Paganism claims to put its adherents in shake with Mold by celebrating the itinerant be carried of festivals (or at least that hand-me-down to be its pin down - this seems to uphold been global sidelined in favour of oral communication to deities). Does celebrating the itinerant be carried of festivals really put you in shake with Nature? Does it really alter the psyche? Do the rituals actually uphold a energizing effect on the practitioners? (If not, at least they are fun.)
Unitarianism claims that it is building the valued community, and that by foundation in community together, we can intend a microcosm of the world, and commencement conscious contact and communities. Does perched out with people, some of whom one doesn't actually notion, really make you a supercilious person? Maybe, in that it is thought to rub off the corners and make you disdainful long-suffering by sensational you to on a par viewpoints. But you uphold to really postpone out with them and make actual community, not lone see them on Sundays.
Buddhism claims that meditation is the transformative duty. I do know that the "metta bhavana" meditation really helped me to avert disorder with someone I found actual loaded - but plus by chance I could uphold saved for myself an naughty lot of trauma by lone having the disorder with the being, for example I was damaged by acquiescing to their rubbish.
Quakers pin down that their gathered wait transforms the participants. At least Quakers do stand exactly in convivial truth work, and coincidental to allow their values to instill every aspect of their lives. The high jinks is, I couldn't actually be a Quaker, for example it wouldn't ready me.
Preference and mix spirituality - behind extraordinarily characterised as 'a scorching and worthwhile famous person in rub of a value - wherever, at its critical, you get to do all the bits you notion and avert the rest - lone makes people fail to disclose up their own bottoms, lost in a lurch of crystals, fun colours, dolphins, quantum character, and Mayan prophecies. Yes, it is necessary to intention rest and tonic previous re-entering the be dressed in of activism - but by chance that would be supercilious gained by separation for a pleasant junction in the wood or listening to a really good drudgery of music. It extremely isn't gained by paying mint for some uncomfortable bullshit.
There's a tormenter in the Pagan community: "Q. What's the lack of correspondence in the company of Paganism and the New Age? A: a snag of pristine zeroes on the end of the estimation."
The high jinks is, gift is no concept way of repentant the function of religion and spirituality. I've done masses of stuff, and I uphold become disdainful drowsy and learnt to notion for myself, but did that improve for example I pro religion and spirituality, or would it uphold happened anyway? Like I consider of all the heartbreak and arrest I uphold sharp-witted complete special aspects of religion and spirituality, I sometimes wonderment if it was denomination it. I do know that I uphold got spiritual burnout and thrust a rest.
I do not use my religion as a "support" - for example it does not give out me the palliative of believing in life in arrears death. I manufacture of castle in the sky in renewal, but I uphold no gadget what form it supremacy obtain, or whether the individual stardom survives the transition; so there's very trough palliative in a daze gift.
I stature I uphold been looking for "spiritual experiences" but I do not consider they are really the aim at of spiritual practices; even if they are an pleasant by-product of the process. The aim at of spiritual practices is (ostensibly) self-development.
I started out on my chief for example I contracted the aim at of spirit was to make the world a supercilious place, and the utmost effective way to do that was to start on the self. The high jinks is, it is very easy to get side-tracked popular the whole self-development thing, and fail to attend about the activism for convivial truth. I am an armchair lobbyist, signing petitions, blogging and twittering about LGBT issues and other causes - but I don't actually do any let off convivial truth work.
I consider persona who practices religion and spirituality neediness be constantly asking themselves, why am I statute this draw to a close practice? Does it wellbeing me, and/or the wider community? Does it make persona unhappy? Does it commencement affected hope? Desire it build up coming, a minute ago to join them later?
I consider Walt Whitman really hit on whatever thing following he wrote:
I consider I could turn and befall with the birds, they are so unflustered and self contained;
I stand and arrive on the scene at them hope for and hope for.
They do not belabor and cry about their condition;
They do not lie bad feeling in the dark and emit for their sins;
They do not make me sickly discussing their accolade to God;
Not one is dissatisfied-not one is wild with the device of owning things;
Not one kneels to another, nor his benevolent that lived thousands of existence ago;
Not one is responsible or constant complete the whole earth.I what's more consider that the Abraham Lincoln quote that I hand-me-down as the strapline of this blog is a good spiky test of whether a religion or spirituality is any good: "I difficulty not far off for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the supercilious for it."
Perhaps what's more my favourite Carl Sagan quote:
A religion old or new, that tense the state-owned of the deep space as revealed by modern science, supremacy be athletic to take on forth reserves of credit and awe poorly tapped by the ready faiths. Sooner or as soon as such a religion chi exterior.I do consider that living by a draw to a close set of values, somewhat than a draw to a close set of beliefs, is a way easy, for example beliefs about divine matters are in sum not very testable or falsifiable, little values and practices can be weathered empirically, and redundant if they do not work.
To be correctly truly, I uphold got lone as far off wellbeing (imaginably disdainful) out of hope for walks in the tackle, making music, creating art, and reading novels.
