Religion 101: Spiritual Not Religious

Which of the world’s religions most accurately defines me as a person?

One of my very favorite parts of the service is in the very beginning. “Lighting the Flames of Faith, a Call to Service” when a reverend will light a candle for each of the world’s religions

“We perform this ceremony at the start of Sunday service to promote the universal consciousness of Life which acknowledges that all peoples and all faiths, all sentient beings, come from the One Great Universal Presence, which we call Spirit. Fundamental to this truth is the unifying nature of all Religious thought and experience, which we honor here today.”

It also makes me giggle a bit. I think of “Religion 101.“

It’s spring 1986. I am looking through the college catalogue to pick my classes for my first semester. I choose Religion 101. It not only provides me an opportunity to examine my beliefs but also fulfills a Humanities requirement.

Fall arrives and I’m a freshman in Religion 101 and our first paper is due. I diligently read all the reading assigned and proceed to answer the essay questions. I’m confused. My studies didn’t give me the world religion sampler platter I was anticipating.

I have vague, very vague, memories of those reading assignments, scattered pages across multiple obscure titles in the dusty section of the library, some selections just a page or a paragraph each. Something about a pole and everything revolving around the center ...

I was just wondering if I should remain a Catholic or maybe check out the Unitarian Church down the street?

Does it matter? Is church just a way to ruin a perfectly good Sunday. I remember going to church with my “Protestant cousins” and was shocked when I discovered we sang and recited from the very same missalette. Maybe we weren’t that different?

Does organized religion have anything to offer me?

In a panicked scramble that I failed my first paper and a desire to tell the professor that I AM LOOKING FOR ANSWERS HERE I end up furiously writing a 17 page stream-of-consciousness rambling missive of my religious beliefs sprinkled with a few incidences of psychic phenomenon. I run to the professors office to deliver this masterpiece. I blurt out a few incomprehensible statements and run off to my next class.

Now I cringe just thinking of the babbling dither that was on that paper. But I was honestly looking for answers and all I knew to do was to look at my personal history.

The following Monday our papers were handed back. My paper had received an A. After all that ... my paper was fine. Wish I understood it.

I was feeling a bit exposed in class. I settled down and realized this class was probably not going to be guiding my personal decisions. I had assumed that a religion professor, someone who had devoted ones life to the study of religion, would pick the best one.

Throughout the semester the professor revealed he had practiced about 44 religions up to this point and the last one he mentioned I was sure I read about in the paper. They were accused of behaving very inappropriately with one another on some international plane flights and they wore a lot of red.

I resolved to never let myself get that crazy.

It’s much different now. I’m not looking for a label. Labels I did wear in the interim “Spiritual Not Religious” or "Recovering Catholic." But I have come to believe that Truths are repeated across centuries, civilizations and religions. I can appreciate them dressed in whatever tradition they come.

For me ... it’s in that candle lighting ceremony.

“Fundamental to this truth is the unifying nature of all Religious thought and experience, which we honor here today.”

And that’s why I’m here. To get a piece of that.

Peace.

What is the path that led you here?

LIFE: This is what I believe about it. What about you?

One of the beauties of life is diversity.  Each person is an important thread in the tapestry of life and each one has a personal belief system that either works for them or doesn't.  This is what I believe...

I believe that every living being is born a perfect creation of a Universal Energy; some may call it God, Source, Spirit or Unconditional Love. Whatever terminology moves and inspires someone is very personal to each. This Universal Energy has no limits or boundaries in power, presence or scope, and is here to be expressed by means of us, humankind.  We are Its expressions and are inherently imbued with, and part of, this power that embraces all life. I believe that any ideas or actions of fear, hatred, anger or resentment are simply a disconnect from this Source and that the authenticity of every person is that of LOVE.  When we are truly in the awareness of our own magnificence, our own truth, all is indeed well in our world

How Many Of Us Are There?

When you return to the link, what will become of the entity I am talking to right now?

The drop becomes the ocean, the ocean becomes a drop...

The Spirituality of Odo, Star Trek; Deep Space Nine.

All Surfers Are Linked By One Ocean

What do I believe?

I think this was the last time
I asked some of these questions.

Darin and I are taking a class at the center. Every Tuesday night we join the 104 class for discussion and light refreshments. It's our first time in class. I'm really enjoying the experience.

Last Tuesday our assignment was to write out our beliefs. The questions didn't seem outrageously difficult, after all we all know what we believe, right?

There shouldn't be any research, reading or googling involved. I sat down to do my homework. We were even given some guiding questions.

1. What do you believe about God and your relationship to God? 
2. What is your function within the Universe? 
3. How do you see yourself connected with others? 
4. What is there in life that you find beautiful? 
5. How do you share that beauty with others? 

Curious things started to happen with the challenge of putting my beliefs onto the page. Memories, disconnected thoughts, observations during the week supporting my answers. It was a remarkable, even joyful experience.

My beliefs about God ...

I believe that we are all one. That all of creation including myself is included in God, or Universal Intelligence, Spirit, what ever you call it, and this Consciousness creates all things and is all things.

Its kind of a mouthful. And I have heard this kind of thing before, generally stated in a breathy kind of "spiritual" way that I never really connected to. But when I had to say it for myself it rang true, it felt true. We are all connected and if you do believe that we are all one you find that you can't give Spirit a quality and not give that quality to yourself or someone or something else. During the week I was looking up some information on Native American spirituality and found their beliefs summarized as, "The Native American people believe that we all communicate through one creative force or Great Spirit that lives within the Great Mystery."

And my function within this Universe?

To raise my consciousness by expanding my knowledge of the truth, to be the creator of my experience and to create a most beautiful experience, to make it my unique creation and therefore my unique contribution.

My real revelation with this question was the call for my own creative contribution, my opportunity to "be the decider." Consciously living out of your imagination is your gift. It reminded me of a quote I read. "God's gift to you is more talent and ability than you could possibly use in your lifetime. Your gift to God is to develop as much of that talent and ability as you can in this lifetime." -- Steve Bow. And that talent is simply the call to creative expression and that we wouldn't have that call if we didn't have the means to fulfill it. After all we are all one with Creative Consciousness.

How do I find myself connected with others?

We are all connected but the illusions of the three dimensional world or this incarnation veil that truth unless we choose to inquire or open our minds to it. I do experience this unity in fleeting moments.

I was watching 60 Minutes interview Meryl Streep and discuss the wide range of characters she has played in her career. She stated how it always perturbed her that people found it so remarkable she could play characters so different from herself. She shared her belief that every germ of every person is in us all. I thought it was a great example of this Unity we all experience.

Our consciousness is our greatest contribution. It's the brainstorms you get after going to a conference, the inspiration you get after talking with close friends, it's the love you feel when surrounded by your family. We are all leaking into each others heads all the time. I found myself vowing to leak better stuff.

What is there in life that I find beautiful?

All of it. The happy and the sad of it. It’s those times where you feel like you are living in a movie. Those “movie moments” come with the recognition that your life is beautiful. Your life is an artistic expression much like a movie.

Yes, even the sad. The times when you are brimming with emotions. The times you might be tempted to label it "bad." The deaths, the divorces, the losses, it all brings you to a new shaky place. I take time to reflect on those moments in my life and can point to the times when tragedy, endings, were new beginnings, new periods of understanding and of experiencing this oneness. I think of all those art-house movies I cried though. And it was beauty that I was experiencing.

How do I share that beauty with others?

Sometimes I write. Sometimes I paint. I tell stories. I put things on the internet. I also cook. I also believe I should be doing this a lot more.

Sharing. That has also been a great revelation from this class. It started at the retreat I think. I have had a false belief that sharing is self indulgent. That my contribution is just added clutter and that if I don't have something really mind bending to share I should probably just be quiet. But I recognize so much truth in what others share that I have learned this isn't so. Don't ever discount your contribution. You may have the piece that someone else needs and only you can share it in the unique what in which you do.

Don't hold back your good.

And so it is.

My Spiritual Philosophy by Vidette Vanderweide

My Spiritual philosophy can best be described as freedom.  I believe that every person has the ability to create freedom in their life…whatever that means to them.  Freedom can mean any of the following:

·      Financial Freedom

·      Circumstantial freedom

·      Freedom from disease

·      Freedom from abuse

·      Freedom of choice

·      Freedom of speech

·      Freedom to create beauty in mind, body and soul

There is a plethora of ‘freedoms’ that can be created and I choose to have it all.  Freedom starts with a choice, a decision, and once that is done, anything is possible. 

I believe this freedom is the greatest gift that Spirit is willing to give when we raise our consciousness to learn the tools and strategies to create it.  It is a gift that is within us at any time…waiting to be unleashed in our greatest good and the pivotal time of our individual choice.

I see beauty in this freedom all around me.  In the small moments…the subtle scent of the honeysuckle as I walk my dog, to the more pivotal moments of life…i.e. seeing my kids run and laugh on the beach.   My Spiritual philosophy is one of great thanks and gratitude.  Giving a small, “thank you” to whomever is listening in the smallest of miracles each day, to the larger ones.

Mostly, my Spiritual philosophy is the knowing that I am never alone.  I have a partnership with the Universe in my creation of my ideal, free, and epic life.  I choose to have it now, therefore, I know it is created now. 

This knowing allows me to bring joy and peace to others on any given day, at any given moment.  I spread my Spiritual philosophy without condemnation, nor through conversion.  I simply lead by example and live life with my highest good in mind…

…I choose to live richly in life, and by putting myself first, I automatically make the world better…how amazing is that?