Despite the fact that some would like to think that their religion or their spiritual path has a unique set of beliefs, there’s a commonality underlying most of them. If you can get past the dogma and the “stories,” you can find the similarities–the truth.
People often ask me about my beliefs, my spiritual practices and my religion. I usually respond that I’m spiritual more than religious. That said, I qualify that statement by adding that I primarily identify as Jewish but my beliefs and practices encompass many other spiritual traditions and metaphysical teachings.
That means I’ve had a long and winding spiritual path. I’m a seeker.
At this point in my life, maybe you could describe me as having an eclectic, practical, spiritual outlook. But come to my home on Friday night and you know I’m Jewish.
The Truth
Over the years I’ve discovered one thing: The truth as I know it and understand it about God, faith and the way the Universe works can be found in almost any religious or spiritual tradition–and it’s pretty much the same across the board. It’s also in most wisdom, or metaphysical, teachings as well. I may have to pay attention or search it out, but it’s there.
I was raised Jewish, but I’ve explored many different spiritual paths. As I did, with just a few exceptions, I always found that the core belief system of each one revolved around some basic truths—truths that were not too far off from my own or those with which I’d been raised. We are all one. There is just one God. We all want love, peace, connection, joy, abundance, prosperity, and fulfillment. We are all spiritual beings having a human experience.
My Path
As an adult, I began practicing Judaism more regularly for a variety of reasons. This influenced me personally and professionally. I began looking for a meaning-full and a spirit-full religious practice. I developed a strong desire to write about a variety of topics relating to spirituality, metaphysics and human potential from a Jewish perspective. However, after a few years, I discovered that those topics didn’t necessarily have to be written from an angle that pertained just to Jews. Indeed, they had relevance for anyone seeking to connect with a Higher Power or to find meaning in life and in their spiritual practices or who wanted to fulfill their purpose and potential.
Additionally, I was influenced by the fact that I spent two years turning every holiday—secular and religious—from empty observances into meaningful and spiritual ones as a regular guest on a popular podcast. During this time I discovered I could take almost any observance, ritual or prayer and give it a spin that made it applicable and meaningful for anyone—no matter his or her particular religious persuasion.
And for many years I watched as Jews I knew searched outside of Judaism for connection to God and for truth, not believing the religion of their birth had what they needed—just as I had done at one point in my life. They looked in the New Age Movement and in personal growth classes and in Buddhism. I also noticed that non-Jews turned to Jewish mysticism, or Kabbalah, for answers—believing the truth must be there, outside the religion of their birth. Of course, the truth resides in all of these places, as does the information on how to connect and find meaning-full and spirit-full practices.
Along the way, I taught a comparative religions class to Jewish high school students. Together we saw the truth—and the similarities—in every religion we studied. Of course, there were differences as well. But underneath these, the core beliefs were similar enough to say, “we see the truth here, too.”
And the truth is in nature, in the animal kingdom, in relationships, in business, in just about everything we experience in this world and the World Above. You can find it if you look. Pay attention.
Embrace It All
Given my collection of experiences, professionally, I stopped wanting to be a Jewish author or writer per se. I decided, instead, to be the type of author that could simply inspire and help readers find the truth. I began focusing on writing about practical spirituality and personal development. (In the most recent past, I’ve mostly written about writing, publishing and blogging, and many of my readers only know me for this body of work. But I hope to soon move back into self-help and spirituality.)
In my religious practice, I’ve combined many traditions: Native American, Buddhist, “New Age,” and Jewish, just to name a few.
Yes, some of what I have to say, some of what I believe, might have its foundations in Judaism but it is applicable for anyone from any religious or spiritual tradition. Some of it also is secular.
Amazingly, there’s truth in almost everything. If you move away from judgment and simply try to understand, you can find the same basic beliefs almost anywhere. They bear repeating: We are all one. There is just one God. We all want love, peace, connection, joy, abundance, prosperity, and fulfillment. We are all spiritual beings having a human experience.
Have you found these truths along your spiritual path? Tell me in a comment below.
