What is spiritual intelligence? And is there such a thing anyway?

As psychologists discovered that intelligence had far more depth and scope than is covered on an I.Q. test, they identified various categories of intelligence: linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, body-kinesthetic, and more. But they didn’t include spiritual intelligence.

Harvard Psychologist, Howard Gardner, who originated multiple intelligence theory, is still speculating if there is such a thing as existential intelligence. That’s as close as academia has come to recognizing that the wisdom with which we navigate our spiritual path is of utmost importance. In a July 2000 article titled “A Resurgence of Interest in Existential Intelligence: Why Now?” he wrote this:

• Recently, I have noticed an interesting phenomenon: an uptick in the number of inquiries I receive about “existential intelligence” (which I’ve abbreviated as Ex I). I have become intrigued by the reason for this phenomenon and how to respond to it.
• A dozen years after I introduced the theory of multiple intelligences (1983), I speculated about the possibility of a 9th or “existential intelligence.” As I described it at the time, “existential intelligence” is the cognitive capacity to raise and ponder “big questions”—queries about love, about evil, about life and death—indeed, about the nature and quality of existence…
• I insisted that existential intelligence was not in and of itself a religious or spiritual or sacred capacity; as I quipped, “If I announced a spiritual intelligence, it might please some of my friends, but it would also delight my enemies.”

I understand why an academic wouldn’t want to use the word spiritual. But how about the rest of us? More and more people feel the great urge to gain new insight on the most significant life issues—to gain spiritual intelligence. And we know that it does involve the sacred nature of life and of ourselves. It involves mystery and wonder, and not just psychology, science, and the brain. In fact, by its very nature, spiritual intelligence is gaining understanding and ability in relationship to things you can’t see or measure, even though they are real. And even though you can measure the results that come from spiritual intelligence.