Sharing Our Spiritual Selves

With each passing year of life, and as we consciously contemplate our mortality, we find ourselves devoting more energy to exploring and connecting with our spiritual selves. At this time of year, we are particularly immersed in Passover (Reena) and Easter (Michelle) traditions.

We offer up this wee Q+A as a way to spark you to reflect upon your spiritual life and the soul-food that nourishes you.

What’s your spiritual tradition?

Michelle: I’m a cradle Catholic who left the Church in my teens. After twenty-plus years of spiritual seeking and shopping, I returned to the Church in my late thirties. I regularly attend Catholic mass and, at the same time, find myself spiritually at home in a local United Church community.

Reena: I was born and raised in a secular Jewish family. Although we never went to synagogue, I attended secular-Jewish elementary and high school. I began exploring Jewish spirituality as a young adult, and now call Jewish Renewal my spiritual home. I also dabble in Buddhism and Hinduism.

What’s your soul food?

Reena: Singing, chanting, and music from any spiritual tradition. I feel like I’m becoming more and more spiritually promiscuous! Books on my night table include Wild Mercy: Living the Fierce and Tender Wisdom of the Women Mystics by Mirabai Starr and The Essential Kabbalah by Daniel C. Matt.

Michelle: Daily meditation emails from Fr. Richard Rohr (Founder, Center for Action and Contemplation) help guide me in my morning prayer ritual. Books I want to read include Beloved by Henri Nouwen and The Meaning of Mary Magdalene: Discovering the Woman at the Heart of Christianity by Cynthia Bourgeault.

What’s one gem from the spring holy days (or holidays) of your spiritual life that stirs you?

Michelle: In his April 12 daily meditation email, Fr. Richard Rohr shares Rev. Cynthia Bourgeault’s reflections, “… the real domain of the Paschal Mystery is not dying but dying-to-self. It serves as the archetype for all of our personal experiences of dying and rising to new life … reminding us that it is not only possible but imperative to fall through fear into love because that is the only way we will ever truly know what it means to be alive.”

Reena: At its core, Passover is about giving birth to freedom. This year I’ll be focusing on freeing myself from my ego and fear, and transitioning to a conscious, authentic, non-dual way of being in the world.

With love and light,
Michelle + Reena

What about you?

Which spring traditions are meaningful to you?

What nourishes your spiritual life?