WARNING

I believe there are moments when we think about life’s purpose and whether our religious and societal certainties provide us with meaningful answers. If that is true for you, then I would like to offer a “warning.”

It was once suggested that if I were to investigate life’s purpose I would need to explore a number of unconventional topics. I would first have to adapt to a role similar to an Anthropologist and become genuinely curious and open-minded about unusual and unforeseen matters.

Secondarily, I was encouraged to avoid any perceived personal confusion regarding my intent. To do so, I would need to place all my cards on the table right at the start. Examining mystifying worlds would certainly present challenging outcomes. In many respects, I was sure to encounter moments where historical thoughts would clash with life’s natural occurrences to create unfamiliar thinking.

This contrast of spiritual reasoning is why my blog began with the odd position of a “warning.” It is my belief that capturing and sharing details about topics that are embedded in complex religious dogma, and strongly held communal beliefs are risky. Having previously written several unconventional spiritual memoirs, I know this to be true.

Many transcendent books, including my own, consciously push the boundaries of our imagination and intellect. Often, we find ourselves confronted with tightly defined opinions about how we are to be in our current lives and what our spirits hold after passing.

Spiritual pioneers who journey into a world occupied by souls are liable to crash into unfamiliar territories. They will encounter periods when their historical and religious viewpoints are painstakingly dissected. They develop beliefs around the meaning of life, death and the connection with others. Challenges, confusion and chaos can be evoked. I have suffered many of those moments during my personal journeys, and you presumably will with your own.

Choosing to examine spiritual adventures uncover events that cannot be explained with logic or science. To make things more complicated, when confronted by upsetting moments, humanity has always encouraged us to search beyond our sheltered limits. As a result many individuals retreat to safe harbors. Some seek answers by exploring sacred scriptures. Others find reassurance through meditation or comfort in philosophical debates. Regardless of the path taken, most of us are likely to be left wondering: Is this just the way things are meant to be understood?

To avoid this setback, answer one simple question: Can you investigate alternative ideas without ignorance, want or aversion? If you cannot, a serious thought-provoking spiritual adventure is not for you.

Non-conforming worldly investigations are not easy. Personal angst is guaranteed. However, if you are adventurous, take a moment and imagine that thoughtful awareness is not a threatening state to what you believe. It protects your most sacred dogmatic certainties, while surveying otherworldly possibilities. Moreover, you may start to imagine the unanticipated opportunities in life when we get to marvel at the idea of human existence, while questions surface. If you are truly fortunate, you may experience one of life’s rare gifts, a time that you confront your Book of Life. In those moments, you become aware of those contents which you privately and quietly crafted.

Understanding our human condition endlessly encompasses hope, belief, and faith. It is demanding, exhausting, and mixed with opposition. To feel completely comfortable in our deeply held spiritual beliefs is a challenge. That is why I offer this “warning.“