Opening to Spirituality: From Judgment to Curiosity

I describe myself as spiritual, but not religious. Lately, I’ve been reflecting on my embrace of spirituality. I think of religion and spirituality as overlapping ways of approaching sacredness, but also different — like a Venn diagram. Here, I focus on my personal experience. Religions are established systems, and I refer to spirituality as focusing on my internal experience.

This difference matters to me because I was taught to fear spirituality. I grew up in a Baptist church in a small southern town where the beliefs were fairly fundamental - the Bible is interpreted literally. A common refrain I recall hearing is, “Make it plain.” In other words, doctrine should be clear and unambiguous. Being “spiritual” carried a negative connotation. But connecting to God, the Divine/Universe, the ancestors, or however a person chooses to acknowledge a higher power is also a personal and sometimes complicated process because people are unique. That enters the realm of spirituality - the question of how I know when God is speaking to me. I don’t believe spirituality has to be divorced from religion, but I think the outside/inside distinction is significant.

Religion, as a system, is an institution. It has a set of rules grounded in sacred texts. The texts are usually accepted as the word of God or derive from the experiences of an enlightened person or people. There’s a hierarchy of roles with expectations. Adherents are expected to fill those roles. For example, some roles are priest, pastor, imam, lama, teacher, members, etc.

They do provide structure and community. At an extreme, they can be used to silence your intuition. This more easily happens when people are taught that their insights must be validated by the spiritual leader(s). It also happens when the religion prohibits curiosity by telling followers that their religion is the only way to encounter God. To me, this is religion divorced from spirituality, when law and tradition disallow individual insight. Inner conflict is often framed as a test of whether people have the fortitude to obey rules.

Over time, being religious without spirituality became too restrictive and judgmental for me. Curious by nature and lover of all people, my intellect left me with more questions than answers. And, I felt it appropriate to ask God to speak to me directly in a way I could understand. I began to meditate and pay more attention to my thoughts, emotions, body, and intuition. I allowed myself to ask serious questions about what I truly believed and why. This process opened me to more inspiration in ways I appreciate.

I think religions have benefits. I also think power can be blinding and religion doesn’t always allow people space to embrace spirituality - individual connection to a higher power. The same can be said of strict spiritual traditions. Instead of being blindly stuck in tradition, I’ve chosen to ask for a loving and wise path that’s for the highest good of All and be open to receiving guidance that allows me to walk it.

Prayer for the loving and wise use of power

I choose to begin with a prayer. I desire for this to be a space to be used for the highest good of the All - to whatever degree it can be. I appreciate that I get the opportunity to write and thank God for this life that I am.

Personalities can slippery dimensions hidden by our identities. There is an essence of us that arises from Spirit - we all have our idiosyncrasies. We develop our worldviews and strategies for action as we interact with society — other people and formal social institutions (family, school, religion, government, etc.).

For every conscious intention, decision, and action, there are also unconscious ones which have become automatic. Each personality has its blind spots and identities have even larger ones. Every decision has consequences - some that may please us and others not so much.

I believe there are loving and wise ways to approach any situation that are for the highest good. I also believe we each have power. I pray we, as individuals and a species, more often choose to use it in loving and wise ways. I pray we do so for ourselves and for the inheritors of what we create and leave behind. To that end, I offer this prayer for the loving and wise use of power:

I offer my gratitude to the Creator, Father-Mother God.

I appreciate this experience of life.

I give thanks that I am able to think, feel, imagine, and act.

I pray to do so in ways that are for the highest good.

I accept that I am a powerful Being.

With that acceptance, I choose the path of love and wisdom,

praying for the responsible use of my power.

I choose to be aware of my power at any given moment:

the power of my thoughts,

the power of my emotions,

the power of my words,

the power of my actions,

the power of my energy.

May I be acutely conscious of my power,

especially in moments where exercising my power affects others.

I intend to use the power of my life force in ways that are for the highest good of the All.

I pray for direction that allows my impacts to align with this intention.

Employing my power responsibly for my highest good allows me space to empower others.

I am of made of the same material as everyone else. Others are always connected to me.

There is power in my choices.

And I always have choices,

even when life situations leave me feeling stifled and confused.

I have choices even when circumstances appear overwhelming and insurmountable.

I know that there are always loving solutions to any challenge I may face.

Confusion about how to use my power in any given life situation is my sign

to surrender and seek Divine guidance for love and wisdom.

God never leaves me alone and welcomes my questions. 

I ask, trusting that answers are always given.

I pray for discernment and remember to listen. 

Signs are always available to me when I truly need them. 

I receive clearer signals when I create space for them.

I welcome enough ease to recognize them in various forms: 

thoughts, dreams, people, art, animals, plants, circumstances, or other things.

I choose to use my power wisely and with love.

For love and wisdom allow for balance between the head and the heart

creates space to feel my gut. My intuition beckons.

I desire to use power in a way that will support me in spiritual growth.

May my personality’s power support my soul’s mission

and may others see and feel God flowing through me.

In this way, we connect soul to soul. 

They remember that God is within them.

Our power combines lovingly, connects and empower others,

cascading into actions for the highest good of the All.

I recognize and release tendencies within me to misuse 

any power I hold over other people and beings as well as the Earth.

Rather than focus on the accumulation of external power,

I consistently turn my attention inward.

It is wise to continually question my motives.

It is paramount to do so when I am uncertain 

of what I want and why I want it.

God, please illuminate my heart’s purest desires.

I pray for the to know when my thoughts exemplify them.

I call forth the courage and strength to fuel those thoughts

into reality with focus, feeling, and action.

In this way, I choose alignment and integrity.

Amen. Ahum. Asé.