A fascinating read, particularly to someone such as myself who considers himself to be living a somewhat "humdrum" life of work and mortgages.
Religion to me has, and potentially forever will be, something to be treated with caution if not fear. Whether the source of this is news based with the monotony of war often being linked to religion or the simple fact that I find the internals of church buildings uncomfortable and frightening.
Oh thank you! I'm glad you thought so. I am very uncomfortable about lots of aspects of religion (hierarchies, power, the idea of worship, sin etc...and of course all the awful things done in its name) but also crave a sense of connection to something bigger than myself, whatever that may be. Funnily enough I literally just posted a piece about how much I LIKE the internals of church buildings! (https://katebrook.substack.com/p/sitting-with-history) For me that's a lot to do with association - my childhood memories of religious spaces are all very benign if not nostalgic, which I think helps my openness to it as an adult. If I'd had it imposed on me I'd probably feel very differently about it now.
At the time, I felt like nature - be that swimming in lakes, walking through the forest, camping in Welsh fields - was basically the closest thing I had to a religion. And I think that definitely still applies. But the more I think about it, the more I realise that there are so many other aspects of my life which could be ritualised in a spiritual way. Eating for example!!
Also, I picked up The Artists Way again this evening and in the opening pages Julia Cameron explains that creativity can also be a kind of spirituality.
What I’m trying to say is that there is so much ritual and ceremony to be found in so many facets of life. And it’s making me think that maybe I don’t really need a traditional religion when life is kind of a religion in itself.
Ok time to stop rattling on! Really enjoyed this read. Xx
Do you know, I actually read that when I first started following you! (Not sure if you have figured out I'm a friend of your neighbour Emily and she told me about your Substack 😁) Anyway I wonder if your 'toe-dip' wording planted a seed in my brain and I decided to run with it?! It's turned into a very handy metaphor in any case. Really enjoyed the post at the time and more so rereading it just now having done some more reflecting in the weeks since. I definitely have a post on nature and spirituality up my sleeve as this is something I think a lot about too.
I did (part of) the Artist's Way a couple of years ago and had totally forgotten that might be a useful reference point for thinking about the links between creativity and spirituality - thanks for the reminder! I will revisit. And love the idea of thinking about lots of aspects of life as a religion. Makes me think of Buddhism and mindfulness and paying full attention to everything you do (something I fail at miserably).
Anyway thanks for the comment and glad you enjoyed reading - always interested to hear about how people approach spirituality in the secular age. Definitely more coming on this from me, hopefully from you too! X
I really liked reading this piece! As someone who grew up in Christianity, I can agree with those who would see religion as something to be treated with "caution if not fear." I too have felt that way and many times still do. With time I have found my own way to keep seeking my faith while focusing on the inner relationship rather than outwardly to what people can bring me. We simply live in a world full of many broken people making sense of things and many times, reacting out of fear. A church is a place, just like the gym, where many broken people are going to seek healing and community. At the gym, everyone is not in shape. In fact, there are many who are not. In the gym it doesn't bother us so much because it's not a matter of our heart or our spirit, just our body. What it does have in common with church is that it's filled with many people who are trying. I recently did a study with my kids on ancient civilizations and the most fascinating thing was that all civilizations, since the beginning of time, have sought something to worship. They've all sought a higher power. In my case, it's God. In the case of another it will have a different name or practice. And what makes that stronger is the history that we have and continue to build with our spiritual experiences. Those experiences last and cannot be taken away from the person who experienced them. What unfortunately messes it up is the act of those who impose religious dogma or react from a place of their own pain, resulting in the contrary effect to those of us who are seeking healing and community. My hope is that it doesn't stop us from trying, seeking, and getting the healing that we all do need.
A fascinating read, particularly to someone such as myself who considers himself to be living a somewhat "humdrum" life of work and mortgages.
Religion to me has, and potentially forever will be, something to be treated with caution if not fear. Whether the source of this is news based with the monotony of war often being linked to religion or the simple fact that I find the internals of church buildings uncomfortable and frightening.
Look forward to reading more.
Oh thank you! I'm glad you thought so. I am very uncomfortable about lots of aspects of religion (hierarchies, power, the idea of worship, sin etc...and of course all the awful things done in its name) but also crave a sense of connection to something bigger than myself, whatever that may be. Funnily enough I literally just posted a piece about how much I LIKE the internals of church buildings! (https://katebrook.substack.com/p/sitting-with-history) For me that's a lot to do with association - my childhood memories of religious spaces are all very benign if not nostalgic, which I think helps my openness to it as an adult. If I'd had it imposed on me I'd probably feel very differently about it now.
I really enjoyed this! It reminds me a lot of a newsletter I wrote a little while ago, also about “dipping a toe” into spirituality (here it is — https://open.substack.com/pub/beingwhereyouare/p/following-the-signs?r=1jt5p&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post)
At the time, I felt like nature - be that swimming in lakes, walking through the forest, camping in Welsh fields - was basically the closest thing I had to a religion. And I think that definitely still applies. But the more I think about it, the more I realise that there are so many other aspects of my life which could be ritualised in a spiritual way. Eating for example!!
Also, I picked up The Artists Way again this evening and in the opening pages Julia Cameron explains that creativity can also be a kind of spirituality.
What I’m trying to say is that there is so much ritual and ceremony to be found in so many facets of life. And it’s making me think that maybe I don’t really need a traditional religion when life is kind of a religion in itself.
Ok time to stop rattling on! Really enjoyed this read. Xx
Do you know, I actually read that when I first started following you! (Not sure if you have figured out I'm a friend of your neighbour Emily and she told me about your Substack 😁) Anyway I wonder if your 'toe-dip' wording planted a seed in my brain and I decided to run with it?! It's turned into a very handy metaphor in any case. Really enjoyed the post at the time and more so rereading it just now having done some more reflecting in the weeks since. I definitely have a post on nature and spirituality up my sleeve as this is something I think a lot about too.
I did (part of) the Artist's Way a couple of years ago and had totally forgotten that might be a useful reference point for thinking about the links between creativity and spirituality - thanks for the reminder! I will revisit. And love the idea of thinking about lots of aspects of life as a religion. Makes me think of Buddhism and mindfulness and paying full attention to everything you do (something I fail at miserably).
Anyway thanks for the comment and glad you enjoyed reading - always interested to hear about how people approach spirituality in the secular age. Definitely more coming on this from me, hopefully from you too! X
I really liked reading this piece! As someone who grew up in Christianity, I can agree with those who would see religion as something to be treated with "caution if not fear." I too have felt that way and many times still do. With time I have found my own way to keep seeking my faith while focusing on the inner relationship rather than outwardly to what people can bring me. We simply live in a world full of many broken people making sense of things and many times, reacting out of fear. A church is a place, just like the gym, where many broken people are going to seek healing and community. At the gym, everyone is not in shape. In fact, there are many who are not. In the gym it doesn't bother us so much because it's not a matter of our heart or our spirit, just our body. What it does have in common with church is that it's filled with many people who are trying. I recently did a study with my kids on ancient civilizations and the most fascinating thing was that all civilizations, since the beginning of time, have sought something to worship. They've all sought a higher power. In my case, it's God. In the case of another it will have a different name or practice. And what makes that stronger is the history that we have and continue to build with our spiritual experiences. Those experiences last and cannot be taken away from the person who experienced them. What unfortunately messes it up is the act of those who impose religious dogma or react from a place of their own pain, resulting in the contrary effect to those of us who are seeking healing and community. My hope is that it doesn't stop us from trying, seeking, and getting the healing that we all do need.