Spiritual Longing

<p class="p1">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?</p> <p class="p1">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. </p> <p class="p1">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. </p> <p class="p1">References:</p> <ul><li class="p1"><a href='https://www.veggietales.com/'>Veggie Tales</a></li> <li class="p1"><a href='https://milkweed.org/book/braiding-sweetgrass'>Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer</a> </li> <li class="p1"><a href='https://cac.org/about/richard-rohr/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAzMGNBhCyARIsANpUkzMnzQ6it4oujryx1RKUTzPaKNsLHw36YLDWtgjsgACyrFostATp0AIaArWMEALw_wcB'>Richard Rohr</a></li> <li class="p1">Blog post by Sheryl: <a href='https://conscious-transitions.com/living-gods-will/'>Living God’s Will</a></li> <li class="p1"><a href='https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/181879.Jewish_With_Feeling'>Jewish with Feeling by Reb Zalman </a></li> <li class="p1"><a href='https://www.mirabaistarr.com/copy-of-caravan-of-no-despair'>God of Love by Mirabai Starr</a></li> <li class="p1"><a href='https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/mary-oliver'>Mary Oliver</a></li> <li class="p1"><a href='https://www.rumi.org.uk/'>Rumi</a></li> <li class="p1"><a href='https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-power-of-ritual-casper-ter-kuile?variant=32894732140578'>The Power of Ritual by Casper ter Kuile </a></