Spirituality can be tricky. I spent a good portion of my time trying to come to terms with this subject as it applies to me. Thousands of years of history, and the teachings of every culture throughout the world, espouse a spiritual dimension shared among all human beings. The spiritual dimension is a bit of a problem, since some would not agree that there is such a thing, and many, many others who agree that spirituality exists do not agree on the form it takes.
Organized expression of spirituality, in its’ variety of forms, is found in the major religions of the world, as well as other lesser known groups. Within the major religions of the world, there are many different sects, each claiming to possess the truth that the others do not.
This ambiguity presented a dilemma that I had to face. How do I determine if I am a spiritual being and what does “spiritual” mean. I figured there must be something there, since it has been around since the dawn of time. My experience taught me that my truth was there to be found if I truly sought it.
Although born into Catholic Christianity and a recipient of the sacraments, I had little-to-no understanding of the Church. I did not regularly attend service, didn’t see it as a meaningful part of my life. However, after a time, the birth of children and other unforeseeable events, I discovered my Catholic roots, became a part of that faith community, and experienced a spiritual connection for the first time.
That connection was supported and strengthened through participation in faith-based activities with others searching for a deeper ( or more resonant) spiritual meaning. The shared journey with others of similar interest was -in itself- a wonderfully supportive experience. We learned what we could from our time together, then moved on as our paths parted ways.
Many of our friends retained a close relationship with the Church, others moved into other areas of spiritual investigation. We were among the others. I say we, but it really was me that wanted to move on. Jo supported my efforts, although she loves the Catholic Church.
We were introduced to a “Course in Miracles” in the late 80s and became casual students of its’ teachings. It offered more depth to the spiritual experience by introducing us to two worlds: God and the ego, knowledge and perception, truth and illusion. Again, our path merged with others who were looking for more, and again we learned from each others experience as we studied the course for a time, took what we could and moved on.
The search for a deeper spiritual awareness was secondary to parenting, earning a living, running a small business and all the other roles one fills in a life experience. There were, of course, many spiritual lessons that were a direct result of the roles filled at that time.
Retirement Years, Focus on the Big Questions
After the child rearing period, with the kids out of the house, semi-retirement and retirement afforded much more time to address the questions, Who am I? What am I here for? Since moving into our retirement home in ’99, I discovered other resources to help me in my search. Adding to earlier teachings in philosophy and Christianity, I investigated comparative religion, eastern traditions, readings and lectures on Judaism, Buddhism, Zen, Hinduism, Islam. I came to realize that the essence of spiritual thought was essentially the same in all religions. I could very well embrace aspects of each tradition. (I want to emphasize the essence of spiritual thought, not the religious institutions.) The take away for me here was the essence of all religious traditions, being the same, compliments the human being in its’ oneness with all life. All is one, one is all. So “who am I”.
Questions
Are you confused yet? Do you even care? What do you think, has your PopPop lost it, a form of senility??
Comments
The Christian Bible was written 315 or so years after the death Of Christ. Included were many verses ( written years after generations of accounts communicated verbally). Not all verses were included in the official Bible addition. Verses included were selected at the first ecumenical council at Nicaea, under supervision of Constantine, Emperor of Rome. My thought on the matter is that there had to be some political aspect of the Bibles’ formation. Perhaps a convenient mechanism with which to control the people.
This is not an inditement of Christianity. I believe Jesus of Nazareth is the real deal, and Christianity- in its’ pure form- tells us what we need to know. When ever people get involved, however, truth often gets distorted.
One must consider other factors as well. For instance, there were no printing presses in those days. To reproduce Bibles for the proliferation of the Christian faith required the work of many scribes hand writing each book. One can imagine how personal interpretations and biases effected the original book. To further confuse things, the Bible includes stories, most of which were written to be understood by people 2000 years ago. Of course one of the major roles of priests and ministers is to help us understand the writings as they apply in current times. Perhaps the written word of other religious (non-Christian) organizations reflect similar problems.
What can I say. This has been my life passion. A quest to find the who and why. I certainly don’t expect it to be yours or anyone else’s. I ask you to try to stay with me as I attempt to direct this saga to a conclusion. There is a way to go yet.
Suggestions
I know spirituality to be a dimension of all life. It would’t be a bad idea to look into it if you are so inclined. You can select a faith community, or you can read. There are many good Christian writers. There are many “new age” spiritual writers that I believe you can connect with because (in my view) they are much more relatable. They don’t represent any organized religion, and they present their spiritual teachings in a positive, informative manner. Among those are Eckhart Tolle and Michael Alan Singer. There are a number of others as well.
John 