Thanks, Richman, for laying the groundwork for a great exploration of spirituality and religion. I was raised in a Christian church, one that fortunately was relatively low in dogma and relatively high in free thinking. I was aware of the presence of a higher being, though never quite clear on the role of Jesus in my life. I left the formal church in my early twenties and embarked on a relatively secular life, though grounded strongly in a belief in service, good works, integrity and honesty.

Once I embarked on my personal growth and coaching journey, I found myself exposed to something called spirituality, which I embraced as a very personal relationship with a higher being. As time progressed, I found myself with a deeper, more meaningful relationship with God than I'd ever experienced before. True, some of this had to do with the advance of time and elder wisdom. But there was also a freedom to embrace God at a personal level, to see Him/Her as part of me. In fact, my evolving belief is that God is actually the sum of all of our souls, and that He/She does in fact "see through my eyes, hear through my ears, ...". And, as for the "act through my actions" part, I believe that there's a life purpose born in me, one that I must realize in order to fulfill this lifetime. And in order to discover that purpose, I have to go deep into my soul.

As I've mentioned in one of my PeopleJam stories, I went on a Vision Quest earlier this year. The "bible" for this quest was Bill Plotkin's book, "Soulcraft". Plotkin says that to be complete spiritually, we must be balanced in spirt and soul. He defines spirit as "the single, great, and eternal mystery that permeates and animates everything in the universe and yet transcends all". Soul, on the other hand, is "the vital, mysterious, and wild core of our individual selves, an essence unique to each person, qualities found in layers of the self much deeper than our personalities". And the key, for me, is that "ultimately, each soul exists as an agent for spirit".

So for me, the potential of personal growth is not to glorify the individual per se, but to reveal the unique qualities each of us brings to the world. Some call this life purpose. And once this purpose is understood and embraced, it becomes the agent for God/spirit only if it is taken into the world. Many religions emphasize the "spirit" part of spirituality, promising that if we embrace transcendence through ritual, our souls will be taken care of. I prefer a more active role in this - to explore my soul, reveal its purpose, and bring myself fully in service to the world. In partnership with God.

The Possibilities Coach
John Robinson, CPCC

Richman,

Your post reminds me of an essay I wrote in college, entitled, "God is Love." I wrote it during my anarchist phase; where I had read enough books with the right professors and had gained just enough knowledge to realize as Freud had written that "religion is the opiate of the masses," that God is as dead as Nietzsche is, and that my personal beliefs had been assembled by a sort of force-feeding of outdated traditions and modes of thought.

I walked around feeling lost, angry, hurt, and scared that perhaps what I thought I knew, wasn't really what I thought it was at all. "How do you know that you know?" Said the philosophy teacher in my "Belief, Truth, and Knowledge" class. Suddenly, I had firsthand experience of the phrase, "ignorance is bliss." I didn't know what to believe, but I knew that I didn't want to go to church anymore. I felt like everything I had been taught was a lie and that I had to drop Jesus because I really didn't know who he was or what he meant to me. I knew of him through others, through the church, the bible, my parents, society, etc. Then I felt that I was betraying Jesus, and the guilt, oh, the guilt of turning on him and seeking other "saviors" like I did was almost too much to bear. It seemed easier on my spirit to believe in nothing at all and now I understood the point of atheism.

However, I studied other religions and immersed myself in more philosophy, mystical thought, and "crazy artists"-- and through Rumi, Kali, rosary beads, mudras, mantras, and howlin' at the moon, I somehow re-discovered Jesus, and came to understand him and appreciate his plight, his story on more intimate terms that resonated with the truth of my being. I felt that God was the inter-connectedness of things, that s/he was omniscient light refracting into omnipresent life, and that feeling of "I Am," made me feel powerful in the serenity of MY truth.

My search continues. A couple months ago, I picked up the "Purpose Driven Life" and began it's 40 day journey. I fell off the purpose-driven-wagon, however. Your post reminds me to get back on it so that my life is truly an expression of God's love.

Thanks.

I went way back in your posts and the title of this one just hit me....I love the whole exploration, but this quote...is really moving and powerful.
[" see through my eyes, hear through my ears, feel through my feelings." That is the idea that we not only experience God in this world, but God experiences this world through us!]
Thanks for the reminder:-)
XX
Coyle

Most religious texts reveal God acting through people. But it seems also true that God can experience his creation through the eyes of people as well. I wonder how we would all see life, the planet, and each other differently if we knew that every moment God was looking through our eyes.

This is Awesome, I'm definitely IN.