Transcendentalism

“Transcend” – to rise above, to overstep or exceed limits

Belief that the inner self, intuition, and nature should be guides to life

IntuitionIntuition

Intuition Intuition is the immediate knowing is the immediate knowing of something without conscious use of something without conscious use of reasoning. In other words, we of reasoning. In other words, we know what something is immediately know what something is immediately without having to think about it. without having to think about it.

ReasonReason

ReasonReason is our ability to explain an is our ability to explain an act, idea, or pretty much anything act, idea, or pretty much anything around us. This is what sets us apart around us. This is what sets us apart from the rest of the mammals in the from the rest of the mammals in the world.world.

Key Belief #1Key Belief #1

Our reality, what we experience Our reality, what we experience every day, is based on our immediate every day, is based on our immediate understanding, not our ability to understanding, not our ability to reason. reason.

Key Belief #2Key Belief #2

We must rely on our We must rely on our experienceexperience. . When we rely on our own When we rely on our own experiences, we create our own experiences, we create our own truths. truths.

Key Belief #3Key Belief #3

TruthTruth, if it agrees with an , if it agrees with an individual’s intuition of truth, individual’s intuition of truth, must be truthmust be truth..

Beliefs Beliefs on…on…

IntuitionIntuition Trust yourself (like trusting God)Trust yourself (like trusting God) Helps you find GodHelps you find God

NatureNature The doorway to the spiritual worldThe doorway to the spiritual world God works through natureGod works through nature

MoralityMorality People are basically goodPeople are basically good The individual is more important than the The individual is more important than the

groupgroup The body is a templeThe body is a temple

Each individual is a small universe.

The soul of the individual is the soul of the entire universe.

All external authority disappears.

God is in every soul.

Wrap Your Mind Around This:

In a nutshell…In a nutshell…

Don’t fit in. Be yourself. Do what you want Don’t fit in. Be yourself. Do what you want to do. Live your own life and develop your to do. Live your own life and develop your own truths to follow and believe in. Take the own truths to follow and believe in. Take the set truths and throw them out the window. Go set truths and throw them out the window. Go out and live life in whatever way you see fit. out and live life in whatever way you see fit. This is the only way to gain experience, which This is the only way to gain experience, which gives birth to intuition, which in turn gives gives birth to intuition, which in turn gives birth to truth. We all have different truths, and birth to truth. We all have different truths, and this is what makes us strong. this is what makes us strong.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Henry David Thoreau