The Joys & Trials meme works like this...
- You have to use your own belief system for the meme. No fair using someone else’s to make a joke or satire. Being humorous about your own religion is encouraged!
- You have to have at least one joy and one trial. More are encouraged. And no, they don’t have to be equal in length, but please be honest.
- You have to tag at least one other person. More are appreciated!
- Please post these rules!
Joys
- I like that my spirituality connects me strongly with nature, the cycles of the earth, the changing of the seasons.
- I like that I have the freedom to make my own decisions and choices about how I view and interact with the divine.
- I like the sense of mystery and magic.
- I like that some rituals can be traced back for hundreds of years, and yet, can still be individualized and personalized - making them most special for me while connecting me with the past.
- I like that my family loves celebrating some of the holidays - particularly Samhain and Yule.
- It is a bit lonely to follow a spiritual path when there are no others around who follow the same path.
- Having grown up in a very rigid and rule-governed religion, there is sometimes a sense of a lack of direction as there is no leader or minister to guide my practice.
- Having come to this pathway late in life, I often feel there is so much to learn and so little time.
- Holidays can fall at the most inopportune times since they relate to seasons, phases of the moon, etc. It is not always easy to celebrate on a school night. LOL
- The names chosen by some practicing members can be very off-putting.
Posts
14 comments:
"It is a bit lonely to follow a spiritual path when there are no others around who follow the same path" - What a thoughtful statement...by thoughtful I mean thought provoking.
It's late & I'm not making much sense.
Great answers!!! It's interesting reading what others come up with, as it does spark more thought about one's own answers. My friend Garnet @ http://garnetsplace.blogspot.com/ had some great answers as well. When I read her's I found myself going "doh, I didn't think about that!" LOL Looking forward to seeing what Wiz says, if she consents to participate.
Found you through Wiz...What a great Meme...and I hate them. I hope Wiz responds as well.
Loved your answers...they were close to what mine would be....
Ooooh, very interesting one, Im glad you did this!
My kids love that they get to stay up for the solstices although I wouldn't have necessarily classified that part of our spiritual life as a family it is a related thing.
I have a similar background, religiously speaking, and I feel ya on that.
Well now Em... I swore I'd never do a meme... ; ) but I've been trying to write something ever since reading about your tag. I am just so NOT a religious person in the traditional sense of the word, and I'm finding this a difficult exercise! It will come... in time... and I thank you for the honor of being chosen by you.
Being spiritual's the important thing. Belonging to a church can be fun but it can be stifling too, as some of the interpretations are so rigid.
Interesting, without knowing what your belief system is, it sounds like you have given it the thought it deserves. Cool.
It sounds very interesting, especially because you say that you have "freedom to make my own decisions and choices about how I view and interact with the divine", unlike certain religions I know.
Your responses make me respect and like you even more (who knew that was possible), right down to your endorsement of the *amazing* Wizened Wizard.
I agree that legalistic religion, and judgment upon others is for the birds. We are all individuals, and while it's essential to have unity when practicing the same religion, we can never forget who we are. We were all made differently for a reason. Very interesting post, Em.
Fine. I'll be the first to raise my hand...
What spiritual path do you follow? Will you tell us more about it?
I am intrigued and ignorant.
Best,
OTJ
Ah, you are wise, Grasshopper...
I really enjoyed reading your take on this. Although I am on a somewhat different spiritual path, I can see much kinship in my own practice with the earth-based religions (I hope that's not an "off-putting" way of saying it!).
Very interesting and thought provoking. Thanks for sharing so honestly.
Post a Comment