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As a minister’s daughter who moved away from organized
religion, finding my spiritual path has been the most important goal of my
life. One of the many ways people define themselves is by their belief systems
or lack thereof. One might say they are religious, spiritual but not religious,
spiritual, atheist, agnostic, or somewhere in-between. Our spiritual lives are
formed out of the human desire to understand ourselves in the context of a
changing and oftentimes chaotic world.
“Religious” is clear; you subscribe to a set of predetermined
precepts or dogma as prescribed by one of thousands of structured religions. There
is usually a God or gods and goddesses in the equation and most include the
characteristics of faith, belief, worship, and creed. At their conception different
people in different parts of the world formed religious beliefs and codes from
their own views of the world and the cosmos, and often from their fears. Though
religions vary, many share common guidelines for moral behavior. None are wrong
and at the same time many try to force others to believe the precepts or dogmas
of a single structure. That’s not cool in my book and the failure rate is high.
Trust me, I knocked on plenty of doors passing out Bibles in my early days and
learned that people will believe what they want to believe.
“Spiritual but not religious” can take many forms depending
on what you grew up with and how you have processed the difference between what
you were taught and what you now believe. You may have gained new insights,
departed from your religion of origin and yet, still cling to certain religious
ideologies.
“Spiritual” can also take many forms as in “religious and
spiritual” or “spiritual but not religious” but tends to move further away from
strictly what you have been taught and closer to mature recognition of
universal themes among religions, mutual respect, interdependence, and
mindfulness of natural laws – those indisputable commandments provided by
Mother Earth and our environment. What we do to ourselves we do to the earth
and what we do to the earth we do to ourselves.
An atheist is defined as someone who lacks belief in a God
or being higher than oneself. An agnostic is someone who disbelieves in any
kind of God or gods and also rejects the idea of anything existing beyond what
they can see with their mortal eyes, though either may sit in wonder at a
sunset or the vastness of an ocean. It seems to me that an atheist or an
agnostic might still define themselves as spiritual if they pass their choices
through the heart and do no harm to others, similar to a degree to the original
intent of most religious and spiritual practices.
I have often been defined by others as being “SO spiritual”
and the sentiment feels off-putting, as though I am in some way above the
ordinary. To me the word “spiritual” is simply one more way to label a person
when it is used in that way. When we label we separate ourselves from each
other. The word “spirituality” on the other hand is something we can claim as
our own chosen path that strives to make us better humans. If I am a spiritual
person, you too are a spiritual person if our mutual aim is to make the lives
of ourselves AND the lives of others of equal higher caliber with respect and
compassion, though our “rules” may be different. When we claim our own spirituality
there is no need to reject others for not thinking and feeling the way we do.
We can talk about our own path and what works for us and it is okay for others
to follow a dissimilar path.
The crossroads where we fall away from the spiritual path
onto a rocky road is when we start telling others that our spirituality is the
only way and they are wrong for theirs. The road gets even rockier when we are
hypocritical. By veering away from the dogma we say we believe make us better
humans, doing the very things our religion or practice instructs us NOT to do,
we taint our spiritual lives with lies. Spirituality is a very personal thing
and to that end there are easily as many spiritual paths as there are people!
Perhaps it was meant that way, for us to each have different experiences, that
we might share our individual experiences with each other and grow from the
sharing instead of being at odds and arguing over who is right.
How spiritual are we if our religion teaches us the Golden
Rule – a maxim taught by many religions and cultures – and we treat others as
lesser beings based on race, gender identity, political affiliation, or other
petty grounds? How spiritual are we if we ignore the fact that even within one
religion, using Christianity as an example, there are a multitude of
translations of sacred text? The Holy Bible has been translated into 636
languages and within those languages there are nuances that can change meaning
from one language to the next. There are over one hundred versions of the Bible
in the English language alone and many of the translations conflict. The
majority of these translations leave out several of the original books, removed
from public access at the Council of Nicea where, under the leadership of Roman
Emperor Constantine, a relatively small group of men decided what to keep and
what to hide away in an archive. Those who did not agree with certain portions
of included text were exiled and/or excommunicated. From this perspective we
can see that the idea of one and only one true spiritual way is created in the
mind, rather than in the heart.
We are all on different levels of learning in this earth school
as well as having had varied learning experiences. If forced to define my
spiritual path I would call myself a mystic. I don’t take things at face value,
nor do I believe everything I read, hear, or am told because there are too many
conflicting ideas. I ask questions, LOTS of questions and process the answers
through my heart and soul. Though I was raised in a Christian belief system,
certain things did not make sense and too many variables of belief existed from
church to church within the same religion. At the same time, I have come to
appreciate my early religious training and that of others and can now walk into
any place of worship and feel comfortable without having to change who I am. I
am my own spiritual experiment and I base my path on personal experiences which
often include things of a paranormal nature. Personal experience is not belief,
it is knowing truth as it is offered to you as one cell in a greater whole.
The mystical path is not for those who seek a predictable
universe because trusting your personal mystical experiences will most likely
lead you away from dogma and into realms that offer no promise, explanation, or
proof. Mysticism is the way of the unknown and can leave you with more questions
than answers. It is a way of resurrecting your innate intuition and finding
your place as one small piece of nature. Mysticism’s only requirement is
personal responsibility and deep respect for all living things. It invites you
to realize the original source of your views and feelings so you can heal the
recurring circumstances, reactions, or beliefs that keep you stuck in your
personal life and your life as a world citizen. The way of the mystic points
inward and does not rely on outward dictates. It is a way of awe, wonder, and
uncovering the wisdom and magic that life holds. It is a way to remember who
you were before society shaped and molded you and the way of mystics does not usually
fit into any organized system or group. Though it sounds like an austere way of
life, mystics are often playful, imaginative, and fun to be around.
How to Find Your Spirituality
If spiritual status quo is no longer fulfilling, if you are
skeptical or something just doesn’t feel right about your current spiritual path,
trust that feeling. A wise Christian elder told me to drive around my
neighborhood and stop in front of churches, sit there for a few minutes, and
see how I felt. I am certain her vision was for me to only visit different
Christian denominations until I found one that felt right, rather than
including temples, mosques, and ashrams, but it was a step in the right
direction. A wise Native American once told me to try many religions and
experience different traditions so when an unfamiliar tradition appeared on my
path I steered toward it to learn and discern.
Finding your personal spiritual path can be a lonely journey
since a majority of people wish to keep things status quo and there will be
those who reject anything else. You will be led to people who accept and love
you for who you are, though they may also hold alternate views. You will find
you can be in the company of people of different traditions and can listen to
their views without needing to impose or enforce your own. You will use “I”
statements as you tell others about your path.
No matter what path you follow, people will see what they
will see in you, based on their own level of openness, understanding, and
compassion. No one I have ever met has beaten life’s emotional ups and downs in
total. Many hide behind their belief system as a way of pointing fingers at
others, a wheel spinning practice that imprisons them in turmoil.
Once you have healed any obstacles to a more expansive
perspective and sampled a variety of traditions you can decide which path is
the best one for you. As you grow your views may change and evolve. I’ve known
a few who came full circle and made a relaxed re-entry into their original
religion with an attitude of acceptance and “To each his own” toward other
religions and traditions. As long as you are in relationship to others and this
earth, life gets easier as you formulate your own spiritual life and allow
others to do the same.
Ultimately spirituality is a compass that helps us navigate
life and in my view we are all heading toward the same place. I keep a small
symbol in my mind to remind me of this, a whirlwind contained in a circle like
a wheel with curvy spokes. If viewed from the side this appears as many paths
leading up the side of a mountain. Considering the vast diversity of human spiritual
ideals, the best we can strive for is to walk beside each other and help each
other up when we stumble. Choose your spoke and one day we will meet at the top.
Many Blessings,
Robin
