What is Sacred Activism?
Sacred Activism is the product of the union of a profound spiritual and mystical knowledge, understanding, and compassion, peace and energy, with focused, wise, radical action in the world. It addresses a fundamental imbalance in contemporary culture: spirituality that is only private and self-absorbed does little to halt the suicidal juggernaut of history, while activism that is not purified by profound spiritual and psychological self-awareness will only perpetuate the problem it is trying to solve, however righteous its intentions.
The framework holds that transformative social change requires both mystical depth and strategic action. When the mystic’s passion for God is married to the activist’s passion to enact change, a new kind of human being is born—grounded in universal, all-embracing, mystical truth while acting for justice in a local context with a global consciousness. This synthesis creates what practitioners describe as a “third fire”—an evolutionary force that transcends either spiritual practice or activism alone.
Origins & Lineage
Andrew Harvey, a British author and religious scholar, is the founder of the Sacred Activism movement, with his focus on Sacred Activism beginning in 2005. Harvey, who had spent decades studying mystical traditions—including Hinduism in India, Tibetan Buddhism with Thuksey Rinpoche beginning in 1983, and Sufi mysticism with French Sufis starting in 1984—synthesized these streams into a coherent framework for spiritually-grounded action.
Harvey published “The Hope: A Guide to Sacred Activism” through Hay House in 2009, establishing the canonical text for the movement. He founded the Institute of Sacred Activism, which trains leaders and social justice advocates. The term itself, while articulated by Harvey, acknowledges a much older lineage.
The vision of Sacred Activism is dedicated to honoring and continuing the tremendous work of extraordinary ordinary people such as Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks and Desmond Tutu. The historical roots extend further: William Wilberforce who catalyzed the end of the British slave trade, Olaudah Equiano, Harriet Tubman, Susan B. Anthony, and Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin who founded the Catholic Worker Movement are all recognized as embodying sacred activism before the term existed.
How It’s Practiced
Sacred activism involves making a steady commitment to combine five interlinked forms of service—to the Divine, to yourself as an instrument of the Divine, to all sentient beings in your life, to your local community, and to the global community.
Practical dimensions include sustained spiritual disciplines. This means looking after the soul through sacred practice, looking after the mind through constant inspiration, looking after the heart through deep emotional work, and looking after the body through diet, exercise, and sufficient rest. Harvey outlines five essential practice categories: cooling practices (meditation, centering prayer, chanting), body practices (yoga, tai chi, qigong), shadow work with trained therapists, service to one’s immediate circle, and engagement in larger systemic transformation.
Concrete manifestations vary widely. Sacred Activism takes many forms, from community gardens that nourish neighbourhoods and spirits, to movements that fight for social justice infused with the power of love and compassion, to the work of artists, writers, and creators whose work awakens consciousness and inspires action. Examples include peace-building programs in post-conflict zones, environmental protection campaigns rooted in reverence for creation, and anti-racism work grounded in contemplative practice.
Sacred Activism Today
The Institute For Sacred Activism consists of a one-year program with four intensives, offering a profound experience of what Sacred Activism can contribute to the inner and outer worlds, mystical practices for activists, and a deep grounding of the mystical journey as understood by major mystical traditions. Participants work on projects linked to specific concerns: world peace, public health, the environment, poverty, social justice, or human rights.
Sacred Activism is an approach to social justice that synergizes mindful awareness and spirituality with the work of anti-racism, rooting anti-racism in hope, self-awareness, and sacred community, while social justice work activates and focuses spiritual practice on tangible injustices. Programs now exist at institutions like Naropa University and through organizations like the Brooklyn Center for Sacred Activism.
The framework has expanded beyond Harvey’s initial articulation. The Occupy Wall Street movement and protest movements around the world are evidence of a new era of intergenerational activists seeking deeper spiritual meaning in their quest for peace and justice—a call to action for a new era of spirituality-infused activism.
Common Misconceptions
Sacred activism is not merely ethical behavior informed by religious values. Sacred activism is far more than simply the ethical implications of different religions—it is the inevitable outgrowth of a deep, transformative spirituality that truly recognizes and responds to the dire state of our planet and the abject suffering of the poor, the oppressed, and billions of animals.
It is not passive or conflict-avoidant. Prophetic prayers were full of anger, Jesus flipped tables and chased moneylenders out of the temple, and when the world is unjust, anger and disruption are required to bring attention. However, Sacred Activism does not dwell in anger—it acknowledges and expresses anger to move us back into covenant and relationship with each other.
Sacred activism does not demand adherence to a specific religious tradition. While Harvey draws from multiple mystical lineages, the practice is deliberately interfaith and accessible to secular spiritual seekers. It is also distinct from New Age spiritual bypassing—practitioners emphasize shadow work, psychological awareness, and confronting systems of oppression rather than retreating into private enlightenment.
How to Begin
Begin with Andrew Harvey’s “The Hope: A Guide to Sacred Activism” (Hay House, 2009), which provides both theoretical framework and practical guidance. Complementary texts include “Occupy Spirituality” by Adam Bucko and Matthew Fox, and works by historical exemplars like Martin Luther King Jr.'s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”
Establish a dual practice: Turn to the Divine in whatever way you imagine it and serve it in devotion and adoration and gratitude and praise, asking it constantly and humbly to illumine your mind with sacred wisdom, keep your heart on fire with a passion of compassion for all beings, and keep filling your body with sacred energy for whatever work it calls you to do in the world. Pair this with identifying one area of injustice or suffering that genuinely calls to you—environmental degradation, racial justice, economic inequality, animal welfare—and commit to sustained, strategic action in that domain.
Seek community through programs like the Institute of Sacred Activism’s year-long intensives, Naropa University’s Sacred Activism courses, or local groups practicing spiritually-grounded social justice. The work is both profoundly individual (requiring deep inner transformation) and necessarily collective (requiring organized action for systemic change).