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The foundational principle of almost all religions is love. To love ourselves and love each other seems to be at the core of what connects us to the Divine. Organized religion has historically not been tolerant of a person attempting to find their own path to Source. Today’s show is a conversation with Nancy Guerrera about the walk through the journey of determining the distinction between religion, spirituality and what’s right for each person.
Vivian has come to appreciate mysticism for many reasons. Although Vivian doesn’t use her Catholic religion as a talking point in the show, she’s been able to find a way to allow both religion and spirituality to co-exist in a symbiotic way in her head and heart. It’s rare to have a discussion on spirituality that isn’t filled with dogma and demands, and this discussion is about giving each of us the freedom to find our own spiritual path – because we know that spirituality is a personal journey whose destination is love, but the path to love will vary from person to person.
Today, Vivian Discusses:
- The concept of metanoia – change in one’s way of life resulting from penitence or spiritual conversion.
- Metanoia is the Greek origin of Jesus’ first teachings – changing your mind – translated into English as repent, but that isn’t what it means at all.
- We go through a new birth 5 or 6 times in our lifetimes.
- The tension around “am I doing something against my faith” by exploring mysticism and other spirituality practices.
- The disconnection between the head and the heart can be a barrier to spirituality
- There is a difference between spirituality and the religion that is practiced.
- Looking at the differences between the historical version of religion and the cultural practice of spirituality can help ease the tension you may feel between the two.
- There is truth in all religions across all time.
- Being open to different types of spiritual experiences allows you to use all the tools available to you
- There are more similarities between different religions than many would have you believe.
- You can receive a sense of belonging from your spiritual practice.
- Each person will have their own spiritual journey, and to try and force one set journey on everyone actually strips away the freedom that spirituality affords.
- Looking at spirituality through child-like eyes can help you see things clearly.
- Original sin vs. original design
- Sin is a lack of a holistic approach in paying attention to your own thoughts and feelings about your spiritual path.
- People don’t relate to religion because it doesn’t naturally feels intuitive, magical or self-empowering.
- The shame surrounding religious traditions will rob you of the joy of your self-discovery.
- Mysticism is about the experiential knowledge – the drawing out from within.
- Balance or harmony – you need to be free to find your own “song”
- Art as a spiritual practice? Have you ever considered the gravity of elevating art to that level?
Resources:
Visit the Within (U) Dashboard
Watch Vivi’s YouTube Channel
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Watch the #21 Day Living Live Experiment