Materialism refers to a preoccupation with or dedication to the physical world, the idea that material reality is more important than anything else. It's often presented as the opposite of spirituality, which is typically associated with higher powers, metaphysics, and worlds outside of our own.
The majority of mainstream religions, and indeed many neo-religions, subscribe to this idea of spiritual and material opposition. According to many of these doctrines, to be over-preoccupied with reality is sin, or at least detrimental to one's spiritual growth. One must turn their focus solely to a god or gods, or seek ways to free themself from their illusory physical prisons through meditation and prayer.
The idea that material and spiritual reality are mutually exclusive is reductive, and according to some views, just outright false. This can cause problems in both directions: some people feel disconnected from the world due to its perceived pointlessness, while others are unable to experience spiritual joy due to pressing worldly priorities.
Material spiritualism seeks to bridge this gap. The hope is to make spirituality more accessible to those historically too skeptical or guarded to engage with it, while simultaneously helping to ground those who tend to prioritize spiritual concepts over their physical consequences.
Even in the more materialistic of the world's religions, a stark dividing line is often drawn between the "natural" and the technological. This strips spiritual potential from a large portion of the modern world. It also neglects to acknowledge the fact that anything that occurs in the world does so because it is in accordance with the natural laws of physics, whether or not it was made by a human. In this way, everything that exists is natural.
Material spiritualism differentiates between these forms of being. Both natural and technological objects are honored first as objects, then as spontaneous (natural) or designed (technological). In this vein, some aspects of material spiritualism can be considered animist, and techno-animist, in nature. Additionally, material spiritualism differentiates conceptual objects, or thoughts, from both the spontaneous and designed. These, too, are sacred in their own right.
Practitioners are encouraged to choose for themselves which of these aspects to incorporate into their own practice, while maintaining a healthy understanding, respect and reverence for all of them.