i'm not sure if "irony" is the correct word to use, however, i am noting here and now i find it "ironic" that --while my main lecture class is based in philsophy/religion of asia, i personally have not attended a church service since early november. having grown up in a very spiritually active family, i find the lack of a spiritual anchor unsettling. that being said, i simply can not find a church home/tradition where i feel i am growing/being nurtured spiritually.
my family background is middle-ground-to-conservative protestant. i left the denomination i grew up in for a more liberal/open minded one (i.e. ordains women, acknowledges other religious truths, welcomes persons of ALL backgrounds- not just the ones they are comfortable with). i feel great affinity to judaism. i enjoy buddhism. i am madly in love with the moon and wish fervently for open acknowledgment of the goddess.
so i haven't been to church.
today--for those of you familiar with the Christian liturgical year-- is ash wednesday, the beginning of the lenten season. lent has always been special for me. it's quite honestly my favorite part of the church year ( some blame my upbringing and their penchant for embracing guilt/sorrow/misery/mourning). i ached to find an ash wednesday service i could attend between my volunteering and class. apparently lent's not a huge deal around these parts unless you're catholic.
finally i found an episcopal cathedral open to the public for prayer/contemplation, etc. i walked their labyrinth. i lit a candle to st. mary magdalene and prayed for the women in my life. i sat in the pew, gazed at the magnificence and read the ash wednesday liturgy to myself.
i walked away a little bit more grounded.
2 comments:
You're quite fortunate in that you have another week to plan for Ash Wednesday. Turns out that it's a week from today, on the 17th. I'm sure you can find an Episcopal Church that's having a service that day. We're very liberal.
really? my day planner told me it was the 10th as well as the episcopal cathedral i ended up walking around at (their services were at 7:00 am and noon). hmmmmm i will look around then--
also, i defected to UMC awhile ago, but the church i've been attending has decided they like projectors and praise songs from my high school years. yup.
also also weird, PSR is right up the street from me, so you'd *THINK* there'd be an abundance of liberal Christian churches in the area but alas, no such luck. i could have my choice between the zen center, thai buddhist temple and multiple synagogues....
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