IS IT POSSIBLE THAT PEOPLE HAVE A NATURAL LEANING toward a particular spiritual and/or philosophical expression as a guide for their lives? If we set aside a point of view, namely, that there is a spiritual path that is the best and right one for all people (which is a valid point of view), what might we see? What if we asked, is there an authentic spiritual path for me which may be different from that of my loved ones, my family, or anyone I have ever met?

Many of us can tell stories of hurt and experiences of betrayal in a religious setting when we were youth or young adults. We then tend to close the door not only to that particular synagogue or church or mosque, but often to professional clergy or religious leaders in that faith. We close the door to an inner life. Access to what I will call, "the eternal," is often not available, anymore, until we have sorted out that earlier experience, if we ever do.

My mother grew up in a nominally Christian home in which "God" was used as a sort of peeping Tom, or that is how God was for my mother. "Remember, God sees you wherever you are and knows what you are doing." "God will not like what you did." For years, after she was grown, Mom could not go into a church without wanting to run out screaming. Access to spirit and her own rich inner life through the Christian way was just not available for her. When she discovered Buddhism in her fifties, she felt as though she could begin to breathe at some level of her being. The philosophy and practices of the Buddhist teachings that she read made sense to her and made accessible certain forms of meditation and quietude. Eventually, as I entered seminary, she courageously tackled her Christian demons and began to go to church with me on occasion.

How do you find out what your spiritual path is? I am positing the question inside a point of view that many paths to the eternal are valid and vibrant. I am not saying that is true and I am not trying to convince anyone of anything. This is a point of view that may offer us some new vista. For me, it was only when I began reading Jewish, Sufi, Zoroastrian and Buddhist texts as a young person in a discussion group that I begin to feel surely drawn to Jesus as my spiritual teacher. I came to honor other paths through my reading and conversation in that discussion group.

How do you find out what your spiritual path is if you do not know what is out there? Where can we get real spiritual education? How do you discover what you love if you have not been exposed to it? Perhaps you might find an appreciation for the clarity of Zoroastrianism and its name for God, Ahura Mazhda, meaning the "Good Mind." Perhaps the idea of Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) and the Jewish mandate to cherish one's local and global communities sparkles for you. Or the sweetness and strength of a pull-no-punches Jesus calls you into servanthood. Or you feel at home, finally, when you sit with a zendo in silence and practice zazen ("sitting" - being present to your thoughts without being seduced by them).

What do you see? What do you think? What do you practice?

Next month, we will go deeper with this inquiry. Please feel free to contact me at no obligation if you wish to ponder these ideas in a conversation.

Blessings, Shalom, Salaam, Namaste. Peace.

  
If you would like to talk about the possibility of bringing more "workability" to your life, please contact me and we will chat about it - no charge, no expectations. 860-435-0288 or eppervesce@aol.com. Websites: www.spiritualcentercoaching.com and www.let-resentments-go.com