What is substantial?
Meeting god in the other

Religious experience at this level becomes more closely tied to a search for the essential. This involves a growing awareness of the metaphorical nature of sacred texts, which can pose challenges for those who interpret religious texts literally. Thus, this stage marks the beginning of practising the silence that eventually evolves into mysticism at the seventh level.
The concept of ‘essence’ continues to signify ‘core’, and as development progresses, it increasingly reveals itself as ‘animate’ or ‘knowable as being’.
Religious experience at this stage also contributes to community-building through organisation, church, or association. Theism and atheism converge as individuals awaken to the deep-seated hierarchy of values inherent within them, leading even atheists and materialists to undergo a form of religious experience.
Additionally, at this level, individuals begin to realise that they can encounter the divine in others (Levinas), epitomised by the Hindu greeting ‘Namaste’ (I honour the divine in You).

In Bitcoin-Leadership this corresponds to the religious and cultic depth of fostering a Bitcoin community. It involves creating space for communal and religious aspects within regular Bitcoin meetups. At this developmental stage, there’s an understanding that participants in these meetups vary greatly in intellect and emotional maturity. Therefore, it becomes crucial to devise rituals and slogans that can resonate with diverse interpretations. For instance, the meme ‘stay humble, stack sats’ may be seen as simple advice for accumulating bitcoins, yet upon deeper reflection, it carries almost a religious injunction against hubris.