxious hoarding of things, ideals, and values, and their implied form directives. In that case stubbornness, rigidity, and isolation may result. In the transcendent dimension of the life-form, the incorporation urge serves recollection and inwardness.

It facilitates the nonvio- lent assimilation of transcendent values and their implied form directives. When the incorporation urge is not sufficiently trans- formed by integration, it might spawn a “‘spiritual collector’ type of person—one who eagerly collects spiritual information but does not assimilate it in quiet reflection. Many form traditions developed a threefold path to temper these vital strivings: the path of obedience to life’s limitations, of purity as a moderation of sensual incorporations, and of poverty as a re- nunciation of indiscriminate hoarding of transcendent-functional values, images, thoughts, and directives.

“This is the first volume of a four-volume se- ries that aims fo initiate the reader not only into a new science but also into a way of thinking that is as old as humanity, though perhaps new for many today. Our purpose here is to distinguish informative thinking from formative thinking. Most readers may be familiar with the former, but puzzled by the latter. The informative approach is cus- tomary in our culture, our sciences, our daily life.

Its results are most impressive; at times, as in the technological conquest of outer space, awesome. The results of informative thinking are most useful in many fields of inquiry, including the science of formative spirituality. “However, exclusive dependence on in- formative thought alone does not seem sufficient for the full flowering of our life and world. Human thought also has to help people find ways to live more con- sonant, happier lives, making the world a better place for them and succeeding generations. To be sure, the majority of in- formative thinkers and researchers also aim at such improvement, but in a more remote or indirect way.

Their insights and findings contribute greatly to its realiza- tion, but the missing link between their in- formative efforts and the concrete daily life of people is formative thinking.” —from the Preface SS =e ee ee i yl, Sere aac Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2022 with funding from Kahle/Austin Foundation https://archive.org/details/fundamentalforma0001 vank Formative Spirituality Volume One FUNDAMENTAL FORMATION ‘oor aet wieder 7 »> aha rs My Te ae bale i = OTT ARCA T. Formative Spirituality Volume One FUNDAMENTAL FORMATION -ADRIAN VAN KAAM- CROSSROAD: NEW YORK 1989 The Crossroad Publishing Company 370 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Copyright © 1983 by Adrian van Kaam All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of The Crossroad Publishing Company. Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Van Kaam, Adrian L., 1920-— Fundamental formation. (Formative spirituality; v.

1) Bibliography: p. 309 Includes index. 1. Spiritual life—Catholic authors. 2. Christian education—Philosophy. I. Title. II. Series: Van Kaam, Adrian L., 1920— Formative spirituality; v. 1. BX2350.2.V16 1983 248 82-22079 ISBN 0-8245-0544-1 Contents Acknowledgments Preface . Human Life in Formation The Emergence of the Science of Formation The Ground of Consonance between Preformation and Formation Manifestation of the Mystery of Formation in Initial Formation Primary Foundation of All Formation Prereflective and Scientific Knowledge of Foundational Formation The Starting Point of Reflection on Our Formation Experience Scientific Fields of Human Formation Prescientific Presuppositions Christian Articulation Research Distinction between the Science of Formation and the Philosophy of Formation .

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

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