For many people, it feels as though their spiritual journey is a roller coaster, taking all sorts of curves and climbing, climbing only to plummet.
Many spiritual seekers feel as though they have ALMOST found the perfect path - if only the creed wasn't quite like this, or if only they also thought this, and are they actually supportive (not just tolerant) of the LGBTQ+ community? Can I still practice my earth-based stuff or will I be tossed out? Can I have vastly different ideas and still be considered Christian/Jewish/Wiccan[insert religion here]?
I myself have been on such a journey over the years, in fact until recently I couldn't recall a time that I hadn't been searching. Even as a child.
Nothing was quite the right fit and although I would spend time within the established spiritual group/church/coven etc - there were always things that I had to bend to fit into my own understanding of the Nameless, Spirit, Divine, God.
How many times did I pull on that pair of shoes, wishing they were wider, perhaps softer, better fitted in the heel, before realizing that I didn't need the shoes at all.
Each of us is so individual, and although many of us still come from direct lines and generations of various cultures, for the most part we are a very widely diverse medley of humanity. In school we learn of various cultures, local history, world history, Greek philosophy and more. Outside of the institutions of learning we are exposed to glimpses of many paths from the experiences of our friends, things we see on TV, books we read, places we travel to and our own adventures as well.
Is it any wonder that for so many seekers, there is a pull or camaraderie to the multitude of religious and spiritual expressions?
Tao te Ching starts with :
Tao can be talked about, but not the Eternal Tao.
Names can be named, but not the Eternal Name.
As the origin of heaven-and-earth, it is nameless:
As "the Mother" of all things, it is nameable.
So, as ever hidden, we should look at its inner essence:
As always manifest, we should look at its outer aspects.
These two flow from the same source, though differently named;
And both are called mysteries.
The Mystery of mysteries is the Door of all essence.
Such beauty in these writings, who could read the Tao te Ching and not be moved by the stillness and strength within it? It is no wonder that many Westerners found a love for these writings and have attempted to (successfully or not) become Taoist.
Likewise in Gospel of Thomas - a text that was written about the same time as the canonical Gospels. Some call it a Gnostic text but it doesn't share the same overview of duality that is common in many of the more complicated Gnostic writings. When talking about God or God's spiritual realm, Jesus the Jewish Sage and Teacher says this on Gospel of Thomas:
"If those who lead you say to you, 'See, the kingdom is in the sky,' then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then the fish will precede you. Rather, the kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside of you.
We are told that God's divine realm is everywhere, including within us. We look here and there to find God and are told that "hey... what you are seeking already exists inside yourself!"
There comes a point when we realize that we can sit, exactly where we are, and just work within the relationship that we have already come to know. The one that we are always trying to bend to fit into someone else's pre-conceived ideas.
Religions today are all founded off of some charismatic figure that presented a view of spiritual process and who's process and teaching was favourable to those around him (because yes it has always been a 'him' within our mainstream religions). We are at a point in history where it is very understandable, natural as well as necessary to forge our own path. We are people of such diversity!
But be sure to sit along the way and enjoy the relationship you have with the Divine, and the Sacred, don't make it all about the destination. You can form your very own authentic connection with Deity right now at this moment in time. No church needed. No temple.
It might help to write down what you actually believe. Not which pre-established statements of faith you agree with but your very own ideas of your placement in the universe. The ethics that are important to you. The things you strive for. What would personal reverence look like to you?
You may realize you have already had the tools you needed all along, and that they were simply disregarded because they did not fit in with the ideas and rules in the established faiths. Once you realize that you have what you need you truly can journey homeward, gathering experiences on the way, enjoying the scenery, taking in the landscape.
Bless you on your journey.
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