My Personal Beliefs & Spirituality

Many people seem surprised that as a practising witch I should promote the rosary so I thought I'd write a little article to cover the basics of my personal beliefs and spirituality... 

I enjoy a number of traditionally 'Catholic' devotions (the Rosary of Our Lady and the Divine Mercy in particular), though I am not a member of any organized religion.  However, I do consider myself a 'Christian' in as much as I endeavour to follow the spirit of Christ's teachings.

I also work shamanically in the Ancient Norse Traditions of Seidr and Galdr, and with ritual, spellcrafting, dance and meditation as part of my personal spiritual development work.  I particularly enjoy mantra meditation (japa) too and recommend this practice very highly!  If you want to know more about japa and mantra meditation, I recommend looking up the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) and finding out about the 'maha mantra'.

My personal experience has lead me to conclude that often organised religion lacks spirituality...and sometimes spirituality can be incomplete and lacking in context and substance without 'religion' (by 'religion' I mean the putting of spiritual ideals and beliefs into action); so I feel both can be separate, but both are important to human fulfilment and wholeness.

I also believe that God/Spirit (whatever name you call him/her/it by) empowers ALL people to make choices, evolve spiritually and morally and to express their truth. 

Because I feel that people should be in the 'driving seat' of their lives and should be empowered, that sets me at odds with a number of 'organised' religions!  However, my belief that religion (putting 'truth' into action) is vital to human development sets me at odds with some 'new age' circles where eclecticism has been taken to such an extreme as to provide no 'context' for development and expression of 'truth'!  So I guess I'm somewhere in the middle! 

I found that the Universal Life Church was a place that really supported my position and also helped me in my development.  So since 2004 I have been a member and ordained Minister (of Sacred Light) in the (non-denominational) Universal Life Church. I would like to quote from their home page here as I think their philosophy coincides so well with my own and with the spirit of Mayastar too!

In existence since 1959, the Universal Life Church is headquartered in Modesto, California, and has congregations around the world. The sun never sets on the Universal Life Church. ULC ministers come from all walks of life and spiritual traditions. Our common thread is our adherence to the universal doctrine of religious freedom:

"Do only that which is right".

Every person has the natural right (and the responsibility) to peacefully determine what is right. We are advocates of religious freedom.

The Universal Life Church wants you to pursue your spiritual beliefs without interference from any outside agency, including government or church authority.

For more information about The Universal Life Church and what it stands for, please follow this link...

To summarise my own beliefs, I would like to quote Guru Nanak (the founder of the Sikh religion) and George Fox (the founder of the Quakers):

“There is but One God. His name is Truth. He is the Creator. He fears none. He is without hate. He never dies. He is beyond the cycle of births and death. He is self illuminated. He is realized by the kindness of the True Guru. He was True in the beginning. He was True when the ages commenced and has ever been True. He is also True now.” (Guru Nanak)

 

"Realisation of Truth is higher than all else. Higher still is truthful living." (Guru Nanak)

“Be patterns, be examples in all countries, places, islands, nations wherever you come; that your carriage and life may preach among all sorts of people, and to them; then you will come to walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in everyone; whereby in them you may be a blessing, and make the witness of God in them to bless you.” (George Fox)

 

 “The Lord showed me, so that I did see clearly, that he did not dwell in these temples which men had commanded and set up, but in people's hearts; his people were his temple, and he dwelt in them.” (George Fox)

And a little inspiration from the ancient Greek Poet Pindar:

"Single is the race; single of men and of gods; from a single mother we both draw breath. But a difference of power in everything keeps us apart. Yet we can in greatness of mind or of the body be like the immortals; though we know not to what goal fate has written that we shall run."

From God, through Neale Donald Walsch:

"Live authentically. Live your truth. And if you love me for anything, love me because I live mine."

 

"You were created to create - not to react. Creation is the highest form of Divinity, and your birthright. Truth is, you are creating all the time. The central question in your life is whether you are doing this consciously or unconsciously. Conscious creation is what is needed now. Stop moping. And stop thinking negative thoughts. Just get on with it! Tomorrow awaits your choice as to how its going to be. Call the shots! Make it happen! You're in charge here." (God, through Neale Donald Walsch)

 

" Every human being is as special as every other human being who has ever lived, lives now, or every will live. You are all messengers. Every one of you. You are carrying a message to life about life every day. Every hour. Every moment. Everything you think, say, and do is a message. Your whole life is your teaching. If you thought that others, tomorrow, would walk in the path that you have taken today, would you take the same path?

You may think that people do not look to you, but they do. More people than you know. Everyone, in fact whose life you touch is touched by your example. You are giving them data about life. You are telling them how it is, how things operate, how things are, and they will emulate you, they will copy you, they will take your data into their world and make it part of their own lives.

Your family will do this. All people, family or not, who see you and know of you and are touched by you, will do this.

Your neighbours will do this. Your nation will do this. You are the nation. The nation is made up of you. You are your religion. Your religion is made up of you.

Everything starts with you.
 

You are the first domino. All the rest of the dominoes fall when you do. What you "fall for" is what they'll fall for! Therefore, don't fall for anything...but, rather, fall in.
 

Fall in step with your highest self, for your highest self steps on the Path. Fall in line with your grandest thoughts, for your grandest thoughts lead you to that Path. Fall in love, for love is that Path. Then, watch things fall into place, all because of you."

 

"There are five things you can choose now if changing your world, and the self-destructive direction in which it is moving, is what you wish to achieve.

1. You can choose to acknowledge that some of your old beliefs about God and about Life are no longer working.
2. You can choose to acknowledge that there is something you do not understand about God and about Life, the understanding of which will change everything.
3. You can choose to be willing for a new understanding of God and Life to now be brought forth, and understanding that could produce a new way of life on your planer.
4. You can choose to be courageous enough to explore and examine the new understanding, and if it aligns with your inner truth and knowing, to enlarge your belief system to include it.
5. You can choose to live your lives as demonstrations of your highest and grandest beliefs, rather than as denials of them.

These are the Five Steps to Peace, and if you take them, you can shift everything on your planet."

I think that summarises my personal beliefs very well!  I hope you find this article inspirational! X

Maya X