Spiritual Recovery

So many of the people I meet have been spiritually abused.

They grew up in churches where limits were placed on the unlimited love of God. Early on, they were taught that holiness was a matter of measuring up, of living by (or pretending to live by) a strict and arbitrary set of rules.

Their spiritual leaders viewed the world in terms of black and white. These teachers claimed to have faith in an infinite and loving God, but all too often, their faith was really in their own suitability to speak and act on God's behalf. Any question was characterized as rebellion.

This fierce approach to doctrine leads people to act against the counsel of their own souls. Parents disown children. Families are broken. Bright spirits are dimmed -- all in the name of God.

I know these things first-hand. I grew up loving God and the mysteries of faith, but a hard-line fundamentalist approach to spirituality quickly beat that love out of me. As a adult, I knew that the ill-informed faith I'd inherited made no sense in light of my own experience. Angry and bitter, I embraced a cool and sterile atheism.

But even after placing my faith in faithlessness, I could feel, deep in my spirit, a call to something more On a subconscious level, I recognized there was more to the world than was apparent ... a pattern or design that transcended the accidental. But since I had stripped myself of spirituality, I had no language with which to address my spiritual needs.

Eventually, my work with and study of Tarot would reawaken my spirit. Relearning the myths, seeing the parallels between the spiritual stories of dozens of cultures, and understanding how these provide a lens for understanding life allowed me to build my own spirituality, step by step.

My work with the Tarot has been part of a years-long healing process: a renaissance of the spirit that has given me the courage to explore an adult relationship with God -- and with all the vast energies and ideas and perspectives that the name "God" implies.

Today, why not take a moment to feed your spirit? Shuffle the deck. Draw a card. Ask a deceptively simple question: "What spiritual lesson should I focus on today?"

Spend just ten minutes reflecting on the meaning of the card you're given. Write a poem. Meditate. Draw the card's image in a sketchbook. Translate the meanings you receive into actions you can take today.

The Ten of Cups might motivate you to re-establish ties with forgotten family members. The Eight of Wands might encourage you to make a list of changes you need to make. The Two of Swords might call your attention to an important decision -- one that you need to make right now, today.

Exercises like this one can heal the heart, leading you to set aside the limited faith you've outgrown, and helping you embrace a living faith that you can discover and explore for yourself every day.