An Interspiritual Path Involves Much Commitment and Discipline

"Too often [the interspiritual path outside traditions] has been dismissed as being selfish, flaky, a spiritual Esperanto [artificially constructed language], or arising out of an inability to commit. Sadly, these are greatly mistaken notions. As we have been strenuous in insisting, this path is founded on commitment. It is about fidelity to the inner impulse that arises within one, and courage to commit to it with all of one's being. It is a shift from reliance on gurus or dogmas or institutions, as helpful (and harmful) as they can be, to the depths of one's own guiding light. Beverly Lanzetta is one of the foremost articulators of the divine authenticity of this emerging spiritual impulse. She says:

'"In naming it 'revelatory,' my intention is to emphasize that this multi-religious spiritual focus emerges as a faith experience of the utmost seriousness that compels each person. It is born of prayers and tears. It is not a superficial entertainment or a naive belief. Thus global spirituality is not a personal construction but an inflow from the divine, a re-vealing of a new way of being religious. It is a faith experience, a call from God, to become more loving, to become more holy."

"We ask for our traditions and elders to recognize this impulse as genuine, to help authenticate it as nothing less than the breath of the Holy Spirit blowing once again upon the waters of humankind. They must open their eyes to what is happening. Once they do, they can bathe in it, give birth to it, participate in it. If they refuse this grace, closing in upon themselves in fear of that which is new, they may tragically become increasingly isolated from the next generation. While yearning to become a catalyst for the blossoming of the human family, they may instead become an impediment.

"For those who feel that a mixing of divergent spiritual practices can only result in confusion, discord, and spiritual abeyance, we emphatically affirm that the 'mixing' on this path is woven under a Wisdom greater than ourselves, one which was there when the Divine 'drew a circle on the face of the deep,' who knows 'what is truly God's,' and whose primary manifestation is of harmony . . . This path does not invoke the freedom and guidance of the Spirit for the sake of freedom itself - it has a purpose. It is the newest yet most ancient way, as it lies at the origin of all our wisdom traditions."

"The New Monasticism: An Interspiritual Manifesto for Contemplative Living," by Rory McEntee and Adam Bucko

Photos: Vedauwoo (WY), Rocky Mountain National Park (CO), and The Poudre River (CO), January, 2016

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