@spiritualcuriosities / spiritualcuriosities.tumblr.com
God is interrelations, the connections between things - the connection between moon and sea etc etc. But also between predator and prey, for prey becomes one with the predator through digestion and cellular respiration, and the gratitude that comes with that. Maybe the "fear of God" is really the feeling of being small and also perhaps the fear of unity? Truly radical unity and connection which breaks down boundaries we form our entire world views on?
Linda Gregg from All of it Singing: New and Selected Poems
Something something I revere Spider in part because the Divine is love, the connections and relationships between things, and Spider is in direct contact and interaction with these connections
“The great Mystics tend to recognize that Whoever God is, he or she does not need our protection or perfect understanding. All of our words, dogmas, and rituals are like children playing in a sandbox before infinite Mystery and Wonderment. If anything is true, then it always has been true; and people who sincerely search will touch upon the same truth in every age and culture, while using different language, symbols, and rituals to point us in the same direction. The direction is always toward more love and union–and in ever widening circles.”
— Richard Rohr
“There is no relationship beyond mending in God’s providence and God’s time. Even the most final of separations or the most bitter of betrayals will not stifle the possibility of the reconciliation we long for.”
— Rowan Williams
Firstly, happy pride month to my fellow religious and spiritual queer people. I love y'all and I'm so proud of our community. May this pride month be filled with blessings and a spirit of righteous anger for our siblings in Palestine. May they be free so we can all be free.
Secondly, something that I love about attending Episcopal services is how I've found there to be a lot of room to be as Catholic or as Protestant as you want. Of course it depends on the parish and the specific church you go to, but the one I frequent is on par with any Catholic church I have ever set foot in (granted I could probably count on one hand how many I've been inside). Because of this, I've found lots of room to work in mysticism/folk magic/witch craft whatever you want to call it.
This is something that I know is important to me in my reconstruction journey. Dedicating candles to the Trinity alongside St. Mary Magdalene, St. Brigid, and the Ancestors has seamlessly woven it's way into a new daily practice. Praying the Daily Office over my morning tea/coffee and throughout the day alongside tarot or oracle card pulls has become a grounding ritual that I value. Slowly but surely, I am becoming more comfortable with seeing myself incorporating distinctly Christian/Episcopal practices into my originally pagan spirituality.
I still struggle every day with consistency, but I know that error is expected. I know that God, the saints, and my Blessed Ancestors are showing me the way.
If there are any questions about Christian witchcraft and how it's possible to be both a witch/practitioner and a Christian I would love to point you to creators who are much more eloquent and well-versed than me. Send me a DM or an ask for those resources :)
“Resistance is not the outcome of mysticism, resistance is mysticism itself.”
— Dorothee Sölle, The Silent Cry: Mysticism and Resistance (via spiritandteeth)
This is the first holy week where I've really been focusing on and thinking about Jesus' journey through the week. It's been really meditative for me (as much as I've been able to be meditative, considering my ADHD has been acting up, and my homework).
It's also made me think a lot about different sects in Christianity. I was raised Protestant, and for the most part I'm ok with that. My church has always been a bit conservative for me, but it's been a decent childhood church, mostly Black and less structured compared to other denominations which works for me. I think it was good for my upbringing in Christ, and combined with my Dad's encouragement of frank critical thinking, I was never hurt by the institution as many others have been in various sects of Christianity.
But because my childhood (and current) church is less structured, there's also less reflection on Jesus' suffering and death. We celebrate Palm Sunday and talk about the washing of the disciples' feet, and the prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. We celebrate Easter. But there's no specific services dedicated to meditating on the darkness during the days that Jesus was not with us. There's no communal, deep contemplation of that reality, nor any focus on it really. Its about the suffering and death to atone for our sin, but mostly it's about the Resurrection. I like that in other denominations, particularly Catholicism, there is equal focus on each step toward death and Resurrection, including the time between those 2 points.
This year, and particularly this week, I've been looking a lot at different sects of Christianity, and even Judaism. Trying to find what fits.
I like Catholicism for its focus on reflection and contemplation of the various Mysteries, and the practices around Holy Week. But I don't know how I feel about the very hierarchical nature of its structure, and the amount of power that individual humans hold within that. Less crucial, I also struggle with praying the full rosary, due to my ADHD.
I like Protestantism for its focus on scripture (tho it varies from denomination to denomination) and its less rigid hierarchies (again depending on sect). My particular church was probly the best option for my personal journey. But I dislike how common fundamentalism is, and many sects disapprove of mysticism entirely. I also feel that, of the mainstream Protestantism I have encountered, on the whole it's a bit lacking in theology. There's one specific Mennonite church I have visited that is amazing, but from what Ive gathered, most of the contemplation aspects are done more individually.
I like Episcopalianism for its openness and acceptance. Tho I don't know that much about it. I like Eastern Orthodoxy from what I know of it, in terms of its theology and acceptance of mysticism. There's still a lot I don't know tho.
I like Reform Judaism for its encouragement of questioning, and acceptance of wavering faith. I also love that it encourages in depth study of scripture, and debate. That it is open to change and evolving understanding is just so refreshing. But i don't want to put my love for Christ on a back burner, or let it go altogether.
I also consider myself an animist Christian? Which just throws way more confusion into the mix. As if I didn't have enough on my spiritual plate
“The familiar aphorism, “God is one” (and it’s more secular variation “everything is connected”), does not, as the fundamentalists have claimed, offer us a vague and undemanding picture of the divine. It does not erase the personality of God like so much chalk on a blackboard, nor does it negate centuries of moral teaching, nor does it usher us towards a complete and indistinct religious syncretism. When understood correctly, “God is one” rather indicts us to become painfully aware of the sacredness of our lived experience and the cosmic impact made by our every action. It forces us to make peace with the constant presence of God hovering over the most mundane moments of our lives, and reminds us that that we bear the spark, breath, and likeness of a truly incomprehensible and unknowable Intelligence. “God is one” is the ultimate call to accountability and to forgiveness, affirming the worth and wisdom of other forms of religious devotion while rooting us all the more deeply within our own traditions. When understood properly, “God is one” is an invitation to attention to moral, doctrinal, and ethical detail within our religious frameworks as well as to surrender to a God that delights in surprising our convictions with the unorthodoxy of Their existence”
— S.T. Gibson
