  Spiritual
This week: Edited by: Sophy  
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Hi, I'm Sophy ~ your editor for this edition of the Spiritual Newsletter. This week we'll talk about being sharing what we believe in our writing in an open, inclusive, inviting way.
The Rev. Scotty McLennan, author of the book Finding Your Religion, compares humanity's innate need for spiritual searching to climbing a mountain. In his view, we are all endeavoring to climb the same figurative mountain in our search for the divine, we just may take different ways to get there. In other words, there is one "God," but many paths. I honor whatever path or paths you have chosen to climb that mountain in your quest for the Sacred.  |
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We Are More Alike Than We Are Different
In recent months my spiritual community has been making our way through the book of Genesis. Using the beautiful translation by Stephen Mitchell, along with wisdom from Karen Armstrong, Bill Moyers, and other people of faith, it has been a fascinating experience to revisit stories we thought we knew well only to discover new truths along the way. The PBS “Genesis” series from 10+ years ago has also been valuable, as we are able to experience the stories from traditions other than our own, hearing different perspectives from Jews and Muslims, in addition to Christians, for while Jews and Christians share Genesis as a sacred text, many of the stories found in Genesis are also found in the Qur'an. So it has been wonderful to hear alternative perspectives and beliefs from people very different from myself share what they appreciate about the stories.
This process has helped me look with new eyes at the beginning of the story of Abraham, for instance, sent by God from his home to go to a new place. He was not told where that place would be, or when he would arrive. But he was called by God to leave all that he knew behind him, embark on this new adventure, and be a blessing to the rest of humanity. It has been interesting to hear how this story has been and still is perceived by a variety of Christians, but even more so how it is embraced and interpreted by Jews and Muslims as they have a different take on it than my tradition in many instances. But there are, of course, also similiarities and universal truths.
One example of that is how Abraham lives out "being a blessing" as a flawed human being who made mistakes along the way, though he was still able to be used by the Divine, illustrating for us that the Sacred is perfectly able and willing to accomplish its purpose through imperfect people. And as such, then, the story is a universal one. In addition Abraham, considered the father, or patriarch, of Judaism and Christianity, is also considered to be the father of Islam, through his son Ishmael, which makes us part of the same spiritual family. Perhaps if we were more intentionally aware of this, the world would be a different place altogether.
Perhaps we can help others become more aware of this truth through our own spiritual writing. One way to do that might be to incorporate perspectives from a variety of spiritual paths in our writing. This not only helps us learn more about traditions other than our own, but also our personal spiritual journeys are enriched and enhanced by these learnings.Not to mention that it is a way to show respect for other paths as well as our own, which can create a wider readership of our work. In one instance I made a vague reference to another spiritual tradition I did not know well in one of my writings. As a result I not only received an email of appreciation from a practitioner of that religion, but was also given more insight and information about the religion itself from that individual, which enhanced my knowledge as well as my writing.
Add to that benefit, I find that I am most attracted to and nurtured by the spiritual writing of those who claim to only speak for themselves and their beliefs, without claiming to have the one and only "absolute truth." And I get the most out of that type of spiritual writing myself (when I am writing about spiritual things). In doing so I try to make sure that I am only speaking from my own experience, without forcing my beliefs on other people. I find that not only to be respectful of other people whose beliefs may differ from mine, but also a good writing technique as it invites people in a non-threatening way to read my work without feeling attacked or disrespected if they happen to disagree with me or have a different experience.
So, for instance, I might write something about my understanding of the life of the aforementioned Abraham, and share what impact his life has had on my faith journey. I might admit struggling with some aspects of his life -- like almost sacrificing his son Isaac to God, or abandoning Hagar and Ishmael in the desert with just a little bit of water -- but would not claim to hold any sort of "absolute truth" about what his life meant. In that way, as others read what I write, they might be willing to share their perspective on Abraham from their own tradition, which might be very different from my own. And even if I don't agree with their conclusions, my own faith experience has been broadened.
As I close for this month, I encourage you in your spiritual writing to try some of the ideas I've mentioned above. Write about someone who encounters a person from a different religion and how they interact. Or maybe write about what you believe, not just sharing what you don't believe, or what you don't agree with regarding someone else's beliefs -- but writing just for yourself, what YOU believe, what YOU value, in a way that expresses it clearly without judgment if someone were to disagree with you. Who knows? You might just find out more about yourself in the process.
Sophy |
Below you'll find some offerings from other WDC members about Abraham. as well as sharing spiritual journeys with respect and inclusivity. Please let the folks know if you read their piece by leaving a thoughtful comment or review.
First a few items about Abraham:
| |  | Sacred (13+)
A poem about religions and the concept of a religion's holy property.
#1407920 by wolfscribe  |
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This item number is not valid.
#567319 by Not Available. |
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This item number is not valid.
#1556829 by Not Available. |
And a couple that speak of one's own truth/beliefs:
| | | Sacred (13+)
A poem about religions and the concept of a religion's holy property.
#1407920 by wolfscribe |
| | | Things I Know (E)
I may not see things as you, some I know, some I doubt, some I don't understand
#1560917 by Angelsmom |
Finally, a few from a prompt over at "The Writer's Cramp - Poetry Week" about putting into words what one believes, without putting down or negating the beliefs of others, based on the "This I Believe" series from NPR:
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This item number is not valid.
#1576804 by Not Available. |
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#1576749 by Not Available. |
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Now for a few comments about my last newsletter about leaning on our spiritual communities when facing difficult times:
From weekendnovel
Sophy,
I enjoyed your column on leaning on others during a time of crisis. Indeed having others to help share the burden makes the weight on our shoulders that much less. I try to remember that we are given only that which we can handle and if we lean on God then he carries the rest. I am often inspired by Job who lost everything he had, and still leaned on God and was blessed for it. Keep up the good work.
A Weekend Novelist
Thank you so much for your kind words -- I'm glad you appreciated the newsletter, and thank you for sharing about your inspiration from Job.
     
From Lauriemariepea
a lovely newsletter, sophy. i agree that those life-changing events help us to prioritize, to appreciate those who support us, and also to truly feel the wonder of being alive. simply being alive is a huge gift; regardless of whether we explore spirituality through our life, we can all treasure that gift--thank you for telling us about your friend. 
You are most welcome, I was happy to share about her, and am glad that you enjoyed the newsletter. Simply being alive IS such a huge gift, absolutely!
From werden 
Good newsletter.
I would like to see some information about how some author's faith influenced their work.
I would also like to see more spiritual influenced stories.... there are plenty of poems, nothing wrong with that, but not enough stories, in my humble opinion.
Glad you enjoyed the newsletter -- and thank you for your suggestion. Perhaps this newsletter touches a little bit on what you were asking for? As for there being more poems than stories -- when I do a search for items related to my newsletter topic, for whatever reason I find many more poems than anything else. So if there are stories or essays dealing with my topic, I am always happy to include them -- but my topics so far seem to inspire more poetry.
Please keep your comments and suggestions coming, they are greatly appreciated!
Until next time! Sophy
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Spiritual: July 01, 2009 Issue [#3130]
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