I grew up in a spiritual house.
I wouldn’t necessarily say that it was a “religious” house, though we did go to church and my grandfather was an episcopal priest. The Christian ideologies and the strict practices were never engrained in me or my sister. What we did have was a wide net of religious and spiritual practices from cultures all across the world. While I was learning about the Bible, I was also learning about the Tao De Ching. While I was going to Sunday school, I was also going to meditation classes at a local buddhist temple. Religion was not something that I grew up thinking was a “choose one or the other” sort of thing. Because of that, I feel like I am a more rounded, and more empathetic person. I can see how this would seem “off” to a person who practices one religion, and from your upbringing and perspective, you would be correct. But luckily for me, your opinion on my spiritual story and path do not affect me in any way.
What I do want to talk about is how mediation and prayer have become a part of my life and how I practice these things. This is not to say that my way is the best way. But if you are someone who is interested in a practice that is not religion specific, this is for you. There are so many people that I talk to who consider themselves “spiritual” without being religious. I would fall into this category, and if you are still reading this, I would guess you fall into this category as well.
Back to prayer and meditation and how these are perfect mates and they will be the theme for the upcoming posts:
I will be combining prayer and meditation practices in my upcoming adventure with labyrinths. Walking through labyrinths is a practice that both my parents loved. When I was young I didn’t really understand the point but I enjoyed running them and playing in the large dimly lit rooms. This will be the first time I walk a labyrinth since I was a child. My spiritual practice has grown so much since the last time I even saw a labyrinth in person.
I will be touring ALL of the labyrinths in the Dallas area. As I write this, It is exactly 7 years since the day my dad passed away. I want to start this as a tribute to him. I know this will make him very proud. In the next few posts I will talk about labyrinths and how to use them. The plan is to visit my first labyrinth on my dad’s birthday.
Until then, thanks for making it this far.
Gratefully,
