 Spiritual: May 23, 2007 Issue [#1726] |
  Spiritual
This week: Edited by: SophyBells  
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Hi, I'm SophyBells ~ your Spiritual Newsletter Editor this week.
The Rev. Scotty McLennan, author of the book Finding Your Religion, compares humanity's innate need for spiritual searching to climbing a mountain. In his view, we are all endeavoring to climb the same figurative mountain in our search for the divine, we just may take different ways to get there. In other words, there is one "God," but many paths.
I honor whatever path or paths you have chosen to climb the mountain in your quest for the Sacred. 
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Writing our Spiritual Journeys
Recently I was flipping through one of those old black and white "Composition" notebooks (I used them as a journal when I was younger) and found a number of poems I'd written in college, in addition to several "stream of consciousness" type entries detailing what I was going through at the time. On one level it was somewhat embarrassing  to relive my teenage and young adult angst all these years later (dealing with heartbreak and wondering why God was allowing me to suffer so ... ah, the drama), but on another level it was interesting to rediscover how I experienced my faith at that time in my life.
I see spirituality as a journey, fluid and always moving/adapting as long as we are still breathing. Thus for me, the destination isn't as important as the journey itself. Meaning, if one day I wake up and announce that I have finally arrived and have figured out all the answers to all of the questions, I hope somebody bonks me on the head and gets me moving again! 
Viewing spirituality in this way, as a journey, make it fascinating to read old writings of mine from when I was 17, 22, 25, and 30. Luckily for me my mom saved some of those old poems and journals, and I started saving them myself as I got older, which has enabled me to go back and revisit "myself" at those younger ages. And while in many ways I am a totally different person now than I was when I was 22, I can still see the road markers of my core self left along the way as I journeyed from then to now -- and sewn all together they create an invaluable sort of spiritual autobiography.
I still keep track, both formally and informally, intentionally and unintentionally, of my spiritual journey. Through my poetry, letters, and journal entries, I occasionally write something about where I am in terms of my relationship with the Sacred -- and I encourage my fellow writers to do the same. In addition to helping articulate and organize our individual beliefs at a various points in our lives, they also become important guideposts to our past, a gift to share with ourselves later in life to see where we've been and how we've grown.
There are many ways to do this. You might choose to express your current beliefs (or lack thereof) in a poem or story, or maybe a more direct "statement of faith" or "spiritual essay" of sorts. You might write about one aspect of your spirituality, one experience, or an entire set of core values and beliefs. Or maybe it will just sneak in to your writing at times without your even being aware of it. Whatever the case, however it occurs, I encourage you to take a look at past writings that relate to your faith journey in some way, as well as being more intentional about creating new ones to look back on in later years. I suspect, that like me, you will find it a fascinating and worthwhile endeavor.
Until next month, I wish you good sailing on your journey!
SophyBells |
Here are a few items from the site. This first one is especially helpful because it shares different ways one might go about writing about their spiritual path.
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The rest are examples of different ways WDC writers have chosen to share aspects of their spiritual journey, from a variety of religious and spiritual paths:
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And finally, a song to remind us to enjoy the journey!
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
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Thanks for the great feedback and comments regarding my April newsletter dealing with the VA Tech tragedy. I appreciated hearing from you! 
From lizco252
Excellent newsletter, Sophy. You presented an interesting point with whether or not the Sacred is within us or whether or not we are within the Sacred. It gave me a new perspective, a different way to think about the state of things in our world. It gave me hope; hope that the human race is not lost. How could it be, when you see such an out-pouring of love and support in the face of such an unspeakable act? Thank you for presenting a compassionate voice, for helping all of us to sort through our feelings and thoughts and fears. Well done!
Thanks very much for your kind words. Hope is my foundation because without it we are lost. So no matter what, no matter how dark things may get, we have to keep watching for that small glimmer of light to get us through.
From Marcia Landa 
Sophy,
Finding the Sacred in tragedy is quite a challenge, and always has been as you point out. I commend you for your global and historical perspective.
Marcia
Thanks Marcia! Humanity is a lot stronger, and a lot more resilient than we might imagine, which history proves out. And from that I have to believe that in the end, good will always prevail over evil, that love will always be stronger than hatred.
From DNAN
Great newsletter! I like how you're all inclusive. (Not just an angry white robed figure throwing lightning bolts) Dave.
Thanks Dave! My hope is that those who read this newsletter, regardless of faith background or spiritual path, will be able to relate to it in some way.
From faithjourney
I agree with you that the Sacred is always present. I get so mad when people look at bad things and say "God must be mad/gone/punishing them for that." Evil exists and sometimes we fall victim to it for no reason than lousy luck. We all fall victim to the random badness in life. That's why it's such a comfort to know the Sacred is always there to comfort us through dark times.
Well said, Sherri, thank you for your comment!
From Diane
Working with cancer patients, I see the presence of the Sacred all the time. Personal tragedies, as well as the more global tragedies, remind us of what it means to be human and encourages us to reach out to others for that connection. Thanks for a thoughtful editorial on this topic.
Thanks, Diane, for reminding us of the personal tragedies that exist in the midst of the more global ones, and how the connections we make are of the same essence no matter what the circumstance.
Well, that's all for now. Please feel free to suggest topics you'd like to hear about in future Spiritual newsletters, and submit items you'd like me to consider highlighting.
I would like to do something about the power and place "doubt" has in the midst of our spiritual journey in a future newsletter. Doubt is viewed by many as a negative aspect of faith, but in reality (and historically speaking) doubt is actually a rather positive facet of faith. Frederick Buechner calls doubt "the ants in the pants of our faith." So if you have items (your own or others you've read) I could highlight that you think might fit that theme, please let me know about them, thanks!
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