Spiritual Longing

In today’s episode, we’re talking about spiritual longing: longing for connection to God, to mystery, to something greater than our individual selves. We explore some of the obstacles and questions that arise around spirituality: Do I need belief to be spiritual? Is my partner wrong for me if I’m on a spiritual path and they’re not? How do I pray when I’m afraid of what God might ask me to do?

Victoria shares some of her history with spirituality and religion, including the legacy of her almost-monk grandfather, and a journey that includes Veggie Tales and CCD, desire and despair, writing poetry and e-mailing her ex-boyfriend from a silent retreat at an abbey. 

Sheryl shares a poem that expresses her conception of the divine: not an external being that judges and punishes, but a warm and intimate relationship based in reciprocity, realness, and presence. 

References:

• Veggie Tales
• Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
• Richard Rohr
• Blog post by Sheryl: Living God’s Will
• Jewish with Feeling by Reb Zalman
• God of Love by Mirabai Starr
• Mary Oliver
• Rumi
• The Power of Ritual by Casper ter Kuile
• Harry Potter and the Sacred Text podcast