5 Reasons You Can’t Find the Right Spiritual Path (Beckett)

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Xiao Rong
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5 Reasons You Can’t Find the Right Spiritual Path (Beckett)

Post by Xiao Rong »

I found this article by John Beckett, Pagan, Druid, Unitarian Universalist, and author of the Patheos* blog Under the Ancient Oaks. I love almost everything he writes -- he's a very moderate and gentle author with many spiritual insights to share.

In this article, 5 Reasons You Can't Find the Right Spiritual Path, he explains some of the most common pitfalls for seekers (on any religious path!)

Here's an excerpt (and reason #1):
John Beckett wrote:
1. You don’t know your core values. Is there such a thing as absolute truth? What does it take to convince you something is true? What’s your tolerance for ambiguity?

Is life fair? Should it be fair? What obligations do we have to make life more fair for others? What obligations do we have to our families and neighbors? What obligations do we have to strangers?

Is the world primarily something to enjoy or something to escape? Do your heart and mind tell you there are many Gods, one God, or no Gods?

Are you willing to be challenged, both in your beliefs and in your application of them? Or are you looking for something that will confirm what you’re already comfortable with?

These are hard questions, and they’re a bit of a Catch-22. Many spiritual traditions are very good at helping you learn what matters most. But until you spend significant time working through them, you won’t know if you’re a good match with them or not.

Do this instead. Read. Read as much as you can from as many different religious and spiritual traditions as you can. Read with an open mind – don’t analyze every page to see if it confirms or rebuts what you already think. Simply learn what other people believe and do. Then contemplate what you’ve read. Keep at it till you’ve got a good idea of what’s important to you, so you can find a spiritual tradition that supports your values and your priorities.
Hit the link to read the other four!

* I find that Pagan Patheos is has a ton of the most current events and latest writings by some wonderful Pagan bloggers; I go this website on a daily basis!
~ Xiao Rong ~ 小蓉 ~ Little Lotus ~
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Re: 5 Reasons You Can’t Find the Right Spiritual Path (Becke

Post by Sakura Blossom »

This is really good information. Thank you, Xiao! I'm going to look into it more because I'm still having slight issues with defining what path is right for me - aside from what I already do.
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Re: 5 Reasons You Can’t Find the Right Spiritual Path (Becke

Post by RosieMoonflower »

Thank you for sharing! This was a fantastic read!
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Re: 5 Reasons You Can’t Find the Right Spiritual Path (Becke

Post by Adiens »

Thanks for sharing! I will definitely sharing this with others :D
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Re: 5 Reasons You Can’t Find the Right Spiritual Path (Becke

Post by Gothfey »

I'd encourage anyone to take bits and pieces from different paths (What feels right and good, just follow your feelings) and bake the ingredients so they get their own personal religion/spirituality. To Stay open and see what comes their way. That's how I go about it, because we're all different expressions of the divine and no one is the same. :)
Black is the color of creation. Black is the maternal color and thus the starlit night gives birth to a new day.
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Re: 5 Reasons You Can’t Find the Right Spiritual Path (Becke

Post by bastetsha »

Thank you for the article. I am exploring Wicca right now to see if it fits me and the advice to stick with it at least a year is good advice. I have a tendency to start something and then wander off of it, not just religion but everything because of an illness but the one constant in my life is Bast and I see her as the aspect of the mother Goddess that I am most in tune with personally. I have floundered in religions throughout my life (except for a period of 12 years of atheism that I do not want to start again). So again, this article had helpful tips so thank you. :)
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