This post is inspired by a sermon of the same title. It was originally presented by Rev. Christine Robinson of the First Unitarian Church of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and revisited at First Unitarian Universalist Church of Springfield, MO
Regardless of what you believe, or don’t. Do you feel you are a summer or winter spirit?
Are you fiery in you convictions. Do you feel you are in direct contact with divinity? “Praise God”, “Bless you”, “Everything is wonderful”.
Or
Are you more reflective? Perhaps you sense the divine in everything, but somehow feel apart from it.
Many of us come from a Christian background, which in every breath promotes the idea that Summer Spirituality is the only “real spirituality”. That if you’re not in direct contact with God, you’re not doing something right.
I call this type of religion revelation experience, instead of common. While I do believe there are those who are “connected”, I think they are far fewer than the church would have one believe. It seems to go back to dogma; Keeping the members down on themselves ensures their return.
Martin Marty says that: “These spiritual styles are modes of being whatever you are: Christian, Buddhist, etc…. They are completely independent of theology.”
Pshchologist William James put it this way: “each person has an innate psychological type that tends toward a wintery or summery style.”
He believed in “once borns” and “twice borns.” Once borns were people who are naturally in touch with God, while twice borns are those who don’t naturally feel God’s presence in their lives but sometimes have fleeting mystical experiences that can change their lives.
I tend more toward the Wintery type. In truth I feel very confused about spirituality most days. To me everything is so interconnected. From taking care of the planet to how we communicate, to what we value. How can we separate the mundane from the sacred? If we don’t separate them, do we risk devaluing them or making ourselves hypersensitive?
If I were forced to pigeonhole my beliefs, I’d have say my spirituality is pagan. I feel most spiritual (ecstatic) and “connected” when I am in nature. I don’t get to spend near enough time there and so it takes me more time to reconnect when I am, but when I do!!!. I haven’t done a lot of solitary work but I can tell the connection is there even if I’m just sitting and contemplating. When I am in an environment like Witchcamp.. that’s when I can feel the energy and everything comes alive..
Theologically I’d say Unitarian Universalism comes closest to my beliefs. While I realize that the principals aren’t unique to UU, it feels more real to me. It seems there is an openness for congregation participation and input that I’ve never found in a church. I feel this is very important because without it we’re just nodding our head to someone else's ideas, not really thinking, not defining our experience, learning or expanding our ideas. All of which, I feel are important things if we plan to improve how we interact.
I have had my moments of inspiration, which is what keeps me on the path. Those moments are awesome. But one must not get too caught up in the adrenline rush, waiting for the next “fix”. It is the mundane that keeps us grounded. Doing the mundane work is like eating dinner, it keeps us nourished so we can continue. Moments of inspiration are like dessert, everyone wants more but if we over-indulge we risk filling up, leaving no room for “dinner”. We all need balance; It’s our endeavor to find what works for us.
