A Touchy Subject

I am about to address a topic that both fascinates and frightens many people, especially in light of how popular it's becoming. At least two well-known Hollywood couples have embraced its tenets and I have a friend who has subscribed to this fledgling religion's ideas for around 20-odd years.

Its creator? The famous/infamous sci-fi fiction writer, the late L. Ron Hubbard.

Yup. Scientology.

In the interest of exploration and balanced, healthy skepticism, I plan to make an attempt at a scientific, albeit contemplative study of this as yet controversial path and report my thoughts. The postings will be weekly as I have other things--such as my own Druidic path (a path, which, I have felt deeply to be the path for me)--to work with. But because I profess Druidry--a highly scholarship-oriented path--it would be ignorant of me to not study other people's religions. I believe in learning to understand other people and therefore be balanced in my thinking. Besides,
those who are researching Scientology for themselves can read my blog and get their proverbial 2nd, 3rd or even 4th opinion to help them decide.

This will be the first in a series of educational and informative posts about various paths that are misunderstood by most people.

Keep in mind always that I do make honest attempts at being fair and balanced, and I have no intention of promoting one path over another in this new endeavor on which I am about to embark.

Blessings,
Rev. Kat ^.^

Summary Of Spirituality News

Hi everyone! Welcome back…Here’s a spirituality news summary, and my thoughts on each blurb, to whet your whistle while I finish up this year’s plans for this blog.

1) Edition #2 of “Spirituality for Dummies” is released to critical acclaim and includes new material about the creation, tips for finding your own path, and using popular manifestation techniques responsibly. Author is Sharon Janis, who studied in an ashram for 10 years before becoming a famous Hollywood director. There is also a CD that includes all kinds of moving spiritual music, from Jewish prayers, to Gregorian chant, to Buddhist texts, Hindu chants and gospel music, all sung by the author and other artists.

MY THOUGHTS: While I’m fairly solid on my own spiritual path, I am tempted to pick up this book just for the usual “For Dummies” humor, and I am eager to see what happens when an author combines ashram experience and experience as a Hollywood director, especially since I’ve seen the good messages that have come out of mixing mysticism and the music business—the Beatles and YES are two shining examples that come to mind in that arena at least.

2) 2 Fort Collins, CO churches take the opportunity to address sex and spirituality. Schools ordinarily discuss “the plumbing,” but these two Colorado churches address how to use “the plumbing” with respect. Plymouth Congregational church addresses the topic of sex and spirituality with a wholistic point of view, even going beyond the call of parochial duty to invite members of the GLBT community to talk with the young folks about sexual orientation. The message from Plymouth also entails not so much about “sex after marriage,” like most churches teach, but rather about sex in a healthy, safe and loving relationship; no coercion, but compassion and respect. Timberline Church, however, is a bit more conservative and Youth Pastor Jason Veliquette continues the conservative “party line” of sex only after marriage, still claiming that “it’s God’s plan.” He didn’t seem to mention anything about homosexuality, and other orientation issues, but really pounded home the sex after marriage thing.

MY THOUGHTS: A Carrot to Plymouth Congregational for being so open and accepting about all aspects of sexuality, especially regarding the GLBT community. I have to give a Stick, however to Jason V. and the Timberline church for still continuing the “party line” about sex and relationships. These kids need more than just old-guard rhetoric. Continuing to preach at youth isn’t going to do much good if you want to give them solid reasons to say no to sex when they’re not ready. Give them the choice to wait for marriage or not but also arm them with acceptance and love as well as information. Let them learn from their mistakes. And when they do make mistakes, embrace them and bend over backwards to help them get back on their feet. But never once condemn them, for they can sense your condemnation and they will take it to heart and totally skip the spirituality thing altogether.

3) Is Faith in a Higher Power Due to Genetics? Dr. Harold Koenig suggests that the answer might lean toward the affirmative, saying that you can see a spiritual experience in a brain scan by the way certain parts light up. The parts that go dark, conversely, are the parts that tell you where you are and what time it is. Two genes, called VMAT2 and DRD4 are responsible for helping the spirituality-oriented feel-good chemicals go through the brain and experiencing the ability to get lost in the moment.

Koenig also suggests that these genes are also reputedly responsible for certain emotional sensitivities in people, allowing them to pick up certain things easier than others. But ultimately, it comes down to how people perceive religious or spiritual experiences. One person who has faith but isn’t all that emotionally perceptive experiences certain spiritual things in a different way than say someone who is at the least borderline psychic, if not a full-blown Sensitive. But how do these findings sit with the established church community? One minister, Rev. Dr H. William Green says there is more to spiritual experiences than what science has currently revealed, though he does believe science and spirituality can work together. Dr. Keith Meador, co-director for the Duke Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health, concurs. Meador believes that the concept of the God Gene is too simplified to explain away humankind’s desire to seek a Higher Power.

MY THOUGHTS: As a mystic and spiritual person with a father who is also something of a mystic himself can, with or without a brain scan or genetic testing, attest to the deeper revelation of Truth within Dr. Koenig’s results and conclusions. I can tell when I am getting lost in what Eckhart Tolle calls The Power of Now, especially when I am listening to my favorite music or doing anything involving the ceremonies and rituals I perform that are centered around my personal path.

However, I also agree with the Drs. Green and Meador that it is always up to the individual how they experience something religious or spiritual, regardless of their genetics. For example, I am somewhat Sensitive, but I am not to the level of say, Sylvia Browne or John Edward, so my experiences of the Divine Essence are going to be different than theirs. That is not to say that I or anyone else couldn’t work at increasing our respective levels of emotional and psychic sensitivity.

More to come later…

BB,
Rev. Kat ^.^