Quite a daunting task, summing up a spiritual philosophy in a few words!  But I’ll give it a try, trusting that you’ll be patient with me, knowing full well that Spirit cannot be captured on a page.  Here goes...

                               

I think the name of my website accurately reflects the essence of my spirituality.  In-awe, indeed!  When I am living from my soul, I am in awe. Life seems to me a grand, mysterious experience--full of unknowns, contradictions, pain, joy, and a multitude of things I know are beyond my ability to fathom.  I believe awe and reverence are the appropriate attitudes to cultivate in the face of all that!

My spiritual experience has been varied and evolving.  I am of the ‘one mountain, many paths’ persuasion, which is helpful when working with folks who want to flesh out or deepen their own path rather than swallow one ready-made.  I do believe that an authentic spirituality cannot be a ‘one size fits all’ endeavor.  We each need to discover the unique expression of our own souls.

I do have some firm beliefs: that we are alive on this earth to become more conscious and more loving; that there is growth, possibility, and assistance always available, especially in the most painful moments of our lives; and that we each are charged with the responsibility to take the clay of our lives and craft a thing of beauty.  Other beliefs I entertain, but hold lightly and playfully, realizing my inability to understand any more than a hint of the vast workings of the cosmos--and I’m certain I’ll get even that small bit wrong!

I tend not to focus much on beliefs.  I’m reminded of something I heard Joseph Campbell say years ago in that wonderful interview with Bill Moyers, which I may be paraphrasing as, “I don’t need faith--I have experience.”  I find that a living spirituality is infinitely more important than faith or a specific set of beliefs.  And yet, I do find faith necessary, particularly when we are walking through a dark time in our lives and can’t quite remember the awe that filled us on another day.

I have felt the Divine in the waves of the Atlantic and walking through an aspen grove in autumn; in Tarot readings and Bible passages; in the eyes of persons who are courageously healing from horrendous trauma and in those who have finally come to admit their violation of others; on a zafu in a Zen monastery and in the ecstasy of Sufi dancing; in a Lakota sweat lodge and a Roman Catholic mass; in breathing into a yoga asana and while walking my dogs around the lake; while relaxing on the rug in front of the fire and through delving into frightening places within.

I seek the fullest experience of Spirit.  In mentoring others to deepen their own experience, I, too, learn and am nourished.

Namaste!

Loanne Marie