Spirituality in Europe: Searching for a New Foundation

Europe has always had a rich spiritual tradition. For centuries, the Catholic Church provided direction and stability, but due to power structures, internal scandals, and an increasingly rational worldview, its influence has sharply declined. For many people, the church is now nothing more than a nostalgic memory on Christmas Eve, without a deeper connection to daily life.

In recent decades, the search for meaning has shifted outside traditional religions. Mindfulness, yoga, plant medicines, breathwork, and tantra have gained popularity, offering valuable insights for many. However, through mass commercialization, these paths have often become diluted. Many have tried numerous practices, yet few have provided a deep and lasting foundation.

At the same time, Islam is gaining influence in Europe. However, instead of opening up to its new environment, it often turns inward. As a result, its fundamental essence remains less visible, and attention shifts to how the institution relates to society.

People are also turning to ancient power sites, once pushed to the edges of Europe by the Church. They seek connection and use these places as a springboard for spiritual experiences. Meanwhile, there is a rising movement among young people who are returning to Christian principles to engage in a renewed struggle against evil.

What can we conclude from this? The old structures no longer provide a solid foundation for the spiritual needs of our time. And that is understandable. People today seek a spiritual foundation that aligns with the evolution of consciousness.

My Personal Journey

As a child of the 1960s, I grew up in Amsterdam and attended a strict Catholic primary school. The school was an important customer of my father’s shop, and the nuns who taught there maintained a Spartan discipline. Yet, as a child, I effortlessly embraced the message of Jesus. But soon, a question arose: how did such a harsh upbringing align with the loving teachings of God? This was a question best left unspoken—it could cost customers.

From a young age, I sensed that something was off. Perhaps all religions spoke of the same God? Over time, my faith faded into the background, overshadowed by prosperity and rationality. Yet, its essence continued to linger.

Around the year 2000, everything changed. A simple question about the “soul” of a business set me on a 25-year journey of consciousness development. I began searching for answers, guiding others, and embarking on spiritual journeys. In my work as the owner of De Werfeling in Utrecht, I speak with thousands of people about spirituality each year. From these conversations, the inspiration for Spiritual Europe emerged—a vision of the spiritual transformation unfolding across Europe.

The Larger Movement

To understand where we stand today, we must look at the movement of both humanity and the Earth itself. The Earth supports our consciousness, and since the turn of the century, a new layer of awareness has become accessible (something I elaborate on in other writings).

Humanity has been preparing for this through a massive wave of consciousness expansion. According to ancient civilizations, 2012 was a pivotal moment—the point where the Earth’s fifth-dimensional energy and human evolution converged. Over the past twelve years, tension has continued to build until we reached another turning point in 2024. We are now in a time where the old four-dimensional system is beginning to collapse.

What does this mean in practical terms? Our societal structures are built on a division between masculine (hierarchical) and feminine (communal) forces. However, these separate structures no longer align with a five-dimensional consciousness. What is needed now is an integration of these forces within each individual.

When this balance is achieved, people soften and shift into a new state of awareness—the awareness of the heart. This foundation is based on individual freedom and responsibility—in other words, unconditional love and conscious living from the heart.

This inner process requires new societal structures. But they do not yet exist. The current religious institutions do little to support this transformation. Buddhism may come closest, but it lacks deep earthly grounding.

In short, we stand on the threshold of change. As the old structures dissolve and the dust settles, the question remains: what will take their place? Europe’s spiritual chaos offers little stability, but the building blocks for something new are already present. By transforming ancient knowledge and consciously using technology—such as AI—new pathways emerge.

With Spiritual Europe, we aim to contribute to a new spiritual foundation, one that aligns with the people of today.

And the traditional religious institutions? They, too, will undergo a process of transformation. Their role will shift from dominance to facilitation. How quickly this happens depends on the development of each movement itself. But the real question is: will the younger generations in Europe wait for them?