Welcome to my new site. In these pages, I hope to explore my own spiritual genealogy, which means everything that has significantly influenced me spiritually, along with whatever reflections, connections, inspirations or archeological digs which may come along with this territory.
We all have a spiritual genealogy, and I invite you to share yours on these pages. Look for the word 'COMMENT' at the foot of each day's post, and share your spiritual genealogy too.
I would like to say, right at the outset, that I hope to apply some critical thinking to these spiritual influences, and these pages will not necessarily be full of sweet recitals of goodness and light. But there may be some of that. It's just that there are so many informative books available on these topics today, that our perspectives on spiritual traditions and on spiritual growth can undergo sea-changes right now. These changes are what interest me. I hope to quote from some of these books where appropriate, and I look forward to your responses.
I thought I'd list my spiritual influences, in a preliminary way at least, and in no special order of importance:
Christianity, especially Catholicism, (in which I was raised), theology, church history, 'heresies'
Monasticism, Ministry, Laity, Marriage & Family Life
Gnosticism, whose influence has come through the church, but also through literature and art, and through friends over the years
Hinduism & Buddhism - my seafaring father brought them to us
Poetry - which must stand as its own category in my spiritual world
Prayer & Meditation, techniques, sufi dancing, etcetera
Literature, Film, Music - in that order
Carl Jung - and associates - a very powerful influence in my thinking
Philosophy, Metaphysics - I was a philosophy undergraduate
Healing, Service
Nature - what an incredibly rich spiritual source!
People
Current Events
Science
Yes, there have been significant spiritual, life-changing influences coming from all these sources, and I look forward to sharing them in this blog.
BTW, Happy Holidays!
Dear Karen,
Thank you for this site titled, "Spiritual Genealogy". I loved your story about your Father....so rich....so beautiful!
My history, spiritually, was pretty much of a wasteland/desert. I was raised Presbyterian..a form of which was very sterile and still seems to be with my "family". The scene was in a little town in southern Pennsylvania near the Delaware border. My sisters and I attended Sunday School each Sunday...this was a time when my parents crawled back under the covers for their Sunday "date!" At holiday time we sang in the choir, burned candles, got up at dawn for Easter sunrise,etc.
In there somewhere I fell totally in love with Jesus and started to image him living in my closet. I would go in there and shut the door and cry and pray. Several times I saw a light in there and a feeling of relief would come over me that I was not alone.
Years later I found a genealogy chart in my mothers' belongings. In that chart it traced the Hebrew, Irish, Scottish background of my family. What happened to all that rich culture? Where did it go?
My family taught me names like "kike" (Jewish), "spic" (Spanish), "nigger" (Black..with maids and nannies included).
When I found that chart...and I still have it in my files under "Important Documents".. it was like a lightning bolt struck my heart! No wonder my grandparents and parents were so racist and white...they had a big secret to keep. And why? So many reasons come to mind with no real answers.
I only have my mother left now. I haven't gotten up enough nerve to ask her why...the conditioning was so intense. Maybe I never will ask but I hope so.
When I met Amma in 1987 I began to think of Her as my real Mother....the One who does not keep secrets and helps me to depend on the Truth. That Truth is Love. That's all, maybe, that I have to know. But there is curiosity about who I am. the history of that. Maybe someday.
For Now.
Saroja
Posted by: Saroja | January 22, 2005 at 02:51 PM