In my talking about spirituality, it is important to know that, for me, spirituality is not necessarily the same thing as religion. Spirituality has to do with Connection: Connection to our True Selves, Connection to other human beings, Connection to all creation, and Connection to the Divine. Religion has to do with our beliefs about what this Connection is all about and how we go about practicing it.

A metaphor, that helps me, is to think of spirituality as the drinking of life giving water, one of the most basic requirements of life. Religion, on the other hand, is the vessel we use to drink. Some of us drink from gem encrusted goblets of silver and gold, while others of us drink from simple wooden bowls. Some may drink without vessels, they may lap like dogs from the edge of the great fresh water ocean of life with a primitive unformed spirituality or they may be great mystics who live deep in the fresh water ocean like the great whales, able to plummet the Divine depths shaming us meek creatures who dwell on land. Some may have dry, dusty, empty vessels handed down to them from previous generations and these folk might be more interested in fighting each other over whose vessel is better rather than actually finding the ocean of life so they may drink. Most of us, however, find it helpful as we seek to drink to have a vessel and we may cherish the vessel even though our ultimate desire is simply to experience the drink.

I should point out that according to my definition of spirituality and religion that my metaphor of the previous paragraph is religious language because it is language about my beliefs about what Connection is all about and how to go about practicing it. According to my definition one can't talk about spirituality without talking religion. Many great mystics would agree and their advice is to not try to talk about it at all. But I am not a whale. I need a vessel to drink from. So in choosing to talk about spirituality I choose to use religious language. This means that I will speak from within a religious tradition, the one that to me seems to make the most sense in trying to understand what Connection is all about and the one that to me seems to be the most helpful in trying to practice Connection. The fact that I speak from within a certain religious tradition does not mean that I am saying that only those who share my tradition are able to practice Connection. Neither am I saying that other religious traditions, even ones quite diverse from mine, may not have additional insights for me.

My tradition is Christian, specifically mainstream Ecumenical Protestantism. In all things in which I speak I will speak from within this tradition. I hope that I can share some thoughts that will nourish and expand our spiritual lives. I do not intend to exclude those who live in other faith traditions but rather invite you to receive whatever gifts of insight you may from what to you is a diverse faith tradition. As they say in Alcoholics Anonymous, "Take what you can and leave the rest."

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