My Spiritual Philosophy
I am a skeptic, a spiritual atheist, and a proponent for things that bring meaning and connection to human lives. I acknowledge that it is not possible to know everything, human methods of measurement are no match for the unknown. And yet, critical thinking, adequate research, and a pinch of uncommon sense go a long way, but are vastly under-used in the general population.
I do not believe in all things parapsychology, but I do believe the people who tell me their experiences. Religion, spirituality, and belief systems are subjective and emotional things. I try not to let my own perspectives keep me from resonating with others with compassion, empathy, and genuine interest (the recent political climate in the U.S. has been testing this resolve).
I have had numerous experiences of my own that if their causation is explainable, it's still unknown to me, but I often rely on Occam's razor or theories of the adaptive unconscious.
I choose to interpret my experiences in ways that enrich my life psychologically and philosophically. I revel in the vast atmosphere of the unknown and find the profound experience of being human to be magical enough without needing to identify myself as having otherworldly superpowers (although I see the healing of a cut, the changing of perspective, and empathy for others as superpowers).
My spirituality revolves around a general idea that we are one with a form of cosmic consciousness and we return to this cosmic energy when we leave our bodies. I link this belief to no religious doctrines, nor do I claim to know how quantum psychics informs this belief, though it may. Do I hold these beliefs as convictions? No, but my life is enriched, and I feel emotionally content with this perspective. As far as a deity is concerned, I am in deep admiration and awe of trees, whales, and music.
My preferred forms of practical magick include communicating with my unconscious mind through dreamwork, tarot reading, bibliomancy, and daily meditation. My days are filled with awe and celebration, introspection and surrender. When tapping into creative energy, I inhabit a liminal realm where my dream world and waking world meet, opening me to inspiration, deep healing, and synchronicities. I find much pleasure and beauty in ritual, learning, and self-study.
I’m highly sensitive, highly perceptive, empathetic, and fascinated by the human experience. I have an excellent memory and make connections between seemingly disparate things quite easily. As Kazimierz Dąbrowski describes, my main overexcitabilities lie in the intellectual, imaginational, emotional, and sensory realms. These proficiencies make me unusually intuitive, sometimes to an unnerving extent. All of these innate skills give me a heightened ability to access information, both consciously and unconsciously.
While science has formulated uncountable theories and unearthed tremendous discoveries, we are infants in the realm of understanding, or even speculating about, existence and consciousness. While scientific inquiry and critical thinking are foundational in my daily life, I find the need to prove if we have a soul, and to discredit anyone who believes it to be so, to be patriarchal in nature and a waste of my precious “life energy.” I will never know what is fully possible or the true nature of the realm of the mind, and so I remain a skeptical explorer with an open heart and the will to evolve.
I do, however, find fault with and condemn any form of belief, religion, or spirituality that attempts to control, shame, swindle, or otherwise do violence towards or take advantage of another human being. Unfortunately, there will always be this possibility within religion, politics, or any other venue where an elite hold power over a vulnerable population. This can include:
- Spiritual groups led by unqualified individuals with big egos who use gaslighting, spiritual bypassing, and codependency to fuel their narcissism and fill their pockets
- Deceptive psychics charging large sums of money for ambiguous commentary while praying upon grief, uncertainty, and desperation
- Parents who believe they are teaching their young children “right” by convincing them any number of normal human experiences are ample reason for their soul to burn in a flaming pit for eternity
- Governmental systems that utilize propaganda to manipulate beliefs and behavior amongst their populations
These are all toxic sources of shame, patriarchy, and collective trauma that must be healed.
It is my wish we can all find beliefs and practices that fulfill us and bring us closer together, and that we take responsibility for our own health and safety and for our relationships with fellow humans.
