Continued from my examiner column . . . http://www.examiner.com/interfaith-spirituality-in-columbus/spirituality-and-broken-spiritEvents in our lives such as losses- jobs, financial position, love relationships, torn associations & affiliations, and death of loved ones can cause us to have a broken spirit. Culturally, poverty, accidents, homelessness, acrimonious divorce, natural disasters, bankruptcy, custody battles, lawsuits, substance abuse, alcoholism, physical abuse and neglect, and prejudice/racism result in ‘broken spirits’, a sense of defeat co-mingled with deep seated pain. Fractures in our religious and spiritual beliefs can also have this effect. In a body-mind-spirit approach, one has to consider the totality of impact on each being, and our interdependent collective being.
Dealing with disappointment, doubt and disillusionment from the behavior of religious figures or institutions can result in a ‘broken spirit’. (I'm sure you can think of plenty of examples.) Finding the whole religious–ritual experience to be a tedious obligation rather than an uplifting, spirit-building, healing and highly relevant hour or two that includes positive relationship building is also indicative of a ‘broken spirit’.
Many people hide this and pretend everything is okay until they face a crisis in meaning: ‘What’s it really all about?’ ‘Where is the meaning in my life?’ ‘What good am I anyway?’ ‘Who cares if I live or die?’ It’s easy in a desperate state to fall prey to cults, hucksters and false promises of charismatic people with little real spiritual substance and a whole lot of flash. This can later lead to a complete lack of faith and downright negative rejection of anyone and anything associated with any tradition, or a wholesale change of religion. Healing is about coming in touch with one’s soul, with who you really are, grasping what is authentic, and finding resilience for this moment.
The effects of a ‘broken spirit’ show up in declining membership in congregations that have experienced turmoil. Folks can and do just walk away. Many abandon childhood faith or parental faith traditions. In my chaplaincy internship sabbaticals with large trauma hospitals, I’d guess roughly 1/3 of the patient census had any active current affiliation with any religious institution.
In the face of physical illness, emotional and spiritual considerations are very real. A high percentage of patients had experienced a loss or other traumatic event within the previous year or two. For many, vague memories of religious stories or events simply did not offer enough to connect them with a vibrant living, intellectually meaningful faith or a heart-centered compassion building approach. Most did not meditate, though many did pray and consider themselves to have a belief in ‘God’. This is not unlike findings the large Pew Research surveys on religion reports.
Its important to realize we’re all on this life journey together. Maybe you feel like you’re in a lifeboat right now . . . but there is a captain and you’ve got a life-preserver, and you’re on your way to safety and home. It often helps to think symbolically through difficult times. Symbolism through color, art, collections, nature, movement, writing, music helps express deeply important meaning, non-verbally.
On my desk is a bright pink butterfly shaped box. Inside I keep the sayings from Yogi tea bags for a shot of instant inspiration. There are sea shells, a smooth stone to remind me of Dad from his hospice experience, a blue jay feather from the pergola covered with fragrant wisteria, rose petals from mom’s favorite colored roses, a tiny rubber horse my brother bought me the day we went for Chinese lunch, a last lunch together . . . nothing valuable and everything valuable because they’re great and meaningful memories. The important things in life usually aren’t monetary, consumer or status related.
Life contains difficult and painful memories and nostalgic and sweet memories. All are the stuff of meaning. All define and express what we’ve come through and who we are in a given moment. We hold the painful things like dark birds in our hands, and release them. Take a deep breath and watch them fly away. Though you see them in the tree, they no longer have the power to affect you as they did when you held them. You are whole, and valuable for who you are, where you are, and you’re going to be okay.
The effects of a ‘broken spirit’ show up in declining membership in congregations that have experienced turmoil. Folks can and do just walk away. Many abandon childhood faith or parental faith traditions. In my chaplaincy internship sabbaticals with large trauma hospitals, I’d guess roughly 1/3 of the patient census had any active current affiliation with any religious institution.
In the face of physical illness, emotional and spiritual considerations are very real. A high percentage of patients had experienced a loss or other traumatic event within the previous year or two. For many, vague memories of religious stories or events simply did not offer enough to connect them with a vibrant living, intellectually meaningful faith or a heart-centered compassion building approach. Most did not meditate, though many did pray and consider themselves to have a belief in ‘God’. This is not unlike findings the large Pew Research surveys on religion reports.
Its important to realize we’re all on this life journey together. Maybe you feel like you’re in a lifeboat right now . . . but there is a captain and you’ve got a life-preserver, and you’re on your way to safety and home. It often helps to think symbolically through difficult times. Symbolism through color, art, collections, nature, movement, writing, music helps express deeply important meaning, non-verbally.
On my desk is a bright pink butterfly shaped box. Inside I keep the sayings from Yogi tea bags for a shot of instant inspiration. There are sea shells, a smooth stone to remind me of Dad from his hospice experience, a blue jay feather from the pergola covered with fragrant wisteria, rose petals from mom’s favorite colored roses, a tiny rubber horse my brother bought me the day we went for Chinese lunch, a last lunch together . . . nothing valuable and everything valuable because they’re great and meaningful memories. The important things in life usually aren’t monetary, consumer or status related.
Life contains difficult and painful memories and nostalgic and sweet memories. All are the stuff of meaning. All define and express what we’ve come through and who we are in a given moment. We hold the painful things like dark birds in our hands, and release them. Take a deep breath and watch them fly away. Though you see them in the tree, they no longer have the power to affect you as they did when you held them. You are whole, and valuable for who you are, where you are, and you’re going to be okay.
This photo came out this way on its own of grieving dad who lost 2 sons. Note the 2 trees in the hole of light. Slightly accentuated with Photoshop. The Dad died of cancer within a few years of this photo.
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