Our experiences shape traditions

How will you celebrate this season of holiness, dear readers? Drop me a line – I would really like to know for there are many traditions in our community and beyond. So much to celebrate. So much to share. So much to learn. So much to rejoice in.

I think it's safe to say that there is much common ground among us and many candles to be lit with many intentions. No matter the faith, holy writings, sacred traditions and our personal experiences all contribute to our spiritual health and wholeness. They also contribute to our sense of unity and joy – especially during this season.

While many belief systems focus on tradition and scriptures, it seems to me that it is the addition of our personal experiences – so important to the mystics – that complete the equation and fill the space within us. Like a warm blanket, they wrap us up in sacredness and keep us cozy.

While the traditions of our history and the inspired writings of the Masters are an essential part of our faiths, without personal experiences of the holy, born of investment and openness, we may have guidance but we are not transformed. We do not evolve. There is no growth. All of the authors of those holy words, all of the traditions that we honor and keep in our hearts and our homes, were birthed because of the personal.

Now, the personal does not exclude the resources of our traditions. Rather, it enhances our own inner journey – it extends an invitation to the space within. The Space for Grace.

Our meditation, our prayers, our chants, our time in nature are all meant to draw us inward, closer to our Source. They are not simply pleas during tough times or rules to live by guided by fear. We must go beyond the guilt, beyond the “I wants/I needs” that we are taught as children.

Why should the personal experiences of others – as glorious as they may be – serve as our only teachers, exclusive of our own? Where is the place for our experience in the realm of spiritual evolution? Those experiences can be provocative; they add value and growth, not simply for ourselves, but for those who will follow. We are storytellers also.

So, this season, I invite you to sit in your holy time, listen deeply, read the stories, practice the traditions and rituals, and then pause. Wait. Listen again.

The Divine has something special just for you to fill that space within. May this holy season wrap you in the sometimes uncomfortable blanket of growth, sometimes itchy, but always warming your heart in new ways.

I wish you great joy! Celebrate everything!

The Reverend Dr. Deborah Darlington celebrates the sacred seasons with people of all traditions and beliefs. She can be reached at GraceMatters@TheSpaceForGrace.com for inspirational speaking, sacred ceremonies and, of course, a cup of cheer!