How to be spiritual, even if you’re agnostic
It all begins with an idea.
Between the ages of 12-16 I tried to find my place in our church’s youth group, but I never felt like I belonged. I always had a sense that I wasn't good enough to be a member, or that I would never be able to believe in the God my peers seemed to have such conviction in.
So I did what any good teen does and decided I knew more than everyone and declared myself an agnostic (and at times an atheist) until alcohol brought me to my knees 14 years later.
The day I walked into my first meeting of recovery is the day I learned I didn't have to bring my childish conception of “God” (aka “Presence”, “Being” as Eckhart Tolle refers to it, “Universe”, “Higher Self”, “Creator” or my personal favorites, “ Source Power” or “Source Energy”) to my spiritual practice. I realized right then and there that “God” was just a label and I could create any conception of this internal and external source of energy that I wanted.
I love spirituality because it tends to be more individualistic where religion tends to be more communal.
And as a (former) agnostic
Spirituality is the quality of being concerned with the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things.
There’s no set of rules and can be completely individualized as opposed to practicing any set practices and more focused on experiencing and living a less materialistic and more soulful life.
Religion is a “particular system of faith and worship” - a system of activities and beliefs that venture to get closer to that which is considered to be of sacred value and transforming power. Religion gives people a structured set of rules, beliefs and actions to live by which gives more of a sense of community as opposed to spirituality which tends to be much more experiential (especially by today’s standards as religion has focused primarily on the adherence to its particular set of principles as an organization and less on opposed to focusing on the direct experience of being one with ones creator. This is not always the case but its the case enough that it’s primarily the reason for so many turning away from the church and seeking a more individualized.
Both have the end goal to heal or transform
Sometimes if you had a bad experience with religion in your childhood, it can leave a bad taste in your mouth for all super