Yvette Montoya, Pop Sugar/MSN, 10/25/22; Crystal Quintero, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly  |
| Why is a wise woman still called a "witch"? Why does female wisdom threaten patriarchs? |
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| Bruja is Spanish for "witch" but can mean healer or curandera (© Pexels/RF._.studio) |
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A Latina Bruja's Guide to the Difference Between Being Spiritual and Religious |
| A religion is soon a prison if we're not careful |
If one searches the term "spirituality," a combination of Buddhist and Christian images will pop up along with woo-woo stuff about crystals and chakras (energy centers of the body in yoga).
But Buddhism and Christianity are religions, so what's up? As someone who identifies as both religious and spiritual, I've had to learn the basics of what is required of me to occupy both realms -- because it's totally possible to be both. But we need to know what the parameters are.
Being an initiate of a closed religion was what opened the doors of my spirituality because it was something that was already assumed to be a part of my life even though I had never even considered it.
My journey into discovering those parts of myself felt strange but eventually guided me to my current practice, which is a combination of religion,
Espiritismo ("Spiritualism"), spiritual hygiene, energy healing, and ancestral worship.
There is a misconception that spirituality is just an open-ended hodgepodge of various practices, which is usually informed by the erroneous belief that everything is up for grabs.
It's important for us to know the difference between religion and spirituality because too often that confusion causes people to take from belief systems [like a smorgasbord] in a way that is not respectful.
So what's the difference between spirituality and religiosity?
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| What can one be in the world when one was born a freaking unicorn? (popcornews.com) |
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| Buddhist Goddess of Compassion Kwan Yin (Guanyin) |
Spirituality is in all of us; we are spirit [
prana, breath, immaterial animating force], and we are the physical body [animated matter]. We are all inherently spiritual, although some of us are more sensitive to energies than others.
Saying we're "spiritual" has become a way to express that we're in touch with or seeking a meaningful connection with ourselves [beyond our physical self, ego, and personality] and the world around us, usually culminating in the belief in some type of nondenominational higher power.
It looks different for everyone and can be an eclectic combination of beliefs and practices that resonate with us generally having to do with mindfulness, empathy, compassion, and an understanding of the connection [oneness, interconnection, or interdependence] of all things.
Spirituality is a practice that is unique to the individual and does not adhere to a specific doctrine....
So, what's the problem?
In both instances, human beings are looking for what they feel will bring their life more meaning or put them in alignment with their "purpose" in a way that brings them comfort and peace [and fulfillment].
The issue arises when spirituality appropriates religion in a way that is not respectful. For instance, many spiritual people want to make altars to the goddess Oshun, who is a Yoruba deity associated with Vodun,
Santeria, Ifa,
Candomble, which are all closed practices.
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| I'm head over heels for spirituality (Seane Corn). |
One can't just work with every deity, and it's troublesome that people feel entitled to. We can make an altar all we want, but unless we've been called, recognized, initiated, and have received her -- we're really just making an art installation.
That doesn't stop people from claiming to work with Oshun or claiming to be a child of hers.
Yoga (an
eightfold practice) and meditation (
samadhi) have also surreptitiously been absorbed into "spirituality."
In reality, those are two major components of the old Vedic religion (now called Hinduism), a 5,000-year-old tradition. Their purpose is transcending the body and mind to connect to
the ultimate (
Brahman), not doing poses for "exercise" and "wellness."
Yoga poses and stillness meditation alone are incomplete. The sacred Om symbol (which represents the sound of the universe) has been appropriated so badly that people don't even know where it comes from.
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