“Religion is [can be] a defense against the experience of God.” C. G. Jung
A dear friend invited me this week-end to participate in a special brunch to celebrate Bright Week. Bright Week, or “Renewal Week,” is a tradition observed by many Eastern Orthodox Christians to commemorate the seven days following the resurrection of Christ. The entire week is considered to be one really long day, with each day being labeled “Bright,” such as Bright Monday, Bright Tuesday, etc.
I like the concept of bright days.
Brunch was initiated with several prayers, chants and even a didgeridoo performance. Attention was offered to intention, not dogma or liturgical correctness. It was beautiful and I felt honored to be included.
As I sat and enjoyed the mindful discussion and dialogue that guests engaged in throughout the afternoon, one thought persistently pierced my awareness:
At what point does religion serve as a springboard for a person to plunge into their own unique experience of the Transcendent and likewise, where is the point at which religion serves as a distraction from that personal encounter?
As a former practitioner of an orthodox religion I know for myself the experience of maintaining the dogma, rituals and rules was a very important practice. For one thing, I learned a great deal about myself and how I resist rules! However, I also learned how much easier life can be once one consciously follows a set of rules and the magical space it can create for spontaneous spiritual experiences to occur at the interface between the unconscious and transcendent realms.
I found that adhering to specific, organized, physical parameters seemed to create a greater platform for metaphysical moments.
That’s a bright thought in my good book.
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Jeffrey Sumber is changing the world, one relationship at a time. For over two decades, Jeffrey has worked to understand the human experience from as many angles as possible. As a successful psychotherapist, marriage counselor, and life coach, Jeffrey has worked with thousands of clients who strive to live their best lives.
Hi,
Great blog. very interesting. Keep it up.
Thanks Alice! Have a beautiful day.
So, I am going to have to look into Bright Week. You have peaked my interest.
In my opinion (and I do hope this helps) there is a clear difference between religion and spirituality. I know many people who are religious and spend their days breaking the very rules they set up. I also know many people who are spiritual and understand that the way to God and their own personal belief systems are much like water.
Water adapts to it’s environment. Depending on the situation it can be contained in a glass and it will (without complaint) adhere to that shape. Try putting a Tsunami inside a glass however, and you get very different results.
I feel that instead of concrete rules we should have understandings and understand consequences of actions. This is where responsibilities for others comes in to play. One chooses to lead a spiritually fulfilling life because one looks for the ability to make others lives better and in doing so, you make your own life better. To do this, you must be able to adapt to your environment and the environment of others …just like water.
Religion does not and can not do this. It is based on concrete rules that can not and will not change.